David
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Posts posted by David
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5 minutes ago, wellfan said:
I don't think he’ll be sacked because we can't afford it, but he certainly won't survive in terms of earning himself a new contract with us or another top-flight club. We’re going to limp to the end of the season because that's what the Board and he have set us up to achieve and no more.
The thing is, he's shown that he's got something about him as a coach. He's certainly done more with the likes of Bair than I ever thought possible, and when an individual (or coaching team) can coach a player to the point where he's defying the analytics and numbers, he's definitely got something about him.
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Just now, Onthefringes said:
You do realise the use of data analytics has been around the club for a few years? It’s nothing new. How they are applied is what’s up for debate.
As I said, I'm fairly sure they're using analytics to some degree. I certainly don't believe they're still operating like they were in the 90's. But I just can't see a way in which they're being used correctly. Or to its potential.
When it comes to analytics, you can usually tell if they're being used due to patterns and trends that are visible in the actions of the companies using them after a period of time. I've looked long and hard, and for the life of me, I can't see anything from our transfer business that would suggest they're implementing them.
This is why I've long believed that any issues we have at the moment most likely sit with the recruitment department more than anything else.
As you say, the people running the club aren't idiots. They're certainly not amateurs. And the club is in a reasonably healthy position financially. Kettlewell has proven that he's got something about him as a coach as well.
Which leaves one particular area. In my opinion anyway.
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Just now, joewarkfanclub said:
Once we get rid of the millstone round our neck we might be able to swim more freely......
The only fear I have is that we get rid of said millstone only to continue with our haphazard approach to transfers, except with more money to burn.
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1 minute ago, robsterwood said:
Brighton meticulous about analysis and success speaks for its self. Much more focussed and less of a lottery. Can have world wide data on most players but specific data too.
Don't mention Brighton 😂
I did that and was quickly told that they have a billion dollars to spend on analytics so it doesn't compare.
You're right, though. There's a lot we can take from their approach that can be adjusted to fit with what we're capable of doing.
Our approach at the moment seems so far off the mark that it's not even funny.
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Harking back to my post about data analytics in November, I honestly still believe that a club our size has to box clever, otherwise we will come undone at some point. And that point could very well be now.
We cannot continue the process of throwing shite against the wall every summer and winter and hoping some of it sticks. That's not sustainable.
I said in November that I didn't know if the club were already using data analytics to its advantage, but quite honestly, I've seen very little evidence of this being the case. We could be way better in this area. And we don't need to spend a fortune to get there.
As I said back then, if we put the initial framework in place ahead of a summer window, we'd save a lot on the money we seem to spend during the January window.
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1 hour ago, wellfan said:
The Killie, County, and Morton games over the next week will make or break our season and him. The general feeling from fans is that they're pissed off, according to all the forums. So, if we don't beat the latter two, I think he’ll find it very difficult to come back from that.
I don't know if sacking another backroom staff and manager is the answer. What we've seen during this window is partly due to the fact we've been handing payouts to entire backroom teams like nobody's business.
Also, if the club is being run according to what people say on internet forums, we're in more considerable trouble than anyone could imagine.
Truth is, if we can maintain 9th spot, or even 10th, it's job done. Come the summer, it could be time for a discussion about the manager, but I can't see it being before then unless we hit a significant tailspin.
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11 minutes ago, robsterwood said:
Any the older guys remember we got Francis Jeffers after the window in 2011? At one point £8 million striker. Got 1 in 10 for well but played well. Linked up well
He's 43 now, and last played for Accrington Stanley over ten years ago. Might be within our budget, actually.
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2 minutes ago, MJC said:
Perhaps yes. But at the same time in St.Mirren’s case, with Paisley, would they not have at least as much if not twice more the amount of football fans who follow the Old Firm in their town? Given their proximity to Glasgow then it’s hard to think otherwise surely?
Kilmarnock are a bit more out of the way, but the town and general area will almost certainly have more Celtic/Rangers fans than those who support Killie I would have thought?
That's all just conjecture though really. Factors that can't be proven with data.
All we know for sure is that when you rank all three towns on population, Motherwell comes in at the bottom.
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1 minute ago, MJC said:
But St.Mirren and Kilmarnock don’t seem to have quite the same amount of ‘stay-away’ fans as we do?
Well, we don't know that, do we? You'd need to look at the different sizes of the towns. Paisley has a population twice the size of Motherwell, and while Kilmarnock isn't quite as big, it still has a more significant population than Motherwell.
So, as a percentage of "stay away" fans it could be that they have more than we do?
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6 minutes ago, MJC said:
As I said though we have ‘supporters’ who for whatever reason choose to spend their money elsewhere on match days most weeks. That’s up to them of course.
If we're brutally honest, is Scottish football really worth the entry cost? £20-£20 to sit in the pissing rain and cold to watch football? The facilities are shocking, the food and drink on offer is a joke.
I don't blame anyone for spending their hard earned elsewhere.
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1 minute ago, thewelllfan said:
Well that's why the folk in charge have to start making the right appointments so we don't have to sack them. Whatever idiot gave Alexander that new deal basically crippled the club.
Agreed. It should be very rare when we give a manager anything longer than a 12 month rolling contract, in my opinion.
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Imagine how much more f*cked we'd be financially if we'd binned off Kettlewell and his backroom team earlier this season as well?
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1 hour ago, MJC said:
Noted. But it’s still pretty galling for us to be ‘gazumped’ by them by double and brings us back to the issue we face that fan ownership isn’t feasible for us as a club. This is just my opinion but I don’t see how we can sustain ourselves as a top flight and full time club on our current structure and as I’ve said before if and when we are relegated then part time football is inevitable for us.
Every chance we will eventually be relegated. Virtually every other club around us has been in recent times, so it could just be our turn.
8 minutes ago, wellgirl said:Is he match fit?
Hasn't kicked a ball since November. Take from that what you will.
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1 minute ago, grizzlyg said:
Not much club can do if Blackburn boot us in the baws and KVV goes to a club that are willing to fork out wages on a par with their early 90's when they had victor, Archibald and Tomas Stickroth.
But how are they able to do that? Aren't St Mirren fan owned? Just like us?
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Aren't St Mirren fan-owned? Just like us? Where are they getting the money?
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29 minutes ago, Yassin said:
Like Stephen O'Donnell?
You telling me you think Forrest has a chance of making the Scotland team by coming to Motherwell? Or any other Scottish club for that matter?
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4 minutes ago, gaz7 said:
I'd really like this to happen also. His professionalism , knows how to win and better than any of our attacking players makes it a no brainer if it was at all possible. He maybe thinks he can make euros squad.
If he knows anything about Steve Clarke and the criteria he has for picking players, he'd be asking his agent to find him a move to an English Championship team then.
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1 minute ago, mio said:
Makes us selling him at that price a really good move. There’s no doubt he has ability but he is a big huffy sod and can be a bit unreliable. I wish him well and I’d have taken him back on loan but buying him again or any club buying him at his age is a big risk. Good luck to him.
Not only that, but he signed a deal with them until 2026. There's no way we can match the salary he's getting there, so if he's leaving permanently then he'll surely be looking for more than we can give him?
A loan would be different, of course, because he'd still be getting the salary he agreed with Groningen, with us contributing.
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19 minutes ago, MJC said:
Jack Vale confirmed. A forward, which we need but his goal scoring record is unimpressive, to say the very least.
It's worth bearing in mind that if his goalscoring record was impressive, we'd be nowhere near him.
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4 minutes ago, MJC said:
Its uninspiring and to be honest I would have kept Wilkinson rather than sign this player but it is what it is and he’ll get my support.
I could be wrong, but didn't Wilkinson want away? It's not quite the case that we moved him on entirely of our own choice, is it?
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22 minutes ago, dennyc said:
Maybe Foley just likes using his loose change to see what results he can achieve. Who knows?
That last sentence sums up why I'm not too fond of that kind of situation. No one actually knows. Clubs in Scotland, like Dundee United, have shown they are happy to get a few dollars thrown at them. Taking the money and asking questions later seems to be the order of the day.
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2 minutes ago, dennyc said:
Fair comment I guess. But Foley and his Group do not appear to be fly by nights investing on a whim. And they don't appear (to my amateur eye) to be fleecing Clubs as per the Glaziers at Man Utd. With safeguards in place I think it is a great opportunity for Hibs. With old man Gordon popping his clogs and with his family perhaps less committed they were at a crossroads. But I agree they need to be careful as well as open minded.
Foley has stuck with the Organisations he has invested in and eventually brought them success and gradual improvement. Even his first venture, the Ice Hockey team did the impossible and won the Stanley Cup. He is still involved and committed by all accounts. That augers well for his other involvements.
I'm certainly not saying he's shifty or has ulterior motives, but again, guys like him don't make their fortune by throwing it away on silly projects.
His Vegas ice hockey team winning the Stanley Cup wasn't really "the impossible." The way US sports are set up, many teams have a good chance of winning their major trophy, especially if they can get into the playoffs and so on.
Plus, the Knights are running at $200 million in annual revenue, which is a profit of just over $50 million. Plus, there's a lot to be gained from owning an NHL franchise. His aim of buying into that exclusive group makes perfect sense.
A Scottish football club, though? I don't see him winning any titles any time soon, and the avenues for generating real funds aren't really there in our game.
This suggests to me that the positives and gains to be made by him aren't entirely financial. He's also not for telling either.
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38 minutes ago, texanwellfan said:
Lucas Ross is a goal about every 5 minutes. Why don’t we try him?
Considering that even if we sign Brophy and A.N Other we'd have three fit strikers available. There's a good chance that youth will get a look in.
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22 minutes ago, dennyc said:
What is Foley's track record? I've not been aware of anything of concern from the various organisations he has bought into. Football or otherwise. Or that he is into asset stripping or lining his pockets at the expense of an Organisation. Scotland has had its home grown share of those in the past and he does not fit that pattern. .
The fact his Group has interests in numerous Clubs worldwide sets them apart from any Group with one established Club looking for a wee feeder Club. And with their money, why would they need a feeder Club? He could just buy who he wants.
I understand your suspicion and caution. But I really don't see what the issue is in this case. Time will tell if it works out but I think it is interesting and exciting times ahead for Hibs. Certainly on a more stable basis than when Boyle decided we could take on the big boys.
Again, what does he get out of this? That's all I want to know. Why doesn't he lay out exactly what he gets from this? Beyond the warm fuzzies of being a good egg and all that, of course.
18 minutes ago, Stuwell2 said:On the main point of the - potential - future of the club, yes there seems to be benefits in some sort of tie in with others and at this moment in time there appears to be decent protection against investors screwing clubs but that can change and is possibly why people are investing so I’m nervous about that.
Having said that the potential downside that we could be left dropping further behind our competitors and those below us leaving us a championship team or worse means that I think we must seriously look at the options before ruling them out.Again, the same question applies here. If, in theory, a bigger club wants to "affiliate" with a club like ours, the question is why? They obviously don't need us, so why are they doing it?
And it's not so much getting screwed over that doesn't sit right with me. It's the fact that such relationships often change the club at its very core.
It's extremely rare that extremely wealthy people or organisations part with their money without wanting something in return. If they were the type of people to do that, they wouldn't be where they are in life.
2023/24 ins & outs discussion
in Club Chat
Posted
In most cases, yes, that's how it works. The question most would have is did Kettlewell specifically ask Nick Daws for players in the positions we signed this window? If so, it may raise some questions as to why the manager has seen those particular positions as a requirement.
However, and I believe this to be the most likely scenario, the manager has asked for players in a number of positions, and the recruitment team wasn't able to identify suitable targets in those areas, or they managed to and the club couldn't get the deals over the line.
The question then has to be, is whoever is negotiating the deals on behalf of the club up to the task? Or has the recruitment department not been aligned on what we can afford as a club regarding playing targets?
A lot of variables, and without being inside the club, there's little way of knowing which it actually is.
All I can tell from the outside looking in is that there's no distinct pattern or trend in the signings we make, which is why I question how analytics are being used. They are more than likely being utilised in some way, but how that is, I don't know.