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Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons


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Quite a few interesting bits in here.

Some pointed comments about us needing to improve the team and the squad and bringing in the right "character"...."because we can't afford to be in the position that the team was in in January and we don't want to have too many performances like that [the one we've just had]."

Big up his chat about Campbell "I don't think we'd have had that result if he'd been out on the pitch. That's the reality. I think his motivation, his commitment to the game would have drove us forward to go on and win that game and I think we missed it. If you look at the run we've been on and since he's come off the pitch against Dundee United we haven't been as good as we has been. The challenge for us is to try and replace him."

It's good that he's acknowledging what we've seen for the past number of seasons ie: when you take Campbell out the side our levels drop massively.

Edited by capt_oats
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I think a meek loss on the last day of the season won't be the worst thing that could have happened to us - hopefully the list will be as lengthy as it can be when it's published in the next few days.  

The most telling one for me is the way that Gallagher has been benched/left out since he came back from his "injury" - I'm trying to think of another example of us being as "brutal" as that in recent years. For us to leave out our captain and the best defender at the club (on paper at least) out of the team in preference to an inexperienced loanee must be unprecedented and probably illustrates the extent to which he has pissed folk off.

Next season - a functional squad, with players that generally want to be here, complete with a creative midfielder (preferably unmarried) would be lovely, thanks.

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9 minutes ago, Swello said:

I think a meek loss on the last day of the season won't be the worst thing that could have happened to us - hopefully the list will be as lengthy as it can be when it's published in the next few days.  

The most telling one for me is the way that Gallagher has been benched/left out since he came back from his "injury" - I'm trying to think of another example of us being as "brutal" as that in recent years. For us to leave out our captain and the best defender at the club (on paper at least) out of the team in preference to an inexperienced loanee must be unprecedented and probably illustrates the extent to which he has pissed folk off.

Next season - a functional squad, with players that generally want to be here, complete with a creative midfielder (preferably unmarried) would be lovely, thanks.

Seems Alexander's been a bit more "honest" with the press than he was with Grant for the club channel.

Quote

Graham Alexander: “We’ve done the job we wanted to do when we came in by staying up, but there’s a bad taste in my mouth after today. That might be good for me going forward in terms of helping me clarify a few things in my mind."

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Graham Alexander NOT happy after Motherwell’s final day defeat: “I hate that saying, nothing to play for. “You’re in a brilliant job, playing for a brilliant club. If anybody says that again, I’m going to lose my stuff. “You’ve got pride, points, club, family and teammates.”

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To be honest, those sound bites might make a defeat not the worst thing in the long term.

If he was thinking of keeping Magloire, Foley, Hastie or Long then hopefully today would have turned him away from that line of thinking.

I think I’m all for as clean a slate as possible.

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Alexander has played it exactly right since coming in, both in terms of how he's managed the dross he inherited to somehow garner enough points for safety with a few games to spare, and in how he has spoken about them in the press, particularly after some truly honking showings. He's never come out and slaughtered them, to keep whatever morale and togetherness was left, but today gives a truer reflection of what he really thinks. 

There's no doubt that the squad Robinson started out with should have had enough about it to have a comfortable, if not spectacular season, when you consider how bad some of the other squads at the bottom actually were. The horrific injury list obviously never helped, but our supposed better players like Gallagher and Polworth launching their toys and massively underperforming for whatever reasons appear to have been just the tip of the iceberg in a completely broken and divided dressing room. 

If he'd stayed I'm sure Robinson would have blindly stuck with them hoping for some magical upturn in their attitude and performance, but Alexander has come in, jettisoned Polworth after a couple of shambolic showings and parked the departing club captain on the bench in favour of an obviously poorer player in Magloire. As he said after the match, attitude and character are as important, especially at our level, as the players quality and technical ability. These comments will have been made with specific players in mind, and I'm fairly sure they know who they are. 

I've got a feeling that he will be quite ruthless in cutting folk loose, even a few under contract might (hopefully) be chased. A completely fresh squad is required. Polworth (and his mrs) can f**k right off, and Gallagher won't be half as hard to replace as the bold Dec himself would probably believe. But the massive Allan Campbell shaped void in the middle of the park is going to be very hard to fill. An interesting few weeks ahead. 

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Also dont think there will be many from the youth squad will be given a new contract either. Only rumour mill obviously and could be well wide of the mark but I don't believe GA thinks most of our youth team are good enough to progress and I expect a few will be in amongst the first team squad being released

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26 minutes ago, Well Well said:

Also dont think there will be many from the youth squad will be given a new contract either. Only rumour mill obviously and could be well wide of the mark but I don't believe GA thinks most of our youth team are good enough to progress and I expect a few will be in amongst the first team squad being released

No rumour mill about it, natural wasteage only of which I’d doubt many will have heard of.

In the absence of reserve football again next season, development has to change. I’m just not sure the manager views the player pathway the club do.

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5 hours ago, rowsdower said:

I have a feeling we're going to end up with more Hastie. I don't like that feeling. Fair play to him for capitalizing on that good couple of months.

I was really keen for Hastie to do well, he’s like a wayward child but one of your own and I would give him extra time to prove his worth.

But I think he has had that time now.  I’ve seen lots of what he could be but far too much of what he is. Get him off to ICT next season to win a promotion.

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2 hours ago, Onthefringes said:

No rumour mill about it, natural wasteage only of which I’d doubt many will have heard of.

In the absence of reserve football again next season, development has to change. I’m just not sure the manager views the player pathway the club do.

I suppose the dillema is do we keep all  our youngsters most of whom will probably never get a game and be loaned out next season or free up their wages to attract a better quality of player and keep 3 or 4 of the best prospects

 

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7 minutes ago, santheman said:

I suppose the dillema is do we keep all  our youngsters most of whom will probably never get a game and be loaned out next season or free up their wages to attract a better quality of player and keep 3 or 4 of the best prospects

 

An interesting take but, not generally how it works. Development of players is a funding stream not just related to player sales which our management have failed upon this season.

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Guest superward
8 hours ago, Archie McSquackle said:

I'm not on Instagram but I hear Cole posted clips of his goals with the message "over and out" which suggests he's away. Probably no surprise to anyone but would have liked to have been able to hold on to him.

No 100% sure on that. Club retweeted similar on Twitter and it seemed like over & out on the season rather than a definitive 'im offski' shout.  I do think he will have some decent suitors though so I'm not sure we will see him back to be honest. 

As shit as that season was. I'm already looking forward to new faces and the new season. A glutton for punishment.

Edited by superward
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I'm happy for Cole (and various others) to use us as a platform to get back down south, that's the kind of position we are in. I think it would be best for his career if he stayed for another season and on his pro-rata January - May form score 15-20 goals, then get a move. However, when you look at people like Hastie, you do appreciate it's a short career and he probably wants to capitalise on the interest that will have surrounded his good form of late and for that I wouldn't actually blame him.

The thing I hope we do massively avoid is him signing a new contract three weeks in to pre-season, a la Scott McDonald, or more recently Chrissy Long.

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