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Spiderpig

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Posts posted by Spiderpig

  1. 5 minutes ago, Onthefringes said:

    A nothing statement on nothing confirmed.

    Its arguable McMahon is determined to make it look like his wee video worked wonders rather than putting the club first.

    Until we have firm details and know exactly what the club is putting up in return for the investment it's all speculative nonsense.

    I thought the video was amateurish and cringeworthy but if it does bring in extra investment under terms the club and WS members can work with then you can't argue with it, so time will tell.

  2. 53 minutes ago, weeyin said:

    Still destroys the integrity of the league format. Look at the English Championship this season. Ipswich, Leeds and Leicester fighting for the top spot with 87, 86 and 85 points respectively. If there are 3 promotion spots they deserve one each for their consistent form. Norwich, who are 6th and 21 points behind Leicester (and won only 19 games compared to Leicester's 27 wins) shouldn't even be in that conversation.

    Playoffs are a horrible American idea that should have stayed this side of the Atlantic.

    Not true, the league integrity is fine, the teams know how many automatic promotion spots there are when they start so they all strive for the top two places, and if say a team misses out by 1 point or goal difference etc then tough they've not been good enough over the league season. But now with the playoffs they have another chance to get promoted as do the other 3 teams in the playoff spots who have all had decent seasons to earn those spots. 

    The best teams over the season usually get promoted either route 1, automatic or route 2 a playoff final win, just as the worst teams get relegated,so for me the English system works well.

     

     

  3. 2 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

    100% agree. There is little or no sporting integrity in the current system. Did Partick Thistle not beat Peterhead in the 2006 playoffs on penalties?  Both clubs finished 13 points behind the runners up, Morton. A complete farce.

    I'm all for discretionary play offs though. You could set a points difference margin, for example, teams finishing on the same points, or within say 2 points of each other. Final league placings in such tight situations could easily be down to refereeing errors.  If teams finished more than 2 points apart then there are no playoffs. 

    The playoffs should be the same as the English system ie 2 sides relegated from the Scottish Premiership, 1 automatic promotion from championship and the other spot via the playoffs. As what we have now is biased in favour of the side finishing 11th as they only have 2 games to play.

  4. 1 hour ago, bobbybingo said:

    One or two wins might be hard to find, given the way this season and this league has gone. I'm struggling to think which squad players and youngsters you think are capable of coming in at this point.

    In the unlikely scenario of us making the top 6 then we're safe from relegation thats when we can bring in some of the Academy players. 

    However as we are more likely to finish bottom 6, then there's work to do but given the teams we'll be playing I dont think it will be an issue to get 1 or 2 wins, so there will still be ample opportunities to bring in the academy players if SK thinks they are ready.

  5. 2 minutes ago, bobbybingo said:

    Aston Oxborough.

    As I said in my post some players are the best fit for a position, and at Motherwell that's Kelly. Oxborough will get a game if Kelly is injured, or in a league cup group match, friendly etc the international set up should be no different but the so called "fringe players" never get a sniff with Clarke.

  6. 1 hour ago, wellup83 said:

    I think some are missing the real point of Kelly being there completely. He's there as part of the goalkeeping team, with the sole purpose of keeping a goalkeepers 'union' in the squad. It'll take nothing short of a disaster or injury crisis for Kelly to actually play for Scotland.

    Whit, "missing the real point" and here was me thinking that the point of including a player in a squad or having him on the bench was that you think he is good enough to play for the team at some point. As I've said earlier Clarke constantly fills his squads with players he has no intention of playing and sticks by a core of players irrespective of how good or crap they are.

    Players don't develop or get better warming a bench, yes you will have a player that's the best fit for a position but the friendly matches are the time to assess the other players and Kelly, or Clark are not even getting that.

  7. 23 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

     

    Clarke will judge his keepers by comparing what they do in training and by taking the advice of his goalkeeping coach. The best one gets the nod.

    Sorry but for me that's pish, Clarke is too loyal to players who should have been binned long ago, or playing guys like Gunn who wanted feck all to do with Scotland and only came grovelling back when it was obvious he was getting nowhere near the England team.

    Now we have Shankland scoring for fun this season getting dropped after 1 game, so it's not good man management but just bad coaching.

     

    • Thanks 1
  8. 38 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

    having Kelly in the Scotland squad is beneficial to him and us.

    How? If he was getting game time and international experience against better players etc then yes that would benefit him and the club. But being picked for squad after squad  with no game time is beneficial to nobody.

    How can Clarke judge if a player is fit and ready for international football without Actually giving him a game and seeing how they cope, especially in games that don't matter.

     

    • Like 1
  9. 19 minutes ago, stv said:

    When he goes to Hearts he will always be the poor relation signed from a wee team on a free , if it doesn’t work out they have not lost much in the scheme of things budget wise. I think he will end up a bit player there. Ie KVV. 

    I don't think he will be a bit player, Hearts are signing a proven goal scorer in the premiership a midfielder with a goal tally most strikers would love over a few seasons. For me he'll be an integral part of their team.

  10. 1 hour ago, steelboy said:

    Good news. 

    Hopefully it means the takeover interest has cooled. 

    Aye it also means you have 1 less topic to talk pish about, everyone's a winner

    • Like 1
    • Haha 1
  11. 43 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

    St Johnstone has also written to the SFA to complain about VAR. More grist to the mill as they say.

    That's the only way things will change, if the member clubs start challenging and calling out the incompetence shown by some of these VAR decisions. We always have a laugh at the ugly sisters when they "seek clarification " from the authorities but in all honesty more clubs should do the same.

    • Like 1
  12. 41 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

    Some substance in that, but having the money certainly helps. A lot though, is to do with final league placings. Hearts and St Mirren both kow they won't be relegated whereas we don't yet know for certain. This uncertainty will colour negotiations.

    Spot on Dave, the money On offer from clubs like Hearts, plus the prospect of European football etc is a no brainer for a player like Spittal, he'll probably double his salary without any need to uproot his family and move house.

  13. More clubs need to call out this shite, that's the only way things will get changed. And up the ante as appropriate if they get the usual non response from the SFA, its blatant Incompetence and ignorance of the rules of the game from alleged class 1 referees.

  14. 1 hour ago, dennyc said:

    I know we have had our differences on a few things but I think this is so spot on. For a good while my concern has been that our long term strategy is largely based on substantial income from player sales. That is just not sustainable and so full of risk....Admittedly Covid interrupting youth development did not help. We are now seeing exactly what happens when lack of a major sale coincides with poor on field performance. The current "get out of jail" card is clearly Lennon Miller who, but for injury, would likely have been sold by now. How that would have affected our fight for league survival nobody knows. And let's not forget that we have actually benefited from players sales in this time, KVV as an example. It is just not enough.

    in my opinion the Club's entire operating strategy needs reviewed and one positive of the forthcoming Board changes is that such a complete Club review should happen. Time for new blood and fresh ideas. My sense is that our departing Board members have simply run out of ideas. Hopefully whoever constitutes the new Board can come up with a solution that enables us to at least break even each season. 

    Also, and this understandably will not go down too well with many, there has been too much reliance on Well Society funds. What was intended as a back up facility appears to me to have become the go to option when it comes to "projects" the Club and others wish to undertake but cannot afford. A Piggy Bank to be raided.  Couple that approach with the dilution of Society monies to appease Les Hutchison and it explains why Society monies are over £1m down on where they could have been. Thankfully, from Jay's comments, that is a situation that should not continue. Hopefully all Society Board Members, new and old,  will now adopt the same approach.

    I hope the WS continues to grow and can become the asset that was originally proposed. But if the Club is to thrive at our current level then I believe that outside investment is required to fund the year on year football operations. As discussed previously, that Investment must come with legally binding guarantees that protect the Club, and from investors that recognise the true purpose of the WS and are prepared to work side by side on that basis. Not an easy find.

    Not related to Motherwell. so apologies if not thought relevant to MFC. . I was talking to a Hibs fan yesterday who informed me that their American investor (Foley) is actually introducing £6m per year for each of the next 5 years. I had not appreciated that the deal involved such an annual input. Also, a colleague of Foley is in discussion regards the input of a "one off" £10m. Only time will tell, but the terms they have negotiated don't appear to threaten the assets the Club owns or intrude massively in day to day operations. Fans will talk about "feeder" clubs  but there is no evidence as yet to support that, and even if it is the case, where is the harm in players switching Clubs given that rules exist re value for money. As we have seen, non affiliated loan deals can cause bigger issues.

     

     

    Nobody invests £30 million over 5 years or a one off £10 million without the guarantee of a significant return, I suspect it will be when the investors get bored or want their cash back that the true nature of these deals will become evident.

  15. 50 minutes ago, wellgirl said:

    There were only a few people interviewed for the vacant position if I'm right.

    Holloway I believe and possibly Valakari. Its not as if Kettlewell was competing with a host of big names and got the job ahead of them. Surely it also has to come down to who actually applies for the vacancy. 

    Valakari always gets mentioned and allegedly interviewed for every managers job we have irrespective of whether he wants the job or not.

  16. 50 minutes ago, wellsince75 said:

    VAR - hands up for those who think it's enhanced the game. ???................


    Given the clubs are funding this, it would be reasonable for them to vote on whether it stays, goes or changes.  If changes it would have to be used sparingly for obvious errors only, and frankly offers very little value. 

    Other than giving us something else to moan and groan about I don't see any tangible value.
     

    If VAR was used for its original intended purpose, ie clear and obvious errors in the build up to goals, the technology was the best available and the VAR officials were fully trained and competent then it could be a very useful aid to referees etc. This along with full disclosure after the game on the reasons for decisions made, referees being allowed to explain the reasoning etc, would improve the game and fan experience.

    However what we got in Scotland was a hastily cobbled together shambles of suspect technology, inconsistent application of the laws of the game, poorly trained officials and a culture of secrecy with no explanations or censure for blatantly bad decisions. So until the SFA admits it made a James Hunt of it and starts again to ensure its implemented and operated as it should be it will continue to ruin the game and fan experience, this of course assumes the SFA will take effective action but as we all know that won't happen, they have more important things to organise, ie the expenses paid freebies to Germany in the Summer for all the committee members.

  17. 11 minutes ago, wellfan said:

     

    The market we operate in is shit because we keep aiming low with a shit budget that will never increase unless we speculate

    The basic principle of speculation is that you need cash in the 1st place to speculate with, which we don't have so hence the need to live with our means.

    So unless a billionaire oil sheik or a group of investors give the club shed loads of cash to spend as we want, with no guarantee of a return it won't happen, the odd bucket collection before a game won't cut it.

    So living within our means in the "shit market " as you put it is where we are, and we've done OK over the last 38 seasons.

  18. 28 minutes ago, wellfan said:

    Then we’ll continue to get rookies and journeymen and suffer the mediocrity/failure that brings unless we show some ambition as I suggested above. However, if the club is content to scrape 10th place most seasons, fail to go on domestic cup runs, and tolerate shocking runs of form with the odd random victory, then the conveyor belt of rookies and journeymen is there for them to continually pick from. That's probably not going to keep the masses on side for long though. 

    Realistically then where do you see the clubs ambition to be at each season, league champions, win a cup, top 4 finish, European football every year, given the budget under which we operate?

    As for the rookies / journeymen you mention whether that be players or managers, the harsh reality is that's the market we are in, people need to realise that the money we offer for salaries, player budgets, transfer fees etc etc is never going to attract any big name managers or players.

     

    • Like 1
  19. 40 minutes ago, Toxteth O'Grady said:

    Interesting.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68597180

    Crawford Allan: Scottish FA head of referees to leave post in summer amid VAR review

    Last updated on1 minute ago1 minute ago.From the sectionScottish

    Crawford Allan Crawford Allan has overseen the introduction of VAR during his four years in charge

    Scotland's head of referees, Crawford Allan, is to leave his post at the end of the season as the Scottish FA conducts a review of the role in light of ongoing VAR controversies.

    The governing body says Allan, who has been in post for four years, is leaving "to pursue new opportunities".

    SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell admits that "VAR processes need to improve".

    But he urged all to "work together to alleviate the unsustainable pressure on match officials and VAR operators".

    Maxwell wants "to remove the convenient blame culture attached to subjective or unpopular decisions and to ensure more focus is placed on the entertainers rather than the on-field facilitators".

    He told the SFA website: "This includes all key external stakeholders having a better understanding of the laws of the game, the lines of intervention for VAR and the adopted guidance within Scottish football, especially in subjective areas such as the handball law."

    The SFA it has started its search to "ensure an experienced replacement will be in place for the new season".

    "This will coincide with a planned review of the operational priorities of the department based on the insights to date from VAR implementation, as well as feedback from category one match officials and VAR operators, the Scottish FA's professional game board, the SPFL's competitions working group and the independent review panel," Maxwell said.

    The chief executive thanked Allan for "his efforts in implementing VAR within Scottish football and guiding refereeing through the Covid-19 pandemic", describing the introduction of video assistant referee system as "a thankless task".

    Allan considers it "an honour" to have been in charge "during such an historic period of change" following his 30 years as a match official, including 15 years in the top-flight.

    "While there are refinements and improvements to be made to VAR, as there are in leagues across the world, it has taken a monumental effort from my team at the Scottish FA and the match officials to have it embedded in the Premiership and cup matches at Hampden Park," he said.

    "VAR is only one aspect of the role, albeit one that can overshadow the positive strides we have taken forward."

    A change for the better perhaps, i doubt it, it will be one at the top out, another from within will be promoted and it will be business as usual. They will appear to tinker with VAR, but it will still be the same shite technology and the same shitey operators implementing it.

    The whole refereeing set-up including VAR needs ripped out and started again with proper accountability and scrutiny in place.

  20. 2 hours ago, wellfan said:

    Whilst recognising the apparent positive attributes noted in the comments above, we’ve gone for the budget option in Kettlewell so we need to accept having a poor tactician and decision-maker at the helm for now. Will he learn and improve? I don't know. 

    We know you dont like / rate him but you mention SK as "the budget option" implying we could have afforded better, who did you have in mind ?

    • Like 1
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