star sail

So far neither Just or Watt have gone to the OF. It really must be a copy and paste that goes on the front of every Scottish media transfer story. I suspect that JT will not be Glasgow bound either. I am still going £10 mill for Just. Smashed sounds like £5 mill + £5 mill to me.

I read Weeyin make a comment on this thread or possibly one of the other threads that he does not form an opinion on the team until September and I understand the reasoning behind this but unfortunately in modern football September is a long way away. Russell Martin at Rangers had effectively lost his job by then last season. He had certainly lost a dressing room and support. Likewise Alexander was out of a job by the end of July after the Sligo fiasco. I think one of Askou's qualities was that his messaging was very clear and concise from the beginning. The plan was very clear. This season does not have that vibe about it although I don't think that is necessarily Johansson's fault. He has a significant rebuild on his hands. Askou had the luxury of easing himself in with the League Cup group stage. If we remember those first few games, would last year's team have made it past the first round of a European tie against a half decent side? There is no guarantee. I always felt that Stuart McCall never recovered from losing to Starnaan. I really worry that if Motherwell go out to HB, the knock on effect could be significant. I would like to think that as a support we will give AJ the first round of fixtures to stamp his mark but modern life does not really lend itself to that kind of patience.

Deffo £10 mill!!!!

Agreed. It has been nice to see the refs in the WC trying to make the game flow as much as possible. It has highlighted just how pedantic the Scottish referees are. It has been quite notably just how much of a difference there is been the top referees in the World and their Scottish peers.

I would agree that Slattery deserved it if similar incidents were getting the same punishment. What is striking about the Slattery incident is that is was a punishment in isolation of other similar incidents. You can see the levels of simulation in the World Cup. As far as I am aware not one player has received a ban for it. I understand different governing body, different referees but it is the same sport and in that context Slattery's punishment was excessive.

You get the sense that Motherwell have got under the skin of the SFA last season. What should have been a real positive for the game in Scotland with one of the smaller teams genuinely competing (and often outplaying) with the 4 big city clubs now has more of a sense of reprisal than celebration about it. Is it possible that the authorities felt genuinely threatened by what Motherwell were trying to do? It seems far fetched in the extreme to think that is possible and yet for the authorities to come down on Motherwell not once but twice with punishments that don't really fit the crime seems more than just a coincidence. I can see no positive motive in actively targeting Motherwell in this way and yet as fans of the club and for the club itself there is a palpable sense that we have indeed been targeted. I have found myself drifting away from football in recent times largely because of the governance of the game both nationally and globally ( look at FIFA in the WC). Motherwell were pulling me back in last year. They were a breath of fresh air and yet the powers that be seem determined to drain the life out of any flicker of hope that things can be better. There is an inconsistency about the SFA response to many of these matters. When there is so much to fix in the game in this country (Old Firm pitch invasions being one) it seems a little like booking someone for parking over two carparking spaces whilst a riot is kicking off all around. It's all a bit weird.

It is easy to look back with hindsight but I do remember thinking when watching the celebrations at Hibs that we were celebrating with a team that was about to disintegrate completely. I was confident at that point that JBA was gone and being critical of his last few months with us, I think he was trying to convince us of a dream that he did not believe in himself. If you listen to his tone in his last dressing room address it is fairly obvious that he knew the team was going to look very different by the time the new season came around. The legacy for Askou is the change in style and change in expectations at the club. The problem for Motherwell is that they are swimming against the tide and it is going to take some very talented people to ensure that legacy can be built upon. We could be looking at losing Ward, Just, Watt, TJ and Longelo. We have already lost Slattery. In anyone's book, if that happens we are effectively building a squad from the ground again. Askou did a fantastic job for the club but ultimately he was selling a dream that he was not prepared to see through himself so I can understand MJC's nervousness at this moment in time. There is absolutely no doubt that Askou's time at the club has been a significant net gain but it may not feel that way if next season sees a drop off from last seasons very high standards.

I think you definitely know more about the metrics than I do. It is interesting to read. Thanks. All I can tell you is if you lined up Just, Raskin, Engels and Bowie and asked me to pick one for this coming season at Motherwell, I would pick Just.

I think I mentioned £10 million. Kieran Bowie at Hibs transferred for £6 million having scored 15 goals over two seasons. He doesn't currently get a game for Scotland and the Scotland team is not exactly blessed with goal machines. I think we agree that Motherwell will not get £10 million ( they will be lucky to get half this) for him but that does not mean that his performances do not merit a £10 million price tag. Rangers want £20 million for Raskin. It simply doesn't equate.

I think you are underselling the player on almost every level. I am not an expert on transfer fees but I would imagine that finished articles sell for more than their younger selves. Would Ronaldo's first couple of transfers be anywhere near his transfer fee to Juventus? Three goals in a WC is three goals. As somebody joked earlier, he scored two more than the entire Scotland team combined and they played lowly Haiti. How many Scotland players in history have scored 3 goals at a WC? You can't underplay that sort of achievement. Just was fantastic last season and had more of an impact than Miller did at any time in his Motherwell career. EJ is worth £10 million. Compare with Engels at Celtic. Just had a better season and look at the money Celtic have turned down for Engels Unfortunately Motherwell will never get £10 million for him because he plays for Motherwell but there are worse players that have commanded more. Look at the valuation of Fernandez at Rangers. Was there not talk of £18+ million for him? We need to be talking our players up not talking them down.

Mine would be very similar to this but I would replace Randolph with Ruddy, I would have McKinnon in a back four and would replace Turnbull with Bobby Russell for nostalgic reasons only. That leaves me with 12 so Scott McDonald would probably have to make way. That probably leaves a 4-5-1 with Coyne being the most immobile lone striker of all time but he is my favourite Well player of all time so it will have to do.

Wow. Well done on putting this together. It shows a tremendous knowledge of the players and the history of the club.

I think these comments come off the back of the BBC Sportsound article where there was discussion about the importance to players of a good first impression. I suppose a first impression is by definition something you can't define. It's a feeling rather than something more objective. Unfortunately he is going to be compared to Askou and unfortunately for Johansson that is going to be a very difficult act to follow. We all hope he can match Askou's success but the slight nervousness is understandable because Askou has set such an impressive precedent.

II will be disappointed with anything less than a hat trick from Elijah tonight. By the morning I expect us to be talking about a Scottish Football record evaluation for a player. It's not too much to ask is it? Maybe Messi will be wanting to come to Motherwell to see if the coaching methods can make him as good as Just.

Thanks for heads up on this. I listened to it on playback and there was a couple of interesting points: 1. Andy Holliday saying that Johansson was recommended to the club by JBA. 2. He had a couple of challenges with a few of the senior players at Rosenborg. It was highlighted how important it is that he makes a good first impression and establishes good relationships with the senior players particularly given that he does not have a playing background himself. 3. Andy Holliday commented on the lack of big egos in the Motherwell squad which will help the manager get the squad onside. 4. As STV mentioned Rosenborg lost some key players which impacted the team significantly. 5. Discussion on just how important the first impression is. Personal opinion this but I did not feel that his first meeting with the players was particularly impressive. I think one of JBA's strengths was how assured he always was. Very definite in his decision making. Johansson almost seemed to be convincing himself that he was happy to be here. On the one hand you can admire the openness and honesty of admitting that a move to Scotland required some serious thought between him and his wife but I am not sure that it benefits him to say it. Strangely I got the very same sense from Wimmer when we saw that picture of him and Koc looking miserable in the pouring rain at Dalziel Park and we know what happened there subsequently. JBA never gave off that vibe even if he himself knew that Motherwell was a temporary stop off to other things.

Thanks. I guessed that might be the case but was not sure.

Motherwell seems to be a club that brings out the best in players and managers so hopefully he will flourish in his new environment.

Who is the Nick with the Liverpool accent in the introductions video?

Agreed. Del, Rangers and MJC are a match made in heaven. I am always very happy when Motherwell try a completely different approach.

Having spent the last few days continually hitting refresh on the website to get news of our new manager, I can't decide if I am excited or underwhelmed by today's announcement. There is no doubt that the club are trying to stick with a successful formula but it does appear as if Rosenborg were going backwards under Johansson's care towards the end. Some comments I have read are less than flattering about the teams performances this season. They are currently sitting in the relegation zone in the league. This appointment reminds me a little of Ian Cathro being appointed at Hearts. A very young manager from a non playing background who relied heavily on laptops and analytics. Cathro was unsuccessful at Hearts but I think that was partly due to the culture at Hearts and the culture in Scottish Football at the time. Cathro has been very successful since and I think he has just landed a top job in France. I get a sense that the senior players will have some say in how successful the new man is so hopefully the manager and senior players build a good rapport from the beginning. I really hope he can build on the success of the last year and that by this time next year our biggest concern is that we are fending of interest for our rising star once more.

Interesting to consider, if Just was Scottish would he have made it into the current Scotland squad? On merit obviously yes but would Clarke have picked him?

Slightly nosey question but what was your sport? Did you move to Italy because of the sport? I agree with what you say. I remember feeling slightly sorry for Lennon Miler at the time because it did seem like a big move for such a young guy. Italy can be just as dark, just as wet, just as cold in the winter months and for a young guy to have the motivation to do it speaks highly of him. All the more reason that it is a real shame that his commitment has not been rewarding by a Scotland call up. In nobody"s world is a regular Serie A midfield player an inferior option to a Manchester Utd reserve with little to no first team experience yet here we are. If as Weeyin suggests Clarke has picked Fletcher to make some sort of point then he should be nowhere near the Scotland managers job because he is effectively putting his own interests in front of the national interest. I suspect that Lennon's comments about wanting to be the best Scotland player will not have helped. In some cultures that type of ambition would be celebrated but I am certain those comments will not have gone down well with the ever frowning Mr Clarke.

The penalty shout at Ibrox was just as clear cut. It was 100% a penalty. We would have had a penalty had we been playing any other team ( apart from Celtic ) in the league but it was a clear penalty. You mention Livingston. They suffered the injustice of the season with the hand ball that was not given against Fernandez at Ibrox. Again, that would have been given as a penalty had they been playing any non OF team. Nobody cared about it because it was just Livingston and it was not title deciding but it was a terrible decision and it certainly did in some way contribute to their relegation. You have highlighted examples that actually help prove my point.

I share your frustration with this incident and it does highlight a wider problem in Scottish Football but you can't objectively frame this as a Celtic only problem. It is an OF problem and has been for decades. I agree that John Beaton was put in an impossible situation. I thought he refereed the game really well and was literally a couple of seconds away from being able to say job done. I thought the Maeda penalty call, he got right, the Slattery penalty call was also right. His onfield decision at the end was also spot on. I have no doubts that as he was walking to the monitor he would have either consciously or subconsciously been thinking about the personal implications for him and his family of overturning the decision. Unfortunately for him in this particular instance, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Had it been Rangers we were playing and Rangers were going for the title the outcome would have been EXACTLY the same. Both OF's clubs have used intimidation and the weight of numbers to get what they want for as long as I have been watching football. To frame it as a Celtic only problem (or a Rangers only problem) dilutes the argument. It is based on a predudice that favours one club or the other. They both use power and influence to get what they want and have both been very successful at getting what they want. It is why they keep doing it. Jim Traynor was hired as the Rangers communications man to use his knowledge of the press in Scotland to do exactly this, spin the narrative, put pressure on the authorities in Rangers favour. Rangers and Celtic are a collective. They are both a cancer on Scottish Football.

Would love to see MVG as next manager. It just seems like something that has to happen once. I think he would bring a similar vibe and presence as JBA and I prefer using first letter name abbreviations rather than Kettlewell, Alexander, Robinson, McGhee etc. It feels so much more continental. I don't think he would have seriously considered it a year ago but Jens has made the club a much more enticing proposition now.