crazylegsjoe_mfc

On the face of it, we've had four in, four out in terms of our squad in December until now. Add Maguire back in and we are one player up. I probably wouldn't count McGinley and Mahon in the numbers, as they were out on loan and then left without returning to the squad, McGinley's seat on the bench against Hibs aside. I'm wondering if with McGInley's departure being announced, before Nicholson's signing was, if we've now reached "one in, one out" time. I would expect Shaw's loan to be terminated and another striker brought in, at the least, but I wonder when we need to start being realistic about the numbers.

It rings a bell hearing Ricky Foster talking on the radio about attending a Dundee game and saying "Zak Rudden sorted me tickets" (they'll have played together at Partick), I hope that's not the link. I tend to be objective to most people we sign or are rumoured to sign, on the strength of the fact I don't watch other teams enough to really properly know, but I'd make an exception here, I've been thoroughly unimpressed every time I've seen Zak Rudden.

I agree with all of this. It goes without saying that I'd welcome him back within our wage structure. I'd be less inclined to pay him three times what we were this time last season in an "SOS" attempt. He was unbelievable in the second half of last season, up there with the best periods I'd ever seen a Motherwell player have, but you have to factor in other variables to that - the manager changing, the team picking up, playing in a front two, the form of Spittal, Goss, Furlong and Johnston behind him. He was undoubtedly the cherry on top but there were a lot of moving parts in to making that happen. I'd fear all of our eggs going into the basket and he gets injured in his first game, or he scores 2 league goals (1 from open play) like he did in the second half of the 21/22 season, or he goes months between goals like he did in the first half of last season (August v Kilmarnock, October v Ross County, December v Killie were the three consecutive league games he scored in at one point). If we do push the boat out for him, there's this pressure on him to be outstanding. Every time he gets the ball, our impatient supporters will be expecting something magic to happen. Every team we play will nullify him as tactic number one and having seen his huffs before, that's going to get him cranky. We definitely need to be sensible and build some sort of contingency in to our plans.

Perhaps by "building a squad" it was a nod to him being part of a squad, rather than an automatic starter.

In theory, he would be perfect for our situation. He'd suit being a wide forward in our current formation, would be fine in a front two and could even fit the "all across the front three" bill if we were ever to go crazy and change to a back four. He's not exactly kicked on since he left us and there was talk of attitude issues at Hibs, but as we say for most players, it wouldn't take much for him to add to this squad. If we were getting the January 2020 version back, I'd be very enthused. The current one I'd be more content or satisfied. But in fairness, I am the latter for the vast majority of our signings these days anyway.

I'd take the James Scott that left us back. Not sure about this edition.

We definitely signed Bair as backup. Probably even to sit fourth behind Mika, Wilkinson and Obika. For me, I'd call it a pretty good result if you've been forced to use your fourth choice striker and he's got the halfway point with five goals and two assists.

If we were continue to play this formation, would you consider Kelly to play where Davor and Paton played yesterday, or where Spittal and Gent did? I'm not denying I'd welcome quality additions in all areas of the pitch, but now we have Halliday and Miller is returning, would we be in danger of creating a surplus of central midfielders when there are other areas that need addressing more? I say that having seen both Halliday and Paton playing in the front three at points yesterday.

I'm just happy we got through today unscathed, as it had banana skin written all over it. Paton and Mugabi were probably below par for me. Butcher could have done better for the goal, but although he's still not properly up to speed, I thought he recovered well and done a lot of good later in the game. My worry with us using Spittal the way we are that it might put him off staying, if a St. Mirren or a Kilmarnock offer a deal and promise to play him in position. I think SOD has been very comfortable right of a three and I'd probably say of all the options, McGinn has looked the most comfortable in the middle of the three that we've seen this season. I'd take a wing-back, a centre half and forwards as our priorities for the rest of the window. It's almost laughable that Obika manager to be injured for the start of the league season, recover, not start a game for about a month, get a winter break and then come back injured again. I'm sure he'd much rather not be injured himself, but it's madness we gave him a new deal.

I know that transfermarkt can be wildly inaccurate with these kind of things, but supposedly in playing every minute in the league, Blair Spittal has played this number of positions

My take on it is that he is earning more at Hearts than he will be at Motherwell and doesn't want to lose out on that amount for the final months of his contract, so Hearts are picking up that tab for the rest of the season and a loan at first was the best way to get that deal struck. I imagine he will have to miss the game on February 17th. I guess it's almost guaranteed we won't play them again after that though. I'm as #numberpolis as anyone but us constantly playing a back three these days makes it difficult to fill number 11. A left footed midfielder seems an almost sensible use for it.

I think my main concern surrounding it is that we use the money we had planned for, say a right wing-back and a striker, just on KVV.

If I'm honest, I hadn't really considered the lift effect. I guess even in some weird kinda way Ross McCormack signing gave us a lift. In terms of his actual output as a player.... if this drags out until the end of the month, where he have a reportedly unfit player, who's being training with the reserves, who last started a game on October 20th, how quickly does he get up to speed? Of course, it could go the other way, and being back near his new family, in front of fans that love him, might gee him up. I don't mean to piss on anyone's chips for whatever little reason for optimism we have at this very moment, but I'm just concerned that he might not be the signing we thought he was going to be.

I'd go for McGinn at wing-back and keep SOD where he is. The last game they were either side of Mugabi right enough and Butcher is the only defensive player back since then.

I think in some ways that makes it more likely to happen I think whatever the lineup is, it will be have a back three and at least one player playing in a position they're not fully comfortable or utilised in.

I make it 13 from 25 league goals this season, have been scored or assisted by someone who won't play for us again. That makes the window hard to navigate. On Saturday in essence we are picking from 12 players: Kelly, O'Donnell, Gent, Montgomery, McGinn, Mugabi, Butcher, Davor, Paton, Spittal, Obika, Bair. I honestly looked at it and thought the most natural shape was O'Donnell at wing back, with Butcher in midfield, but trying to read Ketts, I'm predicting O'Donnell inside one, Spittal at wing back and Butcher in midfield.

I actually really like that. Change the badge to a Motherwell one and I'd be all over that* *When it's in the sale for £20

I've just written similar in a WhatsApp chat with 'Well fans. We are by far the biggest team not to be relegated in my lifetime, when the likes of Hearts, Hibs, Dundee, Dundee United, Kilmarnock etc have had multiple visits to the lower league, I get that. However, the number of times we hit halfway point in a season and are having the "we're doomed and going down" chat, compared to the number of times we've been relegated, or even in danger come the end of the season, is signficantly different. This year I won't deny that our budget and our squad make it one of the more grim occurences of the chat, but I also don't think we've had the chat whilst eight points clear from the bottom. In essence, Livingston need to win three games that we lose, as well as equaling our points tally in the rest of the games. Livingston have won twice in 21 games, I really don't see 3 in the next 17 games coming easily. Also add in the fact that Livingston have an even lower budget than us, if it was Kilmarnock, or Ross County sitting in their position, you'd be wary of them chucking money at in January to survive - but we know Livi won't be able to do that. With that in mind, 11th is probably the lowest we could finish, which don't get me wrong is a distinct possibility. At that point, we would still be playing a team who would be playing another four or six games on to the end of their season, who would have to beat us over two legs. We're all looking at our team at the moment through a lens of being without Slattery, Biereth and Spencer from our regular XI from the start of the season. I'm not suggesting we will be able to replace the quality of those three, but come the end of the window, or I reckon even by next Saturday, we will have some form of reinforcements available. It won't be that long until Casey (hopefully in better form) and Miller are back available to us too. Where my immediate concern lies is for Saturday. I think back to our recent shocks - against Albion Rovers we fielded a team devoid of creativity and against Sligo we had Mugabi at centre half against a team who were happy for us to have the ball. On Saturday, we will have both. I look at the players available to us this weekend and do see a potential banana skin in there. Especially when the likelihood is that our bench will have McGinley, Maguire and several 17 year olds in it. My concern is that say we do go out and Kettlewell has "lower league cup shock" to add as a blot to his copybook already featuring "1 win in 15 games", that things will get particularly toxic in the stands. I don't think Ketts ever foresaw going in to Saturday's game knowing that Slattery and Mika were finished with us for the season. Regardless of result on Saturday, we really need to get behind him afterwards. If we've not sacked him until this point, for everyone's sake it is crucial that we back him in the final ten days of the transfer window. It would be too short-sighted otherwise. I don't think I'll be attending many enjoyable football matches between now and the end of the season, but I do still think the odds are ever so slightly in our favour to stay up. Which if your primary concern is us being a Premiership side next season, then that's good, but if you have aspirations of being entertained on a Saturday afternoon, it's not so good.

I know that picture is a good reference to joke about, but that window we signed Stephen Pearson and Marvin Johnson, as well as signing Scott McDonald shortly after the window had closed. What I'd give for three players of that ilk to sign for us now.

I had talked myself in to Main and Mika being a decent partnership up top for us. Quite the blow to find out we'll now have neither

I always question Robinson's priorities the summer that he brought him back on loan. We signed Hastie, White, Lang and Cole, renewed Watt and Long's contract, with Seedorf already cutting about, whilst relying on McGinley and Lamie to make up part of our first choice defence and starting the season with Turnbull on the left of a front three.

I wish it wasn't the case, but I think we are. In that in this day and age we are a marked step down from Hearts, as well as the sad fact that it won't take that much to improve our squad.

I guess we've all got assumptions about what could've or would've happened with Hastie. If you find yourself ending one season with 2 goals in 31 games for Airdrie in league one and the next season you have a four year contract on several grand a week in front of you, where you don't even need to move house, you'd be daft not to take it* There's no doubt to me he was coming back in that January hoping, rather than expecting, to get a new contract with us. I think there's an alternate universe where Elliott Frear doesn't get injured in that cup game against Ross County and the purple patch never comes. *I do still highly doubt I could bring myself to sign for Rangers personally

Oh aye, there is a fair line between a self-confessed Rangers fan and someone who literally signs autographs with "FTP". I think fans get too caught up in their perceived personalities of players. Scott McDonald immediately springs to mind with that. He was an asbolutely instrumental player for us in both spells at the club, but probably isn't revered enough for what he done on the pitch because people thought he spoke too much about Celtic, came across as a moody wee p***k or distanced himself from Helicopter Sunday at any available opportunity.

It always amazes me when I see the averse reaction to us being linked with players that we are aware of, like Halliday. I think sometimes our fans have almost a delusional view on our standing in the football world and at times a borderline arrogance into thinking that someone like Halliday, or Montgomery, or Curtis Main wouldn't be a reasonably good signing for us. Given our attempts to go left field in the past few years have brought us Ojala, Sol, Efford and Danzaki, if we are in the midst of a battle, I think signing players who've proven themselves to be decent in this league is the path we should be taking (at least in the short term). I must admit to having changed my opinion on Halliday since hearing him in the media. I think he actually comes across quite well and appears knowledgable on Scottish football as a whole, rather than just being an Old Firm sychophant as most ex-players are. However, the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter too much whether I like / dislike the perception of a player that I have, as long as they do the business on the park.