Handsome_Devil

Jesus Christ, that right? It does make what's to come approach the hilarious part of being shite.

That's fantastic if the case. Equally amusing is the thought we're shunning a player taking up a crucial part of our precious budget because he exaggerated his size by a couple of inches. Who'd ever do that...

When you see him ignored to such an extent it makes me suspect there's more to it than just being shite in training - or rather, there being a non-sporting reason he's perhaps shite in training. It's one thing a move not working out, it not working out to the extent it has with him when he has his pedigree raises an eyebrow.

Definitely nothing against the pair of them, it's just going to be funny after everyone (myself included) has been demanding Gent for weeks. I think a little more can be expected of him given his game time. Davor, given he wasn't even given a jog for ages until Tuesday, certainly gets a little more leeway for me.

It just occurred to me it'll be a right laugh on this place when Gent starts tomorrow and is utter horseshit.

Time (Saturday) will tell but a 3-0 capitulation to a relegation rival is some going. Hammell was also backed through his long disastrous run because we were competitive but losing until a midweek game against St Johnstone, where tools were suddenly and visibly downed. There was clearly no coming back because the players had decided there was no coming back, although we took another tonking and lost to Raith before we binned him. I strongly suspect Tuesday was the players beginning to say 'change it' and I also suspect action will be taken if they say it again in Saturday.

A total guess obviously but I reckon he did what a lot of managers do and is suffering from overestimating his ability after a good spell. He tightened us up because Carey and Butcher were excellent, and he had everyone playing in their position doing the simple things. The high point was his switch to 3-6-1 in the comeback win over Killie. But although we beat Hearts doing that, he kept at it way too long when it was clearly rumbled. Then rather return to 3-5-2, we've often played 5-2-3 which, with our level of players, is simply asking for trouble. And fair enough, perhaps Davor in midfield was just a bad signing who can't push ahead of others but his total refusal to start the lwb he signed at lwb, instead playing a right-footer there and persisting with the mediocre SOD, is mind-boggling. Gent definitely boosts us going forward and he's certainly not going to cause the defence to get much worse than it already is... The fact he absolutely tied himself in knots to the extent we end up starting Blair Spittal at lwb suggests there's no recovery. Which is a real shame because I - and I think most others - would have tolerated a grim 10th placed season to calm down from all the recent managerial upheaval. But if the manager has lost the plot and the players chucked it - as suggested by Tuesday - you don't have much choice really.

You don't even need open play, a couple of corners will do the job just as well.

Other than a bit of venting online, no one seriously objects to us signing shit - you think we don't know the budget situation?! The objections signing-wise are mainly the principle of wasting money on two guys who are chronically injured. A point made worse by Moult, who we rightly turned down, finally being seemingly fit. Beyond that, everyone gave him time when losing until it became clear he wasn't returning to the approach which brought him success. I honestly reckon that if he'd not changed to a ridiculous formation and kept playing the best we have, shit as they might be, in their proper positions then even with our comical run he wouldn't be facing the end.

I won't actually be able to hope we lose come kick-off but there's a decent argument to be made we're better off medium-term with another farcical defeat than a lucky win. Fun times. I suspect our defence chucking in at least the usual two goals will see the St Johnstone resurgence continue.

I think he and Bair are both pish and while Wilkinson can obviously finish, he doesn't score enough/the other 10 aren't good enough to carry an only scores goals type. Bair seems to have done better off the bench at times so I'd be tempted to go that order but frankly you could toss a coin for all the likely difference.

Team news out on the fishel, which would seem to point to: Kelly (though I'd drop him) SOD, Mugabie, Blaney Spencer, Slattery, Davor, Spittal, Gent Biereth, Obika Unless we continue with the mental 5-2-3 or break out a back four.

Agree totally. Continuing as is cannot be an option and the top dollar required for an established boss isn't happening either (not least because even if we were willing to pay the salary, they will ask for supporting staff/structures I cannot imagine us countenancing). So that leaves gambling on an up and comer, initially on a short leash like burrows, is the only choice.

There is no chance this Aberdeen squad will be seriously involved in a relegation battle after their other distractions ease and/or they bin their manager. It certainly looks grim for us and Livingston now but there's nothing to say we won't get the same bounce when managers are binned.

Whether it's good or lazy journalism, it depends on what you expect. It's not really journalism at all by the old definition, there's nothing that resembles original reporting, there's no insight from those involved or external experts etc. It's been put together incredibly cheaply with a coffee from the office one afternoon. On the other hand, as modern content it's great. It's interesting enough for non-Motherwell Scottish football fans, written coherently and can be put together incredibly cheaply with a coffee from the office one afternoon.

Fixed that for you!

But he's never played there before and won't know what's he's oh.

I completely missed Ross getting a cushty number, fair play. There's no chance we'll go for Mackay.

Valikari will no doubt be linked again, you would assume Callum Davidson would fancy us too. Jack Ross may have decided he's unemployed long enough to consider it, Lambert who knows. There'll no doubt be a clutch of former English lower league managers interested too.

I think part two there is exactly our plan. Broadly speaking I agree with part one as well but on a micro level when a manager signs a permanently injured left back, a back-up left back and then plays a right back at left back all through a 12-game winless run, it's hard to keep the bigger picture in mind!

The Society mail you every week and invite you to do god knows what. It could be better, sure, but if you want better from the club then we need to pay for it and that means less money for players and that means...and so on. Don't get me wrong, I think we've massively overcut the back office so it's become a long-term false economy but others will have the equally valid view that our budget is so tight every penny should be on the park.

Oh it absolutely is, I completely agree and I've banged that drum for a while. Two things spring immediately to mind. In our situation, we get the club we deserve. If you (generally, not you personally ) want to change something, try to change it. If not, there needs to be an acceptance that there are, shall we say, dry spells in the available talent pool. Secondly, we are never happy. We complain about shite players but don't want to spend money on the back-end staff. We complained the community focus went ott, now we complain there's no strategic direction. And so on. Moaning is obviously not unique to us ofc but as I always say, I hate making these posts without a constructive suggestion. Because seeing the problems is easy, a fucking idiot can do it, but viable plans to fix it are a different gravy. And beyond waiting to stumble into the next upward cycle, I have absolutely no ideas whatsoever.

I actually think we'll scramble to safety this year, maybe through the playoff, but even if so next year is relegation o'clock. On the other hand, maybe it's just my old age but I'm actually relatively calm about it. The goal of Society ownership is/was to secure the future of the club and it's done/doing that. We've had an insane run, which no one could expect, and if it's our turn to take a hit then so be it. In due course things will turn again.

His BBC quotes - if fair - have mutualled in the morning stamped all over them.

Ah, fair enough... but given our usual manager policy I doubt he's good enough to spark a major change.