Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[rowsdower]

Are we trying to be hearts' st mirren?

[ropy]

We usually sign someone in January that doesn’t get a game, it might be Sam.

[redstarcvedza]

On 13 October 2023, it was announced that Nicholson had undergone ankle surgery to decompress the anterior and posterior right ankle joint, causing him to miss the final two games of the season.^[19]

 

^{I'm.sure he will be raring to go now that 14 week rehab is over} 

[Archie McSquackle]

49 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

No.

That was Connor Smith.

Had no idea he'd been mentioned as being in on trial but either way, coming off the back of c***s talking about Zak Rudden this doesn't feel like the worst.

I'd imagine he'll fit in as either the #10 that Spittal plays or as one of the inside forwards of the 3.

Thanks. I'm losing track.

[Replays]

Some semi-substantial rumours doing the rounds (from usually pretty reliable sources) that Nathan McGinley is joining Clyde. I saw somewhere he’s completing a law degree or something so part-time may suit him. Plus we have a bit of cash this window so it’s not as unthinkable as it may once have been.
 

I understand his spell at Motherwell has been pretty unsuccessful but given we’re propping up the SPFL and anybody else we’ve played at left-back has been beyond hopeless, what are the odds he’d look passable at League 2? He’s certainly of a better pedigree, on paper at least, than most other options available to us at this stage.

[wellboy1991]

2 minutes ago, Replays said:

Some semi-substantial rumours doing the rounds (from usually pretty reliable sources) that Nathan McGinley is joining Clyde. I saw somewhere he’s completing a law degree or something so part-time may suit him. Plus we have a bit of cash this window so it’s not as unthinkable as it may once have been.
 

I understand his spell at Motherwell has been pretty unsuccessful but given we’re propping up the SPFL and anybody else we’ve played at left-back has been beyond hopeless, what are the odds he’d look passable at League 2? He’s certainly of a better pedigree, on paper at least, than most other options available to us at this stage.

In fairness I think he would do more than a grand job at LB or LCB for Clyde. Tbh it would probably work out well for him to be part time. He is not your stereotypical footballer at all that’s for sure. 
 

Don’t have a bad word to say about the guy other than he isn’t a Premier League player at all.

[rowsdower]

He is very clever, so he will be fine for answering hard questions.

He will be fine at Clyde, he's tall. I have footage of his best moment at motherwell here

[dezz]

5 minutes ago, Replays said:

Some semi-substantial rumours doing the rounds (from usually pretty reliable sources) that Nathan McGinley is joining Clyde. I saw somewhere he’s completing a law degree or something so part-time may suit him. Plus we have a bit of cash this window so it’s not as unthinkable as it may once have been.
 

I understand his spell at Motherwell has been pretty unsuccessful but given we’re propping up the SPFL and anybody else we’ve played at left-back has been beyond hopeless, what are the odds he’d look passable at League 2? He’s certainly of a better pedigree, on paper at least, than most other options available to us at this stage.

I also heard last night he was off to Clyde. He’s never a premiership level player but he should be more than good enough for League 2.

[capt_oats]

20 minutes ago, Replays said:

Some semi-substantial rumours doing the rounds (from usually pretty reliable sources) that Nathan McGinley is joining Clyde. I saw somewhere he’s completing a law degree or something so part-time may suit him. Plus we have a bit of cash this window so it’s not as unthinkable as it may once have been.
 

I understand his spell at Motherwell has been pretty unsuccessful but given we’re propping up the SPFL and anybody else we’ve played at left-back has been beyond hopeless, what are the odds he’d look passable at League 2? He’s certainly of a better pedigree, on paper at least, than most other options available to us at this stage.

McGinley's a weird one - he was signed by Stephen Robinson in the Pandemic season and by his own admission he found it pretty difficult to settle what with the lockdown situation and all that.

By all accounts he just generally seemed to have quite a shite time as he was up here on his tod.

He was supposedly brought up as a left sided centre back but ended up playing left back and he just generally looked quite awkward at this level. After Robinson resigned and Jake Carroll got himself fairly needlessly sent off against Dundee at Fir Park Alexander started playing him regularly.

He wasn't an attacking full back/wing-back and he doesn't really *look* like a footballer but broadly he seemed to do what Alexander told him to which meant he stayed in the team which in turn meant he became a bit of a lightning rod for sections of the support who weren't exactly taken with Alexander's brand of football.

The assumption seemed to be that he'd be released at the end of his contract given the whole thing about him finding it difficult to settle but instead Alexander decided to offer him a new deal, presumably because he's a player who did what he was told and padded out the squad but it definitely rubbed quite a few in the support the wrong way.

Following that he picked up an injury and he effectively disappeared for well over a year - which is where it got a bit weird. The club never clarified exactly what the nature of the injury was and hasn't really kicked a baw since. He made it back in and around the squad this summer where we loaned him out to Thistle but he didn't play a minute for them.

Tbh, he should be fine for League 2 if that's where he ends up. There's no reason why he couldn't do a turn at that sort of level.

It's apparently an accountancy degree he's been doing and from the outside looking in I'd say that part-time would probably suit him if he's just wanting to get back to kicking a ball.

Edited January 23 by capt_oats

[ropy]

Toby was in HR was he not?

[Replays]

Thanks all.

[Swello]

Signings so far have all been weirdly sensible and feel like they re-balance the squad a bit. With this and Lennon Miller being back, I'm almost feeling slightly optimistic despite a yawning chasm where a number 9 should be...

[camer0n_mcd]

On James Scott☝

[YassinMoutaouakil]

I thought Scott Burns was supposed to like us.

[Cloontang]

I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at Livingston with Nouble going the other way. 

Can't say I'm too fussed tbh. 

[eliphas]

I'll eat my hat if Jimmy Scott doesn't go and play for Robinson again, if St Mirren are still in the running.

[Archie McSquackle]

I'm hoping we're aiming a bit higher than the current version of James Scott and that the ongoing clear-out is to allow us to bring us in a few higher quality players rather than hunners of dross.

Mind you, I won't be that surprised if I'm completely wrong. 

[Handsome_Devil]

32 minutes ago, Archie McSquackle said:

I'm hoping we're aiming a bit higher than the current version of James Scott and that the ongoing clear-out is to allow us to bring us in a few higher quality players rather than hunners of dross.

Mind you, I won't be that surprised if I'm completely wrong. 

Expectations need to be realistic...I can see the boat being pushed for what is hopefully one nailed on starting striker given Biereth and Wilkinson have gone. But if Bair is now deemed second in line and Obika still drawing a wage, the other guy(s) will come with the intention of being down the pecking order with the corresponding ability to wage ratio.

[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.

[capt_oats]

28 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Expectations need to be realistic...I can see the boat being pushed for what is hopefully one nailed on starting striker given Biereth and Wilkinson have gone. But if Bair is now deemed second in line and Obika still drawing a wage, the other guy(s) will come with the intention of being down the pecking order with the corresponding ability to wage ratio.

I think another aspect is the question of what shape we're playing as it probably has a knock on in terms of what we still need.

With Biereth and Wilkinson away and Oli Shaw tbc as leaving that's (potentially) 3 bodies out but if the plan is to stick with one central striker then presumably we don't need to replace all 3 whereas if we're planning on playing with 2 up then chances are we do unless we're expecting some sort of Lazarus situation with Obika.

Similarly between Montgomery, Gent and Halliday we probably don't need any cover for LWB.

Short lived as it was I was pleasantly surprised by the Scott Fraser link as it was someone who you'd have thought would have been a level above what we had/have.

Scott on the other hand, would maybe have been fine and we know he can play both wide and as a second striker but it's difficult not to echo @thisGRAEME's point yesterday that given it's so long since he's actually been good it'd have been a risk - which is kind of the opposite of Fraser.

2 minutes ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

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.

If we're sticking with the 3421 sort of shape this is kind of where we look to be at the moment (IMO) another 3 in would have us brought 7 in in total and carrying a squad of 24 (including injuries) which doesn't actually sound that far off what Kettlewell was talking about before the window opened in so much as he wanted to add a couple more on top of what we already had (which I think was around 22 bodies at the time).