welldaft Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Swello said: I've liked Robinson since the end of last season when he said - in a very straightforward way - that the squad was too old and there would be a clear out in the summer. He also got stuck into the team for celebrating a consolation goal at Inverness on the last day of the season and made no attempt to sugarcoat it. As someone else noted, when he does say something negative about the team or a player, you can bet it's exactly what is being said indoors too - and so players know where they stand, and I think that's more important than a manager giving different messages publicly and privately. Robinson actually dealt with getting rid of a lot of popular long serving players really well - and he got rid of a lot of utter deadwood with no ceremony, replacing them with players that are fit for purpose in a league that has gone up in quality. There has been a lot of agonising about the style of play this season but - and I may be on my own here - i like it. I've spent longer than I care to remember watching Motherwell teams getting bullied by bigger, fitter teams and not being able to cope with the type of player that teams on bigger budgets can put out - it's fucking great to see the boot on the other foot for once. My favourite ever 'Well teams (McLean's last team, McCall's best team and McGhee's first team) were all unashamed footballing sides that could play other teams off the park - but the novelty of seeing a strong, direct team means that I'm enjoying it more this season than I have in ages. Reading the snide comments of other players and managers about our style of play makes me enjoy it more, as the sort of meek shite we had under Barraclough or McGhee #2 used to get us nothing but patronising pish from the opposition. I may be wrong - but I think Robinson may be the first manager in a while to leave in an upward direction. Pretty much agree with all of the above. To be fair the only prolonged dip in form so far came on the back of the 3 Celtic games in a week, which took too much out of our small squad and injured 3-5 of our most influential players inc Moult of course. I will not deny that some of the football we have played is not exactly pleasing on the eye. But you could probably sum it up in last 2 games - play decent football v resurgent Killie, dominate the game, possession and chances and lose 1-0 or v Dundee almost the polar opposite and win 1-0. Go figure..... I think we will miss out on top 6 just but if we can pick up another 3-6 points before split we should be clear of any worries near the bottom two places. Sunday is huge and a win turns a very decent season into a very very good season, not least as the revenue gained in cup competitions will have been many multiples of what was expected / forecast. As it stands that is already the case and with Jambos looking like selling 4000+ tickets for Sunday. But another semi final and potential final would be awesome. Hearts have the best defence I have seen inc Celtic so will be a tough game and no doubt decided by a referee decision one way or the other. Edited February 28, 2018 by welldaft Adding text 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desp Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I've said on here many times before, but I was a fan of McGhee and stuck with him in his 2nd spell pretty much up to the end. There's no doubt he appeared to lose the plot though, particularly after the Ibrox cup tie, and it was absolutely the right decision to sack him after Aberdeen and Dundee hammerings. I, like others, was underwhelmed by the appointment of Robinson, but by f**k he's exceeded expectations. He's superbly moved on the older ones, ruthlessly got rid of the dross and brought in a vast number of players who might be the best quality we've ever saw at Fir Park, but they each appear to be willing to run through a brick wall for the manager and the club. Great to see. Without going all KMCalpin from SO, it was frustrating to watch us get bulled by bigger and stronger teams in the past. That's been remedied, and like Swello says, the tears from fans and management of other clubs (Hiya Neil McCann. Hiya pal!) when they criticise our style are delicious. Robinson has brought a lot of excitement back amongst the fans, especially after the apathy under the later stages of McGhee, so long may that continue. It will be interesting to see how he gets on next season, and whether he can improve again. One thing you can guarantee, is that Robinson will be well up for the challenge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJC Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I really like Robinson and I think over all he has done extremely well this season. I had long bemoaned the 'old boys' signing and contract extension policy and they are all now gone from the playing side, a move which started last summer when the age of the squad was lowered dramatically. Stephen Robinson is not the 'perfect manager' and of course he wouldn't be with us if he were, but he has an infectious positivity about him and that rubs off on the players. He is so far removed from McCall's defeatist talk ahead of any supposed big game or McGhee's staggering arrogance, self promotion whilst talking down the club and throwing players under the bus. It is no coincidence whatsoever that we enjoyed an excellent league cup campaign with big wins over Aberdeen and Rangers on the way, because unlike those two, Robinson actually sent the team out to play to our strengths rather than to simply stop the 'better' team playing. There have been down points, the Celtic trilogy in Nov/Dec but that would hit most teams for six, and sometimes the tactics at home are questionable, but you can't argue that we have improved greatly this season on the last two. This time last year we had just lost 5-1 at home to Dundee and had lost 7-2 at Pittodrie a week and a half earlier and our manager was sacked (exactly a year ago today as it happens) rightly so. It's to Robinson's credit that he has turned the club in the right direction, on and off the park. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) Can only really echo the points about Robinson above. One thing that brought the relative successes of this season into sharp focus for me was hearing John Hughes on Sportsound the other week and realising that he was very keen on the Motherwell job around the time he was relegating Raith and we were looking to appoint a new manager. Similarly, IIRC the chat was that Owen Coyle was our preferred candidate at the time but it fell through for reasons (possibly relating to his pay-off from Blackburn). It's hindsight and everything but given how things have panned out for them and us Robinson really doesn't seem like the worst appointment. I don't think anyone was particularly 'whelmed' when he got the job (some had their heads detach completely) and there were a few who were even less happy when he signed his extension earlier in the season (along with Kipré) but while he's by no means a complete manager equally Robinson seems a good fit for us. We're a club whose aspirations amount to mid-table safety, being competitive, cup runs, producing players and (to use the term) 'punching above our weight' on occasional seasons. Robinson seems to get that and so far has an idea of the tools he needs (given his budget and resources) to achieve that. I'm a fan of his realism as much as his honesty. Crucially, he's under no illusions as to what his team needs to do to stay in the division and has no real pretensions about how his teams play. I've said it before but I get the feeling that the 'attacking' side of the game is something that he still has to learn. Improving our record defensively was absolutely a priority and it's a credit to him that he's been able to just go ahead and do that rather than come in making promises about the great football he'd get us to play (unlike someone like say, Hughes). Beyond all the other stuff about his approach to games and the whole 'style of play' thing really comes down to being a means to an end. However, what has impressed me most about his has been his approach to recruitment. He was clear and unambiguous about the age of the squad, ditched long-serving players and club icons and has brought in players who, cliched as it may seen, fit a profile that matches the way he wants his team to play and gets the best out them. That in itself is a skill, when you look at teams around us with a similar budget who have brought in shitloads of players but don't really seem to know how to use them it says a lot for Robinson as a coach. Similarly when you compare Robinson's recruitment this season with McGhee's last year, especially given both would have had similar budgets and the same scouts and Head of Recruitment, then it's another credit to him. I'm massively in agreement with Desp on the style of play and the extent to which it boils the piss of other teams fans and managers. The whole 'hammer throwers' tag is something that, as a group, our players should 100% be embracing. Here's to you Mr. Robinson. Edited February 28, 2018 by capt_oats 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Out of interest, I looked back on this thread for March 17 (starts on page 100) where Robinson was confirmed as manager. [buzzfeed] Some of the reactions will SHOCK you [/buzzfeed] 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 3 minutes ago, Swello said: Out of interest, I looked back on this thread for March 17 (starts on page 100) where Robinson was confirmed as manager. [buzzfeed] Some of the reactions will SHOCK you [/buzzfeed] Link here... I, for one, am SHOOK. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gianfranco Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I stand by what I said. We need more winter animals in our GIFs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Underwhelming and cheap. That's Motherwell FC in a nutshell. For me Stephen Robinson absolutely reeks of failure. A poor, cheap, unimaginative and very 'Motherwell' appointment. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) A look back at those posts did prompt me to check and see what Valakari's up to these days. Managing Tromsø IL in the Norwegian Eliteserien it seems. P 14 W 7 D 2 L 5 F 24 A 18 FYI. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/simo-valakari/leistungsdatenDetail/trainer/13171/verein_id/1293/datum_zu/2017-07-27/datum_ab/0000-00-00 Interesting (not really) to note that he looks like he plays with a similar shape to Robinson, 3412/352/343. Edited February 28, 2018 by capt_oats 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gianfranco Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I’ve always liked Tromso. I remember watching them pump Chelsea on channel 5 in the UEFA cup in the snow when Ed de Goey was in goals. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Tromso would be some away trip - it would make Aberdeen feel like Barbados. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desp Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I always wondered when it was that Ya Bezzer went through that weird transformation. At least I now know it was at over a year ago, at least, that his wife left him for the personal trainer and made him a miserable c**t. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crilly Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 53 minutes ago, Swello said: Tromso would be some away trip - it would make Aberdeen feel like Barbados. It would make Alesund feel like Barbados. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisGRAEME Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 3 hours ago, Gianfranco said: I stand by what I said. We need more winter animals in our GIFs. Was that me? I just remembered I started posting polar bears for a bit. I'll do my best to do more of it. In terms of bad takes, I'll stand by that one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busta Nut Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 http://www.mfc1886.com/mfc-podcast-2017-18-episode-26/ Busta, Jay and Sparra look back on the win against Dundee, look ahead to the Scottish Cup quarter-final v Hearts, discuss the postponement of the midweek clash with Aberdeen, the fixture congestion following the winter break and more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellView Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Tonight's postponement is magic. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellView Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Desp said: I always wondered when it was that Ya Bezzer went through that weird transformation. At least I now know it was at over a year ago, at least, that his wife left him for the personal trainer and made him a miserable c**t. We're needing Capt Oats to do a top ten of Ya Bezzer stupid posts. That one plus his moan about Kipre getting a first team contract would vie for number one. The man needs to quit being a football analyst and try being a fan again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YassinMoutaouakil Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 6 hours ago, capt_oats said: Link here... I, for one, am SHOOK. I still don't get the fuss about the Breakfast Club. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) 7 minutes ago, YassinMoutaouakil said: I still don't get the fuss about the Breakfast Club. Edited February 28, 2018 by capt_oats 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I remember at an impressionable age thinking the girl with the dark hair was nice until they prom queened her - but other than that, rubbish 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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