BARACLOUGH HAS NO PLANS TO PARK THE BUS AGAINST RANGERS:
IAN BARACLOUGH has insisted that Motherwell are ready to go for the jugular against a ‘fearful’ rangers — sealing his own team’s Premiership survival and condemning the Ibrox club to another season i n the Championship.
the Steelmen hold a huge advantage after their stunning 3-1 Play-Off Final first-leg win at Ibrox on thursday night. they also go into tomorrow’s second leg unbeaten in their last seven games at Fir Park, scoring 16 goals in the process.
rangers need to come out with all guns blazing to rescue the tie, but Baraclough vowed that Motherwell will not ‘ park the bus’ — and said attack is the best form of defence as his men seek to kill off Stuart McCall’s visitors.
‘It won’t be a case of sitting back and parking the bus,’ declared the 44-year-old Englishman. ‘We will still be a threat going forward. We’re at home, we’ve been good at home and we’ve been scoring goals, too.
‘the onus isn’t on us to score, but I don’t think you are as much of a threat if you sit back and try to ride out the game. rangers have got so many dangers from players who are good technically.
‘But if we can get the first goal, it would settle everything down. So, of course, we’ll be looking to be a threat to rangers.
‘they are going to have to go for goals. But will they be wide open from the off? I don’t know, so we have to prepare for everything.
‘But whether they try to do it from the off or whether they start steady, I think they will be fearful of us. they won’t want us to score.
‘It wil l need t o be another courageous performance because there will be a lot of nerves around and we will have to handle the occasion. We will need the same amount of commitment from everyone that we got at Ibrox.’
Baraclough believes that Motherwell were galvanised by being roundly written off before the first leg. the tag of underdogs has now passed to rangers, but the former Scunthorpe and Sligo rovers boss vowed there would be no complacency against a club boasting the second-biggest budget in Scottish football.
‘ People were writing us off because of where we finished in the table and because rangers had momentum, having got t hrough t wo r ounds of t he play-offs,’ he said.
‘I can understand why people were thinking that, but I was quite happy to go to Ibrox as the underdog.
‘I told my players that because people had written them off, there should be no fear factor. I told them if they played without fear, then they had a good chance of winning.
‘But as Stuart alluded to after the first leg, they are the ones now who have probably been
written off. But we are still playing rangers, who are a f antastic f ootball club with players who will be hurting. We have to be ready for that — and we will be ready.’
Baraclough also revealed that he is taking his squad to a hotel before the second leg, because he fears that several of his players who have just become fathers for the first time could suffer sleepless nights otherwise.
‘I don’t know what happened last September or October, but there’s been a good few babies born in the last month,’ smiled Baraclough, who has a full squad to choose from for tomorrow’s second leg.
‘I would like to take the boys out of that environment and get them a good night’s sleep, which is so important. So after training we will go to a hotel.’
Baraclough has prepared his men for penalty kicks in case they are pegged back tomorrow, but is naturally hoping f or a more positive outcome on the back of a two-goal lead.
‘ It would be one of the top achievements in my career if we stay up,’ he added. ‘It would be a really proud moment.’
Motherwell defender louis laing is hoping that rangers follow up on McCall’s pledge to ‘have a real go’ at Fir Park.
after watching wingers Marvin Johnson and lionel ainsworth cause so much trouble breaking down the wings at Ibrox, the 22-year- old believes an all- out attack by the visitors will leave them vulnerable.
‘We’re all expecting an assault from rangers,’ said Englishman laing, currently on loan from Nottingham Forest and out of contract at the end of the season.
‘they will come out of the blocks straight away. they’ve got no choice, really, but that plays into our hands. that showed the other night at Ibrox.
‘With our pacy wingers we hit them on the break. We counterattacked really well and a similar thing might happen on Sunday at Fir Park. Hopefully, it will be a similar scoreline.
‘Before the first leg, we were well aware of the perception that rangers were favourites. that created a siege mentality and we proved people wrong.
‘the atmosphere was electric at Ibrox. It was the biggest crowd and biggest game of my career. But I take my hat off to the Motherwell fans because you could hear them over the 50,000 rangers fans.
‘Despite winning 3-1, though, we can’t afford to think it’s done and dusted already. It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow.
‘Is it over if we get the first goal? It would certainly be a help. But I don’t think that would be it.
‘that’s the plan, though, try to grab the f i rst goal and l i mit rangers’ opportunities. We believe we can do it and maintain our place in the Premiership.’
It will need to be another courageous performance