The baddest man in the whole damn town

The man who has a reputation of being an early riser can afford to sleep in until noon and it appears that the manager with a somewhat nicey nicey reputation can afford to weigh into anyone he sees fit. Yesterday was the second time this season that Aberdeen boss Craig Brown has ended a game at Fir Park by going for an official of the opposition.

At the start of the season, when he was still Motherwell manager, he threw a punch at Odense director, Kim Brink.

Yesterday, he was chasing after John Boyle and then got his hands on his former employer. To do so once is bad enough but to have two misdemeanours like this in one season is surely an indication of bad behaviour. Hmmm, the youth of today….err wait, hmmmm, the elderly of today.

What sort of example is Craig Brown setting to youngsters like Walter Smith, Alex Ferguson and Jim Jefferies by behaving in this manner.

Who knows what Boyle said to spark such a reaction in Brown but when it comes to dishing out the blame, there has been a heavy precedent set in not paying attention to what instigated these matters. The SFA should at least be handing out a warning to Brown about his behaviour and the media should start profiling him in the right manner.

Less of the nicey, nicey and isn’t it funny how he talks about winning corners as being more important than scoring goals and more of, well, he is a bit of a thug isn’t he?

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Doing well…one hurdle to go

Motherwell would have would have been gutted about giving a late goal away in the away leg in Norway but they certainly didn’t let it show at Fir Park. Scotland’s two other European entrants this week were in desperate need of an early goal but the team with a bit more patience to play with flew out of the blocks.

Two goals in the opening thirteen minutes put Motherwell on easy street against Aalesunds and went a long way to booking Motherwell’s spot in the final qualifying round in the Europa League. A third goal in the 89th minute provided the perfect way to round off a great evenings work in Lanarkshire!

This marks a tremendous achievement for Motherwell and three wins out of four matches, a clean sweep only prevented by an injury time spot-kick, suggests that Craig Brown has the team playing in the manner he got Scotland playing in qualification for major tournaments.

Unfortunately, it will all come to nothing (apart from some great memories) if Motherwell stumble in the final qualifying round, which is a big shame to be honest. Then again, that was known way before Motherwell kicked a ball in anger this season so it’s not as if anyone can complain now if that turns out to be the case.

It is not as though we are writing off Motherwell’s chances in the final qualifying round but Friday’s draw could bring some tough challenges.

The draw for the Europa League qualifying round takes place at 13:30 as Motherwell join Celtic and Dundee United in the mix to make it through to the Europa League group stages.

With Rangers already in the Champions League, it would be brilliant to have Scottish participants in the Europa League groups too. We’re quite quick to kick the Scottish game so getting some more clubs gaining valuable European experience has to be something worth backing and cheering.

During Motherwell’s progress, we’ve been quick to praise Craig Brown but it should be remembered that Motherwell players have picked up good experience in the qualifying rounds in recent years. Even though they have yet to make the proper group stages, some Well players have played in more European matches than many Scottish footballers since the 1980s!

This can be seen with Jamie Murphy now extending his lead at the top of Motherwell’s all time top scoring charts in European football. If you told a Well fan four years ago that they’d have a new top scorer in Europe before 2010 was out, they’d have said you were telling a funnier joke than Tam Cowan could crack.

Mind you, the list of things that tell you un-funnier jokes than Tam Cowan is an extremely short list. Not that Tam cares about us having a pop at his un-funniness, he will be too busy waiting to see who stands in the Well’s way of reaching the Europa League.

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Big tie looming for Craig Brown’s boys

In the second round of the Europa League, Motherwell have been drawn against Breiðablik UB from Iceland, the country formerly known as Bejam.

Breiðablik finished fifth in the 2009 Iceland league but qualified for the Europa League second round qualifier by triumphing in the Icelandic Cup, the VISA-Bikar. They defeated Fram, the team that finished in 4th in the league 7-6 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

The capacity of the Breiðablik ground is set at 5,000, so it’s not going to be a massive or intimidating atmosphere for the Motherwell players to overcome. We’d all like to see Motherwell take a comfortable lead to Iceland for the second leg but we don’t know too much about Breiðablik, so we’re not going to say much about the game just yet.

Breiðablik are currently a point behind league leaders Valur but Fram, in third place, have a game in hand and could go top with a win. There have only been 8 league games played in the season so far but it does mean that the Icelandic side will be well into their season by the time they travel to Fir Park.

This will be a major challenge for Motherwell and the Lanarkshire really need to hit the ground running to stand up to their opponents.

After all, you only have to think back to last summer when Jim Gannon’s men went down to a rum collection of shepherds, singers and Dr Who set construction builders in the first leg at Fir Park. Motherwell managed to rally in the second and although they were unable to make it to the Europa League, they gave their fans some great moments along the way in the qualifying rounds.

Returning back to Breiðablik UB, they hail from the city of Kópavogur, which has a population of around 30,000 people. You will be impressed by our lazy research as we tell you that singer Emilíana Torrini was born here. We’re not really fans of her work.

That’s not to say we don’t like Icelandic artists. The Sugarcubes and Bjork were fantastic and of course, Sigur Ros hail from Iceland. To be fair though, our favourite Icelandic artist has to be Amiina, the four girls who provide live backing for Sigur Ros but also make their own music.

A performance in Glasgow’s Mono a few years back was as close to perfection as you could ever hope for.

Okay, again, we have moved away from Breiðablik, with the football side only being part of the major sporting community of the club.

Their female team has a more illustrious past than the main team, with 15 titles to 5 for the men. No doubt some will get a chuckle out of this but don’t forget, in the past couple of years, Arsenal ladies have demolished the main team with regards the number of trophies picked up.

Their supporters website can be found here, with Motherwell getting a mention and there is a picture taken from the Davie Cooper Stand being found on the main page.

So, there is a little bit of background about the team that Motherwell will be hoping to get by.

Can Motherwell beat their Iceland opponents?

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Important Lanarkshire derby looms

When these clubs met recently, Hamilton manager Billy Reid ended up on his backside celebrating a goal for his club. He will once again be looking to getting up off the bottom but this time, it is his club that are at the bottom…of the SPL.

Hamilton have a game in hand over Falkirk and even a point at Fir Park would see them escape the bottom spot.

As everyone in Scottish football knows, the pitch at Fir Park is a disgrace and the condition could have an influence on the outcome of the match. Then again, it is not as if the SPL is full of silky ball-players so perhaps the impact on the game is over-stated.

Motherwell are able to bring back Giles Coke from suspension but the biggest omission could be for Hamilton. Loan striker Mickael Antoine-Curier underwent surgery this week and his absence will dampen Hamilton’s ability to grab goals.

That is not to say that they are entirely toothless but with the Dundee striker on board, they would have a better chance.

A win for Hamilton would rocket them up to tenth whereas a home win would see Craig Brown open up a five point lead over Hearts.

Who will be the pride of Lanarkshire?

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Any more to come?

Craig Brown may still be the interim boss at Fir Park at the moment but that hasn’t stopped the club resolve some of the short-term future for 4 of their players.

First out of the door is Yassin Moutaouakil, who has returned to Charlton with Motherwell not looking to extend his loan period.

Also joining Moutaouakil in leaving Fir Park is Steven McGarry. McGarry rarely featured under Jim Gannon, aside from some European action at the start of the campaign, so he may have been pleased to see the manager leave. However, due to this inaction, McGarry had possibly made other plans to keep playing and there is a suggestion the player is heading to Australia. With the weather in Scotland at the moment, who can blame him?

There is good news for Well fans though.

Two of the best players in the Motherwell side this season have been goalkeeper John Ruddy and striker Lukas Jutkiewicz. Both are Everton players but their form this season has made them firm favourites with Well fans. When you consider the fact that the manager who brought them into the club is no longer there, some Well fans may have had concerns if the players would stay around until the end of the season.

These worries can now be put to one side.

With the managerial situation at Fir Park unresolved, there may be a reluctance for John Boyle to splash the cash. Craig Brown may make some recommendations about players he would like to bring in but if he is not going to be around for long, would it be wise to spend? The new manager may not want these players.

To give the new boss the best chance to succeed, Motherwell need to have someone in permanent place as quickly as possible.

Well fans, happy with the action so far in the Window?

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No happy return for Craig Brown

He may have a wealth of managerial experience behind him but Craig Brown has never managed in the top flight in Scotland. His time spent in the domestic game in Scotland was at Clyde, all underneath the Scottish Premier League.

This was not a great location to help him gain top flight experience but it was perfect to be part of the Largs mafia which has sewn up the coaching pathways of Scottish football for a number of decades.

Brown’s first match in charge of a top flight Scottish team ended in defeat as the Hearts revival continues.

Yet again, Michael Stewart was the goal scoring hero for Hearts but surprise surprise, he managed to score from open play.

Yes, up until now, every Michael Stewart goal had came from the penalty spot but Nade set up the captain to give Hearts a 1-0 lead which they managed to hold on to.

What was interesting to note was that in his post-match press conference, Brown stated that “any normal football person would see that Motherwell deserved to win.”

This is the sort of embarrassing guff that Brown would recite after Scotland were defeated. Who can forget the “ohh we got more corners than the other team” comment after a 1-0 loss in Greece?

He may only be at Motherwell for a short spell but it is good to see that Brown hasn’t changed.

Jambos, will this run of form be enough to beat Hibs on Sunday?

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Tynecastle still hopeful of hosting the match

First of all, there is an inspection scheduled for 2pm which may see this match between Hearts and Motherwell postponed but hopefully the game will be given the green light. Some of the other games this midweek have been postponed because of external factors as opposed to the state of the pitch, so it may not just be due to the work of the groundstaff.

Motherwell head to Tynecastle under new management but the new (old) duo won’t be picking the team.

Craig Brown and Archie Knox will be around to provide some experience to Motherwell whilst they come to terms with the sacking of Jim Gannon but the team selection is said to be left to Gordon Young, youth team coach.

Hearts are able to add Ian Black to a squad which has won their past two games although Craig Thomson may be absent for the home side.

With a change at the top at Motherwell, it may not be wise to try and second guess the line-up but it is not as if Motherwell have a massive squad to choose from. Either way, the players will be looking to impress the new men in charge at the club.

If the game beats the weather, who will come out on top?

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Short stay for Brown and Knox

He has been out of the game for a couple of years but Craig Brown has never been short of an opinion or view on the Scottish game. With Craig Levein recently being appointed to the SFA top-spot, the last manager to lead Scotland to a major tournament has been making his opinions known.

For the next few games, he gets the chance to show that he still has a grasp on the modern game as he takes charge at Motherwell following the sacking of Jim Gannon.

Brown will be assisted with Archie Knox, the two of them being seen as a pair of safe hands until Motherwell chairman John Boyle makes a new appointment. The Motherwell chairman is currently out of the country and unable to finalise any decision.

With Dundee United also looking for a new manager, there will be a clutch of unemployed Scottish bosses preparing their CV and looking for a route back into top flight Scottish football.

The removal of Gannon from Motherwell is a slight disappointment as Well started the season in confident form and the manager was a breath of fresh air.

His rants and ravings against the media and Hugh Dallas were badly needed in an environment where the old boys club stick together but it appears he wasn’t really fully committed. No doubt the two Shugs, Keevins and Dallas will have been chuckling away over their Coco Pops this morning as they once again see off adversaries.

Can Craig Brown steady the ship at Motherwell?

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