Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Sarto Mutiny]

44 minutes ago, steelman1991 said:

Yes I misread the previous post - thought he asked the scoreline when Phil collapsed.

It was 5-1 when Phil collapsed - we scored twice in the last few minutes, but nobody was really bothered. As others have said, the silence when he went down was horrible. That day will live with me forever.

[capt_oats]

2 hours ago, fat_tony said:

I really wanted to be raging about the red card, having heard Ketts on the radio before I saw it. I took one look at the clip and instantly thought "yup, absolute stick on".

I'm very much of a "game's gone soft" view of the red card tbh. Am I raging about it? Nah - it is what it is. Although is it annoying that *that* is classed a red card? Very much yes for me.

He's not deliberately tried to do him or anything. I'm not even sure there's "excessive force" It's not like he's Schumacher'd him or anything.

Just give the free kick, book him if you must and play on FFS.

Things really were better in the 90s. 

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

2 hours ago, capt_oats said:

I'm very much of a "game's gone soft" view of the red card tbh. Am I raging about it? Nah - it is what it is. Although is it annoying that *that* is classed a red card? Very much yes for me.

He's not deliberately tried to do him or anything. I'm not even sure there's "excessive force" It's not like he's Schumacher'd him or anything.

Just give the free kick, book him if you must and play on FFS.

Things really were better in the 90s. 

This was my view on it too. I don't want a challenge like that to be a red card, but I understand that it is.

I also watched the game on mute yesterday, was barely on here and didn't see Sportscene, which I think might have given me a better chance to form an unbiased opinion. I may have talked myself into feeling hard done by had I seen the reaction sooner

[capt_oats]

On 12/07/2023 at 05:07, Handsome_Devil said:

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/northern-irelands-kofi-balmer-linked-with-loan-move-to-scottish-side/a1760208688.html

Wiki suggests he can play all across the back three...

LOL

[Ron Aldo]

7 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

LOL

I knew I'd heard his name before but couldn't recall why. 

Don't even know why I'm surprised. No doubt Robbie Gotts will also be on their shortlist. 

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

Just catching up on the Phil O'Donnell chat from Friday night. I remember how eerie it was at the game, when he went down, it was the only time I ever remember a crowd falling totally silent. I felt like it was serious. I remember being at home afterwards and my sister got a text from a mutual friend of Stephen Pearson telling us the bad news.

The football played then was an absolute joy to watch. The opening day at Love St, the game where Dick Turpin was announced as the Killie goalscorer, cuffing Aberdeen 3-0 and then the game in question was just the icing on the cake. People enthused as well about the Hibs league cup game but I missed that personally. 

Hughes and Porter were both fantastic signings but to think the turnaround that McGhee got in Quinn, Paterson, McGarry, McCormack and Clarkson from the Malpas season was quite astounding. The way he dealt with everything surrounding the situation with O'Donnell was admirable too. It's a shame the way he carried himself in the media at other times, along with the way his second spell ended on the pitch dictate the regard he's held in by 'Well fans, rather than the positive stuff.

[capt_oats]

12 hours ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

This was my view on it too. I don't want a challenge like that to be a red card, but I understand that it is.

I also watched the game on mute yesterday, was barely on here and didn't see Sportscene, which I think might have given me a better chance to form an unbiased opinion. I may have talked myself into feeling hard done by had I seen the reaction sooner

Aye. I’m in a similar sort of position. I was out wandering round Tesco doing a Big Shop while the game was happening and hadn’t really paid attention to any of the reaction until after I took a quick look at the highlights on iPlayer yesterday afternoon.

For me it’s neither the stonewaller many on here seem to think it is nor is it the egregious error that’s got Kettlewell extremely bothered.

It’s a red card because ‘Modern Fitba’ is rubbish although equally I’d be curious to see what would happen if we appealed and made the argument that it’s simply a coming together (which for me is what it is).

[MurrayWell]

While I don't think it was a red, I also don't really get the reaction. 

Interesting to hear Kettlewell and some of the players saying the referee's attitude was absolutely stinking all day, so perhaps it's the flash point in an overly frustrating game. 

Feels like this is a wider issue, rather than just one decision. 

[Busta Nut]

I know it's not a "source" but I kinda like Bev. I'd be sad to see him up here with some other mob. 

(also cos we'd launch the ball at his head for 90mins and he'd be motm)

[capt_oats]

30 minutes ago, Busta Nut said:

I know it's not a "source" but I kinda like Bev. I'd be sad to see him up here with some other mob. 

(also cos we'd launch the ball at his head for 90mins and he'd be motm)

I mean, maybe I've just not been paying attention but has he been "linked" with a move to United before beyond some Twitter randos saying they'd take him or whatever? A specific section of Hearts and Hibs fans on their respective Kickback and .net have been weirdly keen on Bevis for ages, which is a laugh.

Tbh, as far as United go when you take Gallagher, Grimmy, Moult and Watt into consideration it'd be entirely consistent with their recruitment strategy. I had wondered if Kelly might be a shout for them as well given they were apparently in for him when we signed him on a permanent and they're not shy about chucking daft wages around and Walton is only at the club on loan.

Either way, the Oblieye rumours that have been floating around had me wondering if the plan was to downgrade on Bevis/Butcher for cover. As it stands Bev's has 3rd highest minutes played for outfield players but between him and Butcher it feels like those are probably going to be higher end first team wages that have been parked on the bench recently.

It sounds daft but bringing in an objectively worse but cheaper player would probably make more sense in for a covering squad role.

Here's where the squad stands by minutes played.

[capt_oats]

Good for them.

[Handsome_Devil]

1 hour ago, Busta Nut said:

I know it's not a "source" but I kinda like Bev. I'd be sad to see him up here with some other mob. 

(also cos we'd launch the ball at his head for 90mins and he'd be motm)

It'd be a shame because he's likeable and has certainly contributed but ultimately he's now played for us under four managers and has never shaken off being a liability. We clearly can't go into next season with the same pool of defenders and if he's one who goes, fair enough.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

I'd rather keep Bevis than SOD but I feel it'll end up the other way round 

[StAndrew7]

20 minutes ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

I'd rather keep Bevis than SOD but I feel it'll end up the other way round 

Aye, was wondering this myself. I think SOD is perfectly fine as an option for us, but can see him moving into the back three and playing on the right of it to support whoever we end up with at RWB.

Ideally keep Bevis and just tell him to launch the ball to f**k as the middle CB of the three to minimise his potential to pass the ball to the opposition.

Edited April 29 by StAndrew7

[well fan for life]

19 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

It'd be a shame because he's likeable and has certainly contributed but ultimately he's now played for us under four managers and has never shaken off being a liability. We clearly can't go into next season with the same pool of defenders and if he's one who goes, fair enough.

He seems like a class big guy but regardless of form he is always liable to drop a clanger at any moment. Ideally bin a few of our current idiots and bring in someone who can make us less of a disorganised mess. 

As for the appeal - LOL. 

[MurrayWell]

Highly doubt we'll win the appeal, but I suppose you canny really have the public reaction to the decision the football club has had and then not bother

[thisGRAEME]

21 hours ago, fat_tony said:

I really wanted to be raging about the red card, having heard Ketts on the radio before I saw it. I took one look at the clip and instantly thought "yup, absolute stick on".

Same. It's difficult to argue you haven't been wreckless when someone's cock has a Nike swoosh on it off your studs.

[Jamie_B]

Just now, thisGRAEME said:

Same. It's difficult to argue you haven't been wreckless when someone's cock has a Nike swoosh on it off your studs.

I don't think its a totally wild challenge, and he's pretty unlucky to have ended up sticking his boot directly into the Aberdeen player's knob, but it deserves to be a red card just on the basis of the show Kettlewell has made of himself in his post match interview.

Surely he hadn't seen a replay of it before going in studs up himself after the game?

[capt_oats]

3 hours ago, MurrayWell said:

While I don't think it was a red, I also don't really get the reaction. 

Interesting to hear Kettlewell and some of the players saying the referee's attitude was absolutely stinking all day, so perhaps it's the flash point in an overly frustrating game. 

Feels like this is a wider issue, rather than just one decision. 

Aye. I doubt we'll win the appeal although it would be very funny if we did but fair fucks make an argument. That said, if Lee Miller and Neil McCann are on the panel then we're sorted.

Genuine question, has yer man Napier had decisions overturned in the past?

[Handsome_Devil]

56 minutes ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

I'd rather keep Bevis than SOD but I feel it'll end up the other way round 

 

43 minutes ago, StAndrew7 said:

Aye, was wondering this myself. I think SOD is perfectly fine as an option for us, but can see him moving into the back three and playing on the right of it to support whoever we end up with at RWB.

Ideally keep Bevis and just tell him to launch the ball to f**k as the middle CB of the three to minimise his potential to pass the ball to the opposition.

I think that's where we'll end up using SOD, if he stays, and I think it's fair enough really...if we're playing 3-5-2 you need at least two of your back three to be comfortable on the ball and get involved when we have possession or are attacking. And simply put, at our level they're much harder to find than guys who can head it a lot...so you keep SOD and McGinn, sign the Livingston guy as cheaper back up and use the savings plus Butcher's salary on a leader of men for the central role. That covers the back three and offers emergency cover for the wing-backs we'll no doubt recruit on loan.

Easy in theory...