Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Archie McSquackle]

You've got to be on a hell of a wage for a £50k increase not to immediately convince you to move. This is all hypothetical at this stage of course, a lot can happen between now and the end of the season.

[Busta Nut]

I don't think many folk here would knock back 50K wage rises and having to commute to London.

[JamesP_81]

7 minutes ago, Busta Nut said:

I don't think many folk here would knock back 50K wage rises and having to commute to London.

So many different factors in it tho. Regardless of how much you're getting paid having shit working conditions or a drastic change to your family life balance will get old pretty quick. You've got to imagine that being in a place that brings out the best in you is worth more than getting an extra grand a week .  The thing here is tho that if he's going down south then it won't be for 50k a year more , it's more likely to be several times that figure . 

[Kapowzer]

I picked 50k as the example because it's double the average UK wage. It was just a hypothetical. People tend to see the headline figure and think 1k a week, £200 a day, but you'd be subject to 40% tax on a portion, accomodation which won't be cheap and a higher cost of living + getting home however often you wish to. £50k quickly becomes 25k in the hippy and that translates to £500 a week, £100 a day, not to be grumbled at for many, a price too much for a few. Also don't underestimate unhappy wife, unhappy life. Saying that £500k buys a lot of lux holidays and designer handbags.

Regardless, getting bogged down here. His form had no doubt alerted suitors, our chance of a signature was better in the summer than now. However for that to be a stronger possibility he'd be on 5 goals and we'd be hovering in the bottom six. His signing would be a coup but I regarded Kelly as one too.

A fine servant to the club and seems to care plus gives 110% relentlessly along with actually being good at fitba will always endear you to the fans.

Side note, if we put a wee run on between now and Hogmanay it will be interesting to see the league table over the calendar year. Guessing @capt_oats has that primed and ready for action.

[steelmen]

I’m not utterly convinced he will move on, although if we haven’t started talking to him that’s concerning.

Tony has been round a good few clubs and not fitted in. He’s came to us and fitted in perfectly, playing with a smile and being appreciated for it and I’m sure he’s not doing it for free.

Using 50k as the standard increase is it really worth uprooting and going somewhere else and taking the chance that his face won’t fit again.

[Al B]

A championship club isn't a 50k a year increase....it's a 50k a MONTH increase.

[ropy]

I would advise anyone to put much of any additional money into a pension.

Tony is different to other players that have passed through the club in that he has made a wad previously.  The question is whether it has been enough.  Most of our players are looking to make their first real money by moving on.

His chat this week has been that he was ready to walk away from the game, does he want to go back to an environment that took him there?

I wish him well whatever he chooses to do, he has given us back plenty.  I got my wife singing the Tony Watt song at the weekend, so he has left his mark.

[ropy]

Given that there are one or two midfielders coming back from injury and at least one new one coming into the club, what is best for Dean Cornelius?  Battle for his position now that he has had a taste of first team football or go out on loan and get a run of games in preparation for next season?

Edited December 19, 2021 by ropy

[thisGRAEME]

5 hours ago, Kapowzer said:

I picked 50k as the example because it's double the average UK wage. It was just a hypothetical. People tend to see the headline figure and think 1k a week, £200 a day, but you'd be subject to 40% tax on a portion, accomodation which won't be cheap and a higher cost of living + getting home however often you wish to. £50k quickly becomes 25k in the hippy and that translates to £500 a week, £100 a day, not to be grumbled at for many, a price too much for a few. Also don't underestimate unhappy wife, unhappy life. Saying that £500k buys a lot of lux holidays and designer handbags.

Just running with this logic, related to Watt and to me, because why not indulge; I'd 100% take it, and regardless of any increase in living costs (Which I'd assume an employer would be assisting with), it'd clear my mortgage in a couple of years, which I guess in a Watt sense, is probably similar in terms of financial comfort. Secure the bag, a few years of misery in London again, then return for an easier life.

That said, irrelevant, because no-one is employing this fat-handed dope for an extra £50k a year.

[Ron Aldo]

Tony Watt has to go down as this thread's biggest success story. I still firmly believe that Alan Burrows was lurking on here and we convinced him to sign Tony.

The question is if/when he does go who do WE want to replace him?

[Neil86]

In response to @Swello I wondered if maybe he and the club had some sort of verbal agreement in place, where they are fairly confident he will sign if offered x amount a week. There is so many arguments for and against, as already detailed, the money he will make down south in a week would blow our monthly salary out the water. However he has already made a fair few quid, and there is a lot to be said for being settled. 

Hoping he stays, goes with nothing but my best wishes if he leaves. He has been excellent for the club, on and off the park. And we have most definitely been excellent for him.

[thisGRAEME]

Just now, Ron Aldo said:

Tony Watt has to go down as this thread's biggest success story. I still firmly believe that Alan Burrows was lurking on here and we convinced him to sign Tony.

The question is if/when he does go who do WE want to replace him?

A toss up between him and my Cedric Kipre HYPE TRAIN imo, but I'll support it. 

Glad we got that plane to fly over the Tony Mac, money well spent.

[Neil86]

1 minute ago, Ron Aldo said:

Tony Watt has to go down as this thread's biggest success story. I still firmly believe that Alan Burrows was lurking on here and we convinced him to sign Tony.

The question is if/when he does go who do WE want to replace him?

Suppose we already have his replacement in Van veen. That's why he was signed I'm sure.

[capt_oats]

I've not heard the interview he did (I don't listen to SSB) but just because we haven't formally offered a contract doesn't mean we haven't spoken to him.

Semantics? Maybe, but wha'cha going to do?

Perhaps giving him too much credit but I doubt Burrows is sat in his office having not considered the possibility of chapping Tony up and asking if he'd like a chat about a new deal.

Equally, we apparently started speaking to Allan Campbell about an extension 18 months or whatever before his deal ended so ultimately as long as it's not an afterthought I'm not sure it really matters. Getting in there early for discussions doesn't mean the player is going to sign. Especially if a they've already intimated that they're keeping their options open.

As a side point, we've a ton of players OOC in the summer. It may have flown under the radar a bit but big Bev was talking about being open to sticking around.

Alexander inherited a fair number of players from Robinson and summer was a fair rebuild. I've always been under the impression that knowing what league we'll be in next season dictates when we're able to commit on deals and I guess we're not quite there yet in terms of guaranteed safety (albeit probability is on our side).

Here are our OOC players for 2022 (as it stands):
Mich'el Parker (January), Jordan Roberts (January - loan ends)

Scott Fox, PJ Morrison, Ricki Lamie, Bevis Mugabi, Darragh O'Connor, Nathan McGinley, Liam Grimshaw, Barry Maguire, Mark O'Hara, Robbie Crawford, Liam Donnelly, Justin Amaluzor, Tony Watt.

[Kapowzer]

20 minutes ago, thisGRAEME said:

Just running with this logic, related to Watt and to me, because why not indulge; I'd 100% take it, and regardless of any increase in living costs (Which I'd assume an employer would be assisting with), it'd clear my mortgage in a couple of years, which I guess in a Watt sense, is probably similar in terms of financial comfort. Secure the bag, a few years of misery in London again, then return for an easier life.

That said, irrelevant, because no-one is employing this fat-handed dope for an extra £50k a year.

Yeah you get two weeks in the London equivalent of the Poppinjay till you sort something, free lunch daily, gym access (*no pool) and unlimited lucozade sport once a week. That’s all the help you’re getting from your employer.

15 minutes ago, Neil86 said:

Suppose we already have his replacement in Van veen. That's why he was signed I'm sure.

SPFL would be unlikely to grant us 38 fixtures vs Aberdeen

Edited December 6, 2021 by Kapowzer

[thisGRAEME]

15 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Here are our OOC players for 2022 (as it stands):
Mich'el Parker (January), Jordan Roberts (January - loan ends)

Scott Fox, PJ Morrison, Ricki Lamie, Bevis Mugabi, Darragh O'Connor, Nathan McGinley, Liam Grimshaw, Barry Maguire, Mark O'Hara, Robbie Crawford, Liam Donnelly, Justin Amaluzor, Tony Watt.

Some good, some bad, some shrug if they left in that pile to be honest. Watt aside, there's no-one that you look at there and go "f**k how are we going to cope without..."

That said; Just sign Bevis. Easy.

10 minutes ago, Kapowzer said:

Yeah you get two weeks in the London equivalent of the Poppinjay till you sort something, free lunch daily, gym access (*no pool) and unlimited lucozade sport once a week. That’s all the help you’re getting from your employer.

That's probably more than I ate in the 2 years I spent in London previously, I'm in. Will offer you 10% of my unlimited Lucozade if you can facilitate this as my agent.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

I fucking hate London. I'd still take the 50k though

[Kapowzer]

3 minutes ago, thisGRAEME said:

Some good, some bad, some shrug if they left in that pile to be honest. Watt aside, there's no-one that you look at there and go "f**k how are we going to cope without..."

That said; Just sign Bevis. Easy.

That's probably more than I ate in the 2 years I spent in London previously, I'm in. Will offer you 10% of my unlimited Lucozade if you can facilitate this as my agent.

20% and I shall facilitate a fountain pen adapted for the "fat-handed" to sign the contract. Also the salary is paid to me in my Cayman Islands account where I'll look after it for you and invest it on your behalf.

[JamesP_81]

1 hour ago, ropy said:

I would advise anyone to put much of any additional money into a pension.

Tony is different to other players that have passed through the club in that he has made a wad previously.  The question is whether it has been enough.  Most of our players are looking to make their first real money by moving on.

His chat this week has been that he was ready to walk away from the game, does he want to go back to an environment that took him there?

I wish him well whatever he chooses to do, he has given us back plenty.  I got my wife singing the Tony Watt song at the weekend, so he has left his mark.

Didnt realise just how much he was on when he was dodging about the continent for a few years , fingers crossed he was piling all of that cash under his mattress while sitting about watching movies at night. Add that to his talk about being places previously where he's been really unhappy that could be enough to stop his head being turned with a big fat paycheck. 

Still fully preparing myself for him to go to Aberdeen for an extra tank of petrol a week though.

[Guest superward]

53 minutes ago, Neil86 said:

Suppose we already have his replacement in Van veen. That's why he was signed I'm sure.

Yep, and Tony defintley has had discussions about a contract extension. It happened prior to his deal being arranged to go down south in August. Not sure if the discussions have been picked up since that fell through but the club aren't just sitting on their hands forgetting he's out of contract.