ONE of the great cliches used by managers after defeat in an important
game is that ''the lads learned a lot from that''. When Motherwell's new
gaffer, Alex McLeish, said as much after the classy Germans, Borussia
Dortmund, had knocked his team out of the UEFA Cup it sounded a bit like
the usual self-comforting remark, but McLeish has a few statistics to
offer as evidence that he was saying something meaningful.
Since that afternoon when Dougie Arnott was sent off against the
Germans in the second leg of that tie, Motherwell have played four games
and won three of them. The matches have not exactly been run-of-the-mill
affairs either, as they have met Celtic, Falkirk, Aberdeen, and Rangers,
beating all bar Celtic, with whom they drew.
That kind of form is good enough to win the premier division,
especially when it includes a total of 11 goals in their favour, but
McLeish is not talking about winning titles, rather about maintaining
momentum. Three victories in succession, the latest against Rangers by
2-1, is momentum by anybody's standards.
The inevitable irony is that Arnott, the sinner against Borussia, is
now the hero who has scored five goals in those four games. He hit two
against Rangers in a performance that earned him everybody's
man-of-the-match verdict and proved once again that he is one of the
most under-rated strikers in the country.
''He has been brilliant,'' said McLeish, ''although he was a bit under
the weather at Aberdeen last week. He was back to his best against
Rangers. His first goal was amazing, a top class score.''
It was, too, because it was the kind of one-touch move that can be
used in defence of the modern game's ferocious pace. Jamie Dollan was
first to get it going with a sweeping pass from the centre to Tommy
Coyne out on the left and it was the Irish internationalist's
intelligent appraisal of the situation which set up the goal. Coyne
could have collected the ball and made ground on the left, but instead
sent across the most accurate, fast, low pass towards Arnott at the far
side of the penalty area. He was able to get an outstretched foot to the
ball, which had evaded two Ibrox defenders en route, and send it into
the net.
It did not win the game, as it turned out, but it was a goal which
will be remembered for a long time by Motherwell fans.
McLeish prefers to look at the way his team played in the opening leg
in Germany as the standard which Motherwell have set themselves.
Certainly, their style and determinaion against Rangers equalled that
fine show in Dortmund, but with the added bonus that they took their
chances this time.
They were also assisted by the fact that Rangers were a man short for
all of the second half as well as the last nine minutes of the first
half. Craig Moore was shown the red card after he impeded Arnott as the
striker prepared to shoot.
Referee Jim O'Hare could not be criticised for that decision, but some
of his other judgments seemed well off target.
However, he was right to deal severely with histrionics like those of
Basile Boli, who does not do himself or the team much good by indulging
in extraordinary melodramatic behaviour when he feels there is a wrong
decision. When the referee gave a foul against Stuart McCall for a
tackle that was far less violent than many others he had ignored, Boli
raced towards Mr O'Hare waving arms and shouting protests like a
demented dervish. He was properly admonished by the ref and shown the
yellow card.
Boli's Gallic exaggeration would be acceptable enough if he was
turning in #2.7m performances, but, while he has to be given time to
find his bearings in the premier division, and he is getting there, he
has not proved that class yet.
Ironically, his partner in defence, Dave McPherson, wanted by Hearts
in the deal that may yet take Alan McLaren to Ibrox, was the best man in
a Rangers shirt. McPherson, playing in his most comfortable role at
centre half, had an outstanding game.
Time and again McPherson's interventions prevented Arnott and Coyne
causing even greater damage to Andy Goram's goal but, like everybody
else, he was posted missing when the second goal went in five minutes
after the interval. A short corner from the left by Billy Davies to Paul
Lambert drew the Ibrox defence out of position and when the cross came
over, Arnott found himself unmarked and able to head firmly past the
keeper.
Rangers manager Walter Smith found no fault with the spirit his side
showed when they were a man short and a two goals behind and was right
when he said that they might well have climbed back into the game. They
did get within a goal of the lead, when John Philliben unfortunately
steered the ball past his own keeper following a scintillating run by
Brian Laudrup, but there was not enough time left to snatch the
equaliser.
Motherwell are now within two points of the top of the table and are
entitled to think they have as good a chance as any of winning the
championship. They have lost only one league game so far, to Rangers at
Ibrox, and that is decent form in any league.
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