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David

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Posts posted by David

  1. On 2/14/2024 at 7:23 PM, Clackscat said:

    I agree a lot of our recruitment has been questionable to say the least, but I'm wondering how much of that is down to Daws?

    We aren't party to targets he has identified but have not wanted to come to us for financial reasons.

    Perhaps 4 targetted players for a position have knocked us back and we are recruiting  'way down his list', at 5th choice or worse, so maybe not surprising a lot haven't worked out?

    As I say merely wondering if thats the case?

    Thing is, when it comes to recruitment, the buck stops with the head of the department. 

    He knows our budget; it's his job to find players in the positions the manager identifies. If he isn't capable, then he needs to be replaced. 

  2. 16 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

    That said, my main issue with SK is his in game decision making which has at times been left wanting and on occasion quite baffling.

    I agree with that. What I would say is that if he had all of the other qualities mentioned above, and his weaknesses weren't there, he wouldn't be our manager.

    I'd wager that the issues he has with in-game management will solve themselves over time. He's still relatively young in the management game.

  3. On 2/12/2024 at 6:06 PM, wellgirl said:

    Im not sure we were punching above our weight to be honest. I do agree with the sentiment that there's no point in breaking the bank to end up a couple of places higher in the SPL but surely we should be aiming for higher than just above relegation.

    When you look at our finances, our wage bill, and the size of our crowds, we're pretty much sitting where we should be in the league as it stands. 

    Every season, there's a club or two that punch above their weight for any number of reasons. It could be a good run of squad fitness, a few good signings, or a manager and squad that gel well together. 

    In seasons past, we've been among those clubs, finishing in the top six. We've also watched Livingston do it as well.

    This season, it's Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Dundee to an extent. 

    In general, the top six clubs in the top flight of Scottish football in any given season should be (in no particular order) Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, and Dundee United. 

    While we've been performing above what we should be, we've seen Dundee United, Aberdeen, and Hibs regularly underperform. 

    Anywhere from 7th to 12th is really where we could expect to finish in any given season, but we always hope to do better. more importantly, we plan financially to finish 10th and have no cup runs, so anything above and beyond that is a bonus.

    On 2/12/2024 at 8:55 PM, wellfan said:

    Au contraire, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that Kettlewell and our squad will perform just as well or better than those around us. As you noted, the Morton cup game is no more a definitive indicator of how the rest of the season will go than the County league game is. However, what is an indicator of our probable league form is the almost baron run we've witnessed from September to now, excepting the Livi and County games. If we stick, I think the almost baron run will most likely continue, which is what I thought last year, and it's probably too late now anyway. 

    No, there is something to suggest we'll perform just as well or better than those around us. Form over the past 25 or so games. You can't just dismiss that. 

    As things stand, 25 games into the season, we've won more games than Livingston and Ross County and the same number of games as St Johnstone.

    Only Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, and Kilmarnock have lost fewer games than we have. We've also scored the most goals out of all the bottom six sides, with only the Old Firm, Hearts and Dundee scoring more.

    Only St Johnstone has conceded fewer goals than us in the bottom six. 

    So, as things stand, we've won more games than two of our immediate relegation rivals and the same number of games as another, but we have two games in hand on one rival and one in hand on another.

    We've lost the fewest games in the bottom six, scored the most goals in the bottom six, and only one team in the bottom six has conceded fewer. 

    So yeah, there's a fair bit to suggest that Kettlewell and our squad will perform better or just as well as those around us. 

     

    • Like 4
  4. On 2/13/2024 at 11:59 AM, wellfan said:

    Either this means we won't see the back of Daws anytime soon, or it's replacing him. I hope it's the latter.

    https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2024/02/13/partnership-with-off-the-pitch/

    This platform is more finance-driven than player-driven statistics. It's a welcome addition, though, as anything that helps us tighten up our processes across the board is a good thing.

    It certainly won't be replacing Daws. No software can do that. We're always going to need a Head of Recruitment and a team of analysts. These platforms, and the ones I have messed about with in the past, can provide all the information you need, but someone has to act upon it. 

  5. 19 minutes ago, robsterwood said:

    Van veen scored 36 in 49 games in Dutch football which you didn't include in stats, and div 1 is higher level than spl so it's not too surprising to see record increase. Also Spittal has always scored for teams he has played for and got assists. Ross county wanted to keep him. 

    It cannot be argued that Van Veen was a better player when he walked out the door at Fir Park than he was when he arrived. If he were pulling up the same stats and performances before we signed him, he'd have never come to Motherwell in the first place.

    Spittal is a good player, but again, he's really taken it to a new level this season. 

    I honestly don't see how anyone can look at his body of coaching work while he's been here and claim that Kettlewell has been anything other than very good. 

    Recruitment, how the club is run, finances and all that? Open to criticism, for sure. But Kettlewell is the coach, and while he'll have some say in the positions the team needs filling, he won't be acting as the head of recruitment. We already have a guy and a team for that.

    I personally think our recruitment process is incredibly flawed, as I've said elsewhere. But the coaching is good enough I think.

  6. The issue I have is that the manager is the one candidate who takes the brunt of failings elsewhere in the club.

    I was unsure about Kettlewell when he came in, but having had the second half of last season and all of this season to see what he's all about, I think I'd have to say that he's one of the best football coaches in the division.

    He came in last season and helped Van Veen become a goal machine. Van Veen had 13 goals in 29 games before Kettlewell came in. He got 16 goals in 15 games post-Kettlewell. 

    This is a guy who managed 24 goals in 139 games in League One in England. That works out roughly at a goal every ten games or so. 

    I give the player himself a lot of credit for that, but when you see an uptick in form like that when a new coach comes in with new ideas and a new coaching style, it's usually connected as well.

    Theo Bair, I don't need to get into. I'm still absolutely astounded at the turnaround in that guy. Before he came here, everything about him suggested he was not a professional-level footballer. His stats, and not just his goalscoring numbers, at other clubs, were laughable in many cases. His xG and so on was abysmal.

    Throw in the fact that his failure was taking place at levels like the bottom of MLS at a Canadian side who were terrible during that time and the Norwegian second division. 

    At St Johnstone, he looked like a tall, rangy basketball player who was trying to become a footballer. 

    What he's doing now is down to three things - Athletic ability, work ethic, and a very high level of coaching. 

    Blair Spittal has quietly become something of a revelation this season. Again, it's not just down to the coaching, but that's a huge part of it. Paul McGinn has looked better this season than last, and even the likes of Stephen O'Donnell and Harry Paton look like improved players, to some degree, this season.

    The only blot in the copybook is Liam Kelly, and I'm not sure what can really be done when a keeper hits a bad run of form and makes individual mistakes. 

    That's not all coincidence. It's the kind of team spirit that the manager has created at the club and some really good coaching.

    Which is why I think we'd be mental to let him go. 

    Yes, there's issues at the club. But for me, the manager and level of coaching are the only thing that's saved us from tail spinning entirely.

    Sort out the recruitment team and get things in order at the very top, and I think we'd be in good shape.

    • Like 7
  7. Although I wouldn't classify them as trolls like the few posters I meant, I do question the sense and logic of those wanting the manager removed at this point in the season.

    We're sitting 8th, and it's February. The current manager has actually exceeded all expectations as far as I'm concerned. He's done very well with what is one of the worst squads I've seen at Motherwell in years. He's also turned the analytics on their head with Theo Bair, which is no mean feat. 

    I shudder to think if we did get rid of Kettlewell, who we'd bring in next on our increasingly shrinking budget.

  8. 3 hours ago, wellfan said:

    Perhaps this is the type of challenge that drives people to such jobs. I'm not of that managerial/leader mindset, but many are. The vacancy doesn't have to be seen as a negative; it's also an exciting opportunity to help lead a Premiership club. The budget should also be better by summer, given we won't be funding a bloated squad or three management teams. At the end of the day, if we still can't attract and secure a suitable candidate by the end of the season, questions will have to be asked of who's making that judgement.

    it really depends. The job at Motherwell will likely appeal more to a younger, less experienced candidate looking to make his or her name in the industry.

    The job is far from a negative. All I'm saying is that it'll be tough to attract someone who is both highly capable and experienced. With experience tends to come more money. 

    As for the financial repercussions of paying off management teams, let's wait and see how we get on over the next few months. I wouldn't be surprised if fans are clamouring for a sacking before the season is out, thus repeating the cycle.

  9. 1 minute ago, wellfan said:

    As I said above, we can all reassess come the summer and see if the leadership team's work and talk comes to anything other than more failure or sticking plasters.

    You also need to remember that the leadership team we have is more than happy to step aside if a more qualified candidate is willing to come in and do the job.

    I guess it depends if any highly capable and experienced CEOs fancy coming into a job where they have a very tight budget, and are tasked with enticing someone with a lot of money to part with their cash for little to no return.

  10. 1 hour ago, joewarkfanclub said:

    Looks like Kelly starts if todays presser is anything to go by.

    Manager doubling down on his support for his Captain.

    Loyalty is a great quality to have. But it can be blinding at times. Hopefully not the case here and Kelly repays him with a good performance 

    I think it's more than loyalty at play. 

    The one thing Kettlewell has had in our bad run of winless games is the full support of the squad. We've seen what can happen to managers when they piss off the majority of the squad or even just the influential dressing room leaders.

    He's had that support because he's played it very smart regarding squad harmony. 

    Like him or not, Liam Kelly is a huge presence in that dressing room. He's the captain for a reason. From what I've heard, the players rate him very highly, and to remove him from the team would basically be Kettlewell signing his own P45 at this stage. 

    We've seen at Ross County how far some man-management skills can take you. Absolutely nothing Derek Adams said about his squad was incorrect. But because of how he handled it, the players pretty much downed tools from day one. He was never getting that squad back onside.

    Kettlewell has retained the squad behind him partly because of how vocal he's been in support of a very influential player who's having a tough time. He's been incredibly smart in that regard, and it's why we're sitting where we are in the league instead of lower down the table.

    Look at the managers who work with Kelly regularly. Kettlewell and Clarke. Now, on form alone, Kelly should be nowhere near the Scotland squad. 

    But he is. Why? Because Clarke knows that a third-choice keeper is likely never going to get game time, but again, in that dressing room, Kelly is well-liked and respected by the other players in the Scotland squad. He adds a ton in squad harmony, and we've seen how far that has gotten Scotland. 

    There's a method to the madness, basically. In my opinion.

    • Like 1
  11. 11 minutes ago, wellfan said:

    It only doesn't apply because you've got a different opinion from me here. You don't know what's been happening behind closed doors, nor do I, hence the varied opinions bandied on here.

    Well, no. We do know what's been going on behind closed doors to an extent. For example, we know the club have been talking to potential investors, and we know they have been engaged with a marketing company to try to help drive interest and brand awareness. 

    So, by that very fact alone, the sleepwalking into disaster phrase isn't applicable.

    You may not like or rate what the leadership team have done, but that's a different story.

    13 minutes ago, wellfan said:

    You may be content with dropping to the Championship, but I am not.

    Nope, not content. Just saying that if it was a choice of spending money we don't really have in order to try to keep up with the likes of Killie and St Mirren, then I'd rather not. 

    Big difference.

  12. 1 minute ago, wellfan said:

    It's merely a turn of phrase I use to sum up my assessment of recent years being that of decline, mistakes, and sticking plasters.

    Yeah, but its a turn of phrase that doesn't really apply. It suggests the club is being run by people sitting idly by while we hurtle towards disaster, which isn't the case at all. 

    2 minutes ago, wellfan said:

    We can all reassess our position come summer, when we will hopefully and belatedly have a permanent CEO, a new Chair, and a new management and recruitment team. And all that should bring a strategic reset to alter the path described above. But, for now, it very much seems like a managed decay. 

    I'm not sure it's been a managed decay, either. I think, and most fans won't like this, that we're basically "finding our level" as a fan-owned club. And we may find that our level isn't top-flight in Scottish football.

    Our average attendance, for example, is 8th in the top flight this season, above Ross County and Livingston. That would be third in the Championship. 

    I have been saying for years that when we were finishing top six and qualifying for Europe, we were punching above our weight, and many disagreed, but the statistics tell a different story. 

    As a fan-owned club, we rank as a bottom-half Premiership/top-half Championship club.

    If we don't have the money to compete at the very top of the Scottish game, we will eventually be found out. It happens. The law of averages catches everyone at some point, and there's only so long we can pull a rabbit out of the hat every season. 

    Basically, we are where we're supposed to be. Near the bottom of the top flight. Success is avoiding relegation and staying financially viable as a football club. 

    And that last point is crucial, by the way. I know that I'd rather still have a club to support in the Championship than spend money we don't have to try and finish 7th in the Premiership.

  13. It's that time again, and as we head towards the end of the season, we have the following player's loans ending or out of contract unless I'm mistaken (please let me know if any of these have changed):

    End of loan deals

    • Jili Buyabu
    • Georgie Gent
    • Adam Devine
    • Jack Vale
    • Oli Shaw

    Out of contract (1st team squad)

    • Liam Kelly
    • Aston Oxborough
    • Bevis Mugabi
    • Ricki Lamie
    • Stephen O'Donnell
    • Callan Elliot
    • Paul McGinn
    • Barry Maguire
    • Calum Butcher
    • Callum Slattery
    • Sam Nicholson
    • Blair Spittal
    • Jonathan Obika
    • Mark Ferrie

    The players who we'd still have under contract are as follows:

    • Dan Casey (under contract until May 2025)
    • Shane Blaney (under contract until May 2025)
    • Davor Zdravkovski (under contract until May 2025)
    • Lennon Miller (under contract until May 2025)
    • Harry Paton (under contract until May 2025)
    • Andy Halliday (under contract until May 2025)
    • Theo Bair (under contract until May 2025)
    • Ross Tierney (under contract until May 2025)

    There's a whole load of youth players who's contracts are up as well, and who have been out on loan. I'm not going to add them to this discussion.

     

    Wider squad discussions

    Goalkeeper - Unless we re-sign one of the current goalkeepers, we'll be going into next season with a brand new goalkeeper and backup. Both of our first-team keepers are out of contract, and so are Matthew Connelly and Josh Bogan. 

    I don't think we'll re-sign Liam Kelly. I reckon it's reached the stage now where it's probably best for all parties if we move on. He could do with a fresh environment, and we could probably do with someone else. 

    Will be interesting to see what happens here.

    Defence - With Mugabi, O'Donnell, McGinn and Butcher all out of contract, there could be a relatively new-look defence for next season. As tempting as it may be for the club, the only player I'd retain from our out-of-contract list is McGinn. I think we need a change. 

    Gent is out of contract at the end of this season, I think, but I doubt we'll see him again. 

    We'd also be losing Lamie, although he's been out of the picture for a while. Casey and Blaney will be retained unless we decide to move them on.

    Midfield - Priority here has to be Spittal. I'd be looking to match whatever St Mirren or anyone else is offering unless it gets daft. He's a quality operator and is probably at the ceiling of the kind of quality a club like us can hope to attract. 

    We retain Miller for another season, although I think we'll look to sell this season unless he signs for another year. That might not be as crazy as it sounds, as he's not featured much this season. A full season with us next year and a move next summer might be for the best, but I guess we'll see. 

    I'd let Maguire move on, but have a feeling the club will offer Slattery a deal. I'm not fussed either way really.

    Davor I'm happy to keep, Paton likely won't be going anywhere if Kettlewell is retained.

    Forwards - Obika has to be let go. I'm not sure Nicholson warrants being kept around, so we likely head into the summer with one recognised striker in Bair.

    We need to make some proper moves in this department. 

    So, that's the squad for next season as things stand. 

    I'll be honest, going into the summer with all of the above and having Nick Daws in charge of recruitment gives me the fear. 

    • Like 1
  14. Here's my question to those talking about us "sleepwalking our way to disaster."

    The consensus is that this term means someone or an organisation "proceeding towards a negative outcome or catastrophe without being fully aware of the consequences or taking appropriate action to prevent it. It suggests a state of being unaware, passive, or complacent in the face of impending danger or trouble, much like someone who is sleepwalking is unaware of their surroundings or actions."

    Yet we see the same people using this term on this forum openly admitting that the club has been "seeking a beneficiary that can provide shortfall funding when we are not self-sustainable/propped up by the society for approximately 18 months now."

    This would suggest that we're not "sleepwalking our way to disaster." The club is making plans and moves to bring in external funding. We need to realise, though, that it's not easy to do that. 

    Companies that can claim to offer a solid business plan and a good chance of a decent return on investment find it difficult to bring in funding. A small Scottish football club that can offer a slim opportunity to make a profit on investment will find it incredibly hard. 

    • Like 2
  15. On 2/9/2024 at 11:08 PM, wellgirl said:

    Not arguing over it. Just saying I think it's a bit odd that people are shouting for Kettlewells head right now. Nothing he does is good enough. Depressingly predicable 

    It's worth remembering that when you say "people" what you're talking about are a handful of trolls, basically. 

    The same "people" who are nowhere to be seen when we win, yet are logged in the minute the final whistle is blown on a defeat. 

    They're given the opportunity to post their nonsense on this forum because it's a place for opinions, and unless they're being way over the top (as one was and has since been put on post-approval) or outright nasty, they're allowed their views.

    But don't mistake that for them or their views being taken seriously. 

    • Like 3
  16. On 2/7/2024 at 8:48 AM, MJC said:

    I have the fear big time for this one.

    Hopefully SK keeps the same team, if possible, but if he makes unnecessary changes and we go out then the pressure will be right back on him. 
     

    I stand by my prediction of us to wear our change kit even though we don’t need to (I know, I know, commercial reasons etc) and for us to lose.

    Honestly, if you " have the fear" after we just scudded a rival 5-0 and played some really good football, and are playing against a team that is 4th in the Championship, then when exactly would you ever be confident?

  17. 2 hours ago, Well Well said:

    Still no sign of the doom mongers...like a breath of fresh air.

    Thing is, if they only show up to wind people up when we lose, that could be classified as trolling.

    And trolling is worthy of a ban, some might say. Maybe a three-day ban after we next lose a game? Would be a shame, eh? 

  18. 16 minutes ago, gaz7 said:

    Wasn't just you giving stick david was quite a few.

    I can't agree with your "stick was entirely warranted" comment any player coming to us should get benefit of doubt initially in my book but that's another debate.

    I guess it depends on what you mean by "stick."

    For example, whenever I was in the stadium watching the team, I never booed the guy. Or anyone on our team actually, as it's never productive. I always showed him support when the team were playing.

    I guess all I did was question his signing and what he'd shown to that point to warrant being signed. But I always said that I'd love nothing more than him coming in and being one of the few who take his stats and turn them on their head. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it really is a beautiful thing.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
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