Three disastrous performances in the space of ten days have derailed any sort of form Motherwell had picked up. The results could see Motherwell brought back into the relegation dogfight.
A flat performance against Celtic, followed by an even worse display against a struggling St Mirren at Fir Park, has seen the Steelmen dragged closer to the foot of the table. After a hopeless defeat to Kilmarnock on Boxing Day, the Steelmen are now just six points clear of the relegation play-off spot.
Stephen Robinson should be having a look over his shoulder if these performances are anything to go by. Seemingly only turning up when they feel like it, has this Motherwell squad got what it takes to stop themselves being dragged into a relegation scrap?
Motherwell have a multitude of problems
The 1-0 home defeats to St Mirren and Kilmarnock are performances Well fans are all too used to. The team are able to make runs forward, but they have no creativity up front. Curtis Main looks lost, Danny Johnson will have a run of games with goals galore, before a run of games without scoring. The less said about Ryan Bowman and Connor Sammon the better.
Whilst okay at the back, Motherwell have to be one of the worst attacking teams in the league. The Steelmen have now failed to score in ten games this season, a worrying stat for the Motherwell faithful.
It’s not just that though, it’s the apparent lack of effort. The players don’t seem to care about these important fixtures against teams like St Mirren and Killie. They’ll occasionally give the Old Firm a good game in front of the TV cameras, but they can’t motivate themselves in the same way, for arguably more important fixtures.
There’s a lack of belief in this Motherwell side, highlighted by Robinson’s team selection against Celtic. A second string Well side was fielded, clearly showing Motherwell didn’t believe they could get a result, so players were rested to save face. For fans paying to see these games at this time of year, it’s unacceptable for Motherwell not to try and get a result.
Another tough week is on the horizon for the Fir Park side. If they can’t get points against local rivals Hamilton, the fans will turn on this team, if they haven’t already. They’re not in a relegation scrap yet, but the Lanarkshire derby could define whether they end up in one.