El Grew

Sad to hear that another one of our former players, Benny Cairney has passed at the age of 77. I can remember seeing Benny playing I think about 1965/66. Thoughts and prayers are with Benny’s family. RIP.

Our record away to St. Mirren: P104; W31; L45; D28; GF120; GA162 St Mirren Win 43% Motherwell Win 30% Draw 27%

I assume you meant that WE would pay cash to get rid of him!

Rumours are that Hibs are after him as a replacement for Ryan Porteous.

Well if that’s the case he shouldn’t even be on the bench.

Einstein once said that the definition of madness was doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Well Stevie Hammell fits that definition because he has yet again named a midfield 3 of Goss, Slattery & Spittal!

Well football’s all about opinions isn’t it? However I think you (and a couple of other posters) have missed my point here. I was making the point that from what I’ve seen of Dean Cornelius, he is not a creative or flair player but more of a (old fashioned term coming up) wing-half. Although he’s only played a handful of games, I believe he’s played his best football when played between our penalty box and halfway where he’s able to break-up opposition attacks as Brown and Lennon did for Celtic. He has the capability and the engine for that role. Going to show my age now - Nobby Stiles did this job for Man Utd and was told that when he won the ball back, to pass it to the creative midfielders in the side. I really think if Dean Cornelius was employed in that type of role that he’d be a real asset. All teams need their worker bees - the late great Bill Shankly one said “A football team is like a piano. You need 8 men to carry it and 3 men who can play the damned thing.”

I’ve watched Dean Cornelius since he broke into the first team and I firmly believe he is one of the best prospects we’ve got. However I don’t think the management team are of that view. They’ve had him into the side on a few occasions but they don’t seem to know what his best position is. Personally, I believe his best role is in midfield breaking up opposition moves - similar to the way Lennon and Brown did for Celtic. The other problem is that he needs a run in the team to enable him to settle and establish himself. This playing him in one game, out the next, used as a sub, not used as a sub is counter-productive for a young player. Define his role in the side, show belief and confidence in him and give him a decent run in the team to allow him to develop. How many people didn’t fancy Alan Campbell for a while? But he got all of the above and developed into a really good young player so much so he’s a mainstay in a team sitting just outside the play-off spots in the English Championship.

Spot on. Our top priority must be the league and staying up and those harping on about Arbroath being a must win need to remember that.

He’s in the boardroom with Kerr collecting their P45s. All joking aside, there’s still 17 games left to play which is almost half the season left. I think it’s now time to act and get a new manager in to give him the time to try and steady things and save our season.

FFS somebody voted for Blair Spital!? Must have been Blair Spital. Lol.

Fed up saying it but it’s playing the likes of Solhem, Lamie, Goss, Spital , Slattery et all that will get us relegated!

Cheerio Stevie!

Absolutely torpid! And yet again when it’s not working no changes either in formation and personnel. Surely must be Hammell and Kerr’s swan song!

Even allowing for the dreadful weather this is f*cking worse than last week. All we’ve done is punt long balls up in the middle of a gale. I fear this won’t end well for us.

Unsurprised by a few of the banger comments on my post. However since you have posed a sensible question, here a just a couple of examples for you: Aberdeen have 21-year old midfielder Leighton Clarkson on loan from Liverpool. St Johnstone have 20-year old left-back Adam Montgomery on loan from Celtic. I know our “scouts” can’t be everywhere but surely we should be looking at these kind of players. And why have we not tried to “partner-up” with an English Premiership club with a view to accessing some of their promising young players on loan?

I know there will be those who will have a go at me for this post but I couldn’t care. If Stevie Hammell seriously thinks our situation will be improved by players like this, even on loan, then I’m afraid we will be playing in the Championship next season! Two wingers. Really! We’ve already got one on loan - James McKinstry. No disrespect to these two guys, but one by his own admission can’t get a start in a team that plays in what is really the old English 3rd division and the other is a 21-year old rookie with only 7 games under his belt. Utterly bewildering!!

Amen.

FFS!! He may have faults - if he didn’t then he wouldn’t be at Fir Park - but Van Veen is the last player who should be getting stick - it’s only his goals that are keeping our head above water. Every week he plays up front on his own with little or no support from his supposed strike partners or from our midfield. Nobody from our midfield ever manages to get in front of him in a game and they couldn’t find him with a pass if they had sat-nav. Jeez. if he’s a passenger what does that make the other 9 jokers that are on the park with him?

If we don’t beat Ross County next week then we’ll be in the Championship next season - and who knows maybe for a few seasons. Very poor squad of players, no money at the club, fan ownership laudable but failing due to small support, club run by well-meaning amateurs, Board fouled up with previous manager and then handed job to a rookie. If you sling out the players that aren’t any good/not performing then there’s not much left to make a team with. All adds up to a recipe for disaster and that’s what’s happening. Doubtful whether removal of Hammell at this point in time would make a difference as we just don’t have the players to get us out of this mess - and that’s been glaringly obvious since the Sligo Rovers debacle. Complete re-think required as to how the club is being run/managed off the field.

I really have to applaud you on your optimism.

We’re now in a 4-team league scrapping to try and preserve our Premiership status with Kilmarnock, Dundee Utd & Ross County. Next run of league fixtures: Ross Cnty (H), St. Mirren (A), St Johnstone (H), Aberdeen (A), St Mirren (H), Hearts (H), Kilmarnock (A). Under normal circumstances all winnable but not with our dross.

For me, out of that starting 11 only Kelly, Goss and Van Veen are worth keeping. A rag man wouldn’t give you a balloon for the rest!

Well that’s that then. Championship calling loud and clear now. Stevie Hammell proved to be no better than the previous manager and now has to be replaced.