THERE is losing it, and then there is Motherwell's current inability to find even a scintilla of form or belief. There is freefall, and then there is the Fir Park side's boulder-off-a-cliff descent to joint bottom of the SPL. There is a dismal derby
showing, and then there is the sorry surrender Mark McGhee's side served up in the face of scintillating finishing from Hamilton's double goalscorer James McCarthy yesterday.
It might seem unfair on Billy Reid's team to focus on their local rivals' pain rather than the persistence that allowed them to snaffle a win to place them behind Motherwell only on goal difference. But McGhee's side, lauded to the heavens for finishing third last season, have become such a car crash they are perversely fascinating. Yesterday was their fifth straight defeat, a more damning run than any they endured in the 2007-08 season under Maurice Malpas wherein they were threatened with relegation till the second last game. They have now gone seven games without a win, and in those 10-and-a-half hours of football have netted one goal... the consolation in a 4-1 drubbing by Hibernian three weeks ago.
McGhee, in measured tones, did not attempt to downplay the immeasurable damage the recent collapse has done to his team, and did not use the easy out of missing players – David Clarkson, Stephen Hughes and Stephen Craigan all unavailable against Hamilton. "We are in a malaise and not a team at the moment; we are going out on the field as individuals and not connected," he conceded. "We cannot deny it, we are in a relegation battle and can't delude ourselves. As it stands tonight we are the worst team in the league and I am the worst manager. There is no argument."
There was no arguing with Reid's assessment of the afternoon's events, either. "We deserved the win but I'm not going to say it was pretty," he said. "There was one special player today and that was James McCarthy. He took his goals great and everything he did was fantastic."
That was certainly the case with the 18-year-old's 44th-minute opener, the Republic of Ireland international showing great anticipation to spring the offside trap and meet a Simon Mensing ball over the top at the right-hand edge of the area. With no one around him, he took his time to shape his body perfectly and, sweet as you like, lash a low angled drive into the far corner.
McCarthy enjoyed assistance from an unlikely quarter for his game-clinching second in the 66th minute. Mark Reynolds inexplicably attempted to hook the ball over his shoulder as the Hamilton attacker pressurised him. He succeeded only in allowing McCarthy to chest the ball down and, by the teenager's own admission, "sclaff" an effort past keeper Graeme Smith.
Reid waxed lyrical afterwards over McCarthy's "awareness" and he believes this extends to off the field, the Hamilton manager convinced that any bids for his star in the forthcoming transfer window won't snare their target. "It wouldn't surprise me if we had offers but no one will leave here," he said. "James could have left for a big club a couple of seasons ago but he knows he is getting a good education here and playing every week."
The encounter was something of a slow burner for a derby, even if it was crackling and fizzing by the time the interval came round. On such occasions, players almost feel it is incumbent upon them to take out opponents in the opening minutes just to show they are on-message with supporters' desperation to stick it to hated rivals.
On this occasion, only Chris Porter was so nakedly and wilfully over the top, initially. Five minutes in, the Motherwell striker hurled himself into Tomas Cerny about a week after the keeper had booted away a back pass, elbowing the Czech in the face as he floored him. The recklessness had repercussions, with Cerny forced off with concussion to be replaced by Sean Murdoch nine minutes from the interval. Oddly, just after he had made a terrific reaction stop from the man who earlier nailed him. Reid expressed his "disappointment" in the challenge, but would not be drawn on any possible intent.
Until matters became altogether more heated in the aftermath of McCarthy's opener, the confrontation was characterised by untidiness rather than unpleasantness. With their recent horrendous run it is debatable whether McGhee's side would have been capable of finding any rhythm even if not confronted by opponents who flitted between 3-4-3, 3-5-1-1 and 3-6-1 to befuddle them. Motherwell are pretty much locked in a struggle with themselves, a tussle to dredge up confidence that has wholly deserted them.
Aside from pizzazz in front of goal courtesy of McCarthy, Hamilton needed to be little more than robust and eager to pull themselves level with the local rivals at the bottom of the table. On recent evidence, Motherwell are deservedly down there on lack of merit. Despite having an effort cleared off the line late on there was even little fight about them, aside from Maros Klimpl's contribution to a barney on the stroke of half-time. The Slovakian defender took exception to a studs-showing challenge from Brian Easton and kicked out at him off the ball. That led to players from both sides steaming into a fracas that ended with seconder Alex Neil and Klimpl earning bookings from referee Iain Brines. Yellow cards were about all Motherwell ever looked like picking up.
MAN OF THE MATCHJames McCarthy had no challengers for that accolade. He earned it, and the points, with two goals that left his manager Billy Reid enthusing about his "game awareness" and the fact that "he always seems to have time and the touch to give him that time."
QUICK FACTJust how bad Motherwell have become. It eclipsed any discussion of whether the result indicates Hamilton might be good enough to avoid the drop.
TALKING POINTHamilton played host to a first league derby between the Lanarkshire teams in almost 20 years yesterday.
The full article contains 1049 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
