Kmac

We’re absolutely Honking

O’Donnell having a nightmare so far

Well, we’ll have to earn the right to play football and get balls into the box because you know, we’re a young squad and you know financially they are in a different stratosphere but you know we can be really proud of the boys but you know We dust ourselves down and we go again. The Usual Shite. 3-0 to Mordor

You’ve hit the nail in the head. As fans, you pay to see as good a team as possible on the park. Fan ownership means we are all privy to the knowledge of being debt free, Prior. Between player sales, prize money and sell-on fees, we must have netted close to 4 million in profit in the last 2 months yet we are without a stated plan of investment and clearly watching a squad that needs it badly. I refuse to believe for a second that Mcginley and Lamie are commanding the salaries of Hartley and Tait or at least I hope to god they aren’t as they a fraction of those players. So again, I ask the question, where has the money gone or is planned to go? Others have said correctly, that side were there for the taking and you cannot help that feel that had we already invested in 2/3 players of quality that I and others have been crying out for, we would be looking at a playoff at home for a shot at the groups. It’s only correct for the club to now come with a roadmap. We seem to be paying salaries for a raft of players either not good enough or indeed not good enough to even get a look (not to mention permanently crocked Dunne whom I’m imagining is a larger earner) so again, what’s the forecasted return of investment from a fans perspective now? Not in terms of money, but in terms of product.

Well, that was that. I actually don’t think we were bad tonight. We were the better side in the first half and second half we ran out of steam. Two absolutely criminal bits of defending and some ineptitude at set Pieces cost us, however that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone given the way we have started the season. Given the way we have started and the amount of shite in the squad, it’ll be a few years at least before we return to European competition so it will be tough to take much forward from tonight other than a massive case of ‘what if’. We are bereft of any real quality in the outfield other than Campbell but again that isn’t a surprise either. The crucial decision for the board is now stick or twist. Yes the weekend result was decent but I maintain this squad isn’t good enough and needs an injection to start clear of relegation in the long run. The performances of some of the newer bodies do not however suggest that the hiring policy is good enough however to make any real difference.... it’s a puzzle

Yes we did, minus costs which I’m assuming are no more than 250

Well two things are certain. 1) were out of Europe 2) Nathan Mcginley is utterly fucking rotten

Easy to say but can’t help feeling if this was at home, it would be a very different score line. Plenty to suggest we are still in the game. Cannot believe that wasn’t a red card

--------------Carson -O'Donnell----Gallagher---Lamie Grimshaw--------------------------Mcginley ----------------Campbell----O'Hara ---------------------Polworth -----------------Long--------Watt Surprisingly, I am more insecure about getting through tonight that the potential playoff against Plzen. Keep it tight, combative and we will have chances.

Indeed

Now the question. Can we hold on to a 2-0 lead away from home?

A quick check on sky scanner will show tickets for 500£ return. If we can’t put together the trip for less than 30/40k then we’ve done something wrong. I guess we will need to wait and see what wonderful investments the remaining 210/220k will be spent on

Your last paragraph nails it. We are bereft of quality. We need 2/3 players with experience and of a higher caliber than what we have currently, instead we’ve brought in a desperate loan signing from a team around or at a lower level than us. Robinson needs to raise the bar in terms of mentality and ability in the squad, I cannot for the life of me figure out how a loan signing from Livingston does that. On paper, including the boys on loan (who we will Likely still be paying the majority of salary for given where they have gone), we’ve Got a very large squad. The issue here isn’t bodies, it’s quality. If Campbell is indeed out/injured, the one outfield player we have with that I’m evidence will also not be present - it’s not looking pretty. For the 50th time on this forum, we surely have money to re-invest here given recent developments. Signings such as the one we have made don’t point to that, it’s a show of desperation and padding out a squad.

Fuck me. This is a complete joke. No harm to the guy, I’m sure he’s pleasant and all that but Christ almighty, we need quality, experience and leadership and we’re bringing in a loan from Livi? Seriously, what is going on? Hapoel must be shitin themselves

I'm not advocating spending 4million on players - it wont and shouldn't happen. What I'm advocating is a bit of clarity from the club. I've said it before elsewhere. Either the club backs the manager and gives him the funds to get some quality bodies in, urgently, or we take the view that the job is bigger than that and therefore the manager and recruitment also need to be moved. Doing nothing isn't an option. We knew there was always a risk in the level of player which we bring in. I'm not a fan of the clubs stance of budgeting for 10th, but it is what it is. There has, without shadow of a doubt, been a policy on building quite big squads recently that have been bereft of real quality, which is a choice. McCall (for all his failings) built a small squad but one with a bit of quality to it. McCall equally wasn't a hero of mine, but I could understand the policy for a club like Motherwell. There are recent recruitment decisions and directions which have come home to roost. We are in the fortunate situation where we can afford to get ourselves out of it, but it needs to be decisive.

We have pulled in 3 million for Turnbull and 1 million thus far in Europe; budgeting shouldn't be an issue. We were already debt free. Yes, we dont have the income from fans at games, but we also don't have the expense of opening a stadium - the club shouldn't be in financial problems at all. It's also a bit of a cop out to go down the road of asking, okay, who would you choose... The club pay full time salaries to have that input and the result at the moment is found severely wanting.

I don’t disagree with many of the points of your post but I have on real annoyance that I’ve seen here a lot in recent times. Your last line “a bit richer”. The commentators last night also mentioned the money. Qualifying for the 3rd round generates 1 million euro for the club in earnings to this point In Europe. I get it’s amazing not to have debt etc. in the club but we’ve come into so much money in the summer. I know we have expenses with no supporters and running costs but we must have the healthiest bank balance the club has ever had. That’s all well and good but neither I, nor any of us are supporters and signing songs for the bank balance, we support the team on the park and right now, one is suffering at the expense of the other.

For sure, a game of two halves. We should have been out of sight at 2-0 but we managed to turn in one of the worst second half performances I can remember from a Motherwell team. I’ve been going on like a broken record about the weaknesses in our squad but they are glaring. Without doubt, it stems from the management, we look devoid of ideas or any real plan, knocking it about a back three with no one dropping to collect, before launching high balls to two forwards as poor in the air as each other, doesn’t make sense. The spirit is gone and for some reason, I cannot get the images of the Sunderland til I die squad from the first season out of my mind. We’ve got a bit of billy big baws About us from many of the playing staff and it’s infectious. We have far too many players that are collecting a wage and contributing next to nothing. There’s a total lack of leadership And urgency both on and off the park and the summer saw us let go of the two players that offered that and we have not addressed it. It’s all fine and well for Robinson to say it’s 3 In 4 and we’re into the next round but I’m sorry, Glentoran was even until they got reduced to 10, we were dire against st Johnston and again last night, we scraped through on penalties against a team we should be hammering in terms of quality and fitness. Like many, including Robinson, I have no idea what out best team is and for Gallagher to come out in the press and say survival is the aim, I’m sorry, isn’t good enough. We are, like it or not, an established top flight club, coming off the back of a top 3 finish and playing in Europe, yet we haven’t kicked on. Our rivals from last season in Hibs and Aberdeen have improved their squads, we have regressed. The aim at Motherwell should be a top six finish IMO, or at least that’s what we should be building for. I’m more and more of the opinion however that this squad is in the most serious threat of relegation since Malpas and something needs to be done now. Whether that means giving cash to Robinson or starting there are and then investing in the squad is up for debate. The hiring policy is coming back to bite us in the arse as it always would eventually and the next crop of youth players looks a mile off in terms of getting near the team either by design or coincidence. Without doubt, there are decent players in the squad and if I imagine purely from the perspective of an 11 on paper that’s a stick on top 6 side, we are probably 2/3 players short however the bigger issue here is attitude. If We can bring in 2/3 players at decent level (Which we desperately need) with experience (which doesn’t mean signing drivel from non-league/league 2 England), it will certainly bolster a thin looking squad, but it won’t matter a jot if the attitude of the remaining 18 or so first team players and management mentality isn’t dealt with immediately.

We NEED, NEED, NEED to reinvest some of the money from either Turnbull or this European cup ‘run’ into the first team squad. We are fucking dreadful

Surely, barring a disaster, we will invest a wee bit of money in our defensive and attacking central midfield

I believe Carson’s comment to Mcginley was “Nathan, that’s not defending son”. Could apply to the entire back line tbh

We are undoubtedly short in midfield. The problem is that taking a punt on two randomers coming from non-league English football isn’t what is required. We’re bereft of quality and experience. Of course, the later is easier to find than the former however someone that can play as a Traditional number 6 to screen the defence (with a bit of experience, to make sure we have the ability to secure a draw from time to time rather than a defeat when we’re under pressure) and a traditional number 10 that can link middle to front and score a few goals are essential.

If Campbell were to be sold we will have officially gone full frontal Dundee United.

Your numbers are substantially higher than what I believed was the case however I would suggest it highlights my original point better (if correct). We have netted 3 million from Turnbull. Of course, if for arguments sake, we say all revenue from Europe goes to plugging the lost match day revenue (as May well be the case), were still 3 million up. I’m not suggesting we smash 3 million on a player - far from it. What I am suggesting, to get back to the St Johnston game, is that the squad is unquestionably short and we will almost certainly, for the first time in 20 years, be in a healthy enough financial position to bring in 1 or two players to address that, whilst still having 2.5 million to invest in infrastructure. Ps. There’s still a small amount coming in from The kipre Wigan sale also, no?

Sure. According to the UEFA numbers, it seems approx 250k euro for qualification for third round qualifying. If we can’t manage to plan a 2 day trip to Albania or Israel for 22 people for under 250,000 then someone should really inform the club about Skyscanner or Expedia