Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Casagolda]

2 minutes ago, Mr Hahn said:

See, there's been several times during the season where we could have gone with a 5-3-2. I think we've absolutely had the personnel to do that. 

Today was NOT that day. We had ONE fit available centre back, so we go for a back 5?!

Said as much in the match thread as well. 

When we had Penney and a few fit centre backs it seemed like a decent idea. Switching to a back 5 with 4 full backs in it was just mental.  

[Kapowzer]

@Casagolda nailed it, we're exactly who everyone wants to play next, it's guaranteed points of some nature.

• Teams on shite runs and there's no coincidence we're the ones to continually break it
• Let's face it, any early season highs were masked by it wasn't turgid Alexanderball
• No mental fortitude, resilience or fight
• Not one player has improved under his tenure, majority have regressed
• Glaring issues in the same areas week on week with no fixes offered
• "That" formation today
• He has failed to recruit effectively or based on actual desperate need he had a window just there too
• Threadbare or chronically under strength in key areas, however 3/4 deep in others

What is going to be confirmed by holding on to him for another few weeks?

You have to think with all the new bodies what are you expecting to actually see next week you've not seen this week, is there gonna be an epiphany not one of us has seen so far?

He's like a losing gambler in a bookies professing "the next one will change everything", issue is he's having to back things at increasingly deeper odds to bring it back.

Another kick in the baws for Tierney and alike that Aitchison gets a start

Edited February 4, 2023 by Kapowzer

[capt_oats]

10 minutes ago, AnderooMFC said:

I also get a feeling that with the club putting an off-field focus on mental health it's lead to creating a 'safe space' in the dressing room. As much as he may have been passionate at the AGM, he's clearly too afraid to have some strong words with the players. How an alleged "Motherwell man" can watch this week after week and not tear strips off the players and get a reaction is beyond me.

Tbh, I think you're reading way too much into that or at the very least over thinking it.

When it comes down to it I think it's as simple as Hammell and Kerr simply not being very good coaches for this level of football and the level of player they're being asked to work with. The regression in players is absolutely nuts.

I don't know how much Kerr has honed his coaching skills in the past few years but if it still amounts to screaming "lazy leg is fucking lazy" at a player then it's hardly a surprise we're not seeing any sort of reaction.

 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Ceiling Granny]

11 minutes ago, Mr Hahn said:

See, there's been several times during the season where we could have gone with a 5-3-2. I think we've absolutely had the personnel to do that. 

Today was NOT that day. We had ONE fit available centre back, so we go for a back 5?!

Agree with pretty much everything said on the thread so far so won't repeat, the time for a change is now.

If there weren’t already big massive neon signs, this should be the indicator to the board that tactically Hammell is lost. 
 

I wasn’t convinced on him taking on the managerial role, but wasn’t unhappy. It’s obvious now though that it just hasn’t worked. Someone said further back in the thread (sorry I can’t mind who) that he should have had someone with more experience than Kerr beside him to lean on, and I think with hindsight this should have been something the board insisted on when giving him the gig. 
 

For me, it’s all the best Hammy - still love you as a player, but it’s time for someone new. 

[thisGRAEME]

14 minutes ago, AnderooMFC said:

I also get a feeling that with the club putting an off-field focus on mental health it's lead to creating a 'safe space' in the dressing room. As much as he may have been passionate at the AGM, he's clearly too afraid to have some strong words with the players. How an alleged "Motherwell man" can watch this week after week and not tear strips off the players and get a reaction is beyond me.

See tbh, I'm not sure I buy this at all. Shouting at folk doesn't necessarily make them any better, but fundamentally, we don't look like we know what we're doing.

Fullbacks looking up and aimlessly punting into channels benefits fucking no one.

Players looking unmotivated.

Player performances regressing.

Team performances regressing.

Bad player management (to me at least).

Weird tactical shifts.

Lobbing on players en masse in the hope of something better.

These do all fall on the manager, and we're no longer in games and losing closely, we're just getting leathered off bad teams, and that's the manager that carries the responsibility for that.

[welldaft]

I have said it before and the facts are there.

To begin with it was working. We were winning games and even the ones we were losing we were still imho the better team.

But since the World Cup break and especially in the last few weeks we have been going backwards at an alarming rate. 

There are no signs that Stevie can turn this around. Forget the fact we have some new players. The facts are the old players are not playing for him. That is either down to bad management bad tactics or more probably both.

 

[capt_oats]

18 minutes ago, thisGRAEME said:

See tbh, I'm not sure I buy this at all. Shouting at folk doesn't necessarily make them any better, but fundamentally, we don't look like we know what we're doing.

Fullbacks looking up and aimlessly punting into channels benefits fucking no one.

Players looking unmotivated.

Player performances regressing.

Team performances regressing.

Bad player management (to me at least).

Weird tactical shifts.

Lobbing on players en masse in the hope of something better.

These do all fall on the manager, and we're no longer in games and losing closely, we're just getting leathered off bad teams, and that's the manager that carries the responsibility for that.

Massively this.

@Casagolda mentioned it earlier but compare today with the 2-3 at Pittodrie earlier in the season. At that point it felt like there was a common focus - even if it was as basic as wanting a GIRUY to Alexander.

The longer Hammell and Kerr have been in the job the worse we've been getting to the point that now, as you say, we don't look like we have a clue what we're doing and have a collection of (apparently) entirely unmotivated players.

If the player performances are getting worse and the team performances are getting worse that, unfortunately, reflects on the manager and his coaching staff.

Edited February 4, 2023 by capt_oats

[YassinMoutaouakil]

That's yer man KVV bettered his league goal tally from last season. 

['WellDel]

If he's still in post by the time the team bus arrives back in ML1 it's not just him that needs emptied, and if those in power are that blind or too spineless to make the call, then we are, indeed, absolutely fucked.

Edited February 4, 2023 by 'WellDel

[capt_oats]

1 minute ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

That's yer man KVV bettered his league goal tally from last season. 

Every chance he equals our best return in recent seasons IMO.

15/16 - Moult - 15
16/17 - Moult - 15
17/18 - Moult - 8 (left in December)
18/19 - Turnbull - 15
19/20 - Donnelly / Long - 7 each (league curtailed)
20/21 - Cole - 11
21/22 - Van Veen / Watt - 9 each

[Mr. Brightside]

I expect he'll get off the bus, then get sacked.

[boozyBJ]

Cant bin him till the team gets back to Motherwell. Imagine sitting on the bus back home after being sacked. Awkward

[capt_oats]

Tbh, for all I've been saying he's toast I'd be surprised if it was imminent.

It's the sort of thing I can imagine the board would talk through over a few days. I could easily see him getting the SC game next week.

I think it's almost certainly in the post though.

[ZX1886]

Did Burrows not mention before that the board don’t make big calls like this on the day of game? Fully expect Hammell to be in charge next week. 

[Handsome_Devil]

1 minute ago, capt_oats said:

Tbh, for all I've been saying he's toast I'd be surprised if it was imminent.

It's the sort of thing I can imagine the board would talk through over a few days. I could easily see him getting the SC game next week.

I think it's almost certainly in the post though.

There's only about four folk on our board, this situation is hardly a surprise and modern technology lets you meet instantly.

I perhaps don't quite expect them to assemble tonight but if it's not tomorrow then it should be first thing Monday.

[thisGRAEME]

Aye, As much as I think he should be away, I still don't think he will be.

I don't think the board will empty Stevie Hammell because he's Stevie Hammell.

[capt_oats]

8 minutes ago, ZX1886 said:

Did Burrows not mention before that the board don’t make big calls like this on the day of game? Fully expect Hammell to be in charge next week. 

Aye, that came out in the aftermath of the Alexander binning.

IIRC the McGhee sacking was announced the Tuesday after the 5-1 vs Dundee.

Unless he walks (he won't) I'd expect him to be in position next week. I could even see the board politely making a suggestion that he maybe gets some help as a solution rather than sacking him (see Robinson re-appearing on McGhee's staff).

[boozyBJ]

Shouldn’t matter if he’s a club legend or not. Our form is wretched, with no change on the horizon. Said before, love Hammy but enough is enough.

[Mr. Brightside]

Really do not understand why the media team are still putting out this dross, week after week. Who is this for exactly?

Edited February 4, 2023 by Mr. Brightside

['WellDel]

16 minutes ago, Mr. Brightside said:

I expect he'll get off the bus, then get sacked.

 

14 minutes ago, boozyBJ said:

Cant bin him till the team gets back to Motherwell. Imagine sitting on the bus back home after being sacked. Awkward

Aye, just to clarify as my wording was poor.

If the decisions not made to pop him by the time the bus arrives back, then the board need a look at themselves.

Despite how things have panned out I still like Hamnell as a guy. Wouldn't like him having a Goodwin-esque undignified departure. A warm handshake, thanks for his efforts and on his way.