Standing Out From The Crowd 
Standing Out From The Crowd
There was a time, many moons ago, when coming to Fir Park would be an intimidating proposition for opposing teams fans. The Motherwell supporters would get behind the team who would in turn play with the passion and commitment required to grind out narrow wins. The visiting team would defend for a point and be happy if they succeeded.
Then it changed.
In the space of a season, Motherwell fans went from being supporters to being critics. The installation of seating in the East Stand stole the atmosphere from the ground in an instant. The anti-climax of '91/'92 was greeted with 'Well fans bickering and fighting among themselves. An injury plagued next season saw calls for the Hamsters head. The fact that he had guided us from the first division to Europe was ignored by the majority of 'Well fans who told Tommy where he could go. The next two seasons were the most successful we've had since the late 70's and in fairness the fans were very supportive when we were winning - except when the team were booed off at half time for the heinous crime of 'only' beating Dundee 1-0. The next few seasons under 'Eck were pitifully bad but when support was required in the crunch game against Dunfermline, the fans were silent. There was mid-table mediocrity last year which meant that everyone was quiet, and that brings me nicely up to this season.
At least half of our fans seem to be under the impression that this season has been a disaster. They are behaving worse than Hibs fans. The main gripe is that despite the fact that we are fourth in the league and the only realistic challengers to Hearts for Europe we should have had third place sewn up before March. The critics are oblivious to the fact that Billy Davies has turned us from relegation certainties to European contenders. Some of the football on display this season has been light years ahead of everyone outside the
old firm. The traditional Motherwell failings of not taking chances and being inconsistent have been elevated to a sacking offence. At the time of writing, we have lost only ten games this season - one more than Celtic and the same as Hearts. It seems a certainty that the 'goals for' column will break fifty for the first time in years. However, this does not constitute progress for a lot of fans.
There is no doubt that a positive home support can act as a twelfth man. The trouble is that our home support act as a twelfth man for the opposition. So what can we do about it? It seems to me that the club need to tackle two issues:
1) The expectations and demands of the fans.
2) The atmosphere inside the ground.
I'm sure the club would welcome answers on a postcard with regards to both points, but here is my opinion.
The fans expectations have gone through the roof since the arrival of John Boyle. There would have been no problem with this if it was mixed with a touch of realism. The introduction of a new manager and a couple of good players on big wages will not transform us into world beaters overnight. We have made steps in the right direction but we are still a long way from the finished article Billy Davies wants us to be. I think increased communication between the management team (Davies, Nevin and Boyle) and the fans would go a long way to solving this. The occasional token appearance at a supporters function already helps but regular meetings between Davies and the fans would let both sides put across their views in a respectable fashion. The fans could suggest what they thought was wrong and BD or Chiefie could point out what they are doing to fix it. It's plain to see that both Nevin and Davies care about the club and these meetings would provide an ideal opportunity for them to explain how we are progressing. The progress reports would also reassure fans that we are heading in the right direction - if we fail to finish in the top half next season ,regardless of circumstances, then a lot of people will be calling for BD to bite the bullet.
The second point is one that needs sorted for the start of next season. We've been abysmal at home for three years and the fans must accept some of the blame for that. All that we can do is to encourage supporters to get behind the team more. Some clubs on the continent employ someone to wind up the crowd - that would be met with apathy here. I would try reducing prices, even if it was to £7 a ticket with students paying even less. A full ground has a much better atmosphere and I suspect we would not make a financial loss on the day. I will also take this opportunity to again plead that the South Stand is not given to away fans. The roof allows them to make more noise than the rest of Fir Park put together. There could also be experiments with giving out flags and coloured card that seem so impressive abroad. Whatever is done, the fans have to realise that we play an important part at Fir Park. Next time you abuse a player, think about what you're doing. The twelfth man should be playing for us next season.
Derek Wilson
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