If you register for free, you will be able to post threads, vote on polls and lots more. If you have problems with the registration or logging in, please contact the administrator.
Dundee proved very tough for the first portion of that next match. Despite the fact we were at Fir Park, we just couldn't seem to get much going. Since it was a Tuesday match, mostly the 2nd line was playing for us and they were just a step off or a second late in our passing. Stephen Whalen provided the spark we needed in the 2nd half. A dazzling run was enough to send us into the lead and only minutes after that Scott McLean squared a ball off and he rifled it past Mark Goodlad for his 2nd goal of the match. Dundee tired badly at the end of the match and went into the tank after John Cunningham was redcarded for hauling down Martin Wood at 82 minutes. That left plenty of room for Scott McLean to roam and he scored a pair of goals in extra time to cap off our 4-0 win. Aberdeen dumped 'Gers 2-1 at Pittodrie to again move into 2nd place.
There was a lot of specualtion about Kenny Dalglish being let go as National Manager after their poor finish in the World Cup Qualifying, but Kenny must have been astute enough to play some good politics- since he managed to keep his job. I was disappointed because that continued to mean some of our younger players would continue getting shut out of capping- when they were proving they could play with the best players in Europe.
As we hosted Livingston the day after Christmas, I decided to split my first line and play some of them in this match and some in our upcoming match against Kilmarnock at Fir Park in two days. Robert McKeown made that decision look really nice when he scored off a nice pass from Andrew Rollo in the first half. Three minutes later it was 2-0 when Kenny Miller made a short run and blistered a shot past Tony Williams. Livingston drew one back against the flow of play in the second half when Alan Mahon beat Jamie Langfield with a rising shot, but we clinched the match when David Graham made some room for himself and rifled a shot past Williams to finish off our 3-1 win. Rangers won 1-0 and moved back into 2nd place as Aberdeen lost 4-2 to Hearts at Pittodrie.
Kilmarnock looked like they were going to steal a point from us after Martin Hardie's 69th minute goal on only their 2nd shot of the match evened the match at 1-1. Stephen Whalen had scored for us in the first half and we had been cruising comfortably until Hardie's goal. Fortunately, Ryan McCann stepped up and scored his first league goal for us at 83 minutes and we escaped with a close 2-1 win.
Hibs may have been 10th when we travelled to face them at Easter Road, but they certainly played with the fever of a contender. Labinot Harbuzi caused us problems the entire match, but Jamie Langfield was remedying any small defensive errors- and there weren't many of those as the backline played excellent. We managed only a Charlie Miller goal in the 23rd minute, but it was enough to edge the plucky Hibs squad by a 1-0 margin. Aberdeen continued to struggle, falling to 4th after losing at 11th place Falkirk. Hearts won 3-2 at Dundee to overtake them. Hibs loss to us cost Wim Rijsbergen his job as they let him go in a press conference following the match.
Hibs wound up appointing Alex Macleish as their new manager. He left Aston Villa to assume the post.
Dens Park marked the debut of our youngest keeper- Michael MacDonald. He had played very well on reserves and it seemed an opportune time to give him a start. He was very shaky in the first half and we went quickly down 2-0 on goals from Daniele Dichio and Greg Traynor. We drew one back later in the half as Kiegan Parker scored on a rebound for his 10th goal of the season. We continued to rally in the 2nd half and Paul Rudden scored his 1st for us to even the match at 2-2. Dundee hopped back on top when Darren Dods headed a corner past MacDonald at 77 minutes. We kept fighting and finally scored the late equalizer when Parker headed in for his 2nd of the match at 89 minutes to finish the scoring in the 3-3 draw.
03-11-2004, 11:31 AM
When We Were Lions (Lisbon Lions Challenge) Post #62
Celtic came to Fir Park looking to take us down a peg. Despite some excellent work in the first half by Robert Douglas, we jumped to a 2-0 lead on fine work from Shaun Maloney. Maloney made a nice pass that allowed Stephen Pearson an easy finish for his 5th goal of the season to put us in the lead. Maloney then made a nice run and blasted a low shot past Douglas to leave us comfortably ahead at halftime. We appeared to be cruising to an easy win as we dominated the first portion of the 2nd half, but Celtic started to rally and Fernando Correa drew a goal back at 66 minutes when he scored his 20th of the season, knocking a rebound past Jamie Langfield. Celtic were back to even at 2-2 when Correa outleaped Langfield and headed over to Mark Fotheringham. Fotheringham drilled a shot into the net for his 5th goal of the season. Both sides went hard for the match winner, but the referee had the final say when Stephen Simmons knocked over Kiegan Parker in the area in the 89th minute. Charlie Miller converted the penalty kick and we had a hard earned 3-2 win on the books.
I felt a bit sorry for non-league side Clachnacuddin as they hosted us at Inverness in the 3rd round of the Scottish Cup. This was a terrible draw for them after they had managed to upset Alloa in the 2nd round. Even with our 2nd liners, they had little chance and we went into halftime ahead 3-0 on goals from David Graham (his 5th of the season), Steven Thomson (his 1st for us) and Stephen Whalen. Martin Wood converted an early penalty in the 2nd half and we cruised back to Motherwell with a 4-0 win and a place in the 4th round.
We faced Falkirk in a midweek tilt and I started only a handful of regulars in the match as I was still trying to give most of them a good week's rest going back to Fir Park hosting Dundee United next. Stephen Whalen helped ensure that we would win with his best performance for us. Brownie made a few terrific stops in the first half and we went to half ahead 2-0 on goals from Kenny Miller and Whalen. Paul Rudden, subbing on for Shaun Maloney (who also had a very good match, capped off the scoring with a booming 20 yard free kick as we handily defeated Falkirk 3-0. Rangers only managed a scoreless draw at Hearts- which left them 12 points adrift of us.
Against Dundee United at Fir Park, it was the David Graham show. Graham had been playing very well this season after getting the chance to play- and he was really happy for this match, since I had added him to the European Roster in the late addition stage. Graham set up Kiegan Parker for a first half goal and scored himself early in the 2nd half as we had little trouble handling Dundee United by a 2-0 margin. In Celtic's match, they blew away Aberdeen at Pittodrie by a 6-1 score, with an SPL record 5 goals coming from Fernando Correa- who looked to be odds on favorite for SPL Player of the Year.
Our match against Aberdeen at Fir Park was the featured TV match and they saw a pretty good performance from us. Aberdeen managed 4 shots in the match- but none were on net. We totalled 14 shots on goal. Colin Stewart, who had been playing badly, magically rebounded against us and we were struggling to find a way past him. Paul Rudden sparked us again when he subbed on for Shaun Maloney. He made a superb run and fired a rising shot past Stewart to finally move us ahead 1-0 at 64 minutes. After a redcard to Kevin Rutiewicz, Stephen Pearson headed a cross from Charlie Miller past Stewart to make the final margin of our win 2-0.
Kilmarnock, locked in a relegation battle with Falkirk and Hibs, fired Manager Mick Harford after their 2-1 loss to Dunfermline. They named Graham Rix manager shortly after.
It was finally back to Champions Cup action as we made the short trip to Elland Road to face Leeds. Paul Robinson was especially sharp in the early going and he frustrated Kiegan Parker twice on brilliant saves. We finally grabbed the lead when Kenny Miller's shot eluded him for his 15th goal of the season. Just before halftime they levelled it at 1-1 when Robbie Keane beat Jamie Langfield. Despite a lot of effort on both sides in the second half, we were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw. Deportivo edged Milan 1-0 in the other side, which leaves them atop the Group, with the rest of us jumbled together.
A very good performance by youngster Robert McKeown was just what we needed to see of Division 1 Stranraer in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup. McKeown scored an early goal and Steven Thomson added another on a rebound as we rode the strong play of Brownie to the 2-0 win. It was a closer match than the score indicated, as there was no quit in the underdog side. The draw wound up with us heading to Tannadice Park to tangle with Dundee United in the 5th round.
It was the Miller boys that set the pace as we dumped Leeds 2-0 at Fir Park. Charlie scored in the first half and earned MOM honors, while Kenny's 2nd half goal helped clinch the win. It was a strong overall match for us, as we were in control throughout. Milan thumped Deportivo 2-0 at Milan, so it is a three-way race for the two advancement spots- with Leeds out of the picture.
Rugby Park was hosting our next match as we faced the 'new look' Kilmarnock squad. Besides new Manager Rix, they had added Austrian keeper Heinz Weber. Unfortunately, they played just as badly as the other version and we stomped on them in the first half- leading 4-1 at halftime. Weber was the main culprit as he looked a bit lost while Kenny Miller, Kiegan Parker, Charlie Miller and Stephen Pearson all scored. Kenny Miller added a goal late in the 2nd half as we stormed to the 5-1 win.
Dunfermline was our next road stop, before we headed to Milan. It was mostly 2nd line starting again and they continued our good results with a resounding 3-0 win. David Graham and Martin Wood scored in the first half before Stephen Whalen scored in the 2nd half to cap off the win. It was a very strong performance and coupled with 'Gers 2-0 loss, we had a 17 point lead on them with 8 matches left.
03-12-2004, 11:02 AM
When We Were Lions (Lisbon Lions Challenge) Post #63
We started our match against Milan in fine form and Kiegan Parker headed a cross from Charlie Miller past Christian Abbiati to give us the early lead. Ruud van Nistelrooy quickly answered for them- drilling a shot past Jamie Langfield. The match turned to disaster when Langfield was redcarded for hauling van Nistelrooy down in the area. Brownie couldn't grab van Nistelrooy's penalty kick and it was 2-1 Milan. Despite playing with only 10 men, I was proud of the boys- as they never quit. We had a couple excellent chances in the 2nd half, but Abbiati stopped them and their 2-1 win left us needing a win against Deportivo in our final Group match. Deportivo had taken over the top spot with a 1-0 win over Leeds.
Before we faced Deportivo at Fir Park, we had to travel to Tannadice Park to face Dundee United in the 5th round of the Scottish Cup. It was another fine performance by the Miller boys that carried us through to the Semifinals. Charlie scored in the first half and Kenny helped quench Dundee's thoughts of a second half comeback when he scored in the opening moments of the half. With a 2-0 lead, we forced them to try and rally under continual defensive pressure and they never could break the clean sheet that Brownie provided in our 2-0 win. We would face Celtic in the Semifinals, while Rangers and Hibs would be the other clubs left.
The National club received a very difficult draw in its European Championship Qualifying Group. They wound up in the same Group as Germany, Turkey and underrated Lithuania- as well as patsy Luxembourg. I remember thinking that Dalglish had managed to save his job despite their awful performance in the World Cup Qualifying, he would have to earn it now to get them anywhere close to advancing to the Euro Championships.
It was a rousing match with Deportivo- I really thought we were going to beat them before the match, the boys were really ready. Unfortunately, the fluke goal that Victor scored midway through the first half threw a pall over our efforts and it became a desperate match for us in the 2nd half. We just couldn't break through against Faryd Mondragon- he made some other-worldly saves. When Charlie Miller evened the match with his 20 yard free kick in 2nd half extra time it was a nice treat for the fans- but it also meant we were out of the European Championships. A win and we would have made it, since Leeds crushed Milan 3-0, but the 1-1 draw left us a point shy of Milan and back on the sidelines.
Rangers edged Celtic for the League Cup when Peter Lovenkrands scored the only goal of the match with a blistering shot in the waning moments of extra time- to avoid the penalty shoot out.
We went next to Ibrox with a chance to virtually clinch the SPL title. It was a match I really wanted to win, but following a dogged first half that featured plenty of fine play, Jamie Langfield was called for pulling down Tore Andre Flo in the area- his second consecutive match with a penalty call. Fortunately, he only earned a yellow card this time, but Michael Carrick converted the penalty kick and we trailed 1-0. We spent the first portion of the second half floundering- we couldn't get any offense going. I brought on Stephen Whalen for Stephen Pearson and we started finally gaining some chances. Stefan Klos was too good for us today- and kept the clean sheet as they wound up beating us 1-0 to end our unbeaten string at 19 matches. It still left us 14 points ahead of them with 7 matches to play- so it wasn't a critical loss, but a disappointing one on the heels of losing out in Champs Cup.
Our match hosting 3rd place Hearts at Fir Park was televised, but I am willing to bet that not too many really watched much of it- especially after Robert Tomascheck was redcarded in the 5th minute and Stephen Pearson and Kenny Miller scored right away aftter that. We also had a second half goal from Kiegan Parker and kept up the pressure on them the entire match in the 3-0 win.
03-15-2004, 11:31 AM
When We Were Lions (Lisbon Lions Challenge) Post #64
You're right of course, that match was very disappointing to all of us. Playing Celtic at Ibrox, you would have thought the adrenaline alone would have carried us, instead we came out flat against them. Fernando Correa got loose to score the only goal in the first half, as we couldn't solve Robert Douglas. We were deep in trouble when Mustapha Hadji headed past Langfield at 57 minutes. We pressed hard, but Douglas just wasn't giving us anything. We finally got a consolation goal when Richard Montgomery headed past him in extra time, but too little- too late.
The loss was doubly difficult to take given that Celtic had also broomed us out of the League Cup by that same 2-1 margin. What I took away most from that season- beyond our success in the SPL that is- was how we couldn't come up with a win in the big matches- Losing to Celtic in both Cups and drawing against Deportivo when a win would have carried us to the Champs Cup Quarters.
That next match- our last one before Playoff Group play started- was a disaster. We played at Dens Park against Dundee two days after the loss to Celtic, and Brownie- who hadn't had a bad match all season- played horribly against them. We took the lead three different times in the match, but to their credit Dundee kept coming back. When Daniele Dichio headed past Brownie for the match winner at 89 minutes, I was too mad to speak- had to let the coaches handle the press until I cooled down. We got a pair of goals from Martin Wood and singles from David Graham and Christian Dailly- but it wasn't enough as we lost 5-4. Dichio had a hat-trick to key their win. It was a lousy note to head into Playoff Group play on- we definately weren't playing that well.
We opened Playoff Group play by hosting Hearts. I emphasized that we needed to get off to a better start- and it worked a charm as Richard Montgomery and Stephen Whalen scored in the first 8 minutes to send us comfortably ahead 2-0. Jamie Langfield was called on for some good work to keep the clean sheet in the second half and did- while Stephen Pearson clinched the match for us with a goal in the late stages.
The fans at Celtic Park were roaring as Celtic went up in the 3rd minute of play when John Welsh headed a corner past Jamie Langfield. We couldn't bring much pressure to bear and were pretty frustrated midway through the second half at our lack of offensive flow. Fortunately, Shaun Maloney punished his former team once again with a beautiful cross that Scott McLean beat Robert Douglas too- and knocked it over him for a late equalizer as we finished in a 1-1 draw. Rangers won again to move back within 9 points of us- but one more win or draw for us and we would clinch the SPL title. With our last match at Ibrox, I was hoping we would get that out of the way in our next match.
In our last home match, the fans were hopping with excitement. They wanted us to clinch at home against Aberdeen. They didn't get it- nor did we as Aberdeen, led by ex-Motherwell Philip Creaney, used the backstopping of Colin Stewart and superior finishing to beat us 2-0 on goals from Robbie Winters and Darren Young. We also lost Shaun Maloney for the rest of the season due to torn ankle ligaments. It meant we had to do our work on the road for our last two matches.
Yes, it was nothing like leaving ourselves the hardest road. We jumped out to the lead at Tannadice Park when Martin Wood scored, but they came right back and went ahead 2-1 on goals from Hasney Aljofree and Eddie Annand. Kenny Miller put us back to even at halftime with his 50th goal at Motherwell. We outplayed them in the 2nd half, but Jamie Langfield capped a poor performance by missing a half volley from Steven Hampshire at 82 minutes as we fell again 3-2. Rangers kept winning and were only 3 points back as they hosted us for the final match of the season.
With the advantage on goal differential, it would have taken a miracle for Rangers to overtake us- but I still wanted to win this match. You saw the kind of discussion it generated when we didn't- it was frustrating to be Champions, but still have everyone considering Rangers the 'true' champions. Rangers went up 3-1 in the match, Thomas van der Leegte scored to give them the lead, but Alan Archibald answered that to make it 1-1 at half. Dick Landzaat scored early in the 2nd half and then Richard Montgomery drew a yellow card for pushing Andy Cole in the area. Michael Carrick converted the penalty kick past Brownie (who had a terrible match) and it was 3-1. We stunned the sold out Ibrox though and Scott McLean scored twice in the last 10 minutes to get us back to 3-3. I went for a defensive set- the draw would have been fine with me- but we lost track of Steve McManaman and Barry Ferguson gave him an excellent cross. Brownie should have had that one too- but it was the match winner and we lost 4-3. We won the SPL on goal differential, but I have to admit it was a pretty hollow celebration- the entire club knew that we should have won the title outright long before this match- we played poor football for the last month and a half of the season.
Still, no one can take away the fact we won the title- but it did leave me some major considerations for the summer.
Terk- not complaining on my part Just trying to inject what I am sure the Ibrox faithful would assert if they lost the treble on goal differential
Kiegan is a steady scorer in this one, but not an explosive one- I am not sure he will score 20 goals in a season- but ever hopeful
***
Why did we falter so badly down the stretch? Good question. I think mostly we did not get the big saves we needed from Jamie Langfield or Brownie. We had several matches in there that a draw was in our grasp- but we lost and also a couple that we wound up with draws, when we could have won. It wasn't just them of course- our forwards also quit scoring for stretches. Overall, I can't lay it off on the players though- the ultimate blame is with the Manager and I did not do a good enough job. I have to laugh- even now it is referred to as the bast*rd title. It was a title though- and we did earn it because we generated a much better goal differential during the season.
It did leave me a tougher job during the summer. Did we make changes? Did we stay with what was there? How much effect would changes have on the overall chemistry of the club?
In the UEFA Final, Inter defeated Bayern by a 1-0 score. Most thought it was an upset- since Bayern was heavily favored.
The SPL awards almost saw a Scottish Player selected as Player of the Year. Fernandon Correa barely edged Richard Montgomery for the honor. Alan Archibald wound up 3rd in the balloting. I was very disappointed for Richard- as several voters stated the last struggles of our club cost him some support. For the 5th consecutive season, a Motherwell player took home Young Scottish Player of the Year-- as Robert McKeown earned the honor, edging Labinot Harbuzi. Our only players to make the SPL Players Team of the Year were Alan Archibald and Andrew Rollo- because of the arcane requirement of a certain number of matches- which meant that Richard Montgomery *didn't* qualify- how odd is that?
Roma edged Lazio 1-0 on a goal by Vicenzo Montella in the All-Italian Champions Cup Final.
Rangers beat Celtic on Penalties to win the Scottish Cup after being scoreless in the match. It was a double for the 'Gers as they also dumped Celtic in the League Cup Final. It only added more fuel to the fire that 'they' were the *rightful* champs of SPL. I continued my slow burn of anger as the summer wore on.
Dunfermline named Gary Thomas as their new Manager. Thomas moved over from Partick Thistle to take the job.
As our training wound down before our friendlies- the World Cup was also winding down. It had been entertaining and Argentina knocked off Brazil 2-0 in a spirited Semifinal behind the fine play of Pablo Aimar. France went into extra time before edging Ukraine 4-3. Ukraine had knocked host Germany out in the Quarterfinals and France had beaten England. Brazil finished in 3rd after winning the penalty shootout with Ukraine. In what was bound to be one of the most disputed results in World Cup Final history- Hernan Crespo converted a penalty kick in extra time for the match winner in the 2-1 Argentine win over France after Patrick Vierra was called for a push on Crespo.
We didn't play all that well in our friendlies- but I had no great expectations of that. We were a veteran club at that point- with very few new personnel to integrate, so I wasn't worried about them being ready for the start of the season. One impact injury that occurred in our last friendly was the loss of Shaun Maloney for a month. Previously, we had lost promising Craig Cargill for 3 months, so our depth was going to get a bit of an early test.
As we headed into the season, I made a few decisions that changed our offensive approach. I had planned on Cargill getting a good look in the playmaker role- but Paul Rudden and Stephen Whalen would alternate to start there. I was moving Stephen Pearson out of that role- with the hope that we could actually get him 'more' involved in the scoring. Kenny Miller wanted to move to a big club- and had for all of last season- which made it all the more surprising that none had yet put a bid on him, because his contract wasn't protected. We really wanted to keep him- but it certainly looked like we would lose him at some point in the season. John Connolly was on the transfer list- since he had dropped to 4th on the depth chart and wanted first team play. There were no plans of pursuing any other purchases at that point- I really didn't see anyone that was worth the money and didn't have space to add promising players right then. Our summer additions- Paul Di Giacomo and Craig Cargill had both played Ok in the friendlies. One player who had worked himself onto the senior squad was young Daniel Ogunmade- he didn't have a lot of stamina, but his dynamic abilities made him my gameday sub for forwards.
First up in League Play was hosting newly promoted Forfar at Fir Park. It was a bad way for them to open- since they walked into the Viper's Pit. With the press badgering us again about whether we really 'earned' the title over 'Gers last season (my continued only comment to that was "Look what it is listed in the SPL record book.")- the boys were really ready to go out and crunch somebody on the pitch. We took a quick lead on goals from Richard Montgomery and Stephen Pearson and took that lead to half. Daniel Ogunmade scored on his debut, thanks to a pretty cross from Kiegan Parker and we rolled over Forfar 3-0, not allowing them a shot on goal.
After losing their first match 2-1, Celtic went out and spent 10 Million to land Kieron Dyer from Newcastle.
Dunfermline looked like a much better club than the previous season- at least on paper- and they showed us that they were worthy. They only managed one shot on goal in the match, but made it count when Tony Thorpe banked one past Jamie Langfield late in the first half. We couldn't get untracked offensively, but Daniel Ogunmade sparked us again and Charlie Miller managed to even it at 1-1. Edwin Zoetebier should have kissed his posts after the match. We hit the post three times in the last 20 minutes and also rang one off the crossbar. None went in though and we only managed the 1-1 draw.
Our first televised match of the season was next as we hosted Livingston at Fir Park. We put on a show in the early going as both Martin Wood and Steven Milne scored in the first 7 minutes. Alan Archibald added a goal midway through the half, but Livingston drew one back later when Mark McCormick beat Brownie with a rising shot. The second half featured some entertaining football, but no more goals as we settled for the 3-1 win.
The next match was also televised as we travelled to Celtic Park for our first real test of the season. We played a much better first half and held the lead thanks to Michael Stewart heading Charlie Miller's free kick past Robert Douglas. That was all we could get by Douglas though as he played well in keeping our lead at 1-0 going to halftime. Anders Svensson brought things back to even when he scored his 1st goal for Celtic early in the 2nd half. We wasted little time in moving back in front though as Stephen Pearson headed a corner past Douglas. We moved ahead 3-1 as Daniel Ogunmade continued to justify my judgement of him when he was quickest to a loose ball after Douglas had parried a header from Paul Rudden. We kept Fernando Correa and Chris Sutton under wraps for the match and that made all the difference in our 3-1 win.
Our draw for Champions Cup 1st phase Group Play was interesting. We would have to beat out Anderlecht, Schalke 04 and Sporting for a spot in the 2nd round. Rangers were grouped with Feyenoord, Lazio and Leicester. Celtic, which made it through Qualifying, would face Manchester United, Milan and Rosenborg.
03-17-2004, 11:20 AM
When We Were Lions (Lisbon Lions Challenge) Post #67
Roma won the All-Italian Super Cup as they easily trounced Inter by a 3-0 score.
Dundee United was 11th as we hosted them at Fir Park, but Eddie Annand and Alan Combe always seemed to cause us trouble, so I was plenty wary heading into the match. Martin Wood made an awfully good shot midway through the first half as he sneaked a curving shot just under the bar to give us the lead. Annand then did his usual and evened the match as he escaped our coverage to start the second half. It was amazing how quickly Daniel Ogunmade had developed a following among the Fir Park faithful- as he subbed on for a tiring Wood, the place was rolling with cheering. The other sub was the key to the match as Shaun Maloney took over for a disappointing Stephen Whalen and keyed the offense. He set up Paul Di Giacomo and DG scored on his debut with a shot he smoked past Combe. Stephen Pearson put us up 3-1 when his curving shot caught the inside of the post and we needed that goal after a late consolation marker by Derek Lilley made the final margin 3-2.
The National team got off to their expected good start in European Championship Qualifying as they rolled over Luxembourg at Hampden Park by a 3-0 mark. Kenny Miller scored and was MOM and Andrew Rollo received his first Cap- so it was an enjoyable day for us. Their 2nd match wasn't as successful though- Germany edged them 1-0 on an Oliver Neuville goal- it was a valiant performance, but a loss nonetheless.
Tynecastle Park and a Hearts club that has seemingly improved itself over the offseason- a worrisome match going in. It seemed a match that would be very difficult, but for once we found Antti Niemi easy to solve and it was 3-0 at the 17 minute mark. Paul Rudden scored his first goal this season and then Kiegan Parker scored two- one from a Charlie Miller cross, the other from a Stephen Pearson cross. We allowed Hearts a late consolation goal by Andy Kirk, but it was an impressive 3-1 road win for us.
Our first Champs Cup Group match was a trip to Brussels to face Anderlecht. Paul Rudden continued to prove he should be our playmaker with a superb match in capturing MOM honors. He also scored to give us the lead after a wonderful solo effort at the start of the second half. Geert de Vlieger was steller in their net and they came close to evening the match several times in the second half, only to see Jamie Langfield make the save. Richard Montgomery protested his initial yellow card too much and drew a 2nd yellow and an early shower at 82 minutes. We held them off and then Slyvain Distin accidently headed into his own net on a corner in extra time to ensure our win. Schalke 04 could only manage a 1-1 draw with Sporting at home.
The match at Rugby Park was a clinical display of defensive backline play and good keeping. Fortunately for us, Paul Di Giacomo struck in the first minute of play- before Kilmarnock settled down and played stellar defense. After the goal, the play flowed end to end with both sides making significant attacks, but winding up with nothing to show for them. The final whistle sounded to close out the tense match and we still held that 1-0 score and another road win.
Schalke 04 proved to be a formidable opponent. Patrick Paauwe caught Jamie Langfield out of position and lobbed it over him to give them the early lead. It turned out to be the only goal they would need as they held us off throughout the match and finished with the 1-0 win. Sporting crunched Anderlecht 3-0 at home to take over top spot in the Group.
Aberdeen had started strong again this season, but they clearly didn't have it when they faced us at Fir Park. Richard Montgomery, Stephen Pearson and Kenny Miller all scored in the first 25 minutes and we cruised to an easy 3-0 win. Charlie Miller did suffer an strained ankle that will keep him out for a week for our lone down point.
Portugal was our destination and we needed to play a much better match if we wanted to have a chance against Sporting. That was exactly what we did though, and Jamie Langfield backstopped a superb 1-0 win in front of 40,000 hostile fans. The lone goal of the match came from Kiegan Parker at 55 minutes and after that we hung on for dear life as they came at us to try and even the match. The backline played a steady match in support of Langfield and we managed to take the win. Schalke 04 edged Anderlecht 2-1 to take over top spot in the Group.
03-18-2004, 02:36 AM
When We Were Lions (Lisbon Lions Challenge) Post #68
It was an early season showdown as we travelled to Ibrox to face the Rangers. We were both already removed from the pack as first and second place clubs- and we both were unbeaten at that point. We suffered an early blow when Paul Rudden injured his groin (out for a month), but Kiegan Parker scored on a header past Stefan Klos to give us the lead. Barry Ferguson, who was having a terrfic season already, scored his 7th goal in 9 matches to quickly even things. Both sides had chances for the remainder of the match, but Klos and Jamie Langfield kept the score locked at 1-1. We had the better chances, including a late chance by Parker when he was in alone on Klos- but Klos knocked his shot around the post. The 1-1 draw was a fair result that reflected quality play on both sides.
Aberdeen was our 3rd round League Cup Opponent, with the winner moving on to the Quarter finals. We jumped on them quickly as Stephen Whalen and Martin Wood scored in the first ten minutes. Aberdeen got their lone glimmer of hope when ex-Motherwell Philip Creaney converted a penalty kick past Brownie after Richard Montgomery was whistled for a two-footed tackle on Christopher Wreh. We dominated the rest of the match and Steven Milne scored to both close out the first half and open the second half, which allowed us to cruise to the final whistle with a 4-1 win. We would host Dunfermline in the Quarter Finals, with Celtic and 'Gers both also advancing to the Quarterfinals.
The National team scored a big win as Kenny Miller scored the lone goal in their 1-0 win over Lithuania at Hampden Park. It was a rousing match the entire way, and it boosted them into 2nd place in Group play.
Dundee was in 3rd place as they came to visit at Fir Park and playing well this season. They proved it to us by storming back into the lead on goals from Daniele Dichio and Tony Thorpe after Stephen Whalen had scored to give us the early lead. We rallied behind supersub Daniel Ogunmade and he notched the equalizer at 83 minutes. We had a couple chances late, but Mark Peat earned the split of the points for the clubs.
With Sporting coming to visit Fir Park in Group Play- everyone in the club knew it was an important match. With a win, we would put ourselves in a great position to advance, while a loss would have left us in a very precarious position. Alan Archibald surprisingly dominated the first half. He forced a defender to pull him down in the area when he jumped up into our offensive flow, and Kenny Miller converted the penalty kick to give us the lead. Two minutes later Archibald blasted a shot past Nelson and it was 2-0. We never let Sporting recover and only allowed them two shots on goal for the match. It was 3-0 early in the 2nd half when Steven Hammell scored his 1st of the season and then Kenny Miller capped off our convincing win with his 2nd goal of the match as we crushed Sporting 4-0. Schalke 04 defeated Anderlecht 1-0 in Brussels as both of us looked to advance from the Group (they still held the top spot by a point over us).
Rugby Park was next for us as we faced Kilmarnock. Martin Wood gave us a quick lead with a low shot that eluded newly acquired Colin Stewart. It took mere moments for John Martin to score on a header past Brownie to even the match at 1-1. We went back ahead when Steven Milne boomed home a 20 yard free kick. Kilmarnock pressured us intensely in the opening moments of the 2nd half and Brownie was very sharp in retaining our lead. We put the match away when Wood scored his 2nd of the match and the 50th of his time at Motherwell when he chipped a rebound past Stewart late in the half. The 3-1 win was encouraging as we were resting many of the first liners.
We hosted Anderlecht with the chance to ensure we move to the 2nd phase of Group Play. A win was all we needed and since we faced Schalke 04 at Gelsenkirchen next- this was the match we needed to do it. We had a big crowd and by the 17 minute mark, they were a partying one. Kiegan Parker scored two quick goals in the first 10 minutes and then Geert De Vlieger earned a redcard for pulling down Parker in the area. With Kenny Miller's conversion, a 3-0 lead and a man advantage- we were well on our way and our fans knew it. Parker finished off his hat-trick early in the 2nd half and we easily put away our 4-0 win. Sporting beat Schalke 04 1-0 in Lisbon to keep their chances of catching them alive (though they needed help from us in our match against Schalke 04). We clinched advancement with our win.
Celtic came to Fir Park trying to right themselves in SPL play. They were 6th coming in and had played very inconsistently- despite the addition of Kieron Dyer. Stephen Whalen chose a perfect match to play his first above average match of this season and he gave us a quick 2-0 lead when they couldn't keep track of him in the early stages. Dyer made a dazzling run and scored on Jamie Langfield to bring Celtic to life, but Whalen completed his hat-trick and his 5th of the season by the midway point of the first half and it was 3-1 at half. We put the match away early in the 2nd half when Stephen Pearson scored his 5th goal of the season. We were happy to just close out our distinguished visitors in the impressive 4-1 win.
Forfar looked completely out of place in the SPL, and their record showed it as we travelled to face them. Robert Malcolm started our scoring with his first ever goal for us and then David Graham (just back from 6 months off rehabbing a knee injury) scored in his first match back to give us the halftime lead. When Robert McKeown and Craig Cargill (first goal in senior football) scored in the 2nd half we were on way to an easy win. Barrie Moffat did gain a late consolation goal after Craig McEwen was redcarded for a two-footed tackle, but the 4-1 win was still a good one.
We finished out our first phase Champs Cup Group Play by visiting Schalke 04. It was a battle for the top seed in our Group and though we played a fine match, we couldn't corral Emile Mpenza and he scored once in each half in leading them to a 2-1 win. Kiegan Parker got our lone goal in the match. We were selected for a 2nd phase Group featuring Bayern, Milan and Leeds. Rangers also advanced as 2nd place in their Group and will play against Barca, Dortmund and Roma. Celtic got broomed from Europe with a last place finish in their Group.
03-19-2004, 11:32 AM
When We Were Lions (Lisbon Lions Challenge) Post #69
Dunfermline was our next visitor to Fir Park and though everyone put this in the books, it took a good effort on our part to overcome them. Martin Wood and David Graham both scored in the first half, and that was enough to hold off the visitors even though they got a second half goal from Jay Lucas. The match marked the return from injury of Paul Rudden.
Our trip to Dundee United was unproductive. We controlled the match and generated lots of chances, but could not hit the net with our shots. We had 16 shots, but only 4 actually on target. DundeeU managed only 3 shots in the match and neither side was really happy with the scoreless draw.
We stumbled badly in hosting Milan to begin our 2nd phase Champs Cup Group Play. We could not keep track of Juan Sebastian Veron and he scored a goal in each half. We had plenty of pressure and chances, but could not find a way to score on Alessandro Parravicini. We kept Andriy Shevchenko under wraps, but it wasn't enough without a way to score. Bayern edged Leeds 1-0 at Munich in the other Group match.
Hearts was next for us and I decided to rest many of the first liners. Robert McKeown scored right away to put us into the lead, but Andy Kirk deflected a header past Brownie and we went to halftime 1-1. Early in the second half Jamie Buchan knocked over Craig Cargill from behind and earned a redcard. The rest of the match we pressured them, but felt fortunate to escape with the 2-1 win when Steven Milne scored in the late stages of the match.
Roma crushed Corinthians 4-0 in the Intercontinental Cup.
With David Moyes leaving to go back to managing in England, Hearts was left looking for a new manager. They settled on Shaun Taylor as the best choice.
Facing Dunfermline in the League Cup Quarterfinals, we were heavily favored. That didn't mean they were ready to accept that assumption. It was a bitter battle, with every pass challenged and few chances for either team. It looked like we were headed to extra time, but Paul Rudden scored on low, swerving shot at 87 minutes and we were relieved to have the 1-0 win in the books.
Pittodrie in the rain. It wasn't much fun as we faced a determined Aberdeen club. It was a gritty, hard fought match and it looked good when Paul Di Giacomo finally scored the first goal at 42 minutes. They came right back with a Ben Thornley header past Jamie Langfield and it was 1-1 at half. The second half featured plenty of spirited play, but very little offense and it was another draw for us. Rangers trailed us by three points as we were both head and shoulders above the rest of the SPL.
03-20-2004, 04:37 AM
When We Were Lions (Lisbon Lions Challenge) Post #70
That was one of the few times I lost my cool with the press. I just couldn't believe he would ask such an innane question. "Do you feel you are contenders for the title?" Journalist, my butt! My reply in the form of a sarcastic question probably reflected the scalding sensation in my head (and maybe the smoke coming out my ears as well...), "Do you think the holders should generally be considered aas contenders?" At the very least, he turned very red and got laughed at by his fellow journalists. That much was worth it.
Our trip to Elland Road to face Leeds in Champs Cup play was a critical match. Having lost the first match at home, if we didn't do well there we were likely to be buried in our Group. The boys knew it going in and they responded with a picture perfect defensive performance. Kenny Miller eased the pressure with a 7th minute header past Michael Oakes on a cross from Stephen Pearson for his 5th goal of the season. Miller blew an easy chance to help put the match out of reach when his 53rd minute penalty kick (after Paul Rudden taken down in the area) was saved by Oakes. We finally did put the match away when Shaun Maloney (subbed on for Martin Wood) scored at 81 minutes. We kept Alan Smith and Harry Kewell from being involved in their offense and that made all the difference in the 2-0 win. Bayern beat Milan 1-0 in Milan to move atop the Group.
By rights Kilmarnock deserved a better fate when they visited us at Fir Park. They outplayed us badly in the first half, but Brownie played a superb match and they couldn't find a way to net one past him. Early in the second half Martin Wood scorched a rising shot that Heinz Weber couldn't handle and we took the lead. After dodging more rally attempts by the visitors, Steven Thomson put a stamp on the match when he deflected Paul Di Giacomo's corner past Weber and that was the last goal in our 2-0 win.
We took the lead at Easter Road against Hibs when Armando Rego knocked the ball into his own net at 40 minutes. It certainly shook some of thier morale going to halftime and they didn't come as sharp in the second half. Though we were playing better in the second half after an indifferent first half, we couldn't seem to nail down that second goal as Kenny Heemskerk kept us at bay. Finally, we scored the crucial second goal at 84 minutes when Andrew Rollo chipped in a rebound for his 1st ever Motherwell goal. The 2-0 win left us unbeaten in SPL play as we reached the halfway mark in the season, but still only 7 points ahead of Rangers.
would be nice to see parker edge over 20 goals this coming season.
Just trying to inject what I am sure the Ibrox faithful would assert if they lost the treble on goal differential 
Linear Mode
