Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[welldaft]

4 hours ago, Kapowzer said:

Nothing official from the club about Moult but everything points to another termination, if so why no announcement?

We can't be on the hook for any more money with the pair of them considering they were both injury prone at time of resigning. It would seemingly be crazy if the same safeguard wasn't put in place with Louis.

The same safeguard was in place with Louis so I was told. I mentioned it back when he re-joined.

If he is genuinely getting an injury assessed then why would Motherwell leave the door open ? Out of loyalty ? Surely it cannot be because we think he will overcome this injury and play a major role in 2023. He may but history suggests otherwise. 

Certainly is a strange one as it has been at least a few weeks since it was first mentioned he was back at Burton. Are the doctors baffled ? Are Burton being difficult ? Did Louis ask Hammell to give him till the end of this year to convince him he is due another stint at Fir Park. Are we waiting to see if we can get a better replacement. As in a player that can actually play games with little risk ? Questions Questions……who knows…..

 

 

[Handsome_Devil]

 

[eliphas]

1 hour ago, capt_oats said:

Tait wasted it for me by being a little bitch in the press after he left. Catch ye Richard, enjoy the CrossFit.

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

2 hours ago, thisGRAEME said:

Respectfully disagree.

I meant permanent captain. Arguably Tait's been the best at the role since Las retired.

[Casagolda]

Would it be wrong of me to point out we had Richard Tait, Tom Aldred and Peter Hartley all at the club during the first half of the 18/19 season under Robinson and were still utter gash? 

We had 18 points from 18 games that season, the exact same number we have now. Only difference was back then Dundee and St Mirren were both rank rotten and cut adrift so it gave us a bit of a cushion from relegation. 

However it actually took for Robinson to rip things up in January and try something different to turn our season round. Changing formation, style of play etc. 

Call me cynical but I just don’t buy that bringing in a lower league English journeyman or two to do a bit of shouting and pointing is going to suddenly fix our problems. 

Edited December 30, 2022 by Casagolda

[rowsdower]

Hartley, Grimshaw and Scott all available. There's no way we get out of January without signing another of our exes. 

[eliphas]

2 hours ago, Casagolda said:

Would it be wrong of me to point out we had Richard Tait, Tom Aldred and Peter Hartley all at the club during the first half of the 18/19 season under Robinson and were still utter gash? 

We had 18 points from 18 games that season, the exact same number we have now. Only difference was back then Dundee and St Mirren were both rank rotten and cut adrift so it gave us a bit of a cushion from relegation. 

However it actually took for Robinson to rip things up in January and try something different to turn our season round. Changing formation, style of play etc. 

Call me cynical but I just don’t buy that bringing in a lower league English journeyman or two to do a bit of shouting and pointing is going to suddenly fix our problems. 

Aye it's a fair point from that season. 

It won't fix it on its own but a new organiser/shouter would help I think, alongside the other changes people have mooted,  but they do need to be able to play still

The big challenge Hammel has is there isn't really a silver bullet to fix the issues. 

Edited December 30, 2022 by eliphas

[rowsdower]

Shouty players aren't always leaders, and what we're short of is good players.  Not even the revisionist history version of Peter Hartley can shout skill into a player. 

The clamour to bring back moult was one thing, but the idea that someone who spent a year on our bench (after getting ragdolled by David Goodwillie) could be the answer to our problems is heads gone stuff. 

I could see him at the very best being an experienced bench player that could come on in the last few minutes to try and score from a corner.

 

[Ron Aldo]

21 minutes ago, rowsdower said:

Shouty players aren't always leaders, and what we're short of is good players.  Not even the revisionist history version of Peter Hartley can shout skill into a player. 

The clamour to bring back moult was one thing, but the idea that someone who spent a year on our bench (after getting ragdolled by David Goodwillie) could be the answer to our problems is heads gone stuff. 

I could see him at the very best being an experienced bench player that could come on in the last few minutes to try and score from a corner.

 

No one has said we should resign Hartley but a player in a similar mould (i.e. - someone who can come in and immediately make a difference) is very much needed. 

[capt_oats]

3 hours ago, Casagolda said:

Would it be wrong of me to point out we had Richard Tait, Tom Aldred and Peter Hartley all at the club during the first half of the 18/19 season under Robinson and were still utter gash? 

We had 18 points from 18 games that season, the exact same number we have now. Only difference was back then Dundee and St Mirren were both rank rotten and cut adrift so it gave us a bit of a cushion from relegation. 

However it actually took for Robinson to rip things up in January and try something different to turn our season round. Changing formation, style of play etc. 

Call me cynical but I just don’t buy that bringing in a lower league English journeyman or two to do a bit of shouting and pointing is going to suddenly fix our problems. 

It wouldn't be wrong. Quite the opposite. It'd be quite correct.

I suppose the argument I'd make here is that the issues we have at the moment are very different to the issues we had in the first half that season where we had Sammon and Main up front and other teams in the league had worked out how to play against Robinson's Thunderdome side.

The shouts that we need better players are, of course, also correct but it's had not to look at us just now and feel that a couple of players who could offer a bit of "leadership" in the mould of yer Tait, Aldred and Hartley would make a difference if they were dropped into our starting XI.

['WellDel]

5 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

The shouts that we need better players are, of course, also correct but it's had not to look at us just now and feel that a couple of players who could offer a bit of "leadership" in the mould of yer Tait, Aldred and Hartley would make a difference if they were dropped into our starting XI.

Absolutely this. We are soft to the core and badly in need of leadership at both ends of the pitch. At the back a decent, imposing centre half who can be a bit of a b*****d when required, both in terms of marshalling a defence and rallying the troops, and also raking the studs down an opponents ankles to get the upper hand in a tussle when required. It's an attribute you need when you're fighting at the bottom, and one we simply don't have at the moment.

Up front Van Veen can make a lot of noise, but that's usually just from his dummy being spat. What I would give for a nippy wee fucker in the mould of McDonald who will battle for every ball and demand that those around him do exactly the same, while getting in the faces of the opposition and the ref to gain any small advantage he can.

[tonicg]

It’s inevitable that we sign another of our ex players.
 

I noticed Ryan Bowman’s contract is up in the summer and he hasn’t had many 90mins recently. He’s had some decent numbers since leaving us. Certainly put himself about (RIP Cardoso). Not difficult to imagine him being an improvement on what we have at the moment.
 

Also noticed his partner in crime (Curtis Main) with a nice finish against Livi the others night.
 

They were no where near the best strikers we’ve had in past 10 years but we’re so bad up top right now they’d probably make a sizeable difference. 
 

[rowsdower]

I think it is clear that while we all say we would like to see nice football, the truth is we just want to watch us batter folk. Which is fine. Can we get Jim Ross in to replace the guy that forgets everyone's name, even though we have barely any players? 

[18May1991]

I’d take Bowman back. Providing he elbows folk in the face. Preferably not our players. 

[capt_oats]

35 minutes ago, tonicg said:

It’s inevitable that we sign another of our ex players.
 

I noticed Ryan Bowman’s contract is up in the summer and he hasn’t had many 90mins recently. He’s had some decent numbers since leaving us. Certainly put himself about (RIP Cardoso). Not difficult to imagine him being an improvement on what we have at the moment.
 

Bowman had that thing with his heart while playing for Shrewsbury and ended up having surgery over the summer.

No idea if that's a factor in him not playing regular 90 mins like.

[eliphas]

I know it's a bit tongue in cheek all this chat but it really does show how bad things in certain areas.

Meanwhile, KVV is somehow well on track to hit 20 this season which is remarkable.

One for the stattos, how many Motherwell players have been on a double figure goal tally by hogmanay?

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

Without wanting to throw shade on what's a good return from KVV, that includes a hat-trick against a championship team and a few pens. 

There's been a fair few in all competitions.

Moult was on double figures in each of his three seasons at the club.

Both Higdon and Murphy were in 2012/13.

Nick Blackman in 2010/11.

Richie Foran in 2006/07.

Skippy in 2005/06.

Edited December 30, 2022 by crazylegsjoe_mfc

[Gallus Numpty]

19 minutes ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

Without wanting to throw shade on what's a good return from KVV, that includes a hat-trick against a championship team and a few pens. 

True enough, although somebody who can reliable tuck away a penalty isn't to be sniffed at either, and not something we've always been blessed with.

[capt_oats]

Aye, I get that KVV isn't for everyone and yes he takes our pens but he's currently on 11 in 22 for this season and 22 in 61 overall. He's 5th top scorer in the league. That's pretty good all things considered. I mean, some of Moult's goals were penalties as well.

Even in saying that, we asked him to play through injuries last season and it feels like we've been running him into the ground this season as well.

He's currently played the most minutes of any of our outfield players.

Edited December 30, 2022 by capt_oats

[Handsome_Devil]

28 minutes ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

Without wanting to throw shade on what's a good return from KVV, that includes a hat-trick against a championship team and a few pens. 

There's been a fair few in all competitions.

Moult was on double figures in each of his three seasons at the club.

Both Higdon and Murphy were in 2012/13.

Nick Blackman in 2010/11.

Richie Foran in 2006/07.

Skippy in 2005/06.

Sutton must have been close too?

Coyne had 16 or something by new year 94/5, got injured till April then only added another one or two when he came back. I think he still finished league top scorer.