joewarkfanclub
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Posts posted by joewarkfanclub
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Most importantly, we need to try and hang on to Fadinger & Longelo this window. They are integral to what we do and would leave holes that are too big to fill this late in the window. They can be next seasons big money sales!
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Another signing that very much fits our current model/process.
Young, former academy graduate, struggling to find a home he feels comfortable in. Paid an undisclosed fee.
I presume the signing is data driven again, so should fit all the metrics we require.
Be interesting to see if this means Stama will be heading out the door or if we will try to use him to supplement what we have.
If he goes, Id personally like to get another one in as Hendry looks crocked and Eythor is still a bit unknown.
Looking forward to seeing what the young man can do!
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5 hours ago, Spit_It_Out said:
But lets be honest the squad on a whole isnt good enough to compete because we should have enough depth to beat Stenhousemuir.What if by some miracle we get to the group stage?How is that going to pan out.
And the way its going unless we get bodies of a standard then its going to be a very very long season I would also add it doesnt help at all when a few first team players are not at the races aswell ie Vogts and Maswanhise.It felt like we started with nine men on Sunday.
My point is do I blame the boss no however I think we need bodies right now that can do the basics to the level required we dont have to be down to the decimal point for every signing.
We dont have a big enough squad right now. But thats mostly due to injuries. We currently have the following out
SOD, McGinn, Sparrow, McGhee, Williams, Priestman, Stama, Eythor, Hendry
Add those 9 back into the squad and we are nowhere near as threadbare as we have been made to look.
Obviously we can debate whether any of those listed are starters or whether somemof them need moved on. But with a couple more signings up top and the injury list clear, we would be in pretty good shape.
Its part of the frustration with the Stenny game / team selection.
I agree Alfred could have started with Moorman, Fadinger and Longelo but with Sparrow, Williams and Priestman all being out. Moorman is the only one we have cover for if any of them got injured. You could even add Koutroumbis into that scenario.
Clearly, Alfred has chosen to rotate for Stenny hoping to scrape through. I it hasnt worked out, but it was the right decision.
Going into the Freiburg game with a much weakened team doesnt bare thinking about.
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10 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:
Thanks for that insight David. I suppose thats what sports science is all about.
So, what we're saying is that whilst a manager takes the actual decisions on team selection and and substitutions, the opinions he is presented with by other staff can, in some circumstances (like a squad limited by injuries), pretty well dictate what team he actually puts on the park. For example, "Player A has a minor strain and we recommend he plays no more than 20 minutes". So, whilst ordinary fans like me naively assume that the manager has free rein to pick the team the reality might be totally different.
I think the manager does have free reign to pick the team.
However, given our current injury situation, he would be mad to go against the sports scientists and risk picking up more unwanted injuries.
Imagine if something had happened to Koutroumbis & Longelo and we went into the Freiburg game with Ross and Wilson as fullbacks?
This place would go into meltdown.
Folk are more than entitled to their opinions on players, but the realities of modern day football means sometimes a managers hands are tied.
Hopefully we can put together a stronger team for Freiburg and consign this episode to history.
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1 hour ago, David said:
As I've mentioned elsewhere, we're in danger of oversimplifying what goes into these types of decisions.
It's not simply a case of looking at the fixture list and deciding to rest half the team because there's a European game coming up.
From what I gather, the players are monitored pretty closely. The staff will have data on how far they've run, how much high-intensity running they've done, sprints, accelerations, training loads and how all of that compares to their normal levels.
Then you've got the medical side. A player can be perfectly fit to play but still have a bit of tightness or be carrying a heavier workload than normal. The advice might be that he's fine for 30 minutes, fine for 60, or that another 90 minutes probably isn't a great idea.
They'll also look at recovery, how the player has been training, how many minutes he's played recently and his own injury history. A 21-year-old who has hardly missed a game through injury might be treated differently from a 30-year-old with a history of hamstring problems.
The opposition (and the playing surface, no matter how much some people like to dismiss it) comes into it as well. The coaching staff will have analysed them and worked out where they think they can afford to make changes without weakening the team too much.
So the manager might effectively be getting told that Player A is absolutely fine, Player B has played a lot but isn't a concern, Player C is showing signs of fatigue and Player D is carrying a minor issue that could become a bigger problem.
He then has to make the decision.
That's particularly relevant for a club like ours when we're playing Thursday-Sunday-Thursday and have been doing that for several weeks. Some players could end up playing four or five games in a fortnight if you just keep putting out the strongest XI.
That doesn't mean rotation is always the right decision. Managers can still get it wrong. You can change too many players, lose the rhythm of the team and end up going out of a competition you had a decent chance of progressing in. Teams far bigger with managers far more experienced than us have slipped on that banana peel before.
But I do think it's worth remembering when we see a team selection we don't like that the manager isn't working with the same information we are.
We're looking at the names on the teamsheet.
He's looking at the teamsheet plus all the physical, medical, training and opposition information behind it.
We can argue with the decision he eventually makes. But there's usually a lot more behind that decision than simply "Europe is more important, so we'll rest a few players."
This 100 times over.
But you know, he is Scandinavian, so clearly just disrespected Stenny & The League Cup.....
🤔🤔🤔
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6 hours ago, weeyin said:
You can see that right now his footballing brain is a step ahead of some of his team mates, but a few more weeks together and they should be in sync.
Very reminiscent of another former Rangers player who arrived at Fir Park trying to resurrect his career.....
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Everyone was a 7/10 or above tonight so feels kinda unfair to single anyone out.
The entire backline were magnificent. Oscar and Faddy did Oscar and Faddy things. Lowry showed his range of passing is gonna be up there this season and a special mention for Olly Whyte who put in a real shift when he came on and showed he is someone we could be getting excited about very soon.
MOTM though is SAID. He is box office every week, but those 2 goals are ridiculous! Ifbhe keeps that up another club record transfer fee will be incoming!
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Dont want to get carried away, but.....
That was magnificent. Certainly the best European performance Ive seen at Fir Park and as dominant a display as I think Ive seen in any game.
Helsinki barely had a shot on goal all night and we could have easily scored 5 or 6. They could barely get the ball off us until we shut up shop and went 5 at the back.
Is this how football is supposed to be?
Great credit to the manager and the players for hitting the ground running. Im sure most of us had the fear that we had seen the last of performances like that when Jens and our 3 best players left in the summer. Its testament to them and the recruitment team that a seemless transition is well underway.
Bravo Motherwell! 🧡❤️🧡
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2 hours ago, grizzlyg said:
I have a lot of time for SOD, never hides and always gave his all even when going through that barren spell where the abuse he got from some was ridiculous. Last season you could see how much he improved under a good manager rather than hoofball from you know who
He tried really hard not to say that in the podcast as well! 😍😍😍
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2 hours ago, grizzlyg said:
Saw headline saying we paid €600,000 euros for Hodge!!, now that's a statement of intent. Good to see club investing some of that transfer money received
I saw that. If true, its certainly a statement.
Would be close to a club record fee paid for a player I would imagine.
I know we did get a helluva lot more than that for Watt, so the money is there, but even still.
Alfred did make a point of saying we would stick to the model that has been successful, so we wont be throwing cash around left, right and centre. But it certainly allows us to target a higher calibre player than we maybe could in the past.
Obviously with the caveat we will be hoping to develop Hodge into another Eli Just type fee in a couple of years.
Good times.
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Wrong thread....
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We have played 5 competitive games so far this season.
We have scored 8 and conceded 2.
I get that 3 were penalties, but it was good play on all 3 occasions that created the pressure that caused the defenders to give the penalties away.
I dont necessarily expect tonights game to be highscoring. But we created plenty of chances last week to prove we can threaten them going forward.
Defence is key though. Keep a clean sheet and we will win the game eventually.
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8 hours ago, SteelmaninOZ said:
Excellent Podcast
SOD comes across as a very decent guy.
Maybe a bit too self deprecating, but thats a very Scottish thing.
Such a good guy to have around the club right now when there is so much change going on.
Glad he is getting to finish his Motherwell career on a high enjoying some good times.
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1 hour ago, texanwellfan said:
I’m assuming Whyte is a stick on to start this game. Will be nice to get a good look at him.
Maybe not a stick on, but Id certainly expect some extended minutes, especially if we are successful against Helsinki and have Freiburg the following Thursday.
We will definitely need to rotate a little and keep legs fresh.
Hopefully Hodge can also start as we cant keep asking Fadinger and Priestmann to play every minute.
Rotating one of them out to start for continuity and then swapping at half time would make sense.
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So spoke to my neices boyfriend who is a Huddersfield Town fan. Hodge played 27 games for them season before last.
He said, Hodge is a very good player, quick on his feet. Very good defensive midfielder in the "Kante style".
So the comparisons with Wee Al, are right enough! 😉😉😉
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3 hours ago, Spiderpig said:
Why not bring him in if hes a good prospect, he presumably wont cost that much and give him a chance to prove himself, nothing ventured nothing gained.
Anything would be an improvement on AP, Hendry or Bjorgolfsson.
Oh absolutely!
If we dont have any academy graduates in that position, stealing one from Airdrie would not only be great craic, but a wise move.
Would still like a more "oven ready" striker as well though.
We could have "oven ready", Eythor and youth stiker vying for the central role and covering each other.
Stama can be loaned back to A League to see out his contract and JT can play wide in his favoured pisition until someone re-ignites interest in him.
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31 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:
McLean Stand now opened up.
There is a section top right already sold out. Is that the HJK section?
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2 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:
Probably too early for him fitness wise, but is Hodge eligible for tomorrow's game?
Unfortunately not.
Similar to Lowry before Havnar away.
You need to name your squad before the first leg and thats you until the next round.
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8 hours ago, Stuwell2 said:
I’d go with
Paulsen
JKL. Moorman. JGR
Sparrow. Longelo
Preistman Fadinger
Lowry
JT Said
Sparrow & Longelo playing wingbacks assisting the defence and midfield as required, Lowry linking midfield and attack and the forward two interchanging
Could easily replace JT with RCC and not be fussed.
Subs coming on when players tire or Whyte to add strength in midfield if required.
Not usually a fan of 3-5-2 but given the flexibility of our players and ability to rotate, its not a wild suggestion as its probably more 3-4-3 in possession. With the addition of Hodge, the sqaud is shaping up nicely.
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2 hours ago, numpty said:
Can never have enough Joe's at Fir Park! 😉😉😉
Seems to have decent pedigree and very much in line with our current recruitment policy.
That will put the Brad Spencer chat to bed I would presume.....
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12 minutes ago, Richie said:
Was the trialist not an Airdrie U19 player?
Allegedly Guy Bainbridge from Airdrie u19's. Listed as a "prolific goalscorer".
Not sure we would put all our eggs in that basket, but it would be good to have another young local lad in the squad that could do a job.
Im guessing our academy is also light up top if qr have brought him in for a look.
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On the other place they are saying a 19 year old called Guy Bainbridge......
Edit: ex Airdrie youth academy apparently. Wiki says he is a "prolific goalscorer"
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2 hours ago, David said:
He can also play further forward if needed, and also in the middle to the left side as well in a pinch. Like I said, a useful, low-cost option to have around.
Wilson wasnt any good in any of those positions. That was on Kettlewell.
He is a limited left back who looks like he could fill in at left centre half if we went to a 3 at the back.
I would keep him around right now for the UEFA quota. But the minute we are out of Europe he should go out on loan again to give him another chance to develop.
He isnt playing LB in front of Longelo, Williams, Koutroumbis, SOD or even Sparrow.
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If Sparrow is fit he should play.
He has the armband and his performances have been great.
He seems to have turned from a boy into a man over the summer!
Johnny K is great cover to have come off the bench in a number of positions.
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Motherwell v Freiburg 20/8/26
in Club Chat
Posted
Very impressive press conference.
Alfred isnt as intimidating as Jens, but he is no shrinking violet either, and showed real strength of character in his answers.
Im sure that will transmit to the players and he will have earned their respect as a result.
Still annoyed about the League Cup exit, but 100% understand it and it will soon be forgotten about if we get a strong performance tomorrow night.