There is one manager in the UK at the moment who has done more to upset me this season than any other as his teams have caused severe damage to the teams I support on both sides of the border – Alex Neil, firstly at Hamilton then at Norwich City.
As a Motherwell fan I was happy to see our neighbours from the other side of the M74 clinch a Premiership place with their penalty shoot out win over Hibs. Little did I realise that Neil would have them quite so ready for a return to the top flight, even having them flirting with the top spot for a while.
This was Motherwell’s rightful place in the last few seasons, not, as Alex Ferguson would have put it, the Noisy Neighbours. Worse was to follow as a September double header of league cup and league games were set up only four days apart.
Things looked okay in the cup at the end of 180 minutes since the game was scoreless, but Accies went on to repeat their play off shoot out win with a 6-5 success. Neil 1 Barnstaple 0.
Four days later it was back at Fir Park and a chance for quick revenge and the opportunity to put the Accies back in their box. Here we could reclaim our title as Lanarkshire’s Premier Side.
Sadly it wasn’t to be as Neil’s young side absolutely ripped Stuart McCall’s misfits apart and ran out 4-0 winners, in a game that could’ve been whatever the Accies wanted. This set the tone for the rest of Motherwell’s season which has seen them slip into the play offs, it wasn’t meant to be like this as we are the BIG team in Lanarkshire.
Accies were beating us at our own game, bringing in youngsters (signing them on long term deals), winning at Celtic Park and sitting in the top three! Neil 2 Barnstaple 0.
By the time we met again on New Years Day at New Douglas Park Stuart McCall had left Fir Park and there were rumours linking Neil with a move away from Hamilton with Norwich a likely destination. He sounded off in spectacular fashion with another thumping handed out to his neighbours, this time 5-0. This even led me to do something I don’t like to do, I left the ground early at 4-0, soaked through and thoroughly dispirited! Neil 3 Barnstaple 0
Neil only had one more game at Hamilton before moving south to replace Mike Phelan at Carrow Rd. I thought good riddance. With my English team being Middlesbrough I didn’t think he could upset the Riverside promotion bandwagon, given his new charges were well out of the top six at the time.
When the Boro beat the Canaries in early April I though it was now my turn to have the upper hand with Boro and Aitor Karanka putting him in his place. Then it began to dawn on me there was an inevitability they would meet in the play off final at Wembley, and so it transpired. I was probably one of the few Scots who didn’t want him to win this one.
Once again Neil deservedly came out on top with a master class on how to beat the Boro, get at them early, get ahead and force them to change their patient style. Two goals in the opening 15 minutes meant the game was over almost before it began and the surprise was Neil’s men didn’t rub it in more as he had done with the Accies v Well. Another crushing disappointment at the hands of Alex Neil to make Neil 4 Barnstaple 0. What a doing!
Being the magnanimous person I am I am now happy to wish Alex all the best as, in truth, I have been a great admirer of his since he helped to nurture the talent of the two Jameses, McArthur and McCarthy, as their midfield partner. I also liked dealing with him as a manager as his quotes were excellent, honest and down to earth.
Hopefully Norwich will stay up to be joined by the Boro in a year’s time and some form of revenge can be sought. Truly ‘Well done Alex!
WRITTEN BY GRAHAM BARNSTAPLE
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