MJC

We need to be realistic in who we would be able to afford. As someone said on another thread we need to be steering clear of ex Well managers or popular ex players who have no managerial experience. Ian McCall has more than proved himself at the level we are at and could be a good option, even as a short-ish term option to ‘steady the ship’.

Given the timing, two days before the new league season kicks off, and with a squad on its arse and devoid of confidence and ideas, the next managerial appointment we make has to be absolutely spot on. Burrows and the board simply cannot afford to get this one wrong. Personally I would be approaching Partick Thistle and asking to speak to Ian McCall. I don’t know that he would even be remotely interested in it, but I would certainly be asking him. I think he would be a perfect fit for us just now.

“Luc Nijholt is only a phone call away”

He’s gone…mutual consent!!!

It’s the first game of the league season and it’s already a must win game, especially for the manager. That’s where we are at just now. These are the type of games that we are going to need to pick up points in this season if we are to avoid the drop and imo we need a minimum of four points from our first two games and anything less is unacceptable. I suppose we should take some comfort in St.Mirren being as shite as we are and managed by Stephen Robinson. But who knows. 3-1, just don’t know who to. Edit: 3-1 to us

Our scouting system is appalling. Our ability to develop youth players isn’t good enough. As a club we seem to be putting more focus on getting likes on social media than addressing any of the above. Our official club Twitter carries the headline “We exist to improve people’s lives”. Utter patronising nonsense. We exist as a professional football club…that’s first and foremost what we are. I’m not asking us to be Barcelona, but is it really too much to ask for us to be able to put a competitive team out on the park who can play at least something resembling entertaining football now and again? Because we most definitely have not had anything like that for at least three years now.

If the support as a whole become vocal in calling for the managers head then I think the board will act. They have done so in the past with Baraclough, McGhee second time around. But as I’ve said before, we have issues at the club that run far deeper than the man in the dugout. A massive clear out is needed, on and off the park.

I honestly don’t see the board removing him between now and Sunday, he will get the start of the league campaign, whatever anyone thinks IMO. However I think he’s past the point of no return with the fan base now and if we have a poor result against St.Mirren then the knives are going to be well and truly out for him in the first home game a week on Saturday. I think we could well be looking at a repeat of that May ‘07 2-3 St.Mirren game under Malpas. Listening to his interview on Radio Scotland it sounded like he was getting verbal from at least one Motherwell fan, so much so that Al Lamont apologised and asked him if he was okay to continue at one point.

No I’m not trying to use the “two European games” excuse, I know we’ve been dismal for the entire calendar year and longer. Like it or not the board aren’t going to sack a manager who (on paper) has more than matched his remit and got us into Europe after two European legs into the new season and before a league ball has been kicked. But trust me when I say this, if Graham Alexander left tonight then I would be happy with that.

Coyle’s his mate, he’s never going to criticise him.

Are you actually Graham Alexander? Seriously, are you?

As contenders for ‘worst result in our history’ go then these two legs are right up there with Stjarnan, Albion Rovers and 3rd division Rangers. Absolutely embarrassing.

2-0 Sligo. Disgusting.

I agree but sadly I think Alexander bought himself a lot more time than he would otherwise have been given had we not finished in the top six and got into Europe last season. I suspected as much at the time that all that would do was paper over some massive cracks and unfortunately it appears to be coming to fruition. On paper, whether anyone likes it or not the manager has more than met his remit so for that reason I don’t see them sacking him before the league season starts. In reality though we have been stinking for over a year now and especially in 2022 and the issues that were glaringly obvious that needed addressed at the end of last season have not been addressed so things look bleak. Needless to say though he does need to go and the sooner the better otherwise we are going to be in serious trouble this season, if it’s not already too late.

I don’t see them making the change after two European games and on the eve of the league season starting, rightly or wrongly. If and when the time comes that the majority of the support become vocal in calling for him to go at games like they did with Malpas and Baraclough or protesting outside the front door as they did with McGhee then I believe the board will act then. I don’t think we’re too far away from this happening.

By the same token the risk of keeping Alexander is that the support will vote with their feet and stay away. It was obvious in the second half of last season and at the end of the game last week that more and more of the support are absolutely scunnered with the guff being served up by Alexander and this team. We are absolutely AWFUL to watch and the entertainment value is Zero and only sheer luck and other sides cutting their own throats got us to where we finished last season. And as if to rub it in, the manager frequently comes out after these dismal performances and says that we played well and that he’s pleased with how things went! I don’t expect us to be playing swashbuckling football and challenging in the top half of the table or competing in Europe but I absolutely refuse to believe that what we are getting served up by Graham Alexander and this team is the best we can hope for. It is just so, so bad.

Sideways, sideways, backward, long ball, give it away. We are dreadful.

Better spell from us. Had the ball in the net but was chalked off and van Veen heading at the keeper.

Holy fuck

Tierney and Morris start tonight.

I wouldn’t say Livi and Ross County will be ‘okay’. As I said I think the bottom six will be as tight as ever and there won’t be much between 11th and 7th points wise. I admit to having grave concerns about us but perhaps that’s down to me having a lot more interest and knowledge of our players and squad than I do with the other sides. As for Killie, they’re the side that’s just came up so there is no pressure or real expectations on them to finish in the top six from anyone in the media. However as I said I fancy them to do better than Hibs who I reckon could have another shambles of a campaign.

Hearts will do well I think this season. They have added Shankland, a proper goalscorer at this level and already have Boyce, McKay, Mackay-Steven. Fancy them to finish 3rd and possibly even win a Cup.

That’s all fair enough but for me we were extremely lucky to finish where we did last year given how poor we were for most of the campaign. We also had Tony Watt to thank for winning us as many points in the first half of the season, otherwise we would almost certainly would not have finished top 6. Some fans were scratching their heads as to why we ‘collapsed’ so badly in the second half of the season but the reality is we didn’t collapse, we were never that good to start with, the difference was Watt wasn’t there to bail us out. Going into the new season, we have no Tony Watt and to hope/expect to carry as much luck again is unrealistic. Only time will tell.

So as the new league season approaches, what’s everyone’s thoughts on how we’ll do? I think we’re going to struggle badly this year, unless we do some significant transfer business between now and the end of August. Basically we are going to be relying on other teams being less shite than we are to keep us in the league and I think it’s going to be a scrap between ourselves, St.Mirren and St.Johnstone to avoid 11th and 12th. As for the rest of the league, I think Celtic will be Champions with Rangers clear in second. Hearts will be third again but will be pushed all the way by a much stronger Aberdeen and Dundee Utd will be in the mix too. I fancy Kilmarnock to do a lot better than everyone would expect as they have a very good manager in McInnes and I can see them pipping Hibs to a top six finish. Hibs will have yet another poor season. The bottom six will be as tight as a drum but as I said I reckon the three weakest sides will be us and the two saints clubs. Hopefully something changes over the next month.

And it was the first game for a newly appointed manager who had to rebuild the squad. Whether we progress on Thursday or not, we have big problems this season.