Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[CoF]

53 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

I know it's already been discussed on here but that SOD interview is interesting, not in so much that he's confirming the fall out with Alexander or that he's saying signing players is more of a priority than the manager but rather his emphasis on a 'style of play' and signing "good" players who "fit a profile" in order to help change.

He's 100% right but I wonder how comments like that go down in the dressing room. 

[rowsdower]

I just imagine that everyone in the dressing room agrees, but they don't realize it's them that the others want replaced.

[Antiochas III]

Could be also having confidence in Hammell and Kerr.  Players won't be to keen to sign for a team with no manager.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

Really liking the fresh new social media approach. 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by YassinMoutaouakil

[capt_oats]

1 minute ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

Really liking the fresh new social media approach. 

The replies though. Actual adults replying to a club account is some laugh. 

[rowsdower]

Next club statement:

"After consulting our Twitter replies we have decided to sign a new manager and players, and stop being shite. We value the feedback from our fans but wish someone had said something earlier."

[eliphas]

27 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

The replies though. Actual adults replying to a club account is some laugh. 

I've came to the conclusion that Twitter is mainly weirdos now and Instagram is going the same way. 

Or I'm 40 this year and getting increasingly grumpy with folk. 

Or both.

Yay.

I'm fine.

Edited August 8, 2022 by eliphas

[eliphas]

4 hours ago, Busta Nut said:

 

 

His current team are currently adrift at the bottom of the Veikkausliiga

When he applied for the last job I met him in the centenary suite while I was in for a bevvy. Very decent fella and was quite open about how he'd applied and was in for a look about and to take in the match. 

[stu92]

1 hour ago, rowsdower said:

I just imagine that everyone in the dressing room agrees, but they don't realize it's them that the others want replaced.

[stu92]

Given that SODs and Hammy have (not so subtly) had a go at Alexander, and that we’ve all heard the rumours of him falling out with players over the course of his stay, it makes Kelly’s comments in the immediate aftermath all the more weird. I wonder if there  is some sort of anti-GA/pro-GA rift within the dressing room, which would add weight to O’Donnell’s comments about needing new players.

Pure speculation on my part. 

[tonicg]

16 minutes ago, stu92 said:

Given that SODs and Hammy have (not so subtly) had a go at Alexander, and that we’ve all heard the rumours of him falling out with players over the course of his stay, it makes Kelly’s comments in the immediate aftermath all the more weird. I wonder if there  is some sort of anti-GA/pro-GA rift within the dressing room, which would add weight to O’Donnell’s comments about needing new players.

Pure speculation on my part. 

Liam Kelly and weird comments? Never...

Suspect Kelly (and KVV?) would be greatly outnumbered if that split was the case.

[Busta Nut]

24 minutes ago, eliphas said:

When he applied for the last job I met him in the centenary suite while I was in for a bevvy. Very decent fella and was quite open about how he'd applied and was in for a look about and to take in the match. 

I like that he's treated it like the way my work expect you to treat an application. Visiting the department and learning the inside of the building.

[capt_oats]

23 minutes ago, stu92 said:

Given that SODs and Hammy have (not so subtly) had a go at Alexander, and that we’ve all heard the rumours of him falling out with players over the course of his stay, it makes Kelly’s comments in the immediate aftermath all the more weird. I wonder if there  is some sort of anti-GA/pro-GA rift within the dressing room, which would add weight to O’Donnell’s comments about needing new players.

Pure speculation on my part. 

I mean, I'm not sure it's as overt as pro/anti but players like KVV and Morris are bound to be closer to Alexander than others simply because they've played for him prior to joining the club. Whether that means anything IDK.

On the point about needing new players, it's kind of why I'm not as down on the squad as others.

Had we been operating a similar strategy as we did when Robinson was here and we'd front loaded the signings which meant that what we have now is essentially our squad for the season I'd be worried but as it stands (if you take out the Young Team ie: Connelly, Johnston, Devine and, I guess, Mahon) our squad comes in at 20 players (with 1 long term injury in Carroll and McGinley TBC).

To me a normal sized squad is probably around 23-24 so we're clearly short. Which kind of lends towards the thinking that we'd throttled Alexander's spending to see how things went (badly it turns out). That we never got around to adding the additional coach Alexander spoke about a couple of times speaks to that point as well.

What's interesting to me is that you've had Hammell and now SOD pretty much emphasising the need for recruiting good players. Which isn't to say we don't have good players (we do IMO - Kelly, SOD, Slattery, Tierney, KVV etc) but it kind of feels like it's something that Burrows/the board/Daws can't really ignore now given the way it's being publicly highlighted.

Edited August 8, 2022 by capt_oats

[wellboy1991]

I’m hearing all the chat about signing players and agree. However I have major concerns that this recruitment team are up to the task of signing players to fit the style we need. 
 

Last 4 signings at the club. Efford, Spittal, Morris & McGinn. 

Early days for Spittal and Morris however after 4 games I think both have been utterly gantin.

Efford least said the better. 

McGinn however has been steady enough if not spectacular. However he is meant to be on a pretty decent wedge. More than what he was earning at Hibs…

[KirkySuperSub]

9 minutes ago, wellboy1991 said:

McGinn however has been steady enough if not spectacular. However he is meant to be on a pretty decent wedge. More than what he was earning at Hibs…

Not a dig at you, but I'm always slightly confuzzled when comments like this made on football forums.

I mean, who actually knows for real what a player is / was on at their new / previous clubs, other than those involved in the deals, or the various members of the admin involved in the payment of said wages.

Neither of whom, I would imagine, are hardly going to be shouting it to all and sundry.

[wellboy1991]

2 minutes ago, KirkySuperSub said:

Not a dig at you, but I'm always slightly confuzzled when comments like this made on football forums.

I mean, who actually knows for real what a player is / was on at their new / previous clubs, other than those involved in the deals, or the various members of the admin involved in the payment of said wages.

Neither of whom, I would imagine, are hardly going to be shouting it to all and sundry.

Understand that comment tbh. However people talk, football players are human and a lot of them are local…… 

[Swello]

I like McGinn so far I have to say. He started a needless 12 man rammy on saturday because he was frustrated - high potential. 

[capt_oats]

39 minutes ago, wellboy1991 said:

I’m hearing all the chat about signing players and agree. However I have major concerns that this recruitment team are up to the task of signing players to fit the style we need.

Ultimately the recruitment team is working on the instruction of the management though.

Like, it's the same people who identified the likes of Slattery and Tierney. Both are technical players.

It's really about context. Efford was signed as a punt on an 18 month deal and Alexander gave him every opportunity. He's probably reflective of the budget we had to spend at that specific point in time (or he was a placeholder in the squad to get us up to summer).

Tbh, this is why the suggestion that Alexander's budget was curtailed is relevant. The players we've brought in this summer seem like straight swaps for the squad players who left at the end of last season which presumably means it was that sort of price point we were shopping.

Spittal for Roberts, McGinn for Grimshaw and, I guess, Morris for Woolery.

Also, after SOD's interview it pretty much explains the McGinn signing. It's not difficult to join the dots on that one now.

Edited August 8, 2022 by capt_oats

[stu92]

I feel like I’m in the minority when I say McGinn is not better than SODs. Kudos for the rammy on Saturday though. 

[fat_tony]

42 minutes ago, stu92 said:

I feel like I’m in the minority when I say McGinn is not better than SODs. Kudos for the rammy on Saturday though. 

I'm with you on that as well. Happy enough with McGinn so far to be fair but I don't think he offers more beyond what SOD can. There's certainly an argument that we haven't seen SOD perform to his ability enough, but given the previous talk of a nasty virus and then obviously falling out of favour with GA, it's not all that surprising.