BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
As criticism of players fails to spark revival, Motherwell boss Robinson is feeling strain
It is killing us. We know how much it means to the manager
IT IS a dangerous game Stephen Robinson is playing. After weeks of caning his players over their slack start to the campaign, the Motherwell manager appears to be reinforcing fresh criticism of their bravery and appetite by casting doubt over his own ability to get them moving in the right direction.
Certainly, his words after seeing his team self-destruct against Hamilton have made Thursday night’s visit of Northern Irish side Glentoran on Europa League qualifying duty a whole lot more interesting. Not to mention unnecessarily pressurised.
Normally, this would be a game the Fir Park side would be expected to sail through. Right now? Who knows? They had almost 70 per cent of possession against Accies on Saturday and still contrived to throw it away through some calamitous defending to match their misadventures up front.
The likes of Jake Hastie and Callum Lang are offering little out wide. Of the centre-forwards brought in, Jordan White has not found it easy dealing with the Premiership after success at Inverness while Chris Long looks a shadow of the bloke who scored 11 goals last term before agreeing a new deal in the summer.
‘The amount of chances we are creating, a centre-forward would eat up. (A centre-forward) that really wants to put their neck on the line,’ said Robinson in a TV interview at the weekend. ‘A little bit extra desire. Can I instil that in them? Well, if I can’t, they will have to try to get somebody else that will do it.’ On one hand, it seems strange to even think of Robinson’s position being under question after finishing third in the league last time out.
Wasn’t he being touted for a job at Bournemouth and an international position with Northern Ireland not so long ago? Of course, he didn’t get either. And, now, he finds his own recent record at Fir Park being sifted through in finer detail. Sure, Motherwell were in third when Covid-19 brought hostilities to an end in March, but they had won just one game out of ten in all competitions. That record now stands at one in their last 15. Of course, it would be hard for Robinson to praise his team on the back of that run of results and we should be wary of chastising anyone in the public eye for being honest, but you listen to him talk about his players going into their shell when the heat comes on, getting their heads turned by transfer speculation and lacking desire and you do wonder whether it is starting to become a little counter-productive.
Compare his demeanour to that of Brian Rice (left). Prior to Saturday, Accies had lost three out of three. They had squandered way too many chances against St Mirren last time out. Yet, their boss kept backing them up.
Standing trackside after this first victory, he was intent on defending his boys, defending the town of Hamilton and vowing to pull up any journalist or broadcaster who had been dishing out stick beforehand.
Should it be any surprise, then, that they showed that fighting spirit Motherwell have been missing and secured the points through centre-back Hakeem Odoffin, who, rather than letting his head drop when missing a sitter, got back up the park to put it in where it hurts and score the first goal of his senior career from a Reegan Mimnaugh corner kick.
‘We know we are going to get stick at times but the gaffer fights for us,’ said goalkeeper Ryan Fulton.
‘He builds us up when we are a bit down. Otherwise, we wouldn’t get ourselves up after defeats. He leads in that way.
‘We get written off and it’s up to us to prove a point. We need to have a siege mentality.
‘We are good enough for this league and beating Motherwell shows we aren’t punching above our weight being here. I think it will spark the season.’
It is not even worth considering what the unthinkable playing out against Glentoran would do to Motherwell’s campaign.
Captain Declan Gallagher insists Robinson was relatively quiet in the dressing room after the match on Saturday. It was the players who did the lion’s share of the talking.
‘The boys had more to say to each other than what the manager had to say,’ revealed Gallagher. ‘It is killing us. We know how much it means to the manager.
‘He has given us all the information, we have taken it all on board, and you can see the way we are dominating games.
‘We’ve just not been clinical enough in both boxes — in
stopping goals and scoring goals. ‘The boys have exchanged a few words. We know we’ve got to do better. The gaffer didn’t actually have to say too much. ‘We need to be hurt after a defeat like that. We’ve lost some big players, absolute leaders, so the boys who are here are needing to step up. ‘One of my jobs is to get the boys’ heads up but, at the end of the day, you need 11 captains on the park.’ Motherwell’s game plan will certainly have to revolve around more than just looking consistently to David Turnbull. The 21-year-old midfielder was at the centre of almost every good thing the Steelmen did against Accies. He ran the game for long periods, looking just like the guy who caught Celtic’s eye before a Parkhead medical showed up a knee problem that needed surgery. He also forced a handful of saves from Fulton, but appeared to tire a little as the game developed and that’s when Accies turned everything upside-down. Rice threw on Andy Winter, Callum Smith and Mimnaugh midway through the second 45 and the youngsters changed the game. Ross Callachan was denied by a save from Trevor Carson, Lewis Smith just failed to connect with a header and then Odoffin made the difference when getting in ahead of Mark O’Hara to score just moments after missing a great chance from a couple of yards.
For Fulton, making a strong contribution to the win was particularly sweet.
The 24-year-old missed the whole of last term following an operation on a tendon connected to the quad muscle in his leg that ruptured in a game at Dundee in May 2019.
‘It was massive for me to get a clean sheet, but to just be back out there playing is big,’ said Fulton. ‘I had this problem for four years.
‘The club looked after me so well with the top surgeon and the best rehab. I just want to repay them.’
MOTHERWELL (4-3-3): Carson 6; O’Donnell 6, Gallagher 6, Mugabi 6, Lamie 6; Campbell 6 (Hastie 81), O’Hara 5, Turnbull 8; Seedorf 6 (Watt 81), White 5 (Long 60), Lang 5 (Hylton 54).
Subs not used: Morrison, Grimshaw, Maguire, Polworth, Robinson.
Booked: O’Donnell, Gallagher.
HAMILTON (4-4-1-1): Fulton 8; Hodson 7, Odoffin 8, Want 7, McMann 7; Johnson 4 (L Smith 35), Martin 6 (Mimnaugh 67), Callachan 6, Moyo 5 (C Smith 67); Templeton 5 (Trafford 54); Ogkmpoe 6 (Winter 67).
Subs not used: Gourlay, Hamilton, Fjortoft,
Owolabi. Booked: Templeton.
Man of the match: Hakeem Odoffin.
Referee: Alan Muir.