Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Gianfranco]

Gunnar Nielson had a good song.

[Handsome_Devil]

Peak Carson was best of the three for me but peak Kelly wasn't far behind (nor was MG obviously).

Right now Kelly's solid to good but there's the feeling he's 'underperforming' as he's clearly not at the level he was when originally on loan. Whether it's fair to continually judge a guy against possibly the best six months of his life a different debate.

For me he's worth every penny even now though - as noted above, goalie is the one position there's absolutely no room for bluffing through. The difference between a poor gk and a solid one in a league as tight as Scotland is at best hundreds of thousands and at worst relegation.

[thisGRAEME]

Gillespie

Carson

 

 

Kelly.

IMO.

1 hour ago, Handsome_Devil said:

For me he's worth every penny even now though - as noted above, goalie is the one position there's absolutely no room for bluffing through. The difference between a poor gk and a solid one in a league as tight as Scotland is at best hundreds of thousands and at worst relegation.

It's essentially why we stayed up and Killie went down. As much as I don't rate him as highly as others from our recent history, I'm in total agreement with this.

BTW, are tickets tonight season ticket holders only? Because that's what one Motherwell fan has described as 'A nuisance'.

Edited October 19, 2022 by thisGRAEME

[Neil86]

1 minute ago, thisGRAEME said:

Gillespie

Carson

 

 

Kelly.

IMO.

It's essentially why we stayed up and Killie went down. As much as I don't rate him as highly as others from our recent history, I'm in total agreement with this.

BTW, are tickets tonight season ticket holders only? Because that's what one Motherwell fan has described as 'A nuisance'.

I just phoned the ticket office and was able to buy a couple. They aren't selling via the usual platforms to prevent Celtic fans rocking up in the Home end, you need to have a purchase history with the club.

Tickets are then either e-mailed or can be picked up from the ticket office which will no doubt be rammed and probably should be avoided given the short gap between 5pm and kick off.

[thisGRAEME]

1 minute ago, Neil86 said:

I just phoned the ticket office and was able to buy a couple. They aren't selling via the usual platforms to prevent Celtic fans rocking up in the Home end, you need to have a purchase history with the club.

Tickets are then either e-mailed or can be picked up from the ticket office which will no doubt be rammed and probably should be avoided given the short gap between 5pm and kick off.

Class, thank you mate. I'll give them a ring and get an e-mail.

[Swello]

Is there a point where having really low expectations for a game tips into "we might just do it when no-one expects it"? Asking for a friend.

[eliphas]

We've been blessed with, probably,a higher amount of really really good keepers over the years than a club our size probably should have had. To be able to say we've had Ruddy, Randolph, Carson, Gillespie and now Kelly through the doors is incredible really over the last decade or so. That said we have had absolute shitehawks in between. Literally no middle ground.

[Ron Aldo]

We've been blessed with, probably,a higher amount of really really good keepers over the years than a club our size probably should have had. To be able to say we've had Ruddy, Randolph, Carson, Gillespie and now Kelly through the doors is incredible really over the last decade or so. That said we have had absolute shitehawks in between. Literally no middle ground.

I'd probably put Connor Ripley and George Long in the middle ground category.

[CoF]

Mind Twardzik and his record breaking 6 games without conceding a goal? Legendary….

[Neil86]

21 minutes ago, Ron Aldo said:

26 minutes ago, eliphas said:

We've been blessed with, probably,a higher amount of really really good keepers over the years than a club our size probably should have had. To be able to say we've had Ruddy, Randolph, Carson, Gillespie and now Kelly through the doors is incredible really over the last decade or so. That said we have had absolute shitehawks in between. Literally no middle ground.

I'd probably put Connor Ripley and George Long in the middle ground category.

I was thinking the same as @eliphas totally forgot about those two though. Was George Long edging towards the useless camp before the performances in the play offs?

 

[eliphas]

29 minutes ago, Neil86 said:

I was thinking the same as @eliphas totally forgot about those two though. Was George Long edging towards the useless camp before the performances in the play offs?

 

Aye I'd agree.. Long didn't set the heather alight for me at all until the playoffs. He only played a handful of games too didn't he? Half a season?

Ripley I forgot about too. He was a decent enough.  

Just reminded myself about Aaron Chapman there. Shudder.

Edited October 19, 2022 by eliphas

[capt_oats]

2 hours ago, Ron Aldo said:

2 hours ago, eliphas said:

We've been blessed with, probably,a higher amount of really really good keepers over the years than a club our size probably should have had. To be able to say we've had Ruddy, Randolph, Carson, Gillespie and now Kelly through the doors is incredible really over the last decade or so. That said we have had absolute shitehawks in between. Literally no middle ground.

I'd probably put Connor Ripley and George Long in the middle ground category.

Aye. Ripley in particular is the definition of that middle ground IMO. He was good without being exceptional in the way someone like Randolph was but was solid enough that I'd happily have seen him back at the club but at the same time you'd easily rank the likes of Carson and Gillespie ahead of him.

He was capable of making big saves (I've GIF'd a couple below). I mean, these are positively Schmeichel-esque...

I've said it before but that season he was at the club kind of weirdly gets overlooked. We finished 5th, it was the last time we beat Celtic in the league (or at all), we pretty much finished Aberdeen's "title challenge" (lol) and the whole Moult, McDonald and Johnson front three was a good laugh.

To add to the Ripley chat, having a swatch at YouTube and there's a highlights reel Ross Clarkson posted up. The save onto the bar against Aberdeen at 7 seconds is fucking wild.

Edited October 19, 2022 by capt_oats

[thisGRAEME]

3 hours ago, Swello said:

Is there a point where having really low expectations for a game tips into "we might just do it when no-one expects it"? Asking for a friend.

Usually around 4:30pm.

Ripley drove me spare. Made big daft saves then couldn't do the bread and butter.

[Desp]

Marvin Johnson was a fucking right good Motherwell player.  Didn't he end up playing most of his career post-Motherwell at left-back in the Coca Cola Leagues?

If only there was a memorable goal that we could have had from him.  One which we'd happily watch time and time again.  I'd have loved that. 

[Desp]

1 hour ago, capt_oats said:

He was capable of making big saves (I've GIF'd a couple below). I mean, these are positively Schmeichel-esque...

Would be a good quiz question that... How many English Premier League winner's son's have played in the Scottish top flight?  

Kasper Schmeichel, Connor Ripley, Devante Cole, Callum Hendry.  Any more? 

[Reidy]

14 minutes ago, Desp said:

Would be a good quiz question that... How many English Premier League winner's son's have played in the Scottish top flight?  

Kasper Schmeichel, Connor Ripley, Devante Cole, Callum Hendry.  Any more? 

Did we not have George Newell (Mikes son) round about the same time as Connor Ripley? 
 

Edit - Alex Bruce at Killie as well 

Edited October 19, 2022 by Reidy

[scmwell]

Would be a good quiz question that... How many English Premier League winner's son's have played in the Scottish top flight?  
Kasper Schmeichel, Connor Ripley, Devante Cole, Callum Hendry.  Any more? 

Was English first division but Gavin Strachan ?

[Archie McSquackle]

Aye I'd agree.. Long didn't set the heather alight for me at all until the playoffs. He only played a handful of games too didn't he? Half a season?
Ripley I forgot about too. He was a decent enough.  
Just reminded myself about Aaron Chapman there. Shudder.

I was trying to remember Aaron Chapman's name- cheers. The big question is, would you prefer him in goals to Craig Samson? I'm slightly erring on the Samson side.

[dezz]

5 minutes ago, Archie McSquackle said:

2 hours ago, eliphas said:

Aye I'd agree.. Long didn't set the heather alight for me at all until the playoffs. He only played a handful of games too didn't he? Half a season?
Ripley I forgot about too. He was a decent enough.  
Just reminded myself about Aaron Chapman there. Shudder.

I was trying to remember Aaron Chapman's name- cheers. The big question is, would you prefer him in goals to Craig Samson? I'm slightly erring on the Samson side.

A truly horrific choice to make, but it would have to be Samson over Chapman. At least Sampson was occasionally capable of making a save even if 90% of the time it was parried back into the 6-yard box for the striker to tap in the rebound. Chapman was so bad he couldn't even get as far as parrying/spilling the ball.  

[YassinMoutaouakil]

26 minutes ago, Desp said:

Would be a good quiz question that... How many English Premier League winner's son's have played in the Scottish top flight?  

Kasper Schmeichel, Connor Ripley, Devante Cole, Callum Hendry.  Any more? 

Thistle had Martin Keown's son for a while I think.