Well-Made

Liam Gordon off to Port Vale https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2026/03/defender-liam-gordon-poised-to-become-port-vales-18th-international-player/

Looks like he was also linked with Northampton and Tranmere jobs but didn't get either. After Wimmer and Jens it feels an under whelming appointment if true.

So do I (it has it uses though) but we aren't getting any rumours so why not see what it reckons.. **My company is heavy on AI as well...**

Love this idea of using AI to see if we can identify who we may look at. Gemini gave me these 3 Losing Jens Berthel Askou to Toulouse is a massive gut punch right after he guided the Well to an incredible 4th-place finish and secured European football. His tactical blueprint—progressive, high-energy, attractive attacking football combined with an excellent track record of developing young talent—is exactly the foundation Chairman Kyrk Macmillan needs to preserve. Given the board’s clear preference to move away from the traditional "Scottish managerial merry-go-round" (as seen with Michael Wimmer and Askou) and scout Europe or further afield, the next appointment needs to be data-literate, tactically modern, and capable of handling European qualification fixtures right away. Here are four strong, realistic continental and international options that fit the exact tactical profile of what Askou built at Fir Park, rated on suitability: ### 1. Óskar Hrafn Thorvaldsson (Iceland) Thorvaldsson is a highly progressive coach who built a reputation for playing some of the most attractive, high-pressing football in Scandinavia during his time with Breidablik, famously taking them into the UEFA Conference League group stages. * **Style of Play:** Ultra-progressive, possession-oriented, and aggressively attack-minded. He favors a fluid 4-3-3 that prioritizes overloading wide areas and high-tempo transitions. * **Youth Development:** Exceptional. Icelandic football relies heavily on blooding academy talent, and Thorvaldsson excels at molding young players into sellable assets. * **Why he fits:** He has proven, recent pedigree in navigating European qualifiers with a modest budget, perfectly matching Motherwell's upcoming campaign. * **Fit Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) — *A tactical soulmate to Askou's approach and deeply accustomed to punching above his weight in Europe.* ### 2. Thomas Letsch (Germany) The former VfL Bochum and Vitesse Arnhem manager is currently available and brings a wealth of high-level European experience. He was a product of the Red Bull Salzburg coaching pipeline, meaning his tactical DNA is deeply rooted in modern football fundamentals. * **Style of Play:** High-octane, intense counter-pressing. He relies on vertical progression, meaning the team looks to get the ball forward sharply and aggressively rather than keeping possession for the sake of it. * **Youth Development:** Strong background. He previously managed Salzburg's feeder club, FC Liefering, which is essentially an elite global academy. * **Why he fits:** He guided Vitesse to a European knockout run and kept Bochum in the Bundesliga against the odds. He represents a slight step up in pedigree that could signal massive ambition from the Well board. * **Fit Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5) — *Slightly more pragmatic in transitional phases than Askou, but brings elite tactical discipline and European pedigree.* ### 3. Per-Mathias Høgmo (Norway) If Motherwell wants an experienced hand who guarantees an incredibly entertaining, high-scoring side, the former Norway national team boss is an intriguing option. He recently managed Urawa Red Diamonds and previously worked wonders with BK Häcken in Sweden. * **Style of Play:** High-scoring, expansive 4-3-3. His Häcken side was famous for outscoring opposition, prioritizing creative freedom in the final third, and playing with incredibly high wing-backs. * **Youth Development:** Solid, though he tends to rely a bit more on established tactical roles. * **Why he fits:** He knows how to build a team that captures the imagination of the fans, ensuring Fir Park crowds (which are up 40%) stay highly entertained. * **Fit Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5) — *Brilliant attacking style, though his higher wage profile and preference for slightly more experienced squads could be a hurdle.* ### 4. Kevin Muscat (Australia) Currently managing Shanghai Port, Muscat has been heavily linked with a return to Western football for a while. As a coach, he has completely shed his former "hardman" player reputation to become one of the most exciting tactical minds from the Ange Postecoglou coaching tree. * **Style of Play:** "Ange-ball" adjacent. Relentless attacking, inverted full-backs, high defensive lines, and a strict emphasis on suffocating the opposition in their own half. * **Youth Development:** Excellent track record in the A-League and J-League at giving young, energetic players the platform to thrive in high-intensity systems. * **Why he fits:** He brings an incredibly sharp, aggressive style that would take Askou's foundations and supercharge them. He also knows the UK landscape well but represents the "wider areas" scouting mission perfectly. * **Fit Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3.5/5) — *Tactically perfect, but prising him away from lucrative overseas contracts mid-season would require a massive financial push.* ### Summary Comparison | Manager | Nationality | Preferred Style | European Exp. | Realistic Target? | |---|---|---|---|---| | **Óskar Hrafn Thorvaldsson** | Icelandic | High-tempo, Fluid 4-3-3 | High (Group Stages) | **Very Realistic** | | **Thomas Letsch** | German | Red Bull Pressing, Vertical | High (Eredivisie/UECL) | **Realistic** | | **Per-Mathias Høgmo** | Norwegian | Expansive, Attacking | High (Scandinavia) | **Ambitious** | | **Kevin Muscat** | Australian | Inverted Full-backs, Relentless | Asia Only | **Difficult** | Given how smoothly Jens integrated his Nordic sensibilities into Fir Park, leaning back into the Icelandic or Scandinavian market with a candidate like Thorvaldsson seems like the most logical step to keep the momentum going without ripping up the blueprint. Not saying any of them are affordable right enough..

Even Packie Bonner is saying there wasn' enough in it. Cheating F'n Officials.

Looks like we had Stephen Welsh to this list. Celtic have recalled him apparently

Line ups: Motherwell: Ward, Koutroumbis, McGinn, O'Donnell, Sparrow, Fadinger, Watt, Priestman, Slattery, Just, Said. Subsitutes: Connelly, Gordon, Balmer, Stamatelopoulos, Osong, Ross, McAllister, Longelo, Hendry. Take it Said is playing the striker role

Maybe he's been offered the managers job.. 😛

Looks like its the last.. https://x.com/MotherwellFC

Must be about to announce another then Seems to be slow on the official site

Take it that's Welsh signed then https://x.com/i/status/1962618968365244646

Just been on wiki... I know, I know you can't always trust it but surely he has played more than 72 games in 6 years.... It reports 42 for Celtic between 2019 and now 19/20 played 15 for Morton And 17 for Mechelen last season. He signed a 4 year contract in 2023. He seems the type of player that is happy to sit and take a wage or is seriously injury prone which is why we are attracted to him. His injury history.. In July this year he had shoulder trouble with a potential need for surgery August 2023 ankle ligament injury 8 weeks out and day after he signed new deal Even with the few knocks prior to that nothing adds up to a longer layoff than 8 weeks (info collated from a couple of different websites)

I'll be disappointed with Welsh if correct. I hate loaning from any team in the division. It's not as if we're needing because of last minute injuries. We have been crying out to sort the defence out since at least January. We have brought in one player who can play there and he's been crocked from Day 1. We should've been looking out with before now. We can't rely on Ward and if he is to be persisted with he needs better cover.

All I can say is what a great move for a young and ambitious player. All the best for the future and hope you go on to great things

With the Cup Final not until next week, I'd have expected the contracts to run past that point. So they may still be deciding who they are keeping.. But I hope not!!

Casey injured apparently, at least according to the statement on why there was 5 changes to todays team

Just as I was about to make use of that!!!

Good luck to Dungannon Swifts and Good Luck to Gael Bigirimana and Dungannon Swifts

Michael Wimmer is a German football coach and former player. Born on June 18, 1980, in Dingolfing, West Germany, he played as a midfielder during his career. After transitioning to coaching, he has held various roles, including assistant and head coach positions at clubs like 1. FC Nürnberg, FC Augsburg, VfB Stuttgart, and Austria Wien1. Recently, he was appointed as the new manager of Motherwell Football Club Coaching Experience: Held various roles at clubs like 1. FC Nürnberg, FC Augsburg, VfB Stuttgart, and Austria Wien. Recently appointed as the manager of Motherwell Football Club. Comparative Analysis: Experience: Similar to many seasoned managers in the league. Success Rate: Competitive, with notable performances during his interim stints. Tactical Approach: Prefers a 3-4-1-2 formation. Development Focus: Strong background in youth development. Formation: Favors a 3-4-1-2 setup with three central defenders, four midfielders (including wing-backs), one attacking midfielder, and two forwards. This formation provides a solid defensive base and attacking flexibility. (from CoPilot) Looks like no change in formation folks. Hopefully he can add something different to this, Oh and Welcome to the Club

The story for Wimmer says that a work application from Bristol Rovers was rejected at the end of last uear b the FA. Do we have different criteria?

Jack McMillan involved for Exter tonight against Forest, with Jack Aitchison on the bench. Been a good game, Exeter down to 10 men going into extra-time. So still time for AItchison to come on as Forest needed to use a concussion sub on 90 minutes. They had just announced 10 minutes injury time, the game was held up for 10 minutes before that was played.

Time for him to go. He's on about injuries but even with 3 defenders out we still put out a back 5 that have had enough game time this season. Its not as if he needed to use youngsters to fill the void. The formation was still the same as most of his games in charge and this sitting back and allow teams to have possession is killing us. I can understand it if it's against the Glasgow pair but the rest of the teams in the league we shouldn't be allowing it. So, none of the above was affected by the 9 players being out, we'd have still played the same way I see he is after another striker (despite needing a replacement for McGinn or some steel in the midfield.) The issue doesn't lie with the strikers not getting gaols, it lies with them not getting the service to at least get attempts in to start with. Its always the same excuses after the game but nothing changes. So, yea time to go. The question is who replaces him, on that I am still not sure but one thing I do know is, whoever it is, we don't offer them a new contract after 6 months just because they won a couple of games.

Next door neighbour is a Utd fan, Moult is fit but they have brought in a couple of new strikers and Moult is now seen as a bench player to bring on without disturbing the team too much and keep quality on the park. He did wonder if we'd see him back at Fir Park for regular football but he's delighted he's stayed.

Makes you wonder why he didn't get more game time when Kelly was off the boil

There were a couple of late additions, Iona Boyle and Jim Wright