All Activity

Fairly or unfairly, the manager is going to get the credit/blame for signings from Scandinavian football. So Daws is not likely to get credit for Said or Just. Fadinger, Wimmer will probably get credit for. But identifying and convincing the likes of Sparrow, Longelo and Priestman is to be commended. I'll admit that given the Danzaki experience and Stamatelopolous not setting the scoring charts on fire, I was sceptical of signing Priestman but he's been excellent (and Koutroumbis has been mostly solid). Number of players we were signing from the A League was making me think Daws had a house in Australia. But Priestman looks a find.. Generally positive just now about Daws and our recruitment. In his defence, previous failures we don't know if these players were our first choice targets (bear in mind how many keepers we had to sign last season?). So if we're signing maybe the third or fourth name striker on our wishlist, maybe the success rate will take a hit. Maybe having a manager with a strong personality and clear plan has convinced more of our first choice targets this season...?

The things you stumble across when the Well aren't playing. Graham Alexander's Bradford losing to Luton Town who have Devante Cole up front...

I mentioned a few weeks back about Daws, got loads of pelters shen things going bad but hasnt been mentioned during this season and done of the great signings. As for SK, I said plenty times. He done a lot of good but the way he engineered his move from the club and way he threw support under bus was shocking ( plus YouTube interview day wimmer was appointed was total lack of class) We now have an absolute brilliant manager who i am enjoying while we have him

Was thinking that suddenly moving the league game to Sunday 15th not ideal as we now only have 3 days between that and cup tie, same applies to Aberdeen though

I've given Daws a hard time previously, but over the piece, he’s probably earned some credit. Given the numbers and types recruited under JBA, it’s starting to look like he was left carrying the can for some of Kettlewell’s scattergun recruitment.

I think what maybe has become apparent is that, a Head of Recruitment is only as good as the brief he is given. If the manager requests a particular type of player, and a board puts significant financial or other contraints on the identification process, then you are likely to get predictibly poor results......

Sorry - absolutely no idea.

We've given Nick Daws some brickbats in the past, so its only right that he and his team earn some credit here too. Recruitment successes weren't all down to SK.

Being somewhat cynical, how much does that earn us?

Developing and signing players isn’t done in isolation, and it doesn’t wipe out what we were watching every week or how it unravelled. Player development is part of the job, not some bonus achievement, and it’s not a one-man show either. Yes, there were a couple of good assets, and he got a tune out of Bair and gave Miller a platform to develop. But there was also a pile of shite signings, an appalling winless run, poor football, and a messy exit where he blamed the fans. Suggesting he somehow solely bankrolled JBA is a ridiculous take, ignoring all the wider context. His time as Motherwell manager was, overall, a complete failure. His exit, and what followed at Killie, only confirmed that, and it will likely be the same elsewhere unless he actually changes, which he has shown no sign of doing throughout his managerial career so far. He’s an incompetent clown who believes his own hype. But even they get lucky every now and then.

Yes - 7.45 KO

Kettlewells stubborn attachment to a system that he himself proclaimed he had "never played before" was his downfall. Even if he had wanted to continue with the 5-4-1, he should have signed players to allow him to do that. Or at the very least, when he realised his signings couldnt play 5-4-1, he should have changed it. He gets some kudos for his first 18 months, but the way it unravelled so quickly was entirely on him. Remember he also signed Johnny K and then refused to play him when we were struggling for a right back! I dont normally turn on Motherwell managers and am usually the last shouting for their heads, but the way he manufactured his exit will always be a sore point for me, so any of the good stuff that went before, for me, is tarnished.

Shaun Fagan was in 1st year at the school in 1996 🤣...getting your Fagans mixed up with your Ian Ross

Roddie did set up Sean Fagan on Jamie Dolan day, so he'll always have a seat at my bar, he never did score many in his whole career IIRC

In coming 🚨🚀 this is not a drill

Kettlewell wasn't a bad manager for us. When he first came in he did what everyone was screaming for Hammell to do and played a 352 which ultimately kept us in the league. Second season he developed Theo Bair into a 15 goal a season ST to replace KVV who he sold for 500K . Developed Lennon Miller and had Blair Spittal performing to a very high standard. We finished 8th but weren't in any real danger. Season 3 he sold Theo Bair for 1.5m brought in Maswanhise got us to a cup semi final and had us in the top 6 although we were probably about to drop out it when he resigned. His main issues were he tried to turn Lennon Miller into a 10 for god knows what reason, had no idea what to do with Maswanhise he could tell he was talented but had no idea how to use him in his 541. His main flaw he insisted on using a 541 with absolutely no pace in the side which allowed teams to dominate the game and continued that at Killie who I actually think had they not sacked him when they did would be a couple points better off. He got us 6M odd in transfer fees over his spell (I've added the Miller money in as he platformed him and gave him his chance in the team) I didn't enjoy his football but he was a decent enough Motherwell manager and saved the club from relegation when it looked likely. JBA is a far better coach than SK ever will be but that doesn't mean he was awful. The last Motherwell manager I properly disliked was Graham Alexander because it was an absolutely chronic watch. Getting knocked out the Confrence league of Sligo Rovers who had been beaten of our u21s a year or 2 prior was probably reason enough for that alone.

Kettlewell made millions of pounds for the club by developing Lennon Miller and Theo Bair. He also signed our most important player in Maswanhise who will also make us millions, and has basically been the goalscorer that's enabled JBA to be as successful as he has been. So essentially JBA's time at our club will be bankrolled by Kettlewell's 'incompetence' as you put it.

Shaun McSkimming wasn't even that bad. 7 goals in 64 as a midfielder. Roddie on the other hand. 0 goals in 55 as a forward. And that includes missing an open goal from a saved penalty with the goalie face down in a puddle.

Watt was middle of Feb and Hendry was the end of Feb the last time JBA spoke to either player.

If they've picked it up for TV coverage I can't see them getting rid of it.

Thats the last JBA said about them.

With the two recent postponements it could either work in our favour , or against 2-1 win for the good guys in Claret and Amber hopefully, do believe we have won our last 7-8 midweek home games . Must be a recent record

Any more specific news? Earlier the better but I think probably towards end of they are not training yet?

"Sometime in February".