McGhee: our worst 45 minutes since return

Mark McGhee rates the second half of last night's 3-0 defeat to Inverness Caley as the worst 45 minutes from 'Well since he returned for a second spell as gaffer just over a year ago.
Mark McGhee surveys the wreckage of Wednesday night's 3-0 defeat to Inverness Caley (Pic by Alan Watson)Mark McGhee surveys the wreckage of Wednesday night's 3-0 defeat to Inverness Caley (Pic by Alan Watson)
Mark McGhee surveys the wreckage of Wednesday night's 3-0 defeat to Inverness Caley (Pic by Alan Watson)

McGhee, speaking to pressmen after a heavy home loss which leaves ’Well second bottom of the Scottish Premiership, said: “What worried me was that when they scored the first goal we just seemed to disintegrate.

“The spirit went out of us, we became fragmented. There wasn’t that unity we normally have when we lose a goal.

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“Normally we stick together as a group and that seemed to just evaporate tonight.

“So that was a worry and that was a disappointment.

“I would say that overall the second half was probably most disappointing 45 minutes that I’ve had since I’ve been back.”

McGhee said that the Steelmen’s poor second half against Caley was nothing to do with rustiness, despite ’Well not having played competitively since a 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park on October 15.

“I don’t think it was rustiness,” he said.

“I think it was just maybe just the couple of results we’ve just had, although I thought we played well against Hearts and Celtic.

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“At this moment in time I really don’t know. I’ve had a chat with them in the dressing room.

“We’ve got to find an answer before Saturday (when Motherwell have a crucial home game against Ross County).

“We need to get back to being a group of people who care something about each other, because I felt that wasn’t the case after the 1-0.”

McGhee intimated that Motherwell had played reasonably in the first half against Caley, but he knew the Highlanders would improve after the interval on Wednesday night.

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“I felt that Inverness would get better in the second half,” he said.

“The first half was neck and neck. We had some crosses and a few near things but nothing really precise or well engineered.

“Second half up until the goal it was difficult to say. It was still fairly neck and neck although their movement in midfield was starting to give us a few problems.

“The softness of the goals we are losing is definitely a concern.

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“But that’s what we’re here for is to put it right. They’ve not suddenly become bad players. They didn’t play well tonight at all but they can do better.

“We have young guys in the team and the funny thing is I don’t think you can point the finger at the young guys and say it’s because they’re making mistakes or they’re letting people run off them.

“It wasn’t about those young players. It was about something else.”