Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Handsome_Devil]

1 minute ago, boozyBJ said:

Only problem is, where, if Hammell gets binned or walks, do we find this miracle worker who is going to save us?

There are various guys fired in England since autumn who'd be interested who weren't before.

For those fired last spring, taking our job for them in August would have been insane. Circumstances were trying to match fifth from last season with three days preparation and a half-built squad. There was, basically, almost no chance of success.

Now, there is - short-term at least - no chance of failure. Keep us up and you're a miracle worker, take us down it's not your fault but you can bin three-quarters of the squad and start again in a league where we are (still) a big(ish) fish with enough money to give it at least one right good go at coming back first time.

The risk-reward is infinitely more favourable now and with a broader pool to pick from I really don't think 'who would we get' is a valid defence for hanging on.

[djchapsticks]

47 minutes ago, boozyBJ said:

I can’t recall (as my brain has blocked it out) but was the Malpas season as bad as this?

You were fucking disgraceful that season but had Scott McDonald and latterly Ross McCormack to thank for not finishing below us and Dunfermline.

[supermarv]

7 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

5-1

It felt like a 5-0 that day and still does but the sheer laugh of Zak jules and Craig Samson f**k up was amazing for spectators.

[Neil86]

Fwiw, I thought danzaki showed nice touches. And Johnston should never have been dropped. Sods was terrible.

Blaney going off injured sums up.

[capt_oats]

11 minutes ago, eliphas said:

Agreed.

If you look back at my posts I've been fairly objective as I think there have been many reasons why Hammell couldn't really be blamed. It's all been covered from inheriting a squad, unlucky with injuries and a tough run of games pre WC. I've also banged on about the mad goal difference etc. 

But I've been calling for a change in tactics or approach to stop shipping daft goals for months (hasn't happened) and the month of January was the test for me (i.e. a winnable run of games) and he's failed.

We can't just assume no one else can get a wee tune out half the squad Feb to May and keep us up. League is still tight enough down here that a new manager bounce, someone who gets us organised and playing to our strengths and gets a handful of the players back to the levels they shohld be at and we've seen them at.l is entirely possible. It's worth a shot as the alternative is we just all pack up and go home now.

Aye.

As I've said for ages - Hammell would have done well to delegate and get people in beside him he could lean on. Instead he gave his assistant job to Brian fucking Kerr. For all there are maybe mitigating factors there are a series of bad choices that have been entirely in his control.

There's enough of a body of work from him now to suggest that he and his assistant are as much of a problem as the players. The other problem is he has absolutely zero track record to point to that will suggest he can turn it round.

I've broadly been supportive of him from the POV that he and the club have an idea of what they want to do mid/long term but if he can't actually coach the team successfully short term then it's fucked.

Edited February 1, 2023 by capt_oats

[well fan for life]

13 minutes ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

Dropping Mckinstry and Johnson. Thinking a midfield of Slattery, Goss, and Danzaki would work. Swapping Aitchison, Danzaki and Crankshaw about multiple times. That double sub at halftime. Going 4-4-2 towards the end. 

Flexibility is a good trait for a manager but there comes a point where it's obvious there's no actual fucking plan. 

I don't even know what the plan was at the end. 4-2-4? 4-3-3? 

It does sort of seem like it would be best for all involved if Hammell walked at this point. He's clearly no got the nouse to get a tune out of the squad he's got and I'm still not 100% sure what the f**k we were doing in that window there. To have watched our selection of clowns all season and not have signed anyone to even attempt to remedy it is a sackable offence in itself. Never mind against a backdrop of not having won a game since f**k knows when. 

[buchanandeek]

Craig brown till end of season and time to find appropriate manager going forward . 

[Al B]

Just now, buchanandeek said:

Craig brown till end of season and time to find appropriate manager going forward . 

He's 82 ffs...there's a reasonable chance he won't see the end of the season.

[shivute]

Tonight looked absolutely aimless in terms of formation, could be down to the number of new players but it seemed to get worse as the game went on.

Squad building has been atrocious as it was clear a couple of centre halves were needed and someone to solidify the midfield, none of that was done.

Time to get someone in to make us hard to beat and hole  we can somehow jammy our way to the split still in touch.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

We won't hire any of them, and they all have their obvious flaws, but just looking in our own league the last few seasons, I'd have infinitely more trust in Goodwin, Ross, Courts or Levein in coming up with some sort of plan for this team between now and May.

[Kapowzer]

Just now, Al B said:

He's 82 ffs...there's a reasonable chance he won't see the end of the season.

Yeah there’s 20 year old fans close to heart attacks among our support.  We’d be responsible for putting him in a box.

[Ya Bezzer!]

O'Donnell put in one of the worst performances in a Motherwell shirt I've ever seen tonight.

We'll improve our chances of staying up 10 fold this season if we never play him again.

 

[Kapowzer]

12 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Aye.

As I've said for ages - Hammell would have done well to delegate and get people in beside him he could lean on. Instead he gave his assistant job to Brian fucking Kerr. For all there are maybe mitigating factors there are a series of bad choices that have been entirely in his control.

There's enough of a body of work from him now to suggest that he and his assistant are as much of a problem as the players. The other problem is he has absolutely zero track record to point to that will suggest he can turn it round.

I've broadly been supportive of him from the POV that he and the club have an idea of what they want to do mid/long term but if he can't actually coach the team successfully short term then it's fucked.

He took serious hump when that was worded in a roundabout way last week.

[gavin_3110]

5 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

O'Donnell put in one of the worst performances in a Motherwell shirt I've ever seen tonight.

We'll improve our chances of staying up 10 fold this season if we never play him again.

 

He's the clearest example of players getting better in supporter's heads the longer they sit on the bench. 

He's like the tin man at the best of times, playing the most right footed player I've ever seen at left back is a recipe for disaster. 

['WellDel]

I gave it 'til the 80th minute before fucking off tonight. No idea why as it was evident as soon a the 2nd went in that we were beat. An absolute shambles of a performance. No composure, no cohesion and no clue. As abject and inept as we've witnessed in years.

Fully agree that Hamnell needs to walk, but by f**k some of the players need a right good look in the mirror too. Slattety has regressed so far it's unreal, SOD would be lucky to get a start for a decent amateur side on that showing, and Van Veen can just f**k right off  as far as I'm concerned. 6ft 2" manchild who hasn't kicked his own arse all season, yet still gets picked to strut about the park in his perma-huff doing the sum total of heehaw.

I'm prepared to cut yesterday's recruits some slack as they've just arrived and need a bit of time to integrate, but I'm already having doubts about Crankshaw. Did he beat a man down the line all night?

We're sleepwalking towards relegation, the board need to wake up, admit it's not working out with Hammell, and have the balls to make the change. With the unbalanced and frankly horrific squad we've assembled though, I fear we're already beyond redemption no matter who ends up at the helm.

[Stevie Kirk]

2 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

O'Donnell put in one of the worst performances in a Motherwell shirt I've ever seen tonight.

We'll improve our chances of staying up 10 fold this season if we never play him again.

 

He has been largely pish at right back for a good 18 months. Quite how SH thought he was suddenly going to be a competent left back is unbelievable. He has played there once before and he slows everything down by turning onto his right foot.

He gave the ball away or knocked it out the park 9 times that first half. I am done with him.

[capt_oats]

13 minutes ago, Kapowzer said:

He took serious hump when that was worded in a roundabout way last week.

I mean, I don’t blame him for taking the hump at the implication he’s maybe not that good a coach but so far there’s nothing he’s done to suggest that it’s wrong.

['WellDel]

I wouldn't be surprised if the (supposedly) incoming defensive option was suddenly reassessing their options after seeing that tonight. Who in their right mind would want to join this shitshow if they had any other half decent offer open to them?

[Well Well]

I felt so sorry for Danzaki, the guy  was trying to run the channels get into space but absolutely no one even looked in his direction the full time he was on the park. When he got subbed he sat for the rest of the game in the dugout with his head in his hands. Probably wondering wtf has he joined. Absolutely shameful from Goss and Slattery totally ignoring Danzaki. 

Other new guys looked like they were trying but they couldn't make up for the shambles that is the rest of the team.

Was really worried with Blaney going off, hopefully it was just a precaution as the medical staff were not treating him for very long. He is our only calm and composed central defender and always tries to find a player with his passes and tried to get some forward runs.

In respect of @wellDel comment I disagree and must wonder wtf Crankshaw has to do to get some support when he tries to go forward as everyone else just sat back. That ball across the front of goal, KVV should have broke his neck trying to get to but he just never gambled that Crankshaw would win the ball.

KVV, Kelly, Slattery and Goss are needing long spells on the bench and don't even get me started on wtf was going through Hammell head when he thought it would be a good idea to play O'Donnell in a relegation battle at the back when he hasn't touched a ball in months instead of a match sharp Max Johnston..!!. 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Well Well

[tonicg]

Quite simply the worst performance from us I can remember in a long long time. 

I’ve been hanging on to the hope that Hammell would turn it around but the manner of that defeat tonight says to me we need to change it. If we’d lost tonight but went down fighting and showed like we had a plan then maybe let him have more time to bed the players in but it was the manner. The worst I can remember. Worse than Malpas. 

If he remains then we are digging our own grave but if we act now I actually think someone could get a tune out of this squad to keep us up.

Never seen a team lacking in confidence as much as they were tonight. A change of manager is the only way I can see this turning now. 
 

if he’s still there on Saturday (and we inevitably lose) then I don’t fancy us at Stark’s Park at all. Change it now.