Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[well fan for life]

8 minutes ago, Neil86 said:

It's actually no wonder players and their wives end up arguing with our fans over social media, some of the hot takes on Charlie Dunne Stealing a living and shafting the club are absolutely wild.

one of life's good guys, who provided some excellent #content over the years.

 

 

Mildly related but bouncing about after McHugh pinged that into the top corner is some of the best fun I've ever had at Fir Park. 

[capt_oats]

14 hours ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

Aye, he goes with nothing but the best from me too.

His first season at the club, where he largely stayed fit, has sadly seemed to be the exception rather than the rule in his career.

I’m surprised, but happy for him, after all he’s been through that he’s had a two year deal. Sadly, I’d already written off seeing him play for us again and all things told a fresh start is probably best for both parties.

I must say that despite technically not being the best, his pace was a massive asset and he always fitted in well when he was fit for us - both in the back three and when he partnered Aldred in the early stages of sexy Motherwell.

Tbh, this is why my brain's melted at the number of mile-oots who fundamentally don't seem to understand the club policy that we'll not cut a player loose if they're injured. We'll offer them support and rehab if they want it. That doesn't mean there's a quid pro quo - it's just the right thing to do.

If the player subsequently chooses to move on then the club hasn't been "stung" by it, they've simply upheld a duty of care.

We're coming off a season where at one point we had 17 (SEVENTEEN) players either injured or unavailable (of which Dunne was one), the manager who signed him has left the club, the new manager has spoken publicly about wanting to run with a smaller squad and players who he feels we can get 40 odd games out of a season.

Yet toys are getting flung around because the player has taken a concrete offer from another club when we were inviting him back to the club for a kick about and folk are also furious at the club because they haven't chucked a deal at a player who hasn't kicked a ball since August 2019?

Even if he had been able to "prove" his fitness I'd be amazed if we'd have offered him a 2 year deal. It'd have been an extra year in the style of Crawford and Mugabi.

The idea that there's any criticism warranted toward either the player or the club here is fucking mental (the same argument stands for folk who are pissy about Tanner as well).

Edited June 3, 2021 by capt_oats

[well fan for life]

37 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Tbh, this is why my brain's melted at the number of mile-oots who fundamentally don't seem to understand the club policy that we'll not cut a player loose if they're injured. We'll offer them support and rehab if they want it, that doesn't mean there's a quid pro quo - it's just the right thing to do.

If the player subsequently chooses to move on then the club hasn't been "stung" by it, they've simply upheld a duty of care.

We're coming off a season where at one point we had 17 (SEVENTEEN) players either injured or unavailable (of which Dunne was one), the manager who signed him has left the club, the new manager has spoken publicly about wanting to run with a smaller squad and players who he feels we can get 40 odd games out of a season.

Yet toys are getting flung around because the player has taken a concrete offer from another club when we were inviting him back to the club for a kick about and folk are also furious at the club because they haven't chucked a deal at a player who hasn't kicked a ball since August 2019?

Even if he had been able to "prove" his fitness I'd be amazed if we'd have offered him a 2 year deal. It'd have been an extra year in the style of Crawford and Mugabi.

The idea that there's any criticism warranted toward either the player or the club here is fucking mental (the same argument stands for folk who are pissy about Tanner as well).

tl;dr -  There's a solid amount of mile oots in our fanbase. 

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

The reason I think a fresh start is best for him is that he can go and prove himself from the start, without anyone's expectations of what he was like previously. If he signed for us again and got playing there would be people on a weekly basis, whether it was merited or not, claiming he had lost X yards of pace, or people expecting him to break down every time he put a hard challenge in.

The same people criticising him for leaving would be the ones slaughtering the club if it was us who offered him a two-year deal.

I didn't quite comprehend the level of mile-out in our support until the social media days - a big reason as to why I dodge twitter and facebook altogether now.

[Archie McSquackle]

The League Cup game against Queen's Park on Wednesday 14th July is now going to be at Firhill. Really hope we're allowed in for that one.

[well fan for life]

Just now, Archie McSquackle said:

The League Cup game against Queen's Park on Wednesday 14th July is now going to be at Firhill. Really hope we're allowed in for that one.

Me too. The steak pies are class at Firhill. 

[YassinMoutaouakil]

Moult will be lonely in the physio room now Charlie's away

[thisGRAEME]

3 hours ago, well fan for life said:

Mildly related but bouncing about after McHugh pinged that into the top corner is some of the best fun I've ever had at Fir Park. 

Had a real top 5 all-time hangover that time holding back bokes drinking dark fruits in hospitality.

Think I was in my bed by 6pm. What a day.

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

I see yer man Callachan has now signed with Ross County, so that chat from the other day can be firmly nipped in the bud.

[capt_oats]

1 hour ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

I see yer man Callachan has now signed with Ross County, so that chat from the other day can be firmly nipped in the bud.

In other 'players we haven't signed' news...this is one for @YassinMoutaouakil

Edited June 3, 2021 by capt_oats

[YassinMoutaouakil]

 I was just coming on to make an incredibly similar post. Thank f**k for that.

Watch us sign Alan Lithgow and the Jacobs triplets now.

[ropy]

We need to be thinking ahead, who would St Mirren want to sign in a year’s time?

[Gianfranco]

We need to be thinking ahead, who would St Mirren want to sign in a year’s time?

Ali Crawford is my guess.

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

2 hours ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

 I was just coming on to make an incredibly similar post. Thank f**k for that.

Watch us sign Alan Lithgow and the Jacobs triplets now.

I actually used to work with the Jacobs triplet who gave up full time fitba first. Lovely bloke and fair raised the standards of the work 5s

[Ron Aldo]

We need to be thinking ahead, who would St Mirren want to sign in a year’s time?

Liam Grimshaw?

[Pettywulliegrew-2]

5 hours ago, Gianfranco said:

Ali Crawford is my guess.

Was in the Electric with his chums tonight having a few beers

[Busta Nut]

Is the Leccy even still considered a pub?

That divider was the worst decision ever.

[Archie McSquackle]

Was in the Electric with his chums tonight having a few beers

You had me confused with that one but I live in Glasgow and then remembered everyone else is allowed to do that sort of thing.

Is he local anyway or is everyone just going to put 2 and 2 together and decide he's signing even if he's just meeting a few mates for beers?

[Onthefringes]

10 minutes ago, Archie McSquackle said:

You had me confused with that one but I live in Glasgow and then remembered everyone else is allowed to do that sort of thing.

Is he local anyway or is everyone just going to put 2 and 2 together and decide he's signing even if he's just meeting a few mates for beers?

His lass and her family are from that neck of the woods.

[capt_oats]

4 hours ago, Archie McSquackle said:

Is he local anyway or is everyone just going to put 2 and 2 together and decide he's signing even if he's just meeting a few mates for beers?

He's also still contracted to Bolton going by their recent squad update.

As a general conversation point, when you look at our current midfield options of O'Hara, Robbie Crawford, Maguire, Donnelly and Cornelius someone like Crawford is probably closer to the type of player we're missing than a Ross Callachan IMO. Although, he'd still be far down the list of players I'd be banging a drum for us to sign.

At the risk of cross-forum posting I noticed this on SO re: midfield/playmaker:

Quote

"Issue is the players that are effective in that role are probably the rarest of all footballers, therefore carry a premium and even more so if they can actually deliver the goods."

i mean, Nicky Law, Vigurs, Bigi, Turnbull and Polworth have all been brought in for that role over the past 10 years and had varying degrees of success. It's maybe a difficult role to recruit for well but we're not looking for a unicorn here (although in fairness, that's exactly what Turnbull was/is).

The only recent seasons I can think of where we've not had at least one of those type of players around the squad was probably Baraclough/McGhee's 15/16 season where we ended up playing that lop-sided 442 with Pearson, Lasley, Cadden, Grimmy, Jake Taylor and Morgaro Gomis as our CM options for that narrow midfield 3

You could make the argument that the 2 Cup Finals midfield of Rose, McHugh and Campbell wasn't overflowing in the creativity department but Bigi was at least still around the squad (albeit not getting into the team) and Tanner was classed as a 'forward' rather than a midfielder.

Edit: I'd completly blanked the McGhee 16/17 season. Craig Clay, Lasley, McHugh, Pearson..... Although I suppose Lee Lucas was supposed to be that creative player and he did have that one game against County.

Edited June 4, 2021 by capt_oats