Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[RostokMcSpoons]

5 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Your boy Greg Marshall's done a report on Valakari.

 

So, basically he's too good for us? 

[Handsome_Devil]

I'd be curious to what 'style' does fit our squad atm...

[Kapowzer]

10 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

I'd be curious to what 'style' does fit our squad atm...

Right side heavy, put all our eggs in the a big Dutch shithouse basket.

Looking at that profile, that formation is what a lot is us we’re assuming we were evolving to after the successes at the end of the season and the signing of McGinn.

[well fan for life]

5 minutes ago, Kapowzer said:

Right side heavy, put all our eggs in the a big Dutch shithouse basket.

Looking at that profile, that formation is what a lot is us we’re assuming we were evolving to after the successes at the end of the season and the signing of McGinn.

Aye I kind of assumed we were signing McGinn to play as an RCB. I also think the players we have would be capable of playing passing football to some degree. For all KvV is a big guy he's definitely not a target man. Similarly when we have folk like Tierney/Shields/GI Joe around him. 

I'm not expecting us to play like 2009 Barcelona but something that actually gets you off your seat occasionally would be sound. 

[thisGRAEME]

28 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

I'd be curious to what 'style' does fit our squad atm...

A back three? 

A maverick striker?

Some neat and tidy midfielders?

A big honest hard-working laddie as a foil to said maverick striker?

Could I interest you in a thunderdome at this trying time?

[gregthewellfan]

31 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Your boy Greg Marshall's done a report on Valakari.

My take on Valakari would be that he is clearly a good manager and coach and committed to playing a particular possession based style, however, to appoint him right now would be a huge risk considering we’ve been recruiting players for a direct system and he wouldn’t have any length of time to recruit his own players for this season.

The profile I created shows his style had a huge increase in possession and passing numbers at KuPS, and at his previous club Tromsø in Norway, they had top possession and passes per 90 numbers, despite being relegated! Maybe he is too stubborn with his approach (Maloney-esque at Hibs)?

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see how he faired in Scottish football, but with our budget and a lack of time to get signings in I’d say this is maybe a move that’s more feasible a year down the line with a full summer ahead.

[Richie]

Unfortunately, in order to play tiki-taka, short, quick passing game you need players who can:

1) Control the ball

2) Pass the ball

3) Think a pass ahead

Edit:

4) Have good movement off the ball to open the passes

Edited August 4, 2022 by Richie

[Handsome_Devil]

14 minutes ago, thisGRAEME said:

Could I interest you in a thunderdome at this trying time?

It would certainly be preferable to the pragmatic nothing we have now...

Trying to change style to a Valikari possession thing now would obviously be hard and likely need some compromise on his part short-term but if willing I'd go for it even if there's risk involved.

Why?

1. He's clearly competent, his CV is adequate compared to others linked with the job. So this is not a just get Luc Nijholt sentimental decision.

2. With late Robbo and virtually all of Alexander there has been anything from 30% to 100% of fans wanting the manager to gtf for literally two years. He would, as much as is ever possible, unify the support behind him.

3. You can add at least another six months to those two years from when there was any anticipation of enjoying our football.

4. If we agree the pendulum is swinging back to that, away from pragmatism, for a spell there will be a transition period and you're much more likely to survive that with the new manager having extra credit a la Valikari. Try the same with Maloney, Glass etc who we just watched implode elsewhere and there'll be grumbling by October.

5. This season is a unique chance to bed someone in. We're not making a desperate February relegation battle appointment anyway and the calendar is different. There's a crazy pragmatic sprint to the international break, another after it and suddenly there's the WC mid-November. The opportunity to train and plan midseason is there, both with who we have and for who we want to sign in January.

I definitely wouldn't have appointed him last time (or the time before) and when we sacked Alexander I was still a bit sceptical...but having seen who else is out there, the more I think about it the more my position is 'f**k it, all aboard the #SimoBus'.

 

[capt_oats]

56 minutes ago, gregthewellfan said:

My take on Valakari would be that he is clearly a good manager and coach and committed to playing a particular possession based style, however, to appoint him right now would be a huge risk considering we’ve been recruiting players for a direct system and he wouldn’t have any length of time to recruit his own players for this season.

The profile I created shows his style had a huge increase in possession and passing numbers at KuPS, and at his previous club Tromsø in Norway, they had top possession and passes per 90 numbers, despite being relegated! Maybe he is too stubborn with his approach (Maloney-esque at Hibs)?

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see how he faired in Scottish football, but with our budget and a lack of time to get signings in I’d say this is maybe a move that’s more feasible a year down the line with a full summer ahead.

Aye, broadly this has been my reservation about Valakari since he was first quoted for the job years ago. It feels like there's a risk of him pitching up and trying to change the way we play overnight - "Right lads, we're a possession based team now. Go out and do that".

It's all well and good having a style of play you're committed to but invariably for a Motherwell manager, given our relative position in the league, you need to be pragmatic enough to be able to work with what you have and adapt accordingly.

To me, as @well fan for life alludes to above, between KVV, Spittal, Slattery, Goss and Tierney (especially Tierney) we have a handful of players who should allow us to play a bit of football but you're not going to change the overall culture immediately.

Tbf, @Al B put it best the other day in saying:

On 31/07/2022 at 17:44, Al B said:

Nothing much was ever going to change today, and just because it didn't, that doesn't mean it wasn't down to Alexander afterall. Hammy's job is to try and get us through to the point where a new manager can spend some time unpicking 2 years of a certain type of coaching and game approach, and then rebuild and repair with a new one.

Surprised anyone was expecting any sort of change today, other than the players looking fucking delighted after the final whistle. That's the first step towards change....and that's all we can hope for at the moment.

Edited August 4, 2022 by capt_oats

[Gianfranco]

I hated the Barcelona teams of that time. Pass it all the way up the left wing to pass it all the way back to the keeper and then do the same down the right with a million boring backwards and sideways passes. They were amazing at it but it wasn’t for me. Give me direct wingers who can beat a man and put crosses in over that.

Good free flowing football is a fucking myth.

[welldaft]

GRAHAM ALEXANDER STATEMENT

 

STATEMENT RELEASED ON BEHALF OF GRAHAM ALEXANDER

Whilst mine and Chris Lucketti’s time at Motherwell Football Club has come to an end, it is a period that I will always remember fondly and be proud of what we achieved during our time in charge.

First, I would like to thank the board for giving us the opportunity to lead the club and for their continued support throughout my tenure. The staff behind the scenes have been great, and my support staff have been incredible to work with making it a joy to go into work every day.

It has been a privilege to coach the players and they deserve so much credit for what we achieved. We have made many friends and that means as much to us as our record of results.

When we were trusted with leading the club 18 months ago, it was a daunting challenge. Bottom of the league and staring relegation in the face, the task was quite clear. Succeeding in preserving Motherwell’s SPL status, with a few games to spare, was so important to the club both on and off the pitch, as we knew what relegation would mean to the club and its fans.

Our next challenge was to trim and improve the squad, to create a group of players that could aim for a top half finish. Whilst focussing on those aims, we also reintroduced the U/18’s back into full-time training, allowing us to include several academy players in our senior squad.

In our only full season, we managed to do all of this and qualify for Europe, after spending 27 weeks of the season in the top six. That achievement is one that everyone at the club can look back on with pride.

I will always remember what we, as a team, achieved together – qualifying for Europe, earning the third highest points tally behind only Celtic and Rangers, and being the fourth highest scorers across the league. It has been a fantastic 18 months.

Finally, thank you to the supporters who got behind the team and helped us to reach Europe last season.

Good luck to everyone and take care.

Graham.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unlike some or indeed many I never disliked the guy.  Yes he was annoying in pre and post match interviews and rarely told the truth about players / injuries etc.  But he saved us from relegation and got us into Europe.  How he did it was mystifying but it is a fact. 

I hope he gets another gig soon and is successful. 

Edited August 4, 2022 by welldaft

[Swello]

Due to Lambert being mentioned, I was thinking about the team that McLean ended with back in the day and it seemed to manage 3 central defenders, attacking wingbacks, a good midfield and 2 up front. It's a shame that his approach is probably pre-historic now and we would get slaughtered because we didn't have enough midfielders or something - as it was literally the best football I ever saw us play.

[BigTamMuller]

Dipping in again now that we're at another point of interest.

For what it's worth on Valakari, he does acknowledge in a video, the Captain (I think) put up, of a conversation with Tromso fans that the Scottish game is a lot more fast paced and "kick & rush" than the slower paced Scandinavian games that he can play his preferred progressive passing style. Perhaps with this acknowledgement he wouldn't come in and go straight for the Maloney/Glass approach that evidently just doesn't suit the 10 other teams in the league & build towards it as an aspiration over time.

It does feel a completely different game watching the slower paced Finnish match from a few pages ago, versus a typical Motherwell v St Mirren (for example) game up here - the cycnic in me says trying that slower possession Valakari style up here with our budget just wouldn't work, but won't know until you take that risk and try I guess.

 

[Kapowzer]

5 minutes ago, welldaft said:

GRAHAM ALEXANDER STATEMENT

 

STATEMENT RELEASED ON BEHALF OF GRAHAM ALEXANDER

Whilst mine and Chris Lucketti’s time at Motherwell Football Club has come to an end, it is a period that I will always remember fondly and be proud of what we achieved during our time in charge.

First, I would like to thank the board for giving us the opportunity to lead the club and for their continued support throughout my tenure. The staff behind the scenes have been great, and my support staff have been incredible to work with making it a joy to go into work every day.

It has been a privilege to coach the players and they deserve so much credit for what we achieved. We have made many friends and that means as much to us as our record of results.

When we were trusted with leading the club 18 months ago, it was a daunting challenge. Bottom of the league and staring relegation in the face, the task was quite clear. Succeeding in preserving Motherwell’s SPL status, with a few games to spare, was so important to the club both on and off the pitch, as we knew what relegation would mean to the club and its fans.

Our next challenge was to trim and improve the squad, to create a group of players that could aim for a top half finish. Whilst focussing on those aims, we also reintroduced the U/18’s back into full-time training, allowing us to include several academy players in our senior squad.

In our only full season, we managed to do all of this and qualify for Europe, after spending 27 weeks of the season in the top six. That achievement is one that everyone at the club can look back on with pride.

I will always remember what we, as a team, achieved together – qualifying for Europe, earning the third highest points tally behind only Celtic and Rangers, and being the fourth highest scorers across the league. It has been a fantastic 18 months.

Finally, thank you to the supporters who got behind the team and helped us to reach Europe last season.

Good luck to everyone and take care.

Graham.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unlike some or indeed many I never disliked the guy.  Yes he was annoying in pre and post match interviews and rarely told the truth about players / injuries etc.  But he saved us from relegation and got us into Europe.  How he did it was mystifying but it is a fact. 

I hope he gets another gig soon and is successful. 

Talk about writing your own reference. Wish I could do that, I'd be CEO of Tesla or a Bond Villain by now.

[Swello]

8 minutes ago, Kapowzer said:

Talk about writing your own reference. Wish I could do that, I'd be CEO of Tesla or a Bond Villain by now.

I think it was the right time for GA to leave - his part of the calculation was that if he stayed, he would fully trash his reputation, whereas leaving when he did allows him to post the job application that @welldaft shared. I'm fine with that as it's the right outcome for both sides of it rather some acrimonious mess.

[Desp]

"SPL Status"

f**k off, Graham.

[Richie]

Aye, for me its similar to Baraclough and Robinson - Goes with best wishes and good luck for the future. Did what he was brought in to do, but clearly time for a change.

 

[one m in Motherwell]

I quite like the idea that Alexander has some kind of press team drafting these statements.

[Mr. Brightside]

He's basically saying how well he did while omitting the 3 wins in 6 months or 27 games or whatever it is.

[capt_oats]

For me Alexander goes down as a relatively successful Motherwell manager albeit not a particularly popular one.

As @Swello says, it was absolutely the right time for him to leave and tbh, I don't really take issue with that statement Alexander's put out via the LMA.

He's not said anything there that isn't true and as it's effectively a calling card for future employment I don't really blame him for glossing over the last 6 months or whatever.

Edited August 4, 2022 by capt_oats