Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[thisGRAEME]

[Swello]

Haha! You've got to love when they sign a trialist (and a 2nd choice one at that), discover he's actually quite good and slap an extension in front of him after a couple of weeks. That's Moulty's payrise spent  

Great news though - if handled right, he could be a properly decent defender. He's got a lot to learn but given his physical attributes and the fact he can clearly play some football as well as heading everything, i'm genuinely surprised he was struggling for a club this summer to the extent that he had to go on trial.

[Mr. Brightside]

Hopefully Louis can find the door now, transfer fee and sell-on clause included.

[Gianfranco]

We're being linked with Paul McGinn the ex Dundee right back.

[Ludo*1]

We're being linked with Paul McGinn the ex Dundee right back.

He would be a cracking signing. No real downside to state, like all full backs he can get ripped from time to time but he'd be up there with the best RB's in the league.

[Casagolda]

On 13/08/2017 at 16:02, Casagolda said:

I noticed in the paper yesterday that Robinson tried and failed to sign Paul McGinn formerly of Dundee recently..

Posted about this as it was in the paper about two weeks ago, it had apparently fallen through though.

Wonder what's changed? Or why Robinson's so desperate to get another right back in when we already have Tait, McMillan and even Cadden who can do a job there if called upon.

I mean Tait has his flaws but he's a perfectly serviceable right back at this level for the most part. Would have thought an experienced centre back would have been more of a priority than another right back.

[thisGRAEME]

I wonder if Tait's weaknesses have given him the fear of playing him in a back four, or alternatively, Tait's versatility can be used somewhere else in the team.

Either way, bit odd. 

Additionally, I've never been particularly convinced by McMillan. He looks okay, but hasn't really kicked on at any point, and kind of everything we're doing just now suggests that we're building to be okay with or without Cadden.

Edited August 24, 2017 by thisGRAEME

[Casagolda]

7 minutes ago, thisGRAEME said:

I wonder if Tait's weaknesses have given him the fear of playing him in a back four, or alternatively, Tait's versatility can be used somewhere else in the team.

Either way, bit odd. 

Additionally, I've never been particularly convinced by McMillan. He looks okay, but hasn't really kicked on at any point, and kind of everything we're doing just now suggests that we're building to be okay with or without Cadden.

Funnily enough I said the same thing a few pages back as well, if Tait's poor defensive performances had seen Robinson want to look for a more solid right back option.

McMillan has had some good and bad games like any youngster but at a club like Motherwell one experienced senior right back and a younger understudy is surely the way to go? Having two experienced right backs on the books just seems unnecessary.

The only thing I can think of is that Tait was in the papers this week saying he still doesn't feel completely right even after having two operations last season. Could it possibly be we're anticipating he's going to need another one shortly and could be out for another extended period? 

[thisGRAEME]

10 minutes ago, Casagolda said:

Funnily enough I said the same thing a few pages back as well, if Tait's poor defensive performances had seen Robinson want to look for a more solid right back option.

McMillan has had some good and bad games like any youngster but at a club like Motherwell one experienced senior right back and a younger understudy is surely the way to go? Having two experienced right backs on the books just seems unnecessary.

The only thing I can think of is that Tait was in the papers this week saying he still doesn't feel completely right even after having two operations last season. Could it possibly be we're anticipating he's going to need another one shortly and could be out for another extended period? 

All of that makes sense. I'm aware I'm probably being super harsh on McMillan, he just has a whole load of really averagey attributes to me. Guys that have come through and succeeded from our youth tend to have a 'something' and then work on the rest. Cadden is wildly athletic, Campbell runs all day and crunches tackles, Erwin was big, strong with a surprising touch, Thomas (lol) had a lovely touch, Hall and Hutchy were brave/stupid giants, Reynolds was quick and classy.

McMillan...Isn't particularly quick, isn't particularly strong, isn't snapping into challenges, isn't notably big, isn't reading things remarkably... Like I say, probably unkind, just quite unremarkable at the moment, but I do agree, experienced and an understudy makes sense.

That said, we finished second with about six right backs, so lets do that.

[capt_oats]

Is there an argument for McMillan going out on loan rather than sticking around this season as an understudy? I know it seems like my stock reply to everything but he's 19 with 19 first team games to his name and a deal until 2019, if we're loaning Hastie out to get first team games then McMillan's probably in a similar position. Also, it's worth pointing out that while he seems on his way back into Craigan's good books recently he was very publicly called out last season for his performances with the u20s after he'd been binned from the first team along with Chalmers following the Dundee shit show at Fir Park.

If Tait's been carrying an injury then possibly Robinson's not convinced that McMillan's a viable option for any length of time and even if he is fit Tait's defensive weaknesses are regularly pointed out. There may well be games where Robinson just wants a solid right back and equally he may want to avoid having to shift Cadden to right back on a semi-regular basis.

I'm very much on the "a centre back would seem more of a priority" boat but equally I'm quite into upgrading on players we have if we can tbh.

I noticed that the local press in Hartlepool had them interested in Bowman yesterday as a replacement for Paidraig Amond who's since completed his move to Newport.

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/football/hartlepool-united/hartlepool-line-up-double-swoop-for-sunderland-youngster-and-motherwell-striker-1-8716571

Edited August 24, 2017 by capt_oats

[Swello]

I like Tait - after our right back problems, it's been good to have a natural RB in there. As an attacking player, his delivery is amongst the best in the team but he certainly has his limits defensively once he comes against the better wide men in the league. Against Aberdeen last year, I was watching him vs Hayes through my fingers...

I don't know about the finances about bringing in another RB - but I wonder if McManus and Lasley retiring, Mcdonald & Ainsworth being offski and a host of others being moved on is actually allowing us to have more of an actual, usable squad than we had before. It could also be that Cadden is on his way of course...

[Ron Aldo]

Maybe Cadden is on the way out and Robinson feels that Tait would be better playing further forward? As has been said, he's good at attacking but can be a bit suspect defensively.

[Mr Hahn]

The man is a fucking tank!

[MJC]

Imagine going in for a 50/50 with him! I can't ever remember us having a central defender with such physical presence and the look like he can bounce opposition strikers into next week before. The closest I can think of is Karl Ready from 01/02 but he was a bombscare for us.

Edited August 27, 2017 by MJC

[Al B]

I wouldn't even fancy my chances going into a 90/10 in my favour.

Some boi.

[Del_Superwell]

There was a young boy who came on for Jamie Walker, the chance came to try and win a header against Kipre, he didn't want to know about it and ran away from him lol, he's everything I love in a centre half, big physical and most importantly very composed with ball at feet.  I'd say he's got a big future in the game.

[Casagolda]

Fair enjoyed Saturday's performance, as well as the result obviously. Really starting to see Robinson's stamp on the team and the work rate, aggression, intensity etc from the whole team was night and day from some the feeble half hearted stuff we endured last season. Was enjoyable to see us actually take the game to one of the so called bigger teams and not just roll over and have our belly tickled, especially having gone behind. Early days yet and lots to work on, I'm still not convinced we've managed to strike the right balance in the middle of the park for example, but certainly a promising enough start.

On the aforementioned Tait, another assist on Saturday and a cracking ball in for the 1st as well. At a time where there's talk of another right back coming in it was a timely reminder of what he can offer. Also after his last two performances, surely any talk of Bowman going back down South is well and truly over. The big man was superb up top on Saturday and proved a terrific foil for Moult once again, hopefully he finally kicks on after that goal.

Sounds like we're in the market for at least one more before Friday so it'll be interesting to see who we bring in. Looking at our bench on Saturday it was the strongest it's looked in some time, including several players who could probably feel aggrieved not to have started. Plus that was without the likes of Newell, Deimantas, Hammell etc and even some of the younger fringe players like McMillan and Gordon who've both started the season well for U20's by all accounts.  

Edited August 28, 2017 by Casagolda

[thisGRAEME]

From the brief chat I had with a Dee pal, they suggested that McGinn could play on the right of a back three/right back/right wing back fairly comfortably, which fits pretty well for us. With McManus retiring we do look ever so slightly short at centre-half, and with Tait the only definite right back option, I'd expect he's on his way.

[capt_oats]

That's 2 games B2B we've switched Tait to LWB in-game as well. It gives us a few different options if, for example, it's not working for Frear, cover for injuries etc. Takes a huge amount off our over-reliance on Hammell in that area of the park as well.

I've been keeping track of the squad in the pinned thread and by my count we've pretty much got 2 players for each position and a decent amount of versatility in there as well when you consider Dunne and Plummer can play left back/left wing back and Cadden's an option at right wing back or a last resort right back.

GK - Carson, Griffiths (2)
DF - Tait, Hammell, Heneghan, Plummer, Dunne, Kipré, McMillan (7)
MF - Bigirimana, Cadden, McHugh, Frear, Rose, Campbell, MacLean, Tanner (8)
FW - Moult, Bowman, Fisher, Petravičius (4)

That gives you a first team squad of 21 including 4 academy players (McMillan, Cadden, Campbell, MacLean) and assumes that guys like Gordon and Newell are in that sort of grey area between first team and u20s. Providing no one leaves you'd expect there's room for 1 more defender, which is pretty much in line with what we've heard from Robinson and Burrows.

[Gianfranco]

I wonder if Hammell might do a Lasley/McMannus and move to a coaching role. I can't see him getting a game anymore anyway.