The road to success is never easy

Ian Paul

26 Oct 1992

ON the basis that anyone who pays his money is entitled to express his views, the Motherwell fans who chanted for the removal of manager Tommy McLean during and after the 3-1 defeat by Hearts on Saturday will claim legitimacy for their actions.

But I am not so sure that they are doing anybody, least of all themselves or the club, any favours.

Do they really believe the dismissal of a manager who has performed an astonishing enough feat in maintaining the club's premier-division position, let alone lifting the Scottish Cup, would improve matters?

Their frustration is perfectly understandable.

Their team is playing badly, so badly that if this form is continued they might finally succumb to demotion to the first division, but it is at this point the team needs support, not anger.

There is a patent crisis

of confidence among the players, a self-doubt which feeds upon itself as the poor results continue, but it will not be resolved by barracking, nor the resignation of the manager.

As McLean himself indicated, it will be hard work, application and complete commitment to the cause which will lift the team from its despondency.

McLean could list the catalogue of injuries which has seriously affected his selections all season -- players like O'Donnell, Philliben and Simpson -- but he knows that the way out for a team like Motherwell is based on diligence rather than brilliance.

The comparison with Hearts is important in that context.

The Tynecastle side, whose chairman has already openly revealed the parlous state of their finances, still coped well without four of the players who took part in the UEFA Cup match in midweek.

But if the third best supported team in the country is working on a thin budget what can be expected of Motherwell, who attract little more than 5000 to any game bar the Old Firm? All any manager is ever able to do for a team like Motherwell, who cannot buy their way out of bother, is to wheel and deal as best as he can in the bargain basement of the game.

Winning the cup was a marvellous achievement, but that was 18 months ago and maybe one of the problems has been a slight self-delusion that it was the starter for something big.

It was not so.

The bread-and-butter struggle is no easier with a fancy trophy in the showcase.

That triumph was the result of fine play and a few breaks.

The Fir Park team showed little of the former, and got none of the latter, against Hearts, who were excellent, considering the drain on energy and spirit they must have suffered in the 1-0 defeat by Standard Liege.

"The goals we are giving away are unbelievable," said McLean.

"Motherwell used to make things difficult for teams who came here.

Right now, it's a free gift show.

"We have to realise the position we are in and it is not going to go away.

When things go wrong some of our players seem to be accepting it."

McLean has been too long in the business not to recognise that it is the classic Catch 22 situation.

Confidence only comes with good results, but it is confidence that produces results.

Hearts might have been expected to be a bit short in that area after losing in midweek, but they were in fine fettle.

Joe Jordan, never the easiest to please, was genuinely delighted, and particularly so with striker John Robertson.

He scored a splendid opening goal in 19 minutes, turning and shooting from a difficult angle past Dykstra.

He also claimed the second goal, although from our viewpoint that seemed a typical piece of striker's bluff, as Martin unhappily steered the ball over his own goal-line.

No matter, Robbo had a rare game anyway.

Even the loss of Alan Preston did not damage the Tynecastle cause over much.

Preston damaged knee ligaments in a juddering clash with keeper Dykstra and had to be carried off.

Ian Ferguson, his replacement, was involved in the second goal and scored the third in 68 minutes, when he touched in a low cross from Baird.

Motherwell scored a late goal which, by no stretch of the imagination, could be described as a consolation.

It was a beauty, none the less, a delightful piece of quick inter-play between substitute Bart Verheul and Davie Cooper which ended with Steve Kirk knocking the ball out of Henry Smith's reach.

Taken from the Herald