Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[2426255]

Does anyone know what's up with Stephen O'Donnell? The club haven't really said anything but I heard that his season is done. 

[Kapowzer]

10 minutes ago, 2426255 said:

Does anyone know what's up with Stephen O'Donnell? The club haven't really said anything but I heard that his season is done. 

Are you a Glasgow or Edinburgh minicab company?

[Jim64]

12 minutes ago, 2426255 said:

Does anyone know what's up with Stephen O'Donnell? The club haven't really said anything but I heard that his season is done. 

He’s got a groin injury 

[capt_oats]

Mentioned on the previous page but here's the video from the official YouTube.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

It's weird where I simultaneously don't rate McCall more highly than a decent Motherwell manager,  but the 13/14 season might be the most impressive single season job I can think of. To be fair, the fact the squad was such a state was almost entirely of his own doing, but to take them to 2nd was genuinely bordering on witchcraft.

[Busta Nut]

1 hour ago, 2426255 said:

Does anyone know what's up with Stephen O'Donnell? The club haven't really said anything but I heard that his season is done. 

He had a thigh strain, I think he's ok for Saturday.

[Hoose Rice]

1 hour ago, capt_oats said:

Mentioned on the previous page but here's the video from the official YouTube.

Brian Kerr - still doing a lot of unseen work 20 years on

[Kapowzer]

1 hour ago, Hoose Rice said:

Brian Kerr - still doing a lot of unseen work 20 years on

So who felt up Leeann? Us or someone at yours?

[2426255]

9 hours ago, Jim64 said:

He’s got a groin injury 

 

8 hours ago, Busta Nut said:

He had a thigh strain, I think he's ok for Saturday.

[2426255]

9 hours ago, Kapowzer said:

Are you a Glasgow or Edinburgh minicab company?

sorry mate, don't get that joke to be honest. I'm guessing it's related to my username? 

[Handsome_Devil]

10 hours ago, 'WellDel said:

Well, other than a lot of online debate, sparked by what appears to have been baseless and ill informed 'source' type info, nothing in actual fact did happen.

Who knows, maybe there was some form of meeting and Alexander has convinced them he is still the man for the job, or an agreement has been reached for a parting of the ways once the season concludes. Or perhaps they were all actually up the Ravens Cliff for a carvery and a couple of pints. Who knows?

The debate, however, was decent and passed a few hrs and gave a good, broad view of the feelings among the support. Unfortunately, imo, at the end of the day the manager is still in place.

Indeed, who knows. Though I heard through two separate channels (neither of which were SO) discussions were talking place...whether that's, as you say, with a view to parting ways sooner rather than later or just the monthly review I've no idea. 

I must say I'd have been hugely surprised if he'd left this week. At the end of the season would still raise eyebrows but I think there's a lot more logic to that from both sides than now.

Anyway, onwards and downwards.

[capt_oats]

10 hours ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

It's weird where I simultaneously don't rate McCall more highly than a decent Motherwell manager,  but the 13/14 season might be the most impressive single season job I can think of. To be fair, the fact the squad was such a state was almost entirely of his own doing, but to take them to 2nd was genuinely bordering on witchcraft.

"Despite his league finishes, Stuart McCall wasn't a particularly good manager" is 100% a hill I'll die on.

Edited May 4, 2022 by capt_oats

[well fan for life]

7 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

"Despite his league finishes, Stuart McCall wasn't a particularly good manager" is 100% a hill I'll die on.

Stevie Hammell in midfield. 

I rest my case. 

['WellDel]

41 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

Stevie Hammell in midfield. 

I rest my case. 

Or Fraser Kerr being sent on to save the day, blundering about the right wing when we were chasing games.

Or, on second thoughts, just Fraser Kerr being sent on.

[Kapowzer]

1 hour ago, 2426255 said:

sorry mate, don't get that joke to be honest. I'm guessing it's related to my username? 

“After the break Hugh Keevins will be here with the sports news …. Stay tuned ….

Are you looking for ceramic tiles? Glasgow's biggest showroom is in Hillington, P&B Tiles, two four two, six two double five, open 7 days 8 till late, two four two, six two double five” 

[Desp]

1 hour ago, capt_oats said:

"Despite his league finishes, Stuart McCall wasn't a particularly good manager" is 100% a hill I'll die on.

You're absolutely correct.  Looking back, I'll never forgive him for Albion Rovers (he should have walked that day, IMO).  He was lucky I gave him post-Rangers away in the League Cup.

McCall was given a ridiculous budget (cheers, Leanne!) and he used it to buy some very good players for Motherwell.  I loved watching that 12/13 team but it was the easiest league in our lifetimes.  Rangers were on the journey, Celtic were phoning it in and still strolling to the title, Hearts & Hibs ended up going down around that time, Aberdeen were only at the beginning of their McInnes era.  During that 4-5 year period, Killie, St. Mirren, Inverness, Ross County & St. Johnstone all won a trophy yet McCall shat it in every big game he was in.  The first year he got a fairly straightforward route to the Final, and ballsed it up by playing Hammell in f*cking midfield!  I'll no even start about the European games.

For me, McCall done the bare minimum given the squad and funds he had at his disposal.  A good manager (thinking late 00's McGhee or even a Craig Brown with his experience) would have picked up at least one cup with that team and had a right go in Europe.  McCall's record since leaving us speaks volumes.

[well fan for life]

15 minutes ago, 'WellDel said:

Or Fraser Kerr being sent on to save the day, blundering about the right wing when we were chasing games.

Or, on second thoughts, just Fraser Kerr being sent on.

Fraser Kerr wide right, Omar Daley subbed on with one minute to play. The McCall way. 

FWIW I reckon there probably was some sort of meeting on Monday but no chance was him walking away going to be the outcome. I honestly won't be surprised if we should be 10th on points but the split saves our blushes. 

Either way I really, really fucking hope we don't get another season of this eye-bleeding pish. 

[capt_oats]

1 hour ago, Desp said:

You're absolutely correct.  Looking back, I'll never forgive him for Albion Rovers (he should have walked that day, IMO).  He was lucky I gave him post-Rangers away in the League Cup.

McCall was given a ridiculous budget (cheers, Leanne!) and he used it to buy some very good players for Motherwell.  I loved watching that 12/13 team but it was the easiest league in our lifetimes.  Rangers were on the journey, Celtic were phoning it in and still strolling to the title, Hearts & Hibs ended up going down around that time, Aberdeen were only at the beginning of their McInnes era.  During that 4-5 year period, Killie, St. Mirren, Inverness, Ross County & St. Johnstone all won a trophy yet McCall shat it in every big game he was in.  The first year he got a fairly straightforward route to the Final, and ballsed it up by playing Hammell in f*cking midfield!  I'll no even start about the European games.

For me, McCall done the bare minimum given the squad and funds he had at his disposal.  A good manager (thinking late 00's McGhee or even a Craig Brown with his experience) would have picked up at least one cup with that team and had a right go in Europe.  McCall's record since leaving us speaks volumes.

Aye, FWIW my take is he was a relatively successful manager rather than a good one.

We actually got worse defensively each season he was there.

Our GA columns were:

10/11 - 37 conceded in 21 games compared with 16 in 14 while Brown was there that season.

(3rd) 11/12 - 44
(2nd) 12/13 - 51
(2nd) 13/14 - 60

We'd conceded 21 in 12 games by the time he resigned in 14/15 - at that GAPG average it'd have been 66.5 goals over 38 games.

That's before you factor in all the other stuff you (rightly) mention.

For me, a good manager fixes stuff like the defence whereas he chucked his budget at some very good players and got the benefit of it until he didn't.

Edited May 4, 2022 by capt_oats

[Busta Nut]

22 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

Either way I really, really fucking hope we don't get another season of this eye-bleeding pish. 

This is my fear.

[Swello]

Despite the Albion Rovers and Rangers games, the angriest I've been at the football both happened under him, I can't bring myself to slate McCall TBH.

That was probably the most fun I've had following us all over the place and a wee clip of a Higdon goal, or Faddy scoring against Hibs or seeing Ojaama's shitey wee pistols celebration still gives me the rosy glow years later. McCall wasn't a managerial genius but he gave us a really good team to watch which happens really rarely (to my mind, his best team was one of only 4 genuinely good teams we've had in our current top flight spell of 35 years+)

That team was a result of overspending and so was McGhee's first team - but you'd have to go way back to McLean in the pre-bosman 90's to find a great team that was built without going into the red.

The "I enjoyed myself in the early 2010's, so Stuart McCall is alright by me" hill is one I'm quite happy to die on, presumably on my own