Last night's result: Motherwell 0, Nancy 2 (UEFA Cup, 1st round, 2nd leg)

Well what can I say about possibly one of the biggest disappointments in recent seasons?  As a Motherwell fan I'm used to getting beaten, but when the players produce such an inept performance on what was supposedly one of the biggest nights in the club's history, then it makes it hard to take.  To be honest, I didn't think we would progress last night as Nancy are clearly a far superior team to what they showed in the first leg, but to go out of Europe so meekly and without a fight was extremely painful to watch. 

I know that at the end of the day we were outclassed, and it probably might not have made much difference, but Mark McGhee really needs to take a long, hard look at himself following his tactics and team selection last night.  To start with Chris Porter (no goals this season) and David Clarkson (absolutely useless) upfront while our top scorer John Sutton (4 goals in 6 games) is left on the bench is inexplicable. Why play someone like McGarry, who has contributed virtually nothing this season, ahead of Jamie "first name on the team sheet" Murphy?  Hughes was a passenger once again, and don't get me started on Bob Malcolm.

The defence was the usual shambles we have come to expect, with both goals looking completely avoidable and once again coming from set pieces.  Just when exactly are we going to address this issue?

Why we didn't strengthen the squad more during the close season I will never know, as our deficiencies are glaringly obvious for all to see.  Instead, Mark "I won't sign anyone who isn't any better to what we already have" McGhee signs up the likes of O'Brien and that foreign defender guy who seems to be permanently injured.  As a result we're going backwards rather than forwards.

Yes, at the end of the day Nancy are in a different league to us financially, and have quicker, stronger and more technically gifted players, but I don't recall their goalkeeper having a single save to make over the two legs.  Not good enough I'm afraid.

Oh well, at least I've got some brilliant memories of my trip to Paris/Nancy last month.  The quicker I can erase the home leg from my mind the better.  Yet again a big Motherwell support (virtually a full house) is badly let down.  You'd think I might have got used to it by now. 

Team (4-4-2): Graeme Smith, Quinn, Craigan (Darren Smith 75), Reynolds, Hammell, Lasley (Sutton 64), Malcolm (Murphy 32), Hughes, McGarry, Porter, Clarkson.
Subs not used: Nielsen, Fitzpatrick, O'Brien, Connolly.

Booked: none.

Attendance: 11,318.

Read Mark McGhee's post-match comments here.

David Clarkson is in the Scotland squad for the World Cup qualifier against Norway next Saturday.  The question is - WHY?