Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[wellboy1991]

The thought of Butcher in midfield on his current form and fitness gives me the fear. His mobility looks seriously poor and I think he would be a red card waiting to happen. Maybe after the international break he will be fitter and fresher but tbh I can’t see it. 
 

I agree with the rest of Al B’s team but only change would be to give wee Davor a run in there and hope for a Gorrinesque like impact. 

[Gianfranco]

4 hours ago, well fan for life said:

The difference in how much more comfortable Spencer looks on the right is staggering. Surely it's worth giving him and Gent a go at some point ffs.

Have to totally disagree on this point. Thought Sods was way more effective than Spencer was when he moved to his natural side.

Don’t disagree that Gent and Spencer should start at some point soon but Sods was way more of a threat that Spencer was on the right today. The lack of effort on the cross at about 90 +2 said it all for me. Basically ended the game. 

[Busta Nut]

4 hours ago, weemac said:

Sorry for dragging this off topic but I feel as though we've not had a post from @capt_oats in a while.

Anyone know if he's ok? Normally get a good well thought out post from him, hopefully he's alright

 

4 hours ago, fat_tony said:

I had the same thought the other day. Hopefully he's just taking a break from the thread during this run.

Spoke to him the other day, He's good.

[Stevie Kirk]

31 minutes ago, Gianfranco said:

Have to totally disagree on this point. Thought Sods was way more effective than Spencer was when he moved to his natural side.

Don’t disagree that Gent and Spencer should start at some point soon but Sods was way more of a threat that Spencer was on the right today. The lack of effort on the cross at about 90 +2 said it all for me. Basically ended the game. 

The only threat SODs is is to my mental health.

[AdamMFC]

I don't see us sacking Kettlewell unless we come out of the run up to Christmas still winless against Dundee, County, St Johnstone and St Mirren (not including the 2 games against the Glasgow 2 as we all know how that goes) and we find ourselves severely cut adrift at the bottom as his contract is up in May and it means we don't need to pay him off and start afresh next summer.

[Handsome_Devil]

A fully fit Butcher in midfield is a good call with the style we're currently playing. Butcher currently off the pace and how we should be playing - fast and mobile all over the pitch - less so.

I find the latest trend since yesterday quite interesting as usually in my group I'm one of the last to want a sacking but after yesterday I'd bin him now while the rest give grace till December.

For me it's not the level of signings that's the problem - yes, it's mainly crap but it's a crap league and the next guy minus the pay-off for Kettlewell and Frail will not do inherently better.

I'd bin him rather because after doing well by keeping it simple, that's now forgotten and yesterday suggests it's never coming back. Yes, we could give him Dundee but if we still don't press, still don't play a lwb etc, there is absolutely nothing to suggest we won't turn in the same so so performance till we lose a soft goal then collapse.

Effectively we have a three-week break before a crunch series of games...we should use it rather than waste it.

Edited November 12, 2023 by Handsome_Devil

[ropy]

Is setting Biereth off on a series of foot races the best way of using him?

my preference:

-Put the ball into his feet and let him try and turn.

-Give him a strike partner for them to play shorter passes between themselves.

-Get to the byline and whip balls into the box for him to attack.

Edited November 13, 2023 by ropy

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

For me, Biereth, Bair and Wilkinson have all had their best impact as substitutes this season. This really isn't ideal when you Obika is a perma-crock, Shaw is Shaw and you need to start someone.

Hopefully Mika is just getting sharper. I don't blame him for a second with what's going on around him, but he's never seemed to involved when he's started so far.

[Busta Nut]

For their second, I don't think even I can blame Kelly. The covering defender was very lackadaisical in his effort though.

[Casagolda]

Yesterday in isolation was terrible but nothing new or surprising.

Another slow start, we haven’t actually scored in the first half of a game since the 3rd of September. Players playing out of position. Poor defensively. Another goal lost from a corner- 4 of the last 6 goals conceded have now been from corners. Just 1 shot on target again(a penalty). 

He actually tried Spittal at lwb on Tuesday night after hooking Spencer at half time. It didn’t work then either, Gent then comes on and we score twice including the equaliser he set up. What does he do? Gives Spittal another bash at it first half yesterday. Then when that inevitably didn’t work, he gave Spencer another shot at- just in case he’d suddenly developed a left foot after his last half a dozen failed attempts at playing there. Don’t even get me started on what on earth Bair and Wilkinson’s supposed roles are in this team. 

Now just 2 points taken from a possible 27 with Celtic away next surely to take that to 2 from a possible 30. We’ve just 1 clean sheet in 14 games now since the League Cup group stages ended. We’ve conceded 2(or more!) goals in 6 of the last 7 matches. Frankly, we just look like a poorly coached team that’s going backwards at a rate of knots . 

Each to their own but if it was up to me, chucking Mugabi up front yesterday would’ve been his last act as Motherwell manager. A desperate tactic from a manager who’s sadly ran out of ideas and doesn’t look like he has a clue how to arrest this slide. 

I imagine he’ll get to limp on for a while longer just cause but for me, it’s simply now a question of when not if.  

[RandomGuy.]

Sack him now and get Tommy Wright in, its a no brainer.

[ropy]

The Dundee United fans seem to be enjoying their season.

[eliphas]

Agree with most takes in the last couple pages  

The football isn't as eye bleedingly bad as Hammell or Grezza. Which offers some hope...but at the same time it leaves me feeling very very 'meh' about the whole thing. 

I can't even be bothered re typing everything again as the same issues are the same issues and we are essentially stuck due to the recruitment and gutting of certain areas of the squad that SK led in the summer.

[eliphas]

10 minutes ago, ropy said:

The Dundee United fans seem to be enjoying their season.

No wonder, they are paying premiership wages that would outstrip us and couple others. They should be running away with it. 

I don't think we'd enjoy it as much if that is the inference.

I've said it before too but if we go down I really worry we won't be back up anytime soon due to trb cost cutting that would be required.

Edited November 12, 2023 by eliphas

[CoF]

I noticed Kettlewell is quietly moving to the publicly blame the players stage of post-match interviews. We all know that it's not something managers like to or should do, and is only done when everything else they've tried hasn't worked. It's usually downhill from here.

I think most worryingly, his complaint was that they weren't following his instruction. With the amount of on-field bickering I'm not actually sure the players have a shared idea of what the instruction actually is. 

I did wonder a while back if Kettlewell's twenty-six thousand word press conferences reflect how he communicates with the team. Is he over-complicating the message? Impossible to tell, however there's a few signs that his game plan isn't translating to the pitch. 

 

[Handsome_Devil]

46 minutes ago, eliphas said:

I've said it before too but if we go down I really worry we won't be back up anytime soon due to trb cost cutting that would be required.

That league is absolute dross and though you obviously wouldn't put the mortgage on it, we should definitely be looking to get up first time if we go down. Not least because that's the year our lingering financial advantage is strongest. 

[Allroy for Prez]

2 hours ago, Casagolda said:

Yesterday in isolation was terrible but nothing new or surprising.

Another slow start, we haven’t actually scored in the first half of a game since the 3rd of September. Players playing out of position. Poor defensively. Another goal lost from a corner- 4 of the last 6 goals conceded have now been from corners. Just 1 shot on target again(a penalty). 

He actually tried Spittal at lwb on Tuesday night after hooking Spencer at half time. It didn’t work then either, Gent then comes on and we score twice including the equaliser he set up. What does he do? Gives Spittal another bash at it first half yesterday. Then when that inevitably didn’t work, he gave Spencer another shot at- just in case he’d suddenly developed a left foot after his last half a dozen failed attempts at playing there. Don’t even get me started on what on earth Bair and Wilkinson’s supposed roles are in this team. 

Now just 2 points taken from a possible 27 with Celtic away next surely to take that to 2 from a possible 30. We’ve just 1 clean sheet in 14 games now since the League Cup group stages ended. We’ve conceded 2(or more!) goals in 6 of the last 7 matches. Frankly, we just look like a poorly coached team that’s going backwards at a rate of knots . 

Each to their own but if it was up to me, chucking Mugabi up front yesterday would’ve been his last act as Motherwell manager. A desperate tactic from a manager who’s sadly ran out of ideas and doesn’t look like he has a clue how to arrest this slide. 

I imagine he’ll get to limp on for a while longer just cause but for me, it’s simply now a question of when not if.  

Excellent post.  

[Stevie Kirk]

16 hours ago, 'WellDel said:

Had a conversation with my auld man after the game which was along the lines of all the points you've made here. The crux of the matter is that there is no plan B and Kettlewell seems incapable of fixing it. 2 points from 27 is sacking material in anyone's book. 

We're currently fucked financially for sacking yet another manager, but will we be even further in the mire and a league lower if we don't? There's a big decision to be made in the next couple of weeks if we don't start picking up points. The thing is that, with off field organisation looking as bad as on it, I'm not sure those in power will act quickly enough to save the situation before it's too late. The club just has a general feel of malaise from top to bottom right now which makes me feel really uneasy.

We don’t have a plan A either.

[Jonnylosqualo]

We've only scored two first half goals all season but scored 10 from 70 mins onwards.

 

[ropy]

On 14/08/2023 at 21:24, ropy said:

Unrelated to anything - who is likely to take the penalties this season?

Spittal?

There you go then