Jump to content

Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons


Recommended Posts

25 minutes ago, one m in Motherwell said:

That's a good point re. Simo.  

With Hammell, I wonder if he'll even really need to be interviewed - he's essentially had two games work experience and however long as Academy Director to make the club aware of how ready (or otherwise) he is to step up.  

 

I know a guy who is involved in the recruitment process for a League One club (in England) and he was talking about the interview process recently.

Basically, every club will need to have an in-depth interview before hiring anyone, because there are lots of technical things they're looking for. Things like set-piece policy (Yes!), agreement on squad profile, understanding and analysis of use of subs etc. Plus loads of other stuff that had never crossed my mind before.

A candidate will need to show a very deep understanding of Motherwell's performance, how that compares with other teams in the league (on a deep statistical level) and how that can be improved with concrete proposals for that.

It's a tough process. No way anyone's getting appointed without a serious interview these days.

Edited by VincentGuerin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Handsome_Devil said:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/stephen-odonnell-opens-up-graham-27681866

Not exactly putting the boot in but certainly colours to the mast etc.

As someone in a group chat said, falling out with SOD - a career long solid pro - looks incredibly bad management regardless of the details.

Also interesting is just how explicit Hammell and now SOD are about the need for new players. Usually those within the group are a bit more diplomatic but you don't have to read much between the lines here to draw a conclusion that even those people think we're fucked.

I tend not to go for the "lost the dressing room" stuff normally - as I've always assumed that every dressing room in a losing team will be an unhappy place and players that aren't getting a game/getting their preferred role will always be unhappier when the evidence is that things aren't working - but this is different.

This time isn't quite on the Jim Gannon scale but just based on what various players (and Hammy) have publicly said*, it seems pretty obvious that a lot of the rumours were in fact true about fall-outs/bad atmosphere behind the scenes - and what is also true is there is a feeling (backed by pretty solid evidence) that GA was phoning it in this summer in terms of signings and having the squad prepared. 

I'm sure there is a theory to be worked out where a certain manager personality type just doesn't work at a club like ours - it's probably too small a place to have a manager that rubs everyone up the wrong way.

 

*Of all the public pronouncements, I found Tony Watt "praising" him as the most interesting of all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've not been great at appointing captains since Las retired have we?

First it was McHugh, who voluntarily chucked it.

Then it was Hartley, who couldn't get a game for half his tenure.

Then it was Gallagher, who had a gun to his head.

Then it was O'Donnell, who fell out with the manager.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Swello said:

Of all the public pronouncements, I found Tony Watt "praising" him as the most interesting of all.

Certainly at odds with the training here is so much better after his move which was nothing other than a dig.

He is right, he improved his form immeasurably. But then he also used a Cowboy emoji ….. there are plenty others that don’t have a connotation of someone winging it.

Any other players (ex or current) say anything or note anyones noticed?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, VincentGuerin said:

It's  a tough process. No way anyone's getting appointed without a serious interview these days.

Unless you're Dundee interviewing Mark "I know everything there is to know about every single player but I don't know who the club captain is" McGhee 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the Lambert chat, he's probably the one I'm most drawn to at the moment. He has a solid CV in England at a higher level then any of our recent managers have ever been at. I think he'd be the best person we could get to come in and sort out the current shitshow.

Simo gives me the fear for some reason. I don't mean this to come across the wrong way but I'm struggling to think of a foreign manager that's come to a provincial club in Scotland and done well. This "he knows the club" chat doesn't wash - we're a very different club now to the one he left 20 odd years ago.

Hammell, again, gives me the fear. I never wanted Lasley when he was putting himself forward previously and I struggle to see how Hammell is any different. While both were brilliant servants as players they both have no prior experience of management at our level. Wouldn't be against him becoming an assistant but he should be nowhere near the manager's job at this stage.

Of the other names mentioned previously, the other one which sticks out for me is Duncan Ferguson. Who knows whether he'd be any good but he's a mad b*****d so it would be entertaining if nothing else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Ron Aldo said:

On the Lambert chat, he's probably the one I'm most drawn to at the moment. He has a solid CV in England at a higher level then any of our recent managers have ever been at. I think he'd be the best person we could get to come in and sort out the current shitshow.

Simo gives me the fear for some reason. I don't mean this to come across the wrong way but I'm struggling to think of a foreign manager that's come to a provincial club in Scotland and done well. This "he knows the club" chat doesn't wash - we're a very different club now to the one he left 20 odd years ago.
 

Wasn't Mixu Paatelainen in charge of Killie when Alexei Eremenko made Connor Sammon look like Lewandowski for a season?  Not that Killie were particularly successful at that point, but you'd call it a decent job. They were a good side then.  Mixu made a Noel Hunt of his time at Tannadice, however.

If Simo gets it now, it probably shows how poor the level of applicant has been, given how many times he's been overlooked before.  I'd assume we'll have a better idea of the shortlist by the middle of this week.  I would also assume Hammell will be in charge for Saturday again, because even if the new man gets appointed Thurs/Fri, I would imagine they'll be giving the idea of their first game being Aberdeen away a massive swerve.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At risk of stating the obvious this is a massive appointment to make. With this squad in its current state I would rip both your arms off to finish 10th this season. I'm not sure who we'll end up with but I hope to goodness we're able to get a couple of signings through the door as soon as possible to address the massive issues we have in this squad. 

I think we've all heard the various murmurings coming out of the club in the last while and it did seem like all was not well. I'm not sure if it was quite on the Gannon scale but it certainly wasn't far off it. Seeing the various people going in and out of the squads for no real reason like Slattery vanishing, Lamie seemingly being told to bolt and Woolery's exit. 

Also noticed we'd switched the dugouts back on Saturday. Undoing the Alexander era one thing at a time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Desp said:

If Simo gets it now, it probably shows how poor the level of applicant has been, given how many times he's been overlooked before.

Hmmm, we're all thinking that experience is preferred... Simo has had time to gain that experience we're looking for, so he must surely be a different (better) proposition this time around?

With regard to Hammy, not to put him down in anyway, but surely he's going to be the cheapest most cost-effective option we could go for?
That would free up some (though probably only a little) extra cash for new players, which has to be an attractive thing right now.  In terms of his experience, he certainly seems to be saying all the right things in public, and Flao et al will be seeing how he's doing behind the scenes.   I would have said my trust in the upper management is implicit, but it has been dented recently 😔

 

Edited by RostokMcSpoons
Trust in upper management only dented, not bashed ;]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

Also noticed we'd switched the dugouts back on Saturday. Undoing the Alexander era one thing at a time. 

That's something I really don't get...why would you not want your dugout in the middle of the pitch and in, our case, closer to the assistant referee for putting your view across and nearer the side we're likely defending (and needing more organisation) under pressure in the second half? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Handsome_Devil said:

That's something I really don't get...why would you not want your dugout in the middle of the pitch and in, our case, closer to the assistant referee for putting your view across and nearer the side we're likely defending (and needing more organisation) under pressure in the second half? 

I think we've all come to the same conclusion on that. It's because Alexander was absolutely daft. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm generally all for small margins etc, but I honestly think the difference in location between two dugouts has absolutely no bearing on how well we do whatsoever.

Alexander changing it was just one of those new manager changing something so people would notice that he'd made a change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heard a few coaches have swapped their dugouts in various leagues to get other coaches further from the 4th official.

Having influence over the Fourth Official is completely pointless though.

Always baffled as to what anybody thinks this achieves.

Much more useful to be able to intimidate the linesman. This is a reasonable approach.

Edited by VincentGuerin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, CoF said:

In the style of @capt_oats - Page 2006 is it? (feel free to downvote)

gettyimages-1278069364-2048x2048.jpg

I'm getting depressed just looking at that. The one time since I started watching us that I voluntarily missed home games as well as away.

"That's your Donald Duck"

 

PS - looking forward to a couple of days time when it's all Higdon and Ojamma

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, VincentGuerin said:

Having influence over the Fourth Official is completely pointless though.

Always baffled as to what anybody thinks this achieves.

Much more useful to be able to intimidate the linesman.

Agree. But the the assistants at FP - for whatever reason - have always, as long as I can remember, been on the north-east and south-west lines. The dug out and seating to the Cooper (north) side is a bit bigger having been more developed as the long-standing 'home' preference but the away one to the McLean (south) would seem to be in the better position.

Yes, it probably makes next to no difference. But I have never, ever, understood (pre-dating Alexander by more years than I like to admit!) why as the home side we don't pick the one which seems to be in the obviously better place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, Casagolda said:

Did Watt ever actually say that though?

He did aye. Something along the lines of it was "more focused". I think it was in his first week there.

Maybe someone can link to the article as I'm on my phone and it's an arse to google. Either of the two red tops or Courier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...