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The Small-Medium Rebuild 2018'19


Andy_P
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6 hours ago, David said:

Not sure that there's really much of a track record of players leaving a club that's capable of paying 3 times what we could and moving directly to QoS or Falkirk, is there?

Probably quite a few, in broad terms.  Brian McLair for example went south too early to aston Villa and ended up back with us.  Alan Martin thought he was a much better keeper than he actually was and after hawking himself around English clubs he ended up at Ayr and now QoS.  More recently, Fraser Kerr, came back to us from a stint at Birmingham City.  Another example is Robbie Leitch - where is he now?

Going back to the original question of whether its better to jump ship early for big money or to wait, a year or two, to mature, posters on this board have already answered that.  Some good posts, but it depends entirely on the individual.  For some, leaving early is good for others its a bad move.  It depends on a young lad's maturity, character and personal circumstances. Leaving home at 16, 17, 18 or even 19 is a big move for anyone and some can't wait whilst others are very loathe to leave home and familiar surroundings.   For some money is god, for others there's more important things in life.  I've known several excellent and very well thought of colleagues in my career, who could easily have risen up the career ladder but had no interest in doing so because they didn't want extra responsibility, pressure or to move away. At the other extreme I've come across others, with lesser talent, who didn't care who they trampled over to gain a few extra pounds.

In short each to their own.  For some young lads its better to stay a year or two; for others its better to leave early for more money down south.  I'll end with advice I was given and many of you may have been given also "Be nice to folk on the way up as you might meet them again on the way back down."        

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Best of luck to Hastie whatever he does. I for one would love to see him sign and become a well legend! I do however think its soul destroying when  loosing top talent and having to try to replace our own with lesser players. Cant see us winning another cup anytime soon. We need to sign up our best young players earlier.  Scouts knew he was quality.Please sign Jake! 

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9 hours ago, David said:

Lee Erwin left Leeds after two years of a three year deal, earning great money and being given a payout to end his contract early I believe. He then ended up at Kilmarnock, where he played around 40 times and could have remained if he'd chosen to.

Despite him choosing to chase more money in Iran of all places, the fact is that he did go away down south, earn a decent wedge, then came back to SPFL level. 

Slane's problems started with his cruciate injury, which could easily have happened at Motherwell as it did at Celtic. The only real difference was that he had a four year contract at Celtic, which included three years of a good wage and a payout to leave early.

He's since been suggested as having pissed away a lot of his money, which doesn't mean he was wrong to make the move, it means he's a walloper most likely, and you can't account for that. He'd likely have been a walloper had he stayed with us as well.

A smart footballer will go where the money is within reason, keep his head down, train and act like a professional, and if they're good enough they'll do well in the game and more importantly be able to continue living well after their time playing is up.

In all of this discussion my main point is that you strike when the iron is hot. There's no guarantee that a Norwich, Leeds, Celtic or whoever are going to revisit and make the same offer in a year or two. 

The whole "don't move on quite yet, stay and better your game and learn your craft" chat usually comes from the club and the fans of the club who stand to lose said player on the cheap. If the same player was under contract and the interested club offered a sizeable fee the tone of the discussion would be different.

We look at the likes of Hastie's situation as fans of Motherwell. We want him to stay and improve mostly because it will help the team, and because we'd get a tidy fee if he continues to improve and we can punt him at a later date.

And if he gets crocked or falls away? Ah well, that's how it goes, right? What he does after his time in the game finishes is of fuck all concern to us unless he's a decent coach and can work with the kids. 

From a Motherwell fc point of view .

Well every time a promising player is lost, dedpite knowing his huge potential. Its inevitable we cant keep them as time elapses. Soul destroying. Cant build on our own youth players and we will not win anything.

Injuries happen at any time.  Do see that player may earn more and to move may be the more adtute decision but what I am annoyed at us that Hastie was not given longer contract earlier. He has been tried against top players in training every day. Also loan spells proved he was more than adept at young age. Sign up mr Hastie!

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14 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

Probably quite a few, in broad terms.  Brian McLair for example went south too early to aston Villa and ended up back with us.

Christ, you're going back a bit there, are you not? Was the gulf in finances on offer back then as wide as they are now? And didn't McClair begin his career at Villa? It's not as though he was with a club like Motherwell and knocked back a contract to go down there, is it? Or am I remembering wrong?

14 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

Alan Martin thought he was a much better keeper than he actually was and after hawking himself around English clubs he ended up at Ayr and now QoS.

Then surely, if he wasn't that good to begin with, the best option for him was to make as much money early on as he possibly could? Or do you think that despite not being that good he'd have flourished with us and eventually landed a big transfer to a club who could pay him more money?

If anything he's a prime example of why you should strike when the iron is hot. He somehow got a chance to sign for Leeds on a two year contract despite not being good enough to play a game for us. 

The one wildcard factor in all of this is that the majority of young players coming through at virtually any club simply won't make it at a high level. Martin is probably an example of that, and I don't think that turning down the two year Leeds deal with better money would have meant he'd be playing for us or another club of our level rather than fucking about in the lower leagues today.

Like you say, there is no right or wrong answer, especially when you're at such a young age. I'm probably talking as an adult, who would be thinking ahead to making sure that I had enough dough in the bank to provide my future kids and wife with a life that I didn't have, where they have far more opportunities than I did.

I'd rank those priorities higher than any trophies or medals I'd win in the game. But that's just me. 

 

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The thing I hate about this bullshit is the "its a short career" bollocks. Yes, pro footballer may be a relatively short career, but its not as if you stop being capable of working as soon as you turn 33! Get a fucking proper job and work till your in your 60's like the rest of us mugs! Even in football, you can be a coach, manager, physio,official, scout , pundit etc all long after you retire so its not even as if you have to leave the game completely. What gives a footballer the right to swan around "training" for 10 hours  a week and then playing a match and think they are entitled to retire and never work again once they hit 35?

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17 minutes ago, Shaka said:

The thing I hate about this bullshit is the "its a short career" bollocks. Yes, pro footballer may be a relatively short career, but its not as if you stop being capable of working as soon as you turn 33! Get a fucking proper job and work till your in your 60's like the rest of us mugs! Even in football, you can be a coach, manager, physio,official, scout , pundit etc all long after you retire so its not even as if you have to leave the game completely. What gives a footballer the right to swan around "training" for 10 hours  a week and then playing a match and think they are entitled to retire and never work again once they hit 35?

It is a modern phenomenon. Back in the day, a footballer might end up with a testimonial andmakeenough money to buy a pub and then drink himself into an early grave. Newsagents shops or sports shops were also popular options. Now, at the top end,there are so many players on silly money, many could quite feasibly earn enough to be in a position where they never have to work again. As such, this is now seen as the industry norm rather than an option for the nth percent at the top of the game. Thus, if someone plying their tradein the SPL or say League One ( Third Division inold money) in Englanshire, isn’t getting themselves into that sort of financial position then they, or their agents, begin to think that something is not working quite right for them. The reality is that not that many are ever capable of reaching these financial heights and many that could  get greedy and lose out with ill advised investments and tax avoidance schemes.

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1 hour ago, Shaka said:

The thing I hate about this bullshit is the "its a short career" bollocks. Yes, pro footballer may be a relatively short career, but its not as if you stop being capable of working as soon as you turn 33! Get a fucking proper job and work till your in your 60's like the rest of us mugs! Even in football, you can be a coach, manager, physio,official, scout , pundit etc all long after you retire so its not even as if you have to leave the game completely. What gives a footballer the right to swan around "training" for 10 hours  a week and then playing a match and think they are entitled to retire and never work again once they hit 35?

It is a short career and it's like any other earn as much money as they can, as that's the only reason any of us work. So if they are good enough at their job to be able to earn enough cash to retire at 35 and never work again, fair play to them. Given the chance in our own jobs everyone of us would do the same :nod:

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1 hour ago, Spiderpig said:

It is a short career and it's like any other earn as much money as they can, as that's the only reason any of us work. So if they are good enough at their job to be able to earn enough cash to retire at 35 and never work again, fair play to them. Given the chance in our own jobs everyone of us would do the same :nod:

Not dosagreeing at all, but just call it what it is! Its a Financial Decision, not a Career Decision! Anyone would do it, just dont come out with the "its a Career decision to go to X,Y,Z" when in reality its simply cause you can earn 4 times your current salary while fucking around in an under 23 team for a few years

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Fully expect Hastie to sign, don't think there is much doubt about it either.

We have only just given him his chance so what would the chances of someone down south actually playing him? I'm going to say significantly less. The money for both the club and player here is continue to progress for another few years.

We need to make sure anyone like this is tied down sooner IMO. I know it's hindsight but according to anyone you speak at the club a blindman could see Turnbull and Hastie's potential last year so I'm not sure why we would have anyone out on loan to develop like that and not signed up.

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On 2/13/2019 at 11:37 AM, Spiderpig said:

I see the BBC gossip page has us potentially linked with Armenian international keeper Henri Avagyan, Wonder if Carson or Gillespie might be moving on

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47223047

Good longer term deal as well. Hope he fulfils the early promise. Sure he will. Sounds positive on Hastie and Maguire as well.

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2 hours ago, superward said:

Good longer term deal as well. Hope he fulfils the early promise. Sure he will. Sounds positive on Hastie and Maguire as well.

Yes, i’m hopefull given that, more good news to come ?

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51 minutes ago, fizoxy said:

Might have got lost in the shuffle but it was mentioned that we’re trying to get Cadden signed too.

haven't heard anything about livingstone, things seem to be quiet about him.

Is it not the case that we need to offer Cadden a new contract to be entitled to compensation?  At least equivalent contract...

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47265833

Motherwell: Jake Hastie on Gareth Bale, autographs & contract talks

By Scott Mullen

 

BBC Sport Scotland

3 hours ago
Jake Hastie scores incredble long-range shot against St Mirren

"I still watch him now and try to replicate him. Before games, I go on to YouTube and watch some of his clips and a couple of his goals."

Inspiration can be found in the most unusual places in football. The training ground, the moment of genius of a team-mate, or even a hair-dryer team-talk from an irate manager.

For Motherwell's Jake Hastie, it is in watching online videos of his idol and Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale.

The 19-year-old has shot to prominence since returning to Fir Park from a loan spell at Alloa Athletic, scoring four goals and creating one in just five games.

However, Well fans thinking the blistering runs and aggressive attacking play are all down to him would be mistaken.

"I looked up to Gareth Bale a lot when I was younger," Hastie told BBC Scotland ahead of Sunday's Scottish Premiership match with Hearts. 

"When he was at Spurs in the Premier League before he made his move to Real Madrid, that's when I really focused on him.

"Now, there's stuff he does that I try and replicate - especially his explosive runs. When I pick up the ball, I'll try and go to beat two or three players like he does.

"I always do it then I'll watch him to see how I can work on my game and bring in certain aspects of his. I want to try and make something happen like he does." 

Jake Hastie
Jake Hastie has scored four goals in five games since returning to Motherwell in January

Autographs, pictures & living the dream

It is not often the comparison is made between a Motherwell youth academy player and the man who in 2013 held the world's biggest transfer fee at £85.3m.

But the impact he has made at Fir Park cannot be questioned. 

Upon returning from Alloa, his goals, assists and dynamism have helped drive Stephen Robinson's side to five Scottish Premiership wins in a row.

Hastie, who spent the first half of the season at the Championship club with four goals in 27 games, admits even he has been surprised by his rapid ascent.

"It's like a dream come true," he said. "I came up through the academy from the age of nine and this has been my dream to break through. I just want to keep doing that.

"My friend's little brother plays with one of the younger age groups, so I went down to see him. I then got out the car and people are asking for autographs and pictures.

"It made me stand back. It blew me away a wee bit."

Motherwell's Hastie a great kid - Robinson

'I don't want to go anywhere'

Hastie's current contract at the Scottish Premiership club runs out in the summer with negotiations ongoing about an extension.

While a conclusion has yet to be reached, the forward's mind already seems made up. 

"I don't want to go anywhere," he said. "I want to stay here, keep my feet on the ground and keep progressing.

"I've been lucky to come in straight away. Hopefully I can keep doing what I'm doing."

 

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34 minutes ago, Yorkyred said:

Really good to read those comments from Hastie, hopefully Maguire is another wanting to commit.

I'm cautiously optimistic after reading this article, but given the Simo Valakari nonsense,  I'll believe it when it is confirmed.

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24 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

I'm cautiously optimistic after reading this article, but given the Simo Valakari nonsense,  I'll believe it when it is confirmed.

My worry would still be a big offer coming  in from down south which turns his, and his agents head. I do however believe he wants to stay with us.

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