Motherwell treated us to a festival of football in a season
that thrilled and delighted friends and foes alike. Fourth place in the table and a European tour
was a fitting reward.
The team played with such flair and confidence that those
with the longest memories assert that this group delivered the best ever seen
in claret and amber. The club, boosted
by player sales and higher attendances, is in a healthy financial position and safely
under the guidance of the Well Society and the Executive board.
After the surprise departure of Michael Wimmer in May the club board resumed their search for
a manager and in mid-June announced another unexpected choice. Jens Berthel
Askou was installed
as the players returned after the close season and within a week he was with
them at the Dutch training camp. What followed was remarkable.
We're going to Hampden
The summer revamp of the squad delivered Lukas Fadinger, Jordan
McGhee, Elliot Watt, Eseosa Sule(on loan), Elijah Just, Emmanuel Longelo,
Ibrahim Said, Esapa Osong, Callum Hendry, Regan Charles-Cook, Oscar Priestman
and Stephen Welsh (on loan) to Fir Park and along with the manager’s belief in
possession based attacking football a revolution had arrived.
There were a few hiccups on the way but soon both the new and old faces took to the manager’s style. The loss of the first goal of the new season caused some consternation in the away stand when Clyde took the lead with a long range lob over Callum Ward. The notion of playing the ‘keeper as an auxiliary sweeper prompted some debate but as form improved it was accepted.
Falkirk pyro
Lennon
Miller’s expected departure came in August. His move to Udinese
will give a reported four to five million euro boost to the Fir Park bank
balance. We keep an eye on his progress and wish him well.
The League began with a hard fought home draw with Rangers.
The second away fixture had us at Tynecastle and
what unfolded for an hour was magical. Motherwell ran rings around the
bemused Hearts side and was not flattered by the 3-0 lead it had earned.
Sadly we could not resist the energetic recovery of the home side and had to
settle for a draw.
At
times the performance was been breathtaking and it was refreshing to hear
pundits pour praise on the team as it moved up the table. The year ended
with a tough double header against the Old Firm. Perhaps the most
significant indicator of the team’s progress was that many supporters expected
Motherwell to take points from the Glasgow pair. We came close at Ibrox
then triumphed at Fir Park with a 2-0 humbling of Celtic.
The
year ended with Motherwell in third place and we stayed for five rounds. For the rest of the campaign (19 rounds) we
held fourth.
Celebration v Dundee United
The new year brought growing self-belief in the manager’s philosophy. Possession based and a joy to behold, there were times when fans would look at each other in disbelief that it was their Motherwell team playing such special football.
By the
end of February a ten game run of league fixtures had delivered eight wins and
two draws. Tawanda Maswanhise was
scoring for fun and would end the season as the league’s top scorer. Clean sheet records tumbled as Fir Park
became a fortress. The only dent came
from Falkirk (until a penultimate controversial loss to Celtic).
The
performance against Rangers
was typical of the character of the team.
The Steelmen played the better football but were reduced to ten for the last
fifteen minutes. Stephen Welsh stepped
in with two minutes remaining to secure a draw.
The
heavens opened in Paisley as Motherwell took five without reply against St
Mirren. The accumulation of
points dropped off in spring and the season ended with only two wins from the
final ten games but the quality on the pitch remained top notch.
European
football was confirmed with a 1-0 win at Easter
Road and two thousand ‘Well fans stood to cheer players, manager and
backroom staff long after the final whistle.
The cup
competitions were the only disappointment.
We reached Hampden
for a League Cup semi-final only to produce a disappointing display. We exited the Scottish Cup in spectacular
form after a bizarre ten against nine clash at Pittodrie.
Both
the Society and MFC AGMs reinforced the feeling that the club is under excellent
stewardship. Finances are good and
developments continue. Mrs Baillie’s bar
was created and plans were submitted to revamp and extend the training
facilities at the Dalziel sports ground.
Jens Berthel Askou
This
has been the most enjoyable season in a lifetime of supporting the Mighty ‘Well. To Jens (and to those who recruited him) we
owe a huge vote of thanks. The players
have been outstanding. The new recruits
have been excellent but so has the transformation evident in Paul McGinn and
Stephen O’Donnell. Let’s hope that pair
of seniors can deliver again next season.
Come on
ye ‘Well
