Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Handsome_Devil]

9 minutes ago, MurrayWell said:

I've always liked the idea of Simo managing us one day, wanted him to get in last time he interviewed, when Hammell got it.

He did seem to be getting touted for bigger jobs and even the Finland national team at one point.

Won't pretend to know anything about Latvian football but was that the step up everyone was thinking for him? Seems a bit like a handbrake turn. 

Without completely relitigating last summer, I found it incredibly surprising we went Hammell - who seemed entirely content in a different job - rather than Simo - experienced manager.

However, he was still under contract then and we know what that means for us.

So unless he's now ooc or has the appropriate clauses he remains a non-starter.

[eliphas]

I had a whole thing written about the striker situation that I've deleted now, haha 

In short - it's shit for numerous reasons. Moult seems ok at Championship level but hasn't proved we've missed out. Let's deal with it and not play the really shit ones (hi Oli) when we don't have to.

On the manager, Kettlewell shouldn't get the bullet, seems daft and still early to do that given his previous credit earned. But I do think he now has the players at his disposal to perform much much better than we have been. I think he should, and reckon he will, get the 4 games after the Celtic game to prove he's not lost it - Dundee, Ross County, St Johnstone and St Mirren.

[dezz]

Agreed, Kettlewell has enough credit in the bank to see if he can turn round results in the run up to Christmas, especially while the league is so tight and we're nowhere near cut adrift.

There's enough players in the squad that have shown in the past they're broadly capable at this level (Kelly, Casey, Slattery, Obika) that need to step up, and those that look like they'll contribute if played in their correct position (Spencer, Gent, Biereth).

That being said, I think he needs a minimum of 6 points from those 4 games against our peers in December to take the pressure off a bit. Any less than that and there may be a decision to be made before January. 

If we're sticking with the 3-5-2, I'd like to see us go with this due to current injuries and conceding from every corner we face. 

Kelly

Casey Mugabi Blaney

Spencer Paton Butcher Spittal Gent

Obika Biereth

[well fan for life]

Lets be honest, unless Saturday ends up in double figures it's more or less meaningless. If we lose to Dundee that's when I wonder if it becomes untenable.

Although as has been stated, binning a manager every 8 months isn't exactly sound business practice. 

 

[MurrayWell]

Lennon Miller has extended his deal until 2026, so that's some good news. 

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

Another problem with our strikers is that we have too many of them, which is a problem born from putting all of our eggs in the 3-5-2 basket and everyone getting injured.

There's absolutely nae danger we'd have tried that stupid Bair and Wilkinson behind Biereth formation, if we didn't have a surplus.

It also means that none of them are getting a sustained run in the team as because it doesn't work one game, we change it the next.

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by crazylegsjoe_mfc

[ropy]

I want to see Gent at left back, can’t decide if Celtic is the game to give him a start in.  Make him or break him.

[ropy]

1 hour ago, MurrayWell said:

Lennon Miller has extended his deal until 2026, so that's some good news. 

Young starlet, injured (knee) extends contract by a year, guaranteed £3M.  Seen it before.

[well fan for life]

3 hours ago, ropy said:

Young starlet, injured (knee) extends contract by a year, guaranteed £3M.  Seen it before.

Get his rehab done and loan him to Newcastle for a fee.

[AnderooMFC]

10 hours ago, Handsome_Devil said:

On the basis we're never going to pay for a manager and the internal bucket has bee scraped through to the floor, I don't even know who I'd suggest as our next boss.

If our last two appointments have been any indication it'll be Richard Foster...

[Busta Nut]

Is the "Loan him to Newcastle" guy still about?

[RandomGuy.]

15 hours ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

Another problem with our strikers is that we have too many of them, which is a problem born from putting all of our eggs in the 3-5-2 basket and everyone getting injured.

There's absolutely nae danger we'd have tried that stupid Bair and Wilkinson behind Biereth formation, if we didn't have a surplus.

It also means that none of them are getting a sustained run in the team as because it doesn't work one game, we change it the next.

 

Is it not so much a lack of wingers as it is an excess of strikers?

Ill never understand the fascination so many 5-3-2 managers have with making sure theres literally no wingers in their squad.

[Handsome_Devil]

19 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

Is it not so much a lack of wingers as it is an excess of strikers?

Ill never understand the fascination so many 5-3-2 managers have with making sure theres literally no wingers in their squad.

Tbf we do have too many strikers now since we needed to sign Shaw for the period we only had Bair fit. 

But essentially agree completely, the notion we would never feel the need to tweak things was always utterly bizarre to me.

Unless there were behind the scenes stuff we didn't know about even Mckinstry would have offered what we were after easily enough.

[Dosser1886]

15 hours ago, ropy said:

I want to see Gent at left back, can’t decide if Celtic is the game to give him a start in.  Make him or break him.

I would want the formation discussed on here with guys being played in their corret positions used for this game. don't expect to get anything out of the game but at least the guys will be familiar with the formation before the following game.

[capt_oats]

4 hours ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Tbf we do have too many strikers now since we needed to sign Shaw for the period we only had Bair fit. 

But essentially agree completely, the notion we would never feel the need to tweak things was always utterly bizarre to me.

Unless there were behind the scenes stuff we didn't know about even Mckinstry would have offered what we were after easily enough.

To Devils Advocate this - Ross is a winger (in fact Kettlewell implied that we'd effectively been 'retraining' him in other positions FM style in order to get him involved), Gent is someone who can 'play anywhere on the left' and there's probably an argument to be made that he's more a wide midfielder/winger than he is a wing back.

To that end we probably have 'options' for wide areas it's simply a choice that we're making not to do that and if there was a decision made to give Ross a shot over the course of the season rather than try and convince a laddie that Kettlewell had immediately sidelined and only given 6 minutes of fitba' to in 14 games last season to stick around then I can kind of understand that.

Tbh, others have made the same point but it feels like it's more a case that Kettlewell has tied himself in knots and is now just doing objectively daft stuff like taking a player who has been consistently good for us playing centrally and shoving him to LWB rather than just giving the guy we actually signed to play LWB a shot or just chucking as many strikers on the park as he can then being raging that none of it works before trying to compensate for it the next week.

In terms of the strikers, as @crazylegsjoe_mfc said yesterday the fact that we've gone from having only one striker fit and available which meant we were playing him regularly out of necessity we're now chopping and changing every week trying to find some sort of blend.

Fwiw, you can add me to @thisGRAEME's 'Sacking Kettlewell is mad' and continually bulleting managers is bad vibes and bad business crowd but equally this current situation feels like it's very much a Kettlewell Problem and he's not really helping himself.

Edited November 16, 2023 by capt_oats

[wellboy1991]

Just heard an interesting rumour today about the return of a former player. 
 

What’s the old saying about a bad penny always turning up…. Or is it a bad Penney…

 

Would make sense tbh. If he was half the player from his initial spell I would be happy. 

[YassinMoutaouakil]

Moult?

[well fan for life]

22 minutes ago, wellboy1991 said:

Just heard an interesting rumour today about the return of a former player. 
 

What’s the old saying about a bad penny always turning up…. Or is it a bad Penney…

 

Would make sense tbh. If he was half the player from his initial spell I would be happy. 

Did he not absolutely fucking hate it here?

[eliphas]

28 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

Did he not absolutely fucking hate it here?

Maybe he liked the place but hated it under Hammell. 

['WellDel]

26 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

Did he not absolutely fucking hate it here?

I thought I'd read that as well. He'll have a face like Chris Long on him if he's had no better offers and having to resort to grudgingly coming back up.

Maybe have to announce his return on the big electronic billboard down by the Leccy to put a wee half-smile on him too.