The positive from today...

[Handsome_Devil]

is SOD being suspended for next week, we'd never drop him otherwise.

We're midtable and have backed the manager with all kinds of money and contracts for players - we're obviously not going to sack him but jings, it is seriously hard to make a case for Alexander at the minute. His mindset is unrelentingly and pointlessly negative, his obsession with this 4-3-3 mind-boggling and his loyalty to certain players despite form inexplicable.

We might not have the squad to be very good, we certainly have a squad to be attempting to be better than this.

I'm not yelling 'Alexander out' yet - but suspect I will be soon.

[WoodyG]

I'm calling for Alexander to go.

Players should hang their heads in shame. Getting beaten 1-6 by a club formed only 9 years ago is a disgrace.

[texaco cup]

If you don’t have the type of player who has the quality and fitness to defend near their own goal area, then the only option is to make sure the ball is as far away from your goal as possible. Alexander is under the misapprehension that you go a goal up and then get everyone to defend for their lives. Something we haven’t been able to do for years. IMO I don’t see the point in playing players who can’t or won’t make tackles and don’t even put their bodies in the road of cross balls from the opposition. O’Donnell and McGinley couldn’t tackle a fish supper if you gave them both a knife and fork. We have been extremely lucky that we have got the points we have. But deep down I can’t see us talking many more points playing under the current manager and his formations and tactics.

[firparkUSA]

As was predicted by a number, anytime “manager of the Month” award comes to Fir Park, the trend line reverses.
Can’t argue with the stats facts that shows Motherwell having the worst results in the last 5 league games: 1 point from a possible 15.

Henceforth perhaps we should be gracious if such an honor should ever repeat itself but our manager whoever the next it will be should DECLINE the award as clearly it hurts more than it helps.

[LawSteelman]

O’Donnell is an absolute imposter in our jersey. He has ability as he’s shown in the past and he wouldn’t have won the amount of caps he has for Scotland if he didn’t, but he just doesn’t do it for us. He simply goes through the motions when playing for us and it’s a disgrace that he is our club captain. The sooner he’s gone the better.

Aside from him that was another dismal performance today and an absolute embarrassment of a result. Yet again we sit i and invite a side to pump cross after cross into our area and pull every single player back when defending a set piece. Why? We then have no out-ball. Once we went ahead it was clear that our sole ‘tactic’ was to frantically try and defend on our own 18 yard line and hope for the best and no surprise that it backfired.

The heat is cranking up on Alexander, and I can understand why. However our problems run deeper than the manager. Our recruitment, no matter how many times it has been ‘overhauled’ remains abysmal. We have absolutely no footballers in that squad and haven’t signed one worthy of the name since…god knows when!

It’s hard to see things getting any better any time soon.

[Well below the Equator]

Problems that I saw after yesterday:
1. We have two horribly slow full-backs who are scared of getting exposed, so they sit back or tuck inside, giving quick wingers lots of room to operate.
2. We had no speed up front. At least Woolery might have made the blue defence think a bit, Shields & Roberts, never.
3. We looked timid in midfield, Slattery should have worn blue, so many times he gave cheap balls away.
4. With 2 difficult games ahead and the bottom clubs suddenly starting to get results, we are perilously near that end of the table, with a team whose confidence must be shrinking by the day.

[Handsome_Devil]

The one thing I would say about the full-backs in slight mitigation is that they are being absolutely hung out to dry by our system. The wingers do not track back enough to offer viable support and the midfield - again in their slight mitigation - is clearly being told to keep the shape in the centre at all costs. So aye, McGinley is clearly rubbish and SOD has tanked since summer through either being an imposter or knackered/ill but you could stick a couple of decent full-backs there in their places and I doubt it would make much difference right now.

Regarding the midfield, there is no formation which survives 90 mins as it is written down - that is to say if you line up in a 4-4-2, you don't expect to see four at the back, four in the middle and two up top at all times regardless of whether you're attacking or defending, sitting or pressing etc. The same is obviously true with 4-3-3 - three in the centre is a solid enough start in Scotland but if the full-backs behind and wingers in front are as static and poor as ours, they're in deep trouble regardless of who they are. Slattery is clearly good enough for this level, MOH is probably ok as a workhorse alongside him and the rest leaves a lot to be desired. However, like the full-backs, you could click your fingers to magically find a better trio but it would make little difference.

The problems at full-back and midfield, I would say, are therefore less to do with the guys in those positions than the fact the manager refuses to see we have a structural issue with how we're trying to play 4-3-3. The five players who end up looking the worst are still trying their best (unless you think SOD is a non-trier ofc) but we're effectively playing a nine-man team given the two wide forwards contribute fractionally above zero.

[dazlhigh]

The one thing I would say about the full-backs in slight mitigation is that they are being absolutely hung out to dry by our system. The wingers do not track back enough to offer viable support and the midfield - again in their slight mitigation - is clearly being told to keep the shape in the centre at all costs. So aye, McGinley is clearly rubbish and SOD has tanked since summer through either being an imposter or knackered/ill but you could stick a couple of decent full-backs there in their places and I doubt it would make much difference right now.

Regarding the midfield, there is no formation which survives 90 mins as it is written down - that is to say if you line up in a 4-4-2, you don't expect to see four at the back, four in the middle and two up top at all times regardless of whether you're attacking or defending, sitting or pressing etc. The same is obviously true with 4-3-3 - three in the centre is a solid enough start in Scotland but if the full-backs behind and wingers in front are as static and poor as ours, they're in deep trouble regardless of who they are. Slattery is clearly good enough for this level, MOH is probably ok as a workhorse alongside him and the rest leaves a lot to be desired. However, like the full-backs, you could click your fingers to magically find a better trio but it would make little difference.

The problems at full-back and midfield, I would say, are therefore less to do with the guys in those positions than the fact the manager refuses to see we have a structural issue with how we're trying to play 4-3-3. The five players who end up looking the worst are still trying their best (unless you think SOD is a non-trier ofc) but we're effectively playing a nine-man team given the two wide forwards contribute fractionally above zero.

Our defence is adequate for the context we play in, but while they could deal with waves of attacks from Inversneckie Daffodil, they can't fend off teams with players as good as, our better than, ours for an hour and a half; our midfield needs sorting, not only to give the defence some respite, but to give build positions from which, for example, Tony or KVV can run towards the opposition goal with a chance of getting a shot away. I can barely remember when one of our guys was last put through on goal. Our 'strikers', either facing the wrong way or chasing lost causes, are getting very little opportunity to do any striking.
Vieira, basically with Hodgson's players (plus Edouard), has transformed Palace; it can be done.

[Handsome_Devil]

I don't think there's many who think our potentially starting XI or so is totally awful, hence why the manager is getting so much stick for his approach. We have a couple of weak spots for sure and lack depth but certainly no more than what most teams have to deal with - we create more weaknesses than we have to cope with through our selection and formation!

Alexander's philosophy raised eyebrows last season but given he took over a complete clown show, improved various players and kept us up with room to spare, it was excused. This summer he has been given vast resources by our standards, the most since when? McCall signing Law, Higdon etc? McGhee getting Porter and Hughes? And to still set out to play like this is a massive gamble because while you get hailed for performances like Aberdeen, even the wins over Livi, County, Dundee etc were quite rightly met with a 'great, but...' from the fans. The second it stops working questions get asked and if it stops working for any more than a game or two he's instantly under pressure because there's zero credit in the bank.

And while we're at it, someone has to tell him to get a grip in slagging the referees and his analysis of us in post-match interviews. Choosing to defend your players is one thing, GA's comments however frequently make him look detached from reality - it just angers people even more and does no one any favours whatsoever.