Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[Del_Superwell]

I can see Hartley being dropped tonight, with McHugh going into the back 3 with Kipre and maybe Donnelly.   Campbell Rose and Cadden would be my middle 3 same as last week with Edinburgh City,  hopefully Frear can continue from where he left off if picked tonight.     Would like to see Bigi or Gorrin get some game time tonight but I guess that will depend on how we are doing tonight.

[wellboy1991]

Is Maguire not fit for tonight?

I agree with Del, can see Hartley dropping out as two games in such a short space would be maybe too much.

Defence I think will be Kipre McHugh Donnelly with Tait right and ATS left.

Alternatively he may just go to a back 4.

With Tait Kipre McHugh ATS.

Cadds and Frear our wide with Campbell (hope to f**k) and A.N. other in the middle. Behind Bowman and Main.


The team I would like compared to the team Robbo puts out will vary substantially I feel.

[Swello]

I wouldn't be surprised if Hartley played - he's physically fit but lacking games and he is a priority to be up to speed for Easter Rd.

[21maxwell]

Difficult to call a team at the moment, I'll go for

Carson, Kipre, Hartley, McHugh, Tait (RWB), Frear (LWB), Gorrin (I think he gets around 60 mins) Campbell Cadden, Bowman, Main.

Imagine Rose will get the last 30 for Gorrin. I've got Frear to start, as its a home game so the emphasis will be to get at QOS from the off and get crosses in the box. 

I think Gorrin will end up be the creative playmaker we need, we saw glimpse of it vs Edinburgh, but he certainly needs game time to get his match sharpness up. 

EDIT - The actual team

 

Edited July 24, 2018 by 21maxwell

[capt_oats]

There he is lads...

Big fan of those smooth, smooth jamz too...

Edited July 24, 2018 by capt_oats

[AndyRoss]

Recorded shortly after the full-time whistle in ‘Well’s 2-0 win over Queen of the South, Ben Banks and Joe McKelvie join Sparra to discuss Motherwell’s opening three matches in the Betfred League Cup group stages, look ahead to the final group fixture against Clyde, consider the appointment of Peter Hartley as new club captain, debate the signing of Connor Sammon and much more. 

http://www.mfc1886.com/mfc-podcast-2018-19-episode-2/

[Desp]

Comfortable enough last night.  Sammon took his goals really, really well and Campbell absolutely strolled it yet again.  Don't think we learned too much other than that.

Even if we win at Clyde on Saturday, I think we'll struggle to be one of the four "top seeds" amongst group winners based on how the other groups look. 

[Swello]

To be honest, the seeding thing isn't a worry for me other than getting drawn at Parkhead. After last season, I'd much rather get Celtic at Fir Park  in an earlier round where they are rarely comfortable rather than Hampden where they are. The other teams, happy to take our chances..

[AndyRoss]

Tend to agree, going into last night the priority was to ensure we remained in the competition and first five/ten minutes aside I think we did that with a bit to spare.

[Casagolda]

1 hour ago, Desp said:

Comfortable enough last night.  Sammon took his goals really, really well and Campbell absolutely strolled it yet again.  Don't think we learned too much other than that.

As @Swello said the thing that struck me about Sammon is that despite his physique, like Main he’s actually not just the big target man you think he is. He’s lot quicker than I gave him credit for and has a decent touch as well, some excellent link up play to go along with two well taken goals last night.

I have to say I fair enjoyed Cadden being in a more advanced role again last night and back to doing what he does best. The set up play for the 1st goal- from the initial change of pace through to the excellently weighted ball to Sammon- is exactly why he should be playing further forward. That’s him now set up our opening goal in all 3 games so far this season. 

Also thought the much maligned McHugh was excellent at the back again as well.

[Al B]

Yeah earlier on I had posted on "the other place" about Sammon, I was at uni in Sheffield from 2014 - 2016 and used to go to watch United so saw a fair bit of him and he looked genuinely awful (although they were just shelling balls at his head...that United team also made Jamie Murphy and Michael Higdon look terrible), but he's absolutely rapid to a Charlie Dunne level.

I think we're now seeing exactly what Killie fans were saying in that, because they had Eremenko playing sublime balls into him he looked brilliant, but because of his size other clubs seem to assume he's a target man and he's looked humpty. If we use him to his actual strengths rather than his assumed strengths, I think he'll be a huge success here. His goals last night were classic, instinctive striker decision-making...the first a decision to hit first time, the second a decision to touch and set.

Someone somewhere drew parallels with the way we used Michael Higdon, and I couldn't agree more.

[capt_oats]

57 minutes ago, Casagolda said:

As @Swello said the thing that struck me about Sammon is that despite his physique, like Main he’s actually not just the big target man you think he is. He’s lot quicker than I gave him credit for and has a decent touch as well, some excellent link up play to go along with two well taken goals last night.

I have to say I fair enjoyed Cadden being in a more advanced role again last night and back to doing what he does best. The set up play for the 1st goal- from the initial change of pace through to the excellently weighted ball to Sammon- is exactly why he should be playing further forward. That’s him now set up our opening goal in all 3 games so far this season. 

Also thought the much maligned McHugh was excellent at the back again as well.

The thing with Sammon is that he's clearly not a sexy signing and looking at his career history, as many have pointed out, he's not exactly been prolific albeit often at a higher level. You look at him and think he's just a big lump however as a few Thistle fans pointed out there seems to be more to his game than that especially if you play to his strengths. I think it was @Armand 2 who was saying that you only really get the best out of Sammon playing him as part of a front two. I'm not sure that's what Thistle did with him but we certainly do.

Robinson's got his faults, people have been weirdly quick to highlight them over the past week or so but he seems to have a clear idea of what he wants/needs from his players.

The obvious caveat is that it's still July, it's the Betfred Cup and we were playing a Championship side (albeit a Championship side who were in decent form that had scored 12 goals in 3 games) but Sammon took his goals well no doubt and neither came from "getting crosses into the box".

The 'creativity' question still stands. Cadden's great at storming around but he's not a particularly technical player in the same ways that Tanner, Bigi or Turnbull are. I'm still not 100% sure the pass for the opening goal was a perfectly weighted shroo ball to Sammon or an overhit pass to Bowman but in honesty if he's sticking around and we're committing to using him in a more advanced role then f**k it. In that sort of form he's going to be one of the first names on the team sheet along with Campbell.

The McHugh situation is weird in so much as his thing about playing in midfield seems to be his preference. Him standing down as captain and essentially opening himself up to being used more as a utility player means that there's a bit more flexibility there. He can drop in at CB, midfield and if he needs to be sat on the bench then no one will be raising eyebrows at the captain being dropped. Him not being fixed to a position is, generally speaking, a good thing IMO.

Edited July 25, 2018 by capt_oats

[Desp]

20 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

 I'm still not 100% sure the pass for the opening goal was a perfectly weighted shroo ball to Sammon or an overhit pass to Bowman 

Funny you mention that, thought it was just me.

I'm pretty sure Sammon turned a bad ball to Bowman into a very good ball for him.  Still, it's great to see Cadden in that role.  I think his drive from midfield will be a big plus for us if that's where he stays.

[capt_oats]

4 minutes ago, Desp said:

Funny you mention that, thought it was just me.

I'm pretty sure Sammon turned a bad ball to Bowman into a very good ball for him.  Still, it's great to see Cadden in that role.  I think his drive from midfield will be a big plus for us if that's where he stays.

Ha! I mean I'm not having a dig, I'm a huge fan of Cadden and I've always been of the opinion that ultimately that's going to be the sort of role that will get the best out him. it was just something I thought as I saw it.  Either way it's 100% the right ball but it's to Sammon's credit that he's making that run in behind.

The more I watch it back the more impressed I am with the finish for the 2nd. He's not thrashing at it, it'd have been easy for him to try and put his laces through it instead he properly guides it.

Anyway here's a bit more #content the club have just put up...

 

[Casagolda]

I think you’re doing the lad a disservice to be honest but I might be wrong.

If you watch the close up from behind the goal, Cadden’s eyes are on Sammon’s run the whole way. He never even glances in Bowman’s direction, even after he’s hit the pass.

Plus there’s surely far too much pace in that pass for it be intended for Bowman?!

[YassinMoutaouakil]

There's also the question of why anyone would willingly pass to Ryan Bowman

[one m in Motherwell]

First time back at FP in a while last night so obviously good to see a win.  All told, I thought we did what was required without ever really setting the heather on fire, however at this stage in the (pre) season I don't think we could expect much more.

I was very impressed with big Sammon though, I had always seen him as more in the Curtis Main style battering ram, however he was surprisingly good with the ball at his feet, looked to play others in several times and took his goals well.  It was a pity that we resorted to route-1 stuff in the last 20 minutes or so of the game as he looked more effective being played in.  Would have been interesting to see him with someone like Bigi as I think Sammon's strengths would work well with someone with more of an eye for a threaded pass.  

Cadden was the standout (as others have said), looked hungry and a lot more akin to the Cadden of a couple of years back when he first broke through.  Campbell was also solid, and Rose did his usual donkey work with aplomb.  At the back, Cedric looked a bit shaky although it was good to see him going on a few wanders up through the midfield.  McHugh was excellent I thought, the whole team looked more balanced with him in defence - it'll be interesting to see how we accommodate him and Hartley without sacrificing something from the midfield.  Ultimately if Cedric leaves then moving McHugh back permanently would be a no-brainer.

Elsewhere, Frear looked more dangerous in the second half when he remembered he can run, Liam Donnelly looked a bit of a bombscare and ATS showed a few nice touches when he came on. 

All things considered I'm quite positive for the season ahead providing that the new signings come on to a game.  It's clear that the focus of Robinson's recruitment so far has been to give us more strength in depth along very similar lines to what we already have, rather than trying to drastically change the way we play.  Assuming we don't lose anyone (although it wouldn't surprise me if a couple were away), our first XI is strong but the test will be when injuries and suspensions start to bite.  With any luck we won't have the same drop off in form that we saw in November/December.  As ever, so much will depend on how other teams around us have strengthened, although outwith what you'd probably think of as the top 4 no-one seems to have made huge strides.

[one m in Motherwell]

Actually I just clocked Sammon doing that heart hand gesture after his second goal.

Cannot be tolerated.

[Desp]

2 hours ago, Casagolda said:

I think you’re doing the lad a disservice to be honest but I might be wrong.

If you watch the close up from behind the goal, Cadden’s eyes are on Sammon’s run the whole way. He never even glances in Bowman’s direction, even after he’s hit the pass.

Plus there’s surely far too much pace in that pass for it be intended for Bowman?!

There's every chance I am.  I've not had a look at it again, so I could be miles out, and shall apologise to Cadden if that was the case!

[Desp]

Nope, no having it.

Just watched a replay of the first goal.  That's a pass from Cadden to Bowman all day long in my book.  

Just to be clear, I'm no having a dig.  I'm delighted it worked out the way it did, and the build up the goal - Cadden bursting through from the middle of the park - is EXACTLY what I'm looking forward to seeing plenty of this season.