LASLEY SEEKS TO RESTORE THE SPIRIT

MOTHERWELL are displaying worrying signs of mental fragility that will inevitably turn this campaign into a gruelling struggle unless swiftly addressed. On Wednesday, for the second successive home match, the loss of a goal was the cue for the roof to cave in. Inverness Caley Thistle were offered little resistance as they plundered three goals. Just as Hearts did at the end of September. For the vast majority of Premiership clubs, defeat is an occupational hazard. But when the manner of surrender is repeatedly so tame, there are issues lurking beneath the surface. In the aftermath of this week’s defeat — the second half of which Mark McGhee described as the worst of his second spell in charge — the manager refused to gild the lily. ‘The spirit went out of us,’ he said. ‘We became fragmented and that unity when we lose a goal wasn’t there.’ For skipper Keith Lasley, the boos that greeted the final whistle were justified. ‘When you lose 3-0 it’s understandable the crowd will not be best pleased,’ he said. ‘As players, it’s part of our job to try to entertain them and we never did that. ‘We have to handle that. We get plenty of praise when things are going well. So we’ll take it on the chin and I’m sure the fans will be back again on Saturday to support us.’ The most galling thing for McGhee was there was no hint of such a capitulation at the interval. Yet, once Carl Tremarco took advantage of woeful defending to put the Highlanders in front, the game was done. ‘The first five minutes of the second half were okay but once the first goal went in there didn’t seem to be a real oomph from us to get back into the game,’ conceded Lasley. ‘It’s hold-your-hands-up time. It wasn’t good enough. But we’ve got another game in a couple of days and we’ve got to get ourselves right. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves.’ McGhee can only hope the old wisdom about bad things coming in threes doesn’t hold true when Ross County visit tomorrow. Hardly the opponent of choice for a team desperately seeking to reverse its home form. Lasley, though, feels Motherwell’s issues at Fir Park are more practical than psychological. ‘I don’t know if it was anything to do with spirit,’ he said. ‘Things can change so quickly. If we win on Saturday, then the spirit or whatever it is will be back.’