Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Antiochas III]

21 minutes ago, camer0n_mcd said:

This and the Shaun Rooney talk from a few pages ago suggests that SOD will be away in the summer.

SOD could move inside.  Unless he wanting to try his luck with a nice pay packet elsewhere.

[StAndrew7]

5 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Unless there’s a project to transition SOD into the back 3 (which I wouldn’t be against)

 

3 minutes ago, Antiochas III said:

SOD could move inside.  Unless he wanting to try his luck with a nice pay packet elsewhere.

Aye, I think this would be my preference. It's been pointed out by a few that we do struggle to play the ball out from the back; he'd be ideal as a ball playing centre half of a three. Gives Davor/the ball winner in midfield an option to go back to for the out pass.

[Busta Nut]

44 minutes ago, camer0n_mcd said:

This and the Shaun Rooney talk from a few pages ago suggests that SOD will be away in the summer.

 

24 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Unless there’s a project to transition SOD into the back 3 (which I wouldn’t be against)

 

22 minutes ago, Antiochas III said:

SOD could move inside.  Unless he wanting to try his luck with a nice pay packet elsewhere.

 

17 minutes ago, StAndrew7 said:

 

Aye, I think this would be my preference. It's been pointed out by a few that we do struggle to play the ball out from the back; he'd be ideal as a ball playing centre half of a three. Gives Davor/the ball winner in midfield an option to go back to for the out pass.

Yeah I was also gonna say if we keep SOD he's a CB now. CB who can play RB.

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

24 minutes ago, StAndrew7 said:

Aye, I think this would be my preference. It's been pointed out by a few that we do struggle to play the ball out from the back; he'd be ideal as a ball playing centre half of a three. Gives Davor/the ball winner in midfield an option to go back to for the out pass.

To go back to the chat from a couple of pages ago about McGinn being our best option in the middle of the three, unfortunately that's something we lose with him being in there. He's good at stepping out and carrying the ball when on the right of a three.

[Jim McLean's Ghost]

6 minutes ago, Busta Nut said:

 

 

 

Yeah I was also gonna say if we keep SOD he's a CB now. CB who can play RB.

Or we could just not re-sign O'Donnell.

 

[capt_oats]

Just now, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

To go back to the chat from a couple of pages ago about McGinn being our best option in the middle of the three, unfortunately that's something we lose with him being in there. He's good at stepping out and carrying the ball when on the right of a three.

Tbh, I was away to say this in reply to your post about Kettlewell stumbling onto it.

I genuinely think he was of the view that what we gained by having McGinn moved to the centre wasn't worth the trade off of losing him 'on the ball' on the right especially when the options were Bevis and Casey who, with the best will in the world aren't ball players.

[Alanos]

 

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

26 minutes ago, Jim McLean's Ghost said:

Or we could just not re-sign O'Donnell.

Of course his time at Motherwell hasn't been without his challenges, but I think that would be daft personally. I'm not saying we should be resigning him with a view to him playing every minute, but he has started 30/35 league games this season (coming on as a sub in the other five), has been fit all season, has been versatile and has provided four assists. He is also local to the area and at his age, I don't imagine will be difficult to deal with financially. He's also an experienced professional to have around the place when we often lament the lack of them.

[MurrayWell]

I'd absolutely keep SODs, he's been really decent for the most part this season and has bags of experience at this level. Given how many players we are likely to see coming in (many of which I'd expect will have little to no experience of the Scottish Premiership), I think it's important we keep a few experienced bodies around. 

If Liam Kelly, Bevis Mugabi, Callum Butcher, Jon Obika and Blair Spittal are heading for the exit, that's a huge amount of experience at this level. 

I'd be keen to keep Stephen O'Donnell, Paul McGinn and Sam Nicholson. It's also why I don't think Halliday is a bad signing, albeit he's not been great so far on the park. 

[eliphas]

SOD and McGinn, if we keep them should not be first choice centre backs. They are really experience agreed but I just don't think they are first choice in any position for me.nso then it comes down to wages I guess. 

They have done arguably more than ok this season in there but if we are going to improve defensively it cant be one of them as a first choice. 

I keep harking on about it but for me it's one or the other as our utility defender basically. Carrying two seem a bit silly unless we are struggling to recruit.

Edited May 8 by eliphas

[Vietnam91]

It would be nice if we had a wingback we actually owned.

[Stevie Kirk]

21 minutes ago, Vietnam91 said:

It would be nice if we had a wingback we actually owned.

Take the Taylor Swift money and sign wee Georgie on a 10 year contract.

 

[Handsome_Devil]

Just now, eliphas said:

SOD and McGinn, if we keep them should not be first choice centre backs. They have done arguably more than ok this season in there but if we are going to improve defensively it cant be one of them as a first choice. 

I keep harking on about it but for me it's one or the other as our utility defender basically. Carrying two seem a bit silly unless we are struggling to recruit.

Blaney or Casey-tbc leader of men-SOD or McGinn should be fine if we also have a real goalie behind them.

It then also offers cover at rwb so we could probably do without a specialist back-up there to a new first choice.

[eliphas]

1 hour ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Blaney or Casey-tbc leader of men-SOD or McGinn should be fine if we also have a real goalie behind them.

It then also offers cover at rwb so we could probably do without a specialist back-up there to a new first choice.

I think that would be fine too tbh. But I wouldn't be planning for it. 

Hard balance of course for Kettlewell to let people go without knowing who's coming in etc. 

Would be delighted with Rooney if true 

[Vietnam91]

Reality is a number of players out of contract are our highest earners. To go two deep with right sided centre backs/right backs both in their 30's and key figures one of the worst performing defences in the league seems wild and when there's a focus to spend wiser than we have, is just unsustainable.

Said a few weeks back the RB position for us under Ketts is rigidly a wingback and you need someone to hoon it up and down that wing. SOD wouldn't last a half in that role now and any pacy winger will cook him.

Not pinning our record on the two of them but they played a part. If our back 5 shows up with any less than two new faces at game one of SPFL 24/25, I'm give up. We really shouldn't count Gent's replacement as one of them.

All this talk about good characters in the dressing room, yeah its a nice bonus but really shouldn't be a defining factor in a contract renewal over a long list in the con's column.

The only player that should be a shoe-in is ironically Blackburn's.

[ropy]

4 hours ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

Of course his time at Motherwell hasn't been without his challenges, but I think that would be daft personally. I'm not saying we should be resigning him with a view to him playing every minute, but he has started 30/35 league games this season (coming on as a sub in the other five), has been fit all season, has been versatile and has provided four assists. He is also local to the area and at his age, I don't imagine will be difficult to deal with financially. He's also an experienced professional to have around the place when we often lament the lack of them.

That pass to Georgie Gent earned him another year in my view.

[ropy]

13 minutes ago, Vietnam91 said:

Reality is a number of players out of contract are our highest earners. To go two deep with right sided centre backs/right backs both in their 30's and key figures one of the worst performing defences in the league seems wild and when there's a focus to spend wiser than we have, is just unsustainable.

Said a few weeks back the RB position for us under Ketts is rigidly a wingback and you need someone to hoon it up and down that wing. SOD wouldn't last a half in that role now and any pacy winger will cook him.

Not pinning our record on the two of them but they played a part. If our back 5 shows up with any less than two new faces at game one of SPFL 24/25, I'm give up. We really shouldn't count Gent's replacement as one of them.

All this talk about good characters in the dressing room, yeah its a nice bonus but really shouldn't be a defining factor in a contract renewal over a long list in the con's column.

The only player that should be a shoe-in is ironically Blackburn's.

I think SOD gets forward more often than Devine.  The difference may be that SOD moves forward to receive the ball whereas we may be look8ng for a wingback to take the ball forward.

[Vietnam91]

4 minutes ago, ropy said:

That pass to Georgie Gent earned him another year in my view.

We gave Lamie an extension based on a header at Almondvale, that turned out great.

[Handsome_Devil]

Not that I have any inside knowledge but if we retain SOD, I'd be pretty sure it'll be on a wage cut. Which would be fair enough for both sides really.

Re McGinn, I found it notable how many of our players referenced him in the poty vote when Spittal and Bair seemed comical stand outs. It would seem a surprise if the coaching staff think radically differently?

[ropy]

10 minutes ago, Vietnam91 said:

We gave Lamie an extension based on a header at Almondvale, that turned out great.

Made up for him being booked when he was the only one that didn’t celebrate with the crowd.