Leaderboard

Good luck editing SK!

Yes, the event was filmed. I believe it will be edited into more of a highlights package or shorter version of the evening rather than the raw footage. That should be online shortly. I'll be sure to share the link when it goes live.

Come on, you were in the room when Kettlewell explained it all in depth the other night. You're just being deliberately obstinate now. Kudos for shoehorning in another dig at O'Donnell though, who was constantly talking to Kaleta when he was on the park.

Another belter from you. Robbie Crawford kept him out the team long after Slattery signed. Let that sink in.

Was he not one of the players you used to slag off on a regular basis? Also, we didn't get rid of him - St Mirren signed him on a pre-contract. I liked O'Hara, but he never played as well for us as he does for St Mirren. Better fit with Robinson's style (a style you also used to slag off on a regular basis - with good reason, because it was pretty brutal at times).

He's still a Well fan and did a lot of good for the club so he should always be welcome - just no longer in a professional capacity.

I think its always best to remember someone for the good that they did rather than the occasions they let themselves down. So I thank Jim for his service to the club and wish him well for the future. I do wonder though, given his parting words, whether he now regrets the way it ended...... "The overall effect of this operational and managerial professionalism has left the Club in a very stable financial position. The combination of income from future player sales and the additional growth and investment promised in the Well Society’s business plan, means the Club has never been in a better place."

Given his recent performance and the shit show that the Barmack offer turned into he should not have a choice, go and never darken the door again should be the response to him.

It's not 100% clear, but I thought " I wish the new Club Chair and Board every success in what will be an exciting next chapter for the Club." suggested he was stepping away from the Board too.

That's McMahon officially resigned. The takeover aside, I thank him for his service to the club and wish him all the best for the future. https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2024/08/01/jim-mcmahon-steps-down-as-chairman/

I don't know why people are questioning our Academy policy, financial constraints mean no reserve team, so the Academy is what we have. This means we bring in lots of promising teenagers and develop them over a few years, some get pro contracts the majority dont, and from those that earn a pro contract the majority of those won't make the grade and will be released. The few exceptional talents, will all get their chance at 1st team football ie McFadden, Pearson, Campbell, Turnbull, Johnson and Miller so over the years the policy has worked well for us If we get 1 or 2 making the grade from each Academy intake that's a great return, however the reality is the vast majority of them won't cut it and will be released, every club in the country operates in the same way.

And unfortunately finances dictate that clubs such as ourselves cannot currently afford to stick with youngsters beyond 17/18 purely in the hope they are late developers. Steelboy cites Keith Lasley but that was years ago and at a time when reserve teams existed for development purposes. For youngsters to be retained nowadays Clubs are looking for a greater likliehood of success than in the past. One we did stick with in more recent times was Barry McGuire. How did that work out? Pretty sure if I was to check back I would find that the folk that are now questioning the release of youngsters were outraged when McGuire was repeatedly kept on. More recently, Matty Connelly is another one that we have taken a gamble on. There too, only a few weeks ago questions were asked about his continued retention Like you, I cannot think of any youngster we have released (as opposed to having had poached) in recent times that has gone on to make a name for himself. The success of those we have opted to retain......Turnbull, Campbell, Miller, Johnston (even Hastie and Scott in their Motherwell careers) suggests the Club have more or less got the balance correct. Anybody looking for us to produce and retain four or five top players season upon season is just not being realistic. Also to be factored in is that there is a limit to the number of players we can employ.

Good point. I also imagine the Manager prefers all teams in the ladder to play a similar style to the first team to help kids transition across if and when the time comes. So it makes sense that our youth coaches would be involved in first team match days as well as assisting in integrated coaching sessions. Compare that to the distancing of the first team and coaches from the youth set up that Alexander established. And which was identified as a major cause of friction within the Club in the review that followed his departure. At least under Kettlewell the youth players can see a route to the first team squad, even if that step up is a huge ask.

1956 for me. My mother said that the Fir Park floodlights were the first thing I saw when I popped out so I was always destined to follow the 'Well.