Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[superwell87]

Kelly says the players feel responsible for Hammell's sacking.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64636116 

[smellthepaw]

5 minutes ago, Luke92 said:

Ideally we need someone in before Saturday, time is obviously of the essence. 

What this means is it is more likely to be a 'til the end of the season' job. Questionable whether we can get someone desirable longer term in this time period.

James McPake is utter fear and I'm going to write that off as total paper talk. Kettlewell and Courts also a big no for me.

My criteria for the manger would be 1) Track record in the SPFL, preferably with a club of similar stature 2) Experience of implementing an organised defensive structure successfully 3) A motivator who can lift morale but also will not suffer fools

Whether there is many folk with that criteria available on a free is questionable. IMO point 1 is really important, I do worry about bringing in an outsider in this situation who doesn't understand the Scottish game. I'd be more open to this in the summer.

Basically, I want to see someone implement an Alexander/Robinson type defensive structure and stop us leaking goals. If we get someone to do this and sort out the man management side of things I think we will be okay. But its a big IF.

 

Who would you think fits the bill that's available out of work or alternatively could be brought in via affordable compensation?

I personally think the only available candidates for that are Goodwin, Ross, Tommy Wright, Kenny Shiels (not availble though could be), Courts or possibly the man himself Kettlewell. You then look further down the leagues to good performing Championship level managers.
It's not always successful bringing in a manager with previous success.

St Mirren took a very big punt on Danny Lennon a few years back from Cowdenbeath and he done not too badly to stabilise the club and win a cup along the way.

[Quatermass]

1 hour ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Obviously our friends from Dundee will have more insight but I don't think they were bottom when they binned him and had just won at Tynecastle. Getting 11th was certainly still within reach and their performance, though obviously not rock and roll, hardly seems disgraceful for a side (surprisingly?) promoted via the playoffs.

Sacking a manager after a win is always an odd look. Criticised for it at the time if I remember but the McGhee appointment never helped. At the very least it showed Motherwell don’t have a monopoly on cronyism.

[Quatermass]

19 minutes ago, Richie said:

Kettlewell getting straight to the point.

 

That’s just as much for ‘us’ as it is ‘them’. Quite bloody right though.

[bunglebonce]

14 minutes ago, Richie said:

Kettlewell getting straight to the point.

If there is anything that Kettlewell can do in a short time, it's setting standards for the scrap. No dickheads, a quick tempo (ie getting on with dead balls quickly), being competitive when the chips are down.

[tamthebam]

35 minutes ago, Richie said:

Kettlewell getting straight to the point.

 

Perhaps just going "w@nk, w@nk, good guy, w@nk" would have saved more time

[Ron Aldo]

Who comes up with this ? Former Inter Milan player Ze Maria is the guy being spoken about (screenshot only rather than linking the S*n). 

 

[eliphas]

49 minutes ago, Richie said:

Kettlewell getting straight to the point.

 

Good on him. 

Also points perhaps to some cliques having formed from what he's saying there.

[thisGRAEME]

56 minutes ago, Richie said:

Kettlewell getting straight to the point.

 

YOU'LL NO BE IN MEH TEHM

[dezz]

Kettlewell’s comments make it sound like the squad is completely fractured into wee cliques, which is entirely believable given what’s served up on a Saturday - it looks like half of them have never met one another. I guess 9 signings in January also has a part to play. 
Good on him for calling it out and saying they can get tae if they’re not up for a scrap.

[par-adise]

Might just be wishful thinking but I can't see it being McPake. He's within touching distance of a league title, which would see his stock rise, and then could end up in the same division next season anyway.

But fwiw he's been a breath of fresh air after his predecessors. Speaks well (if a bit a grump), has the ability to influence a game (see last Saturday), and has rejuvenated a completely deflated group after last season without actually bringing many new faces in. It's a much lower level, of course.

[capt_oats]

1 hour ago, Luke92 said:

Ideally we need someone in before Saturday, time is obviously of the essence. 

What this means is it is more likely to be a 'til the end of the season' job. Questionable whether we can get someone desirable longer term in this time period.

James McPake is utter fear and I'm going to write that off as total paper talk. Kettlewell and Courts also a big no for me.

My criteria for the manger would be 1) Track record in the SPFL, preferably with a club of similar stature 2) Experience of implementing an organised defensive structure successfully 3) A motivator who can lift morale but also will not suffer fools

Whether there is many folk with that criteria available on a free is questionable. IMO point 1 is really important, I do worry about bringing in an outsider in this situation who doesn't understand the Scottish game. I'd be more open to this in the summer.

Basically, I want to see someone implement an Alexander/Robinson type defensive structure and stop us leaking goals. If we get someone to do this and sort out the man management side of things I think we will be okay. But its a big IF.

Broadly I don't disagree but I don't think having SPFL experience is a deal-breaker.

I mean, Alexander arrived when we were joint bottom of the league and finished the season comfortably in 8th on the same points as St Mirren. His clubs were Fleetwood, Scunthorpe and Salford.

To me we "just" need a good coach who's able to come in and immediately raise standards and generally understand the assignment. It doesn't really matter to me if their experience is in the Premiership in Scotland or League 1 in England as long as there's some sort of demonstrable track record at a half-way decent level there.

I've mentioned it before but in a general sense, since I've been watching Motherwell there's been a profile of hire that's tended to work.

In fact I'll just re-up the post from May last year with added Hammell...

On 02/05/2022 at 12:07, capt_oats said:

Give or take you can generally profile what we look for: 40-50, some experience - likely with 1 or 2 jobs behind them plus coaching, we generally don't make appointments who have managed at other Scottish clubs and I'm pretty sure you have to go back as far as Davies for a former (or current) player.

Of our recent managers Brown and McGhee are really the only ones who don't fit that description in terms of age and experience, although we seemed to go through a phase in the 90s - 00s of giving folk their first management jobs. Understandably we haven't done that since Malpas.

Also AFAIK McGhee's the only manager we've had to have 2 stints in the job.

Since McLean;

(94-98): McLeish -35, Previous club managed; n/a
(98): Kampman - 43, Previous clubs; Reipas (?), MyPa47 (?)
(98-01): Davies - 34, previous club; n/a
(01-02): Black - 39, previous club; n/a
(02-06): Butcher -43, previous clubs; Coventry (33.33%), Sunderland (30.23%)
(06-07): Malpas -43, previous clubs; n/a
(07-09): McGhee - 50, previous clubs; Reading (43.2%), Leicester (31.4%), Wolves (40.9%), Millwall (46.0%), Brighton (28.8%)
(09): Gannon - 40, previous clubs; Dundalk (36.1%), Stockport (43.4%)
(09-10): Brown - 69, previous clubs; Clyde (33.17%), Scotland u21s (43.18%), Scotland (45.07%), Preston (33.96%) 
(10-14): McCall - 46, previous club; Bradford (34.6%)
(14-15): Baraclough - 44, previous clubs; Scunthorpe (23.5%), Sligo (55.0%) 
(15-17): McGhee - 58, previous clubs; Reading (43.2%), Leicester (31.4%), Wolves (40.9%), Millwall (46.0%), Brighton (28.8%), Motherwell (39.8%), Aberdeen (27.4%), Bristol Rovers (26.7%)
(17-20): Robinson - 42, previous club; Oldham (21.2%)
(21-22): Alexander - 49, previous clubs; Fleetwood (38.6%), Scunthorpe (46.9%), Salford (48.2%)
(22-23): Hammell - 40, previous clubs; n/a

Edited February 14, 2023 by capt_oats

[beesher]

1 hour ago, Richie said:

Kettlewell getting straight to the point.

 

I think he has got that absolutely spot on, holding the players accountable but stopping short of a full-blown arse kicking.

 

He is absolutely right regarding St Mirren as well.

[LiviLion]

49 minutes ago, Ron Aldo said:

Who comes up with this ? Former Inter Milan player Ze Maria is the guy being spoken about (screenshot only rather than linking the S*n). 

 

Always the s*n that pull out some random 'legend' for these jobs.

In 10 years time they'll have Cesc Fabregas in the frame for the Dunfermline job.

Edited February 14, 2023 by LiviLion

[Dunning1874]

22 hours ago, Ron Aldo said:

I've always thought Lambert might feel he has something to prove as a manager up here given he only ever managed Livingston and that went pretty badly from what I remember. Now would seem as good a time as any for him to come back given clubs down south hardly seem to be battering down his door. 

Has he officially ruled himself out? He hasn't had a job in almost 2 years and at the rate managers come and go in England his stock must be pretty low down there. Surely coming back to a club he knows and trying to rebuild his reputation a bit in order to get another crack at England isn't the worst idea? 

While a Scottish job probably does make a lot of sense for Lambert for the reasons you state, those same reasons also mean he's probably in no rush to take one.

If he's wanting to rebuild his reputation then he can probably wait to see if anything's available in the summer, rather than walking into a job where he's only got 3 months to save a side without a win in 11 games from relegation and could see his reputation torched if he fails to turn it round.

[Swello]

57 minutes ago, eliphas said:

Also points perhaps to some cliques having formed from what he's saying there

Yep - quite a revealing comment that one.

[Kapowzer]

On 13/02/2023 at 14:27, Kapowzer said:

I have no idea what the dressing room is like but it seems to have little cliques of differing views on what is the best the plan going forward.

I did not draft or have advance warning of the script for today's presser yesterday but if any of you want the Euro Millions numbers  .......

We crediting "the thread" for that one?

Saying that, Stevie Wonder could have seen that inevitable fact.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Kapowzer

[Rob1885]

2 hours ago, Swello said:

And it needs to be considered that although the Pars are doing really well - having the biggest club in the division punching their weight is a very different challenge to what he's get at Fir Park.

biggest team but only 2nd biggest budget

[Busta Nut]

1 hour ago, Richie said:

Kettlewell getting straight to the point.

 

Well, he sounds like he's got the right idea a wee bit.

1 hour ago, superwell87 said:

Kelly says the players feel responsible for Hammell's sacking.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64636116 

Kelly stops chucking them in and he'd maybe feel less guilty.

[Kapowzer]

51 minutes ago, Busta Nut said:

Well, he sounds like he's got the right idea a wee bit.

Kelly stops chucking them in and he'd maybe feel less guilty.

Seriously considering asking for a P&B whipround for Goss and Kelly to send you birthday wishes via Cameo.

Ruddy Giuliani charges $325 so it can't be as much, and he was involved in an insurrection ..... oh wait ......