Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[mjw]

ya'll

Mods please.

[Swello]

49 minutes ago, WellView said:

Jesus sufferin' 

Shut up with the 1000 word drivel answers. 

The only thing you need to know about the McCall years is that they left us on the edge of bankruptcy. 

How ya'll cheered the last minute win v Aberdeen,

if it wasn't for Les, we'd be Dundee United at BEST. 

Firstly - I don't think setting the playing budget is the responsibility of the manager - so the "Dempster Years" would be better I think.

Secondly, if you go back to page 228 of this thread - February this year - there's a pretty good debate on this, where you seem to be a staunch McCall-ist - what changed? 

Edited August 27, 2018 by Swello

[Muzz1886]

4 hours ago, MJC said:

I've answered this the last time he was brought up, but I'll do it again here.

We got "best of the rest" three years running because for two of those three years we had the best squad outwith Celtic and Rangers(when they were there in 11/12). In the third season we carried an unbelievable amount of luck and McCall owed a lot to John Sutton for us to scrape to many an underserved win and of course for rattling Jamie Langfield in the last minute at Pittodrie. The football we played in 2013/14 was awful to watch and we only really had one sustained spell under McCall where we regularly played football that could have realistically be described as "pleasing on the eye" and that was in the second half of 2012/13 when we did admittedly play some lovely stuff.

Stuart McCall benefitted greatly during his time with us from not only having a good squad of players but also being there at a time when Rangers went out the game, Hearts had their own financial troubles and they along with Aberdeen and Hibs were mid table to bottom six sides. However our cup records during this time was awful and while Kilmarnock, St.Mirren and St.Johnstone were lifting trophies despite not being anywhere near us in the league at this time, we were getting dumped out in the  first  rounds by newly formed Rangers, Albion Rovers, twice by pre-McInnes Aberdeen and then 10 man for 77 minutes Aberdeen. In all of those ties there was not one match you could point to and say we were unfortunate on the day, we were deservedly beaten in every single one and McCall's tactics and preparation was woeful and it cost us. His build up to the debacle at Ibrox in 2012 where despite us going into that game unbeaten and top of the league he talked down our chances because "they're still Rangers, their fans are their 12th man, bla, bla, bla" summed him up.

Our efforts in Europe under McCall were equally awful and all they did was undo all of our good work to get there. We never looked like we believed we could even lay a glove on PAO, Levante and Kuban and indeed we didn't. Decent sides I grant you, but McCall yet again gave the impression that we were only there to make up the numbers. And then of course there was Stjarnan in 2014. Finally, a kinder draw but it ended up being the biggest shambles of the lot.

Stuart McCall was a decent man to have around the club at that time but he was a poor manager. He inherited a spine of Randolph, Craigan, Hutchinson, Lasley, Jennings, Sutton and Murphy and although he gave us Higdon, Nicky Law and Ojamaa, he also gave us Omar Daley, Josh Law, Gunnar Nielsen, Iain Vigurs, Paul Lawson and tried to turn an unfit James McFadden into a right winger. He failed time and time again to step up to the plate in big games and tactically he was woeful, as was his use of substitutions.

So, what more could he have done? Given the resources he had available to him he absolutely could and perhaps should have won us a cup but he failed miserably at a time that was surely our best chance since 1991.

I'll give you two words to describe Stuart McCall's tenure as Motherwell manager.....Missed Opportunity.

I doft my cap, an excellent post. McCall should have resigned after Albion Rovers. 

[MJC]

7 hours ago, WellView said:

Jesus sufferin' 

Shut up with the 1000 word drivel answers. 

The only thing you need to know about the McCall years is that they left us on the edge of bankruptcy. 

How ya'll cheered the last minute win v Aberdeen,

if it wasn't for Les, we'd be Dundee United at BEST. 

I decide how many words I post.

Not you, not anyone else.

I decide.

[thisGRAEME]

I liked McCall, and still do. I appreciate there was a lot of things that went on off the field money-wise, but broadly...

His team was fun, and gave me some of the best memories I've had supporting Motherwell;

Taking second on the final day at pittodrie, humping St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup, playing in the Olympic Stadium in Athens in a Champions League Qualifier, Ojamaa coming on and taking Dundee United to bits on his debut, Ojamaa generally, Higdon being player of the year, absolutely chasing Celtic up and down the park at Fir Park.

Yeah, it ended badly, and the consequences were pretty heavy, but they were good times like.

[Mr. Brightside]

tl;dr

[Desp]

There were some great times under McCall, and there were some horrendous times.

Personally, I never forgave him for the Albion Rovers debacle. 

[capt_oats]

New player in for the Reserves today. Former Wolves yoof midfielder Akeal Rehman,

 

[Casagolda]

Maguire and Turnbull away out on loan?

Given we’re 8 games into the season and neither has played a single minute yet it doesn’t look like either is in Robinson’s immediate plans anyway. 

Another season of reserve football or whatever we’re calling it these days surely isn't going to do a lot for their development.

[MJC]

3 hours ago, Desp said:

Personally, I never forgave him for the Albion Rovers debacle. 

Likewise, that was the last straw for me as far as McCall was concerned. After all the cup disasters that had gone before, that topped the lot and he didn't even fill our subs bench in favour of an under 20s game.

I said all along though and stand by it, that rightly or wrongly, a sizeable section of our support never forgave him for the Rangers League Cup defeat at Ibrox in 2012. Everything that was wrong with Stuart McCall's 'management' was summed up in this game...before, during and after.

[Del_Superwell]

2 hours ago, Casagolda said:

Maguire and Turnbull away out on loan?

Given we’re 8 games into the season and neither has played a single minute yet it doesn’t look like either is in Robinson’s immediate plans anyway. 

Another season of reserve football or whatever we’re calling it these days surely isn't going to do a lot for their development.

Both were training with the first team today,  Robinson likes both of them and I still believe their chance will come but only if someone gets injured and that allows them to stake a claim.

[Swello]

Surely it makes sense to have Maguire at least with the first team in case all the faux outrage sees Hartley banned for the Dundee game?

[capt_oats]

2 minutes ago, Swello said:

Surely it makes sense to have Maguire at least with the first team in case all the faux outrage sees Hartley banned for the Dundee game?

That's pretty much it. With Charlie Dunne out long term we've not got a huge amount of cover at the back. Maguire, Donnelly and (I guess) Mbulu.

Maguire was on the bench for the Accies game. Turnbull was on the bench for the Edinburgh City LC group game, the Hibs game on the opening day and Sunday just there. They were both on the bench for the Livi game the other week so they're at least around the first team. I reckon that's pretty much going to be the reality for both of them.

Turnbull seems a slightly different case to Maguire as there's really only one #baller midfield spot alongside Campbell and Rose. Bigi seems to be on course to nailing that 3rd CM spot whilst A-Rod's vying for the same role and Tanner seems to be back running. That's 3 players who are all, give or take, playing Turnbull's position.

In his brief handful of starts for the first team Turnbull's shown that miles above reserve team football. I'd have thought he'd absolutely benefit from getting first team football at a Championship side.

[MJC]

7 minutes ago, RadgerTheBadger said:

It’s not often you hear the words Craig Levein and attack in the same sentence

Did you mean to post that in here? The Motherwell FC thread?

Still, best wishes to Craig Levein, that kind of thing puts football in perspective.

[Busta Nut]

I take it that daft c**t removed that?

[YassinMoutaouakil]

Signing Rodriguez, Rose and Grimshaw- as well as Aldred allowing McHugh to stay in midfield- looks a pretty bizarre decision If we aren't loaning Turnbull out.

[capt_oats]

Transfer rumour!

Edit to add: 8 mins of a boy winning headers against Derby and clearing the ball 40 yards up the park...

 

Edited August 29, 2018 by capt_oats

[Swello]

Wasn't expecting any more business (unless Dunne is more crocked than first thought)

[capt_oats]

44 minutes ago, Swello said:

Wasn't expecting any more business (unless Dunne is more crocked than first thought)

I guess it's one of those "opportunity" type scenarios. If we're sticking to the back 3 we've got Aldred, Hartley, Dunne (inj), Maguire, Donnelly and Mbulu plus McHugh (who's been smashing thus far). 3 spaces, 6 fit players but Maguire and Mbulu are considered "reserve" squad players at the moment. If it's an affordable deal then it's not like we're chucking another central midfielder into the squad. 

In terms of C.V he's absolutely the sort of boy I can see us going for tbh:

- Decent age: 27
- Out of contract at the end of the season (2019)
- Currently out of favour with a Championship club (Preston)
- Played at "a good level" (CL & Europa league qualifiers with Dundalk)
- Over 300 career appearances
- Has a full international cap to his name
- Former team mate of one of our current playing staff (Grimshaw) and current team mate of a former player (Moult)

On top of that, going by the limited amount of footage on YouTube he looks entirely the type of centre half who'd fit in with our back 3. No idea if he's as rapid as Charlie Dunne though.

Edit: Notts County who are apparently also interested are currently managerless having just sacked Kevin Nolan the other day so...

Edited August 29, 2018 by capt_oats

[MJC]

 

The goals from the reserve draw with Dunfermline. 

Is it just me or does the home kit look so much better there with the 'away' shorts being used?