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Motherwell may be getting results, but do they also have a duty to entertain?
This is an excerpt from this week's Claret and Amber Alert, a free Motherwell newsletter written by Graeme McGarry that goes out every Thursday at 6pm. To sign up, click here.
We’ve all got one. That pal that’s never happy. To steal a line from Friends I may have used before, the sort of guy that complains that his wallet is too small for his 50s, and his diamond shoes are too tight.
Mine is called Davie.
I’m actually having a bit of fun here at good old Davie’s expense, as in other areas of his life, he can sometimes even be an upbeat sort. But when it comes to watching Motherwell, he has certainly leaned into the persona of the grumpy, middle-aged man since making his move to Fir Park’s Main Stand.
So it was that he pulled me up last week, beseeching me to do something on the style of play we are currently witnessing under the stewardship of Stuart Kettlewell.
Now, those who don’t watch Motherwell every week, and probably a great many who do, may wonder what on earth any ‘Well fan has to moan about at the minute. Kettlewell has the team flying high in fifth place, after all, level on points with Dundee United in fourth having played a game less, and four clear of St Mirren in sixth with two games in hand on the Buddies.
Not only that, the team have just contested a national cup semi-final at Hampden, losing out narrowly to Rangers courtesy of a late goal.
In fairness though, that isn’t really his gripe. And his complaint is one I have heard from more than a few Motherwell supporters, despite the side’s impressive start to the season, in terms of results at least.
And, worryingly, it brought back memories of a similar debate that occurred during the Graham Alexander reign around the style of play.
It is no secret that Motherwell are quite happy to let the opposition have the ball for the most part, averaging just 39 percent possession across their 11 league games this season. And just because a team is set up to counterattack, doesn’t mean they can’t be entertaining to watch.
In fact, particularly since the pace of Marvin Kaleta and Tawanda Maswanhise has been introduced into the side, Motherwell can be thrilling as they turn attack into defence, moving from one end of the field to the other in the blink of an eye.
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That is how they got their opener against St Johnstone last time out, with some nice play between Lennon Miller and Steve Seddon allowing the latter to pick out the marauding Kaleta up the right, who duly found Maswanhise at the back post to head home.
Until that moment though, 20 minutes into the contest (and for long spells thereafter too), the home fans had been treated to not very much at all, apart from the Saints players knocking it around between one another. The match ended with Motherwell having 33 percent of the ball. But, it would be remiss not to point out, all three of the points on offer.
Ironically, the early grumblings from St Johnstone fans in the reign of former Fir Park favourite Simo Valakari is that their side is built on style over substance, and that for all of their easy-on-the-eye play, they are too soft in both boxes.
So far this term, Motherwell certainly can’t be accused of that, outperforming their expected goals at one end and conceding the fifth fewest goals in the league at the other.
Does it matter then, that sometimes the football on display is a tough watch? Not as much as the end result, certainly. But I think it probably does matter nonetheless.
Most of the grumbles around just now probably stem from the cup semi against Rangers, where despite still being in the game until the latter stages, the team never really put themselves in a position to win it once the Ibrox side had drawn level.
The approach was rather timid, in fact, with that frustration heightened because of the brittle levels of confidence within the Rangers ranks at the time.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d certainly rather be in Motherwell’s position in the league than St Johnstone’s, for instance, but there are lessons from the Alexander era that Kettlewell may do well to heed for if and when those results dry up.
I sense that he is looking to evolve the team in that direction, though. He has done a great job to date in getting Motherwell to where they are on a meagre budget, while also – crucially - blooding youngsters into the side.
I have rather felt a little sorry though for Apostolos Stamatelopoulos recently as the striker has bust a gut chasing long balls, or spent his day contesting balls in the air instead of feeding on through balls from the likes of Miller behind him. We have players with the ability to pick apart defences, and that may play more to Stamatelopoulos’s strengths.
Is it too much to ask then that performances start to match the impressive results to date? Probably. But we’re football fans, and that is what we do.
Well, Davie does, at least.
