capt_oats

Aye, Fletcher is the main one for me purely on the basis that the #9 is essential to the way we play and as @thisGRAEME spoke about on the pod yesterday when you see how we're set up he feels like as good fit as we'd get for what we're looking for in that role. Make it happen Ketts. We're 3 league games into the season and we've seen that post-KVV the shape we've got still broadly works - the tweaked 2nd half on Saturday being a good example of that. At this point in the season with the team having had a run of games it's a lot clearer what we need from the #9 and arguably the "wHeRe aRe teH gOaLs cOMiNg fRoM??????" shouts seem a bit less of a concern given we've scored in every game we've played bar one. The 2nd striker is a bit more of a lottery in so much as, right now, we need someone who's good enough to start and not a lot of time to get something sorted. I suppose the selling point in our favour if we're making a pitch to someone who's out of the picture at their club then at the very least we're offering pretty much guaranteed game time between now an January rather than a squad role. In that respect we're probably in a bit of a beggars can't be choosers situation though and tbh the Oli Shaw rumour that was kicking around last week sounds very much like the sort of player Kettlewell might go for - that's not an endorsement but it feels like a realistic example of the sort of bracket of player we might be looking at.

I'm also not sold on Nicky Clark although that's very much a *me* problem as he's one of those players I just have an irrational dislike for. That said, I stand by my point that he really doesn't look like the type of player that Kettlewell has gone for over the summer. Ideally we swerve that one. If it's even an option. That said I'm curious as to how the injuries to the 3 forwards and the not-even-subtle-now plan to launch Joey Efford impacts our strategy as far as what we're actually looking for now: Wilkinson - *minimum* 1 month Biereth - 3 months Obika - December Basically are we looking for options that will just get us to January or have we realised that regardless of what happens it looks like we're not going to be able to rely on Obika being fit so want someone in that will see us for the season? We've currently got Bair as a recognised senior striker, Kettlewell was saying that he ideally he wants to run with *at least* 4 (which makes sense as we play with 2 up). Does that put us in the market for 2 (assuming Wilkinson is actually back in a month) or 3 until January? Based on the "1 in, 1 out" situation we've been operating Lamie leaving frees up one space but based on Kettlewell's comments about wanting balance we clearly need another LWB as well - feels like we'd need another 2 out to get what we need.

I mean we've been trying to manifest Joey Efford to Perth... Fair enough if @RandomGuy.'s bringing the same energy. Being objective though, based on the forward signings we've made this summer Nicky Clark doesn't look very much like a Kettlewell profile (he's not 6ft+ for a start).

Is there a chance that Nixon has been taken in by the same fake Twitter as Joel Sked? Not for me to say...

I see Nixon's cottoned on to the Fletcher story and re-upped his Patreon from ages ago (which he published before saying he was looking like going to either St Mirren then Fleetwood).

Aye, that 3rd* place was in the season the league was curtailed with 8 games to go as well. We'd confirmed Top 6 but finishing 3rd was by no means a given especially as we'd sold Jimmy Scott on deadline day and Chris Long had picked up an injury. I'm generally of the view that, all things considered, Robinson is in the conversation for our best manager since McLean (taking into account budget made available, length of time at the club, income from player trading etc) but definitely agree that he hardly had us playing 'above our station' given that since 2000 we've had 11 Top 6 finishes. Fwiw: our average league placing in our 38 top flight seasons so far is 6.76. Robinson's average in the 4 seasons before he resigned was 6.75.

Saw that earlier and instinctively thought "that sounds like a terrible idea". Looking at the actual spiel though it seems it's just the case we're putting together focus groups with the view of providing guidance and heavily caveated input rather than getting some random to design the kit in the name of *engagement*. Anyway, as long as the white shorts traditionalists don't get too much of a say I'm sure it'll be fine.

@Antiochas III has pretty much summed it up in the post above. Until Butcher is back Mugabi gets the nod in that position and with less than a week of the window to go I don't see that being on our to-do-list of things to address. I'd have thought a Maguire-style loan to a National League side might be our best bet for McGinley. Tbh, I had made my peace with him just sticking around as extreme defensive cover but I think the injuries to the 3 forwards changes the landscape in that respect if we're being true to our word with this "one in, one out" patter.

I'd say there's no chance we're replacing Mugabi unless there's a team actively interested in him. If that's Wilko out for a couple of months on top of Biereth and Obika then the priorities are strikers then a LWB. Looking at that from a "one in, one out" POV I'd say that Efford and McGinley (he's on the bench but we've no intention of playing him so what's the point?) are the two clear options to facilitate getting a couple of bodies in.

Lamie to Dundee confirmed.

I was away to say, that's surely Efford toast now, eh?

Are you at it? If so, fair enough. Either way the honest answer is that we've First Team squad of 24 players and we're aiming to keep it at that rather than revert to what Robinson used to do and just bring in waifs and strays leaving us with a squad pushing 28/29 bodies of bloat. Upshot is players who are (being polite) on the fringes of the team are being moved on to allow us to bring other players in - as @YassinMoutaouakil says we need to replace the ones that other teams, like St Mirren, keep maiming - currently 3 of our 4 strikers are injured long term. @Al B has pretty much covered it but Lamie is behind both Dan Casey and Shane Blaney for that position and we've Paul McGinn as a fixture at RCB. Reading between the lines, from what Lamie said around the time he signed the PCA with Dundee when Alexander was here - he thinks he should be a first pick. The problem is he's just...not. I dunno, but it kind of feels like Mugabi is probably more accepting of having a squad role than the bold Ricki so will probably have less of an issue with stepping back when Butcher returns. Also, I think Lamie pretty much sealed things in Kettlewell's eyes with his performance against Queen of The South in the LC. In the 4 group games we played we kept clean sheets in 3 - we conceded 3 in the only one Lamie started and he proceeded to get himself sent off. Lamie had a good run under Alexander but was mince under Robinson, Hammell and he's not been close to getting a look in under Kettlewell. So, yeah...that's kind of it. In a nutshell it's a case of "one in, one out" based on our squad size - so if we need to bring in a couple of centre forwards (we do) then players who aren't likely to be contributing will need to move out - Lamie's one of them.

Bring him home.

cc: @Ludo*1

#YoungMotherwell lose 2-1 against Killie. Who's that in the photo with Foster btw?

So we've shifted 4200+ STs. For reference last season's figure was 4807. Ironically that 4.2k figure is more in line with where we were pre-pandemic (4,488 was our previous record). GIven the price hike and also the fact that things have been quite low key over the summer it could have been worse eh? This was summer 2019.

I thought it was quite telling that SK’s instinct was to shift McGinn out there. I mean, if he wasn’t confident of putting McGinley up against whatever diddy St Mirren had there then it’s hardly a ringing endorsement for Toby going up against…anyone else in the league really. Going back to Kettlewell’s presser yesterday he was talking about needing to address the balance - chucking SOD over to left back doesn’t really chime with that. Maybe a short-term fix but it definitely doesn’t solve anything. On the point about “balance” I thought it was interesting that he was saying (words to the effect of): “everyone is on the table” when it comes to moving players out to bring bodies in for the areas we need them. To me, as things stand it looks like there are 3 who are obvious spare parts just now: Lamie, Efford and (if he’s not going to be used) McGinley. Granted it’d need other clubs to want them but if it’s a numbers game of one in, one out then those 3 would presumably allow for a LWB and 2 CFs.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but what do the radars say @RandomGuy. Also FAO: @thisGRAEME from the Huddersfield forum...he's very quick. https://downatthemac.proboards.com/post/3216961/thread

Maguire aye. Kettlewell spoke about it in his presser earlier saying that move would hopefully help get one over the line. Both @Casagolda and @eliphas had mentioned this had been in the works for a while earlier in The Thread. You assume wrong. He's a RB/RWB.