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Over the years there have been managers a lot worse than Alexander, Hynd... Watson...Kampman (jeez!!), Malpas (jeez Part 2), McGhee (2nd spell)

As I have said before the problem with Alexander is he is just a guy I find hard to take to. I don't expect a 'hey guys, how's tricks ' but I do expect a manager who at least gives impression he is trying his best to improve us.  When Robbo left it was the right decision but at least with Robbo there was a side to him where he genuinely was trying everything but alas it just wasn't happening.

There could well be a different side to Alexander that we don't see and he has the players all on board but I am not convinced. Don't have any evidence, just my own personal hunch.

At this moment in time my wish is I wake up on Friday morning knowing we are in the next round.....COYW

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25 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

And add Gannon to list also 

that's some list :)

Feels like a long time since played some decent footy.  Both McCall and McGhee v1 had some great spells of not just picking up points but entertaining the fans. 

Think this is why so many are pissed with current regime - even when we were winning Aug-Dec 21 it was bloody awful to watch.   Tony Watts class was the difference. 

The cyclical debate will continue until we're no longer top 6.  Future viewing will be painful to watch win/lose/draw but doubt we'll sack as manager  for anything other than a poor eague position.

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1 hour ago, Yorkyred said:

To be honest I show more support to Motherwell than I’ve ever seen from you. The only time you are ever happy is when we lose. You actually want rid of me because I’m positive.

i can tell from your posts, how invested you are, bud...rather read your rational , constructive posts than stream of negativity we get form whoever

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9 minutes ago, Great Balls of Shire said:

i can tell from your posts, how invested you are, bud...rather read your rational , constructive posts than stream of negativity we get form whoever

Very kind

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We need to get real we have played one game this season, there was positive signs of passing football from what i saw, we had no penetration up front and need a quality striker. Van Veen should never had played but it shows how short we are that he felt the need to play him. We need to see what happens over the coming months before kicking Alexander out who knows with another couple of signings we may see improvements. May i say that IMO the signings this year look like an upgrade on what we let go/sold i hope that we see another couple of quality additions

I'm sure Alexander knows its a results business and if the results are the same as we had the second half of last season then he and the board will know the outcome.

Just look at the League Cup results there are many shock results as players and teams settle down, St J,Hibs , Kilmarnock and St Motherwell Reserves

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Waiting until we get embarrassed in Europe by a lesser team before finally signing the players and making the tactical changes this squad desperately needs is criminal behaviour. Yet, many on this forum appear content with this approach through their parroting of the '...give Alexander some time to get the season going and get some more new signings in before we judge him...' line. This attitude defies belief and has no place in professional competitive sports. Alexanderball was honking last season, and he got lucky, but we all know this. A well-run club should have most of its significant and necessary signings and required tactical changes sorted before and during the preseason, not after the first set of competitive fixtures. This view is particularly pertinent considering the dire form of the second half of last season and the volume of players we released. Therefore, I'd suggest that anyone signed by Alexander from hereon in will be a reactionary panic to try to delay his inevitable departure. 

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16 minutes ago, wellfan said:

Waiting until we get embarrassed in Europe by a lesser team before finally signing the players and making the tactical changes this squad desperately needs is criminal behaviour. Yet, many on this forum appear content with this approach through their parroting of the '...give Alexander some time to get the season going and get some more new signings in before we judge him...' line. This attitude defies belief and has no place in professional competitive sports. Alexanderball was honking last season, and he got lucky, but we all know this. A well-run club should have most of its significant and necessary signings and required tactical changes sorted before and during the preseason, not after the first set of competitive fixtures. This view is particularly pertinent considering the dire form of the second half of last season and the volume of players we released. Therefore, I'd suggest that anyone signed by Alexander from hereon in will be a reactionary panic to try to delay his inevitable departure. 

Not endorsing the recruitment thus far, but, your argument has more holes than Swiss cheese.

Fans are obsessed with signings. Check social media… The journalists who cover transfers have the most followers. 

But, research has shown that cohesion/stability are key… and that the most successful teams don’t actually make many signings in one window. 

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Just now, Onthefringes said:

Not endorsing the recruitment thus far, but, your argument has more holes than Swiss cheese.

Fans are obsessed with signings. Check social media… The journalists who cover transfers have the most followers. 

But, research has shown that cohesion/stability are key… and that the most successful teams don’t actually make many signings in one window. 

Recruitment argument aside then, what has Alexander changed since we sold Watt? Cohesion/stability? No. He's dropped our captain, rotated players in/out of positions, put square pegs into round holes, persevered with only one proper (injured) striker, signed duds and released duds, not addressed other weaknesses, etc. What do people honestly see in Alexander in terms of his potential to make us a relative and occassional enjoyable success that I cannot see?

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Like most of the support, I was concerned with the level and style of football we had to endure last season which was only made acceptable by our staggering over the line into the top 6 and eventually a European slot. I was prepared to give the manager the start of the season to prove that he had learned lessons and was capable of making the changes necessary and improving the quality of the product on the pitch and hopefully our results. Given that we have only played one game it would seem churlish to change my mind now. He did clear out some of the deadwood. The 3 signings made look promising to me, but clearly a few more in key positions are necessary. We need to see huge improvement on Thursdays performance starting with the away leg this week.  Even if we lose on Thursday he wont be sacked immediately. However, if we were to perform poorly in our first 4/5 league games and dont beat ICT in the league cup, then I will be on the GA out train and I would imagine the vast majority of supporters will be there too.  The board will then come under severe pressure to act. The team will continue to get my backing, the manager is going to have to earn it.

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I'm not a fan of alexander and personality I think he will be gone sooner rather than later,I just don't see anything in this current team,I think performances like thursday we will see far to often this season.the first 7 or 8 fixtures are as good as you could realistically start the season with,if we don't get a decent points return in that time and get past Inverness,then I think the club will have no option but to part ways,lose on thursday and we're heading into the new season on a downer already.i never want a motherwell manager to fail,I would love us to turn the tie around on thursday and get off to a good start in the league but I just don't see it happening.

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14 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

I’ve asked this before but who thinks he’s wonderful ?

Absolutely no one, that's who. At best there's fans (like me) who simply know that he's going to be given some time to do his job, and who will support him so long as he's in the manager's office. 

It's been mentioned often enough, last season we did well to secure a European spot, but it's now ground zero again. New season, fresh set of expectations. If we're languishing near the bottom of the table in October or so then he'll be under real pressure and rightfully so.

It's on him to get things moving in the right direction and make another few signings before the window shuts.

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9 hours ago, wellfan said:

Recruitment argument aside then, what has Alexander changed since we sold Watt? Cohesion/stability? No. He's dropped our captain, rotated players in/out of positions, put square pegs into round holes, persevered with only one proper (injured) striker, signed duds and released duds, not addressed other weaknesses, etc. What do people honestly see in Alexander in terms of his potential to make us a relative and occassional enjoyable success that I cannot see?

More word soup? Your earlier point about ‘A well-run club should have most of its significant and necessary signings and required tactical changes sorted before and during the preseason’ is based on what? Given we’ve tried that many times before in the recent past. Recruitment in general has changed, not just at our club. Striking (no pun intended) a balance is becoming ever harder before we even talk budget constraints. How many on here think we were just going to improve attacking options by adding this mythical ‘backup’ striker? Who is going to sign knowing they’re likely to just fill that role? The nature of the summer transfer window suggests we’ll have someone in when other clubs further up the chain have assessed their squads in full and decide who benefits from possible loan or move.

My cohesion/stability take was on less recruitment as foundation of squad was built - its open to debate wether it’s the right players though. The idea of a refresh rather than constant rebuild still stands.

One thing he didn’t do after Watt was sold was manage enforced change, could have reshaped strategy rather than what loads on here want/wanted - a direct replacement. Decision was a little out of their hands - January was never going to be a quick fix.

Dropping the captain? Don’t think you need to dig deep to know why.

On your closing question - granted, I don’t see a lot and like many suspect the damage has already been done. I was one of the earliest critics. Listening to & not just hearing he recognised failings towards the end of last season I’d hoped for some recovery, Thursday left me far from convinced.

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It’s simple for all to see, or at least should be after the past 7-8 months. Should we lose on Thursday, it’ll be the continuation of the beginning of the end for him, and that should not come as a surprise to the many of us who want a well-run club instead of an acceptance of less than mediocrity. 

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39 minutes ago, wellfan said:

It’s simple for all to see, or at least should be after the past 7-8 months. Should we lose on Thursday, it’ll be the continuation of the beginning of the end for him, and that should not come as a surprise to the many of us who want a well-run club instead of an acceptance of less than mediocrity. 

All Managers have a shelf life. Even the most successful ones. Alexander is only a handful of months away from being two years at the club.  At Hibernian that would be considered long serving.  He will leave eventually. A case of when not if.  

The reason he is still here is that he has met and in fact overachieved the clubs targets and objectives.  I know many Managers (in my working life) that were grade A arseholes but were still in a job because they got results.

No one is accepting mediocrity.  If we lose on Thursday and / or the 1st half dozen or so leagues games. He will be gone. So I would not get too worried about that.  What you should be worried about is who replaces him and if they will be any better.  I don't dislike the guy so I would prefer it if he turns it around starting with this coming Thursday.  

I have the same concerns as everyone else.  Recognising that certain positions needed strengthening long before this season starts.  Recognising that if we play the same formation and largely the same players should we be surprised if the performances and results don't change from the 2nd half of last season.  

I am not saying that he should do this or that.  That is up to the Manager to decide.  But I suspect we will see the same starting 11 on Thursday (maybe the odd change) and same tactics / formation and sadly I believe a similar outcome.  I would actually love to see something a little different. If we lose then I would almost accept that we tried something.  

I am not a fan of his interviews either.  You don't have to slate the team or individuals.  Just admit we did not play to our best. The players are still not match sharp.  The were too laboured in their build up etc etc. That the fans would understand and live with that.  I know he will come out and say we don't need to win this game in the 1st 20 minutes.  In fact I think he already has.  Now he may b saying something different to the players but that rankles with me. We need to start with an intent and purpose on Thursday otherwise it will be like last Thursday and a long evening !

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Onthefringes said:

My cohesion/stability take was on less recruitment as foundation of squad was built - its open to debate wether it’s the right players though. The idea of a refresh rather than constant rebuild still stands.......On your closing question - granted, I don’t see a lot and like many suspect the damage has already been done. I was one of the earliest critics. Listening to & not just hearing he recognised failings towards the end of last season I’d hoped for some recovery, Thursday left me far from convinced.

Pretty much my view. Every squad needs a few additions every year to keep it fresh and address weak areas but not too many. You don't want massive overhauls that disrupt continuity with new faces taking time to settle in. Continuity/cohesion and stability are vital, but as OTF says you need the right players. Look at St Johnstone under Wright. Not everyone's cup of teaincluding mine, granted, but they got the right players in for them  and their squad was settled for years. Look what they achieved.

Like , many I too was hoping to see some kind of change in the right direction last Thursday but saw no evidence of that. His brand of football isn't easy on the eye but as long as it yields results results, fans will go along with that. When the results don't come then thats a different matter entirely.

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4 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

Pretty much my view. Every squad needs a few additions every year to keep it fresh and address weak areas but not too many. You don't want massive overhauls that disrupt continuity with new faces taking time to settle in. Continuity/cohesion and stability are vital, but as OTF says you need the right players. Look at St Johnstone under Wright. Not everyone's cup of teaincluding mine, granted, but they got the right players in for them  and their squad was settled for years. Look what they achieved.

Like , many I too was hoping to see some kind of change in the right direction last Thursday but saw no evidence of that. His brand of football isn't easy on the eye but as long as it yields results results, fans will go along with that. When the results don't come then thats a different matter entirely.

Well you had 3 new players playing last week how many do you want before its considered a massive overhaul

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Well, based on the performances since the turn of the year, we needed 10 new signings. Each for outfield positions.

Alexanders problems are not his attitude or his jumpers, really who cares about that? Its that he sets up his teams not to lose, but sadly they aren't good enough to do that. When we go behind, we have absolutely nothing to offer in an attacking sense. The biggest issue is that for some reason he doesn't recognise this and keeps attempting the same rubbish over and over and over again.

And now based on the summer comings and goings, he is expecting us to pivot a counter attack with zero pace. God help us.......

 

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