To replace or not to replace?

Last updated : 29 March 2005 By Firparkcorner

The quick answer is that they all do. Motherwell players, like all geniuses, are flawed. They had a bad day. No one would have left the field at Hampden believing they had played to their potential and given how rarely these opportunities come around, that would have hurt.


However, whilst some members of the side will know that their place is still safe – Corrigan, Leitch, McDonald, etc – there is room for tinkering elsewhere. The players may deserve another chance but they might have to wait for it to come along. So, if you are Richie Foran, Jim Paterson or even Gordon Marshall, you might be nervous…


Foran seems like the number one candidate to be dropped although he does have a case for being aggrieved. He was superb in our good run earlier in the season and his versatility has stopped him getting a really extended run in any position, especially his favoured role up front. He is usually deployed on the right of midfield but when he got his first chance for weeks in the final, he was stuck out on the left. As ever, he tried hard, but in all the times he has played there, Richie has never looked comfortable on the left. Having a bad day in the final thus came as a surprise to no one. It is likely that he could resume his usual position on the bench on Sunday.


Jersey on a shakey peg for Sunday
Jim Paterson’s place is also in jeopardy. There was concern before the final that his lack of pace might be exposed on the large Hampden pitch and he was initially hammered by Buffel on the left. When he switched wings after 2 minutes he did have some positive runs of his own but for most of the game he was largely anonymous. The smaller playing surface at Fir Park may persuade Butcher to give him another outing although a change of tact could see
Fitzpatrick’s energy replace Stepover’s trickery.

But the biggest choice Terry has is who to play in goals. Whether this is his last season or not, there is no doubt Gordon Marshall is coming to the end of his career. He did have an absolute shocker in the final but as such an experienced goalie, he should have no trouble in bouncing back if called upon. Alternatively, it could be useful to see if Barry John Corr has what it takes though and that means occasionally playing him in big games. Perhaps it would be better to give Marsh another week off to ‘mentally prepare’ rather than have Novo and the Greek bearing down on him again. Marshall has always been Butcher’s number one though and it seems likely that the manager will show support for him again. Anything else will cause a lot of questions to be asked about our goalkeeping situation next season.


So, if you were Terry Butcher what would you do? Perhaps Foran has finally earned his place up front or should that wait until he hits form in midfield again? Do we even contemplate playing Stepover and most importantly of all, who is our ‘keeper? Not long till we find out!