Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[capt_oats]

I think both Gallagher and Polworth are really amplified examples of our whole "sign for us, we'll make you a better player" sales pitch. We're only 8 league games in but there are players that we've brought in over the summer who you could say have legitimately improved since they've been at FP. Robinson alluded to it during the week but the key part of that seems to be buy in from the players.

In the case of Polworth the 'lazy' tag seemed to be one he arrived with from a certain section of the ICT fanbase (which for all I know could have been miles out) but in fairness to him he was talking about starting his day in the gym since he had been here which in his own words was a "new" thing for him.

It may simply have been standard "arriving at a new club" platitudes but Gallagher has been talking about getting the sort of 1 to 1 coaching that's improving him:

Quote

“The staff have been really good since I got here. It’s a lot more professional than what I was used to last year.

“Everything is a lot more organised. I’ve really enjoyed my time so far.

“Already I can see benefits to my game working with the sports scientist here.

“And the coaching and information I’m taking in every training session is definitely affecting my game already and I can see it improving.

Link

Similarly you had Robinson talking about Donnelly on Sportsound during the week. The player underestimated the level he was being asked to play at and by all accounts he went away and sorted himself out. In that sense Robinson seems quite straightforward in that he respects the graft. I suppose guys like Semple and Maguire showing a willingness to re-train in new positions feeds into that as well.

It was touched on during the Thunderdome era when we were "big, physical Motherwell" but the difference before and after we've brought Andy Boles in to the Sports Science department probably doesn't get the sort of credit it should IMO.

It's something that's almost cliche but when Robinson's talking about bringing in "boys with good character" the example of Polworth busting a gut chasing things down is a pretty good representation of that. It doesn't necessarily need to be "not a dick" but simply whether they're actually willing to improve themselves. We all heard Turnbull talk about Robinson having been on at him to improve the defensive/"free" side of his game.

Long may it continue and all that.

Edited October 6, 2019 by capt_oats

[MJC]

10 minutes ago, Swello said:

We'd strolled through the league cup where practically all our peers had difficulties and we'd been beaten by Celtic - the only folk that were calling for his head were the ones still raging that he had turned it round in the 2nd half of last season...

We did what we should have done in the League Cup group games - win them all comfortably. As the only Premiership side in our group then anything less would have been unacceptable and what our top flight rivals did at the same stage is totally irrelevant. We were dire at Livingston on the opening day and only Gillespie's fine performance saved us from defeat. Celtic hammered us with clinical finishing but we didn't help ourselves that day with slack defending and extremely naive midfield play throughout and the Hearts cup game was a disaster in every sense of the word. In all of those games we looked poor in an attacking sense, with summer signings Hylton, Seedorf and Long looking utterly hopeless and out of depth at our level and that raised justifiable questions over Stephen Robinson given his disastrous performance on last summer's transfer window. Since the Hearts Cup game our form has improved and Robinson and the team have been given the credit they deserve for that, but it's still relatively early days yet.

[Swello]

15 minutes ago, MJC said:

We did what we should have done in the League Cup group games - win them all comfortably. As the only Premiership side in our group then anything less would have been unacceptable and what our top flight rivals did at the same stage is totally irrelevant. We were dire at Livingston on the opening day and only Gillespie's fine performance saved us from defeat. Celtic hammered us with clinical finishing but we didn't help ourselves that day with slack defending and extremely naive midfield play throughout and the Hearts cup game was a disaster in evero y sense of the word. In all of those games we looked poor in an attacking sense, with summer signings Hylton, Seedorf and Long looking utterly hopeless and out of depth at our level and that raised justifiable questions over Stephen Robinson given his disastrous performance on last summer's transfer window. Since the Hearts Cup game our form has improved and Robinson and the team have been given the credit they deserve for that, but it's still relatively early days yet.

Or alternatively, we signed a f**k-ton of new players of varying levels of top-flight experience that Alex Ferguson wouldn't have been able to mould into a team that could beat Celtic on week 2 of the league season. There was no guarantee that we would breeze through the league cup groups with a 100% record, simply as doing so is exceptional, not normal or "expected" based on results since the groups started (and we ourselves failed miserably to do it the year before). 

Anyone with eyes should have been able to see that the type of players we signed (with the exception of Gallacher and Polworth who were known quantities at least) were never going to be instant superstars and should maybe have set their expectations to "realistic".

Edited October 6, 2019 by Swello

[MJC]

9 minutes ago, Swello said:

Or alternatively, we signed a f**k-ton of new players of varying levels of top-flight experience that Alex Ferguson wouldn't have been able to mould into a team that could beat Celtic on week 2 of the league season. There was no guarantee that we would breeze through the league cup groups with a 100% record, simply as doing so is exceptional, not normal or "expected" based on results since the groups started (and we ourselves failed miserably to do it the year before). 

Anyone with eyes should have been able to see that the type of players we signed (with the exception of Gallacher and Polworth who were known quantities at least) were never going to be instant superstars and should maybe have set their expectations to "realistic".

I don't think you'd find a Motherwell fan out there who would have expected any player we signed to be 'superstars' but I think that the questions raised over Hylton, Seedorf, Long and Ilic(which are still there) were perfectly legitimate especially in mid August. Perhaps you could argue there that those holding such views were skewed by summer 2018's poor business but I think that's perfectly understandable given how poor we were for the first half of last season as a result. I would defy any Motherwell fan who saw us in our first two league games and League Cup last 16 game to say that they thought that the aforementioned Hylton, Seedorf and Long looked anything other than hopeless and that they didn't have serious concerns over their capability of playing at the level we require them to. The jury is still out on them IMO though they have shown since that they can offer something, though that doesn't render the mid August concerns about them as nonsense.

[ropy]

1 hour ago, MJC said:

We did what we should have done in the League Cup group games - win them all comfortably. As the only Premiership side in our group then anything less would have been unacceptable and what our top flight rivals did at the same stage is totally irrelevant. We were dire at Livingston on the opening day and only Gillespie's fine performance saved us from defeat. Celtic hammered us with clinical finishing but we didn't help ourselves that day with slack defending and extremely naive midfield play throughout and the Hearts cup game was a disaster in every sense of the word. In all of those games we looked poor in an attacking sense, with summer signings Hylton, Seedorf and Long looking utterly hopeless and out of depth at our level and that raised justifiable questions over Stephen Robinson given his disastrous performance on last summer's transfer window. Since the Hearts Cup game our form has improved and Robinson and the team have been given the credit they deserve for that, but it's still relatively early days yet.

Changing the management team and ethos because of a defeat from Celtic and a poor performance against Hearts would be the ultimate knee-jerk.  Plus it is not how Motherwell works.

[Marinello]

Well said Ropy.

In short MJC your comments at the time of our League Cup exit were (as they often are) an over reaction. No fans around me were questioning Robinson nor his signings. The collective view was that given time we would improve.

And lo behold!!!

 

[capt_oats]

Well...
All aboard the Declan Gallagher hype-train

 

Edited October 6, 2019 by capt_oats

[Mr. Brightside]

Richie Tait's reaction to the news.

[Gianfranco]

He’s going to score the winner in Russia with his massive chopper.

[RandomGuy.]

4 hours ago, Casagolda said:

Still, can’t really quibble with our domestic recruitment this summer. If St Johnstone had pipped us to Gallagher and Polworth, I imagine both clubs start to the season could have been very different. Swings and roundabouts. 

Not sure Polworth wouldve made much difference, I rate him highly and have done for years, but he'd have been feeding Kane for the majority so wouldnt have created any goals anyway. 

Gallagher is exactly what we need, and I'm absolutely fucking seething you lot got him. Considering the mess our defence has been, theres a fair argument we could've cruised most games this season if he'd been in there, as the attack has generally held up their end.

[Swami]

More Motherwell players than Rangers and Aberdeen combined in the Scotland squad. What a time to be alive. 

[Swami]

I was thinking about all of the comments on Tait as well. A lot of negative chat about his performances but we haven’t conceded a goal since he got back in the team. 

[ropy]

1 hour ago, Swami said:

I was thinking about all of the comments on Tait as well. A lot of negative chat about his performances but we haven’t conceded a goal since he got back in the team. 

Other than Ross County

[capt_oats]

Big Bevis gets a call up.

 

[Desp]

Strong Reserve line-up today.  Mugabi, O'Hara, Manzinga, Ilic, Long, Hylton & Semple all starting

[Swello]

36 minutes ago, Desp said:

Strong Reserve line-up today.  Mugabi, O'Hara, Manzinga, Ilic, Long, Hylton & Semple all starting

Noticed that - feels like an old-style reserve team rather than the youth team which we've been treating it as until recently. Understandable as we've not had many injuries to deal with yet meaning a lot of squad players not getting many/any minutes at present.

[Pettigrew]

44 minutes ago, Desp said:

Strong Reserve line-up today.  Mugabi, O'Hara, Manzinga, Ilic, Long, Hylton & Semple all starting

No sign of Sloth - injured?

[Swello]

He's the biggest enigma of the season - I've heard injuries, "family issues", all sorts - he's played once for the first team in the league cup and a couple of reserve games. Considering, pedigree-wise he was one of the most interesting signings of the summer, it's all a bit weird. On the upside, our midfield has been the strongest area of the team so far - so we're not suffering...

[capt_oats]

42 minutes ago, Swello said:

Noticed that - feels like an old-style reserve team rather than the youth team which we've been treating it as until recently. Understandable as we've not had many injuries to deal with yet meaning a lot of squad players not getting many/any minutes at present.

Aye, it feels like a marked/conscious change this season. Having said that we lost 4-1 last week and it was a "young" team we put out against United (who tbf were also fielding a bunch of u18s).

Last week's starting XI vs Utd was: Morrison (21); Cornelius (18), Trialist (?), Muir (17), Brown (17); Kettings (17), Semple (18), Hale (16); MacIver (20), Manzinga (24), Starrs (17) = 18.5 avg (excl. trialist)
Today's line up is: Morrison (21), Cornelius (18), Muir (17), Mugabi (24), Brown (17); O'Hara (23), Semple (18), Ilic (23); Manzinga (24), Long (24), Hylton (26) = 23.5

No idea about Sloth but I wouldn't be massively surprised if he was back to Denmark for a few days with it being international break and all. Following him on IG it certainly looks like his family, missus and all that are still over there.

His last appearance for Silkeborg prior to signing for us was 9 mins on 16th September 2018. He didn't play for them again due to some sort of dispute so given the length of time where he's not kicked a ball vs the extent to which we seem to focus on the fitness and strength & conditioning side of things I wouldn't be surprised if it's another Ally Gorrin sort of scenario where it's going to take him months to get anywhere close.

Having said that, it's a 2 year deal he's on rather than the bold Ally's 1 + option.

To add to the above, I watched him play the 90 for the Reserves against Dunfermline a couple of weeks ago and he was fine. As I mentioned before he was a lot more dynamic a player than I was expecting. I had it in my head he'd be more in the Gorrin mould being technical, continental and stuff. I wasn't expecting to see him burst 20-30 yards through the midfield committing 2 and 3 players but he did exactly that on a few occasions.

Edited October 7, 2019 by capt_oats

[Gallus Numpty]

1 hour ago, Desp said:

Strong Reserve line-up today.  Mugabi, O'Hara, Manzinga, Ilic, Long, Hylton & Semple all starting

And currently losing.