Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[RandomGuy.]

9 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Fwiw, he's been introduced as an "attacker" in the news story but he's been added to the squad list as a midfielder which makes far more sense given we'd lost O'Hara, Donnelly and Shaw from last season's squad.

Going by Greg Marshall's report he definitely sounds closer to someone like Goss rather than any of the 3 who left.

Would be interesting to know who his #numbers/profile compare to up here. @RandomGuy. do you happen to have a Josh Morris radar to hand?

Thinking about it a bit more it's interesting that he seems to be explicitly a left mid. Just chucking this out there but is there a chance that he takes that spot ahead of Carroll/McGinley?

Been playing off the right for Salford according to this?

Low goal threat figures maybe down to how they played, doesn't look like any winger done well in that regard for them, which says something.

Its kind of a mish mash of similarities. Ben Woodburn, Blair Spittal (...), Craig Sibbald the top 3 closest matches.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

I'm not sure how often we'll see them all together- or in what combination- but Morris, Spittal and Tierney all feel like the sort of "tricky" players we've not really had under Alexander or, especially, Robinson. 

[Alanos]

Anything interesting on page 1910? Not loading for me either.

[Alanos]

1 hour ago, capt_oats said:

Well...that's interesting.

FYI:

He scored 20 in a season for Alexander's Scunthorpe side in 16/17.

 

At least now we’ve signed our 30 year old lower league jobber.

[For Your Pies Only]

Quite like this signing actually. If we're going to bring in a squad player who can feature in a couple of positions, getting one who is/offers:

-known quantity and trusted by GA

-played with Kev, potentially pals

-experienced professional with no obvious injury history

-decent goals and assist stats at competetive level

-no fee and might be might be cheap-ish(?) in wages

-can play as a 10

-good delivery and set piece taker (might get Goss fired out of the starting 11)

-possibly a bit of a shithouse

 

all sounds good to me.

[capt_oats]

1 hour ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

I'm not sure how often we'll see them all together- or in what combination- but Morris, Spittal and Tierney all feel like the sort of "tricky" players we've not really had under Alexander or, especially, Robinson. 

I mean, if he's a left mid it could look like this. It's interesting he shows up well on the defensive metrics on @RandomGuy.'s radar (cheers for that btw).

As an aside, that's Scott Burns quoting Alexander in the Express (presumably prior to Morris being announced).

Quote

He explained: “We are looking for one or two more in certain parts of the pitch. We are working hard to get the right ones and sometimes we are not at the front of the queue either. We are looking at the forward areas because a few players in that area left in the summer. We got a good amount of goals last year and we feel we have good strength in the back and midfield areas.

“We are just a touch light in the forward areas and that is where we are hoping to bring in. It will only be if the right player becomes available. There are a lot of players out there but we have to get the right type who will compliment what we have here already. We’ve already got some very good players in those forward areas so we need to be specific and bring in options that will compliment them.”

Link

Edited July 11, 2022 by capt_oats

[ropy]

2 hours ago, capt_oats said:

As I say, 20 goals.

Only counted 18 but I would fill my team with left footers, they just seem to be better, got big hopes for Toby this year, he is very clever but cannot pass a ball.

[JamesP_81]

St Mirren defender Declan Gallagher rejects 'nonsense' Aberdeen claims

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/st-mirren-defender-declan-gallagher-27453814#ICID=Android_DailyRecordNewsApp_AppShare

That's big Dec greetin' that Aberdeen wasn't a good fit for him . Suppose anywhere would be a poor fit if you had to share your strip with a big 6ft Dutchman. 

[welldaft]

11 hours ago, capt_oats said:

I mean, if he's a left mid it could look like this. It's interesting he shows up well on the defensive metrics on @RandomGuy.'s radar (cheers for that btw).

As an aside, that's Scott Burns quoting Alexander in the Express (presumably prior to Morris being announced).

Actually like the look of that line up. I still think Spittal may be ahead of Tierney for a starting position, certainly to begin with. I noticed how beefed up Maguire looked doing the weights. He was more of a regular in midfield than Deano prior to his injury. So again may get the nod.

What worries me is the quote “good strength in the back”. Arguably the weakest part of our team last season. The stats back it up although we shipped the usual ton of goals to the Old Firm inc the 6 on the last day of the season. Of the -19 GD Our GD v Old Firm was -20 . Still GA said we were defensively weak. Yet the only change so far is the addition of McGinn. I am hoping that the others improve and with everyone fit the gaffer can find a system / formation that stops us shipping so many goals. Otherwise we cannot say it is / was a surprise. 

[Handsome_Devil]

46 minutes ago, welldaft said:

What worries me is the quote “good strength in the back”. Arguably the weakest part of our team last season. The stats back it up although we shipped the usual ton of goals to the Old Firm inc the 6 on the last day of the season. Of the -19 GD Our GD v Old Firm was -20 . Still GA said we were defensively weak. Yet the only change so far is the addition of McGinn. I am hoping that the others improve and with everyone fit the gaffer can find a system / formation that stops us shipping so many goals. Otherwise we cannot say it is / was a surprise. 

Very much this for me. We certainly have enough bodies there, as you say it depends entirely on whether you think they'll recover form or we'll tweak the system successfully. But we've kept two clean sheets in 21 competitive games this year so if the manager thinks that and is wrong, we're fucked.

I think it's not unreasonable to hope SOD returns to his usual self, as he seemed to towards the end of last season, and that SSJ will be back to his August-December form after a break.

But it strikes me as doubtful that, along with McGinn, will be enough because I don't think the issues with the rest are the sort of things that are temporary or easily resolved....however, unless we get a body or two out the door we might end up starting with what we have and changing course late August should it look like being a disaster.

[well fan for life]

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that we're hanging about to see who is surplus to requirements down south before we make a move. 

[Handsome_Devil]

4 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that we're hanging about to see who is surplus to requirements down south before we make a move. 

That seems exactly the plan...

“If you look at last year. We were four days away from the Premier Sports Cup and we could hardly put a team out. We felt we had to wait for the right players rather than jumping and bringing players in just for those opening games. Our league position last season suggests that was the right thing to do.

“We have enough within our club just now to approach those European games and look to win them. So it means we are not desperate to bring people in before those games so that helps us. You have to wait for the right players to drop and I think we have time on our side.”

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/sport/football/motherwell-transfer-latest-graham-alexander-27454120

[Neil86]

6 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Very much this for me. We certainly have enough bodies there, as you say it depends entirely on whether you think they'll recover form or we'll tweak the system successfully. But we've kept two clean sheets in 21 competitive games this year so if the manager thinks that and is wrong, we're fucked.

I think it's not unreasonable to hope SOD returns to his usual self, as he seemed to towards the end of last season, and that SSJ will be back to his August-December form after a break.

But it strikes me as doubtful that, along with McGinn, will be enough because I don't think the issues with the rest are the sort of things that are temporary or easily resolved....however, unless we get a body or two out the door we might end up starting with what we have and changing course late August should it look like being a disaster.

I think this is why I wouldn't have been too bothered to see Lamie leave at the end of the season, just to give us scope to freshen up defensively a bit. 

fwiw, I am absolutely fine with him staying, he is reliable enough.

it felt like the defence was getting chopped and changed all the time last season, which can't have done any of them any good. The amount of errors we made as well were wild, the sort you can't account for. 

[Busta Nut]

I am hoping the Scandinavians are better, I don't wanna use cliched shite like they might be settled now etc but I just hope they've improved.

[Kapowzer]

1 hour ago, welldaft said:

The stats back it up although we shipped the usual ton of goals to the Old Firm inc the 6 on the last day of the season.

We’re reminded of this every time for the last 7 weeks on the BBC Motherwell page. They’ve also changed to a scrollable newsfeed rather than a click a story thing which can get in the bin too.

Some mentioned a backup to Kev …. I thought our number 9 to challenge KVV was Shields? Certainly that’s  the role that got him his move 12 months ago.

It will be interesting to see where Morris is going to be used. Those Marshall stats on Twitter suggest Nicky Law who can’t dribble, @RandomGuy. says right wing and Transfermarkt says left mid. All this makes him prime a tombola candidate.

Elements of the defence do continue to give me the fear.

Still don’t think we’ve touched the UEFA and SPFL prize money. The three additions and kids who got contracts probably equal those who walked in May.

The skill now is moving out some of those players who have became surplus to requirement.

[Desp]

I've never been too much of a fan of Alexander, but I feel he's got a very difficult task this season.  There's every chance we could improve as a team, but end up 8th or 9th.  Getting into the Top 6 looks a big ask.  It might be in the cup competitions where GA earns a bit of appreciation from the fans.

Taking away the Glasgow two, Hearts don't look any worse off and should be comfortably in the top four again.  Dundee Utd were fairly poor last season in 4th but have done some excellent transfer business and, for my money, have now got a far better manager.  I don't see them shifting too much.  Hibs have a new manager in and have brought a fair few in.  Aberdeen are chucking money about and look likely to spend in excess of £1.5m in transfer fees.  It's never a guarantee but you'd assume they'll be back up there. 

Realistically, Celtic/Rangers/Hearts/Hibs/Aberdeen/Dundee Utd should be the Top 6.  Where we have been good at in recent years is taking advantage of when one or more of them make an arse of things.  We've had more than our fair share of Top 6 finishes in the split era, but I'm struggling to see any of those clubs falling short this season. 

Our targets for this year?  I don't think the Top 6 is the be all and end all for us, albeit it would be nice to be there or thereabouts.  A cup run would see some goodwill back into this side. Don't make a c**t of it in Europe.  Get through the 2nd Round, and see who we get next.  If we get papped out against a much superior side, so be it, but hopefully have a go in doing so.  I would like us to look like a proper team again.  It's GA's team now, it needs to look like it.  A settled side (where possible) is a must, and it would be nice for a change to give Rangers/Celtic a competitive game when they come to Fir Park.  Been far too many scuddings lately for my liking.  

 

[Handsome_Devil]

6 minutes ago, Kapowzer said:

Some mentioned a backup to Kev …. I thought our number 9 to challenge KVV was Shields? Certainly that’s  the role that got him his move 12 months ago.

Maybe he is but I think if KVV was out and we were relying with Shields in the middle of our three for any length of time we'd be in deep bother. I actually quite like him but his best shifts so far have been buzzing around wider areas or coming in to play off KVV. Sure, we could lump balls over the top but his touch (or rather lack of it) means he offers no kind of reliable outlet to ease pressure, get us up the park, bring others into the game etc, the sort of dirty work Arnott and McDonald excelled at while not being a target in an aerial sense.

[Handsome_Devil]

15 minutes ago, Desp said:

I've never been too much of a fan of Alexander, but I feel he's got a very difficult task this season.  There's every chance we could improve as a team, but end up 8th or 9th.  Getting into the Top 6 looks a big ask.  It might be in the cup competitions where GA earns a bit of appreciation from the fans.

Taking away the Glasgow two, Hearts don't look any worse off and should be comfortably in the top four again.  Dundee Utd were fairly poor last season in 4th but have done some excellent transfer business and, for my money, have now got a far better manager.  I don't see them shifting too much.  Hibs have a new manager in and have brought a fair few in.  Aberdeen are chucking money about and look likely to spend in excess of £1.5m in transfer fees.  It's never a guarantee but you'd assume they'll be back up there. 

Realistically, Celtic/Rangers/Hearts/Hibs/Aberdeen/Dundee Utd should be the Top 6.  Where we have been good at in recent years is taking advantage of when one or more of them make an arse of things.  We've had more than our fair share of Top 6 finishes in the split era, but I'm struggling to see any of those clubs falling short this season. 

Our targets for this year?  I don't think the Top 6 is the be all and end all for us, albeit it would be nice to be there or thereabouts.  A cup run would see some goodwill back into this side. Don't make a c**t of it in Europe.  Get through the 2nd Round, and see who we get next.  If we get papped out against a much superior side, so be it, but hopefully have a go in doing so.  I would like us to look like a proper team again.  It's GA's team now, it needs to look like it.  A settled side (where possible) is a must, and it would be nice for a change to give Rangers/Celtic a competitive game when they come to Fir Park.  Been far too many scuddings lately for my liking.  

 

Good post. Top six isn't everything for us, if we're eighth but a bit more entertaining, there's some development of players and we have a go in the cups I think most people will be happy.

Hearts/Hibs/Aberdeen/Dundee Utd should obviously be the top six but as you say, at least one of them usually makes a horlicks of it. And not only that, with the money they're all spending, one of them is (unless they win a cup) guaranteed to fail as sixth for that outlay is the road to ruin - and we've also seen before that once that negative spiral starts it can be hard to stop.

Edit to add: the last time the 'big six' were the top six was 2009 and the time before that 1992. It also happened in 88 and 89 so four times in the entire modern era of Scottish football...for all that it should happen, it clearly doesn't happen very often!

Edited July 12, 2022 by Handsome_Devil

[Al B]

15 minutes ago, Desp said:

There's every chance we could improve as a team, but end up 8th or 9th.

This is pretty much where I'm at tbh. I fully expect that we will be better this season (day I say....enjoyable even?), but finish lower in the league. If we can combine that with being competitive enough to lift our skirt at a semi at Hampden and manage at least 2 rounds in Europe, I'd be absolutely delighted with that as a season.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Al B

[capt_oats]

I see the "why aren't we filling the first team with Academy players" crowd are at it again on Twitter.