David

We didn't spend a "fortune" on that video.

A few points there worth addressing: 1. I don't think we're "financially flagging" at all. In fact, we seem to be in a relatively good space financially. Now, that doesn't mean we can sustain ourselves as a top-flight club. It could become the case that we can't do that with the financial restrictions we're working under. But that doesn't mean we're "financially flagging". It just means we're not as financially well-off as those around us. 2. As someone else has said, we don't know if we couldn't match what Killie and St Mirren were offering or if we just didn't see the value in it. The whole thing had a bit of a bidding war about it, and I definitely believe that Killie paid over the odds if the numbers being bandied about are true. 3. I don't know if we look "poorly coached" either. We're certainly not at our best this season, but we're 9th in the league. I could understand the crying and panic if we were in the position Livi are in, but we're not.

No they won't. He'll maybe get a wee round of applause when he warms up, but he'll certainly not get cheered if he scores against us, for example.

Far be it for me to defend or champion the cause of the people you're talking about, but the world would be boring if we all agreed. Or, it would be like a Twitter feed—an echo chamber. Most people here bring something to the discussion, and everyone adds value in their own way. But the call is yours to make. Hopefully, we'll see you back at some point.

Jim Gannon, Stuart McCall, Mark McGhee (1st spell) and Craig Brown were all pre-fan ownership when the club was different. We've really only had Robinson, Alexander, Hammell and Kettlewell in the current era.

so you believe the entire recruitment process sits squarely with the club manager? Interesting.

In most cases, yes, that's how it works. The question most would have is did Kettlewell specifically ask Nick Daws for players in the positions we signed this window? If so, it may raise some questions as to why the manager has seen those particular positions as a requirement. However, and I believe this to be the most likely scenario, the manager has asked for players in a number of positions, and the recruitment team wasn't able to identify suitable targets in those areas, or they managed to and the club couldn't get the deals over the line. The question then has to be, is whoever is negotiating the deals on behalf of the club up to the task? Or has the recruitment department not been aligned on what we can afford as a club regarding playing targets? A lot of variables, and without being inside the club, there's little way of knowing which it actually is. All I can tell from the outside looking in is that there's no distinct pattern or trend in the signings we make, which is why I question how analytics are being used. They are more than likely being utilised in some way, but how that is, I don't know.

The thing is, he's shown that he's got something about him as a coach. He's certainly done more with the likes of Bair than I ever thought possible, and when an individual (or coaching team) can coach a player to the point where he's defying the analytics and numbers, he's definitely got something about him.

As I said, I'm fairly sure they're using analytics to some degree. I certainly don't believe they're still operating like they were in the 90's. But I just can't see a way in which they're being used correctly. Or to its potential. When it comes to analytics, you can usually tell if they're being used due to patterns and trends that are visible in the actions of the companies using them after a period of time. I've looked long and hard, and for the life of me, I can't see anything from our transfer business that would suggest they're implementing them. This is why I've long believed that any issues we have at the moment most likely sit with the recruitment department more than anything else. As you say, the people running the club aren't idiots. They're certainly not amateurs. And the club is in a reasonably healthy position financially. Kettlewell has proven that he's got something about him as a coach as well. Which leaves one particular area. In my opinion anyway.

The only fear I have is that we get rid of said millstone only to continue with our haphazard approach to transfers, except with more money to burn.

Don't mention Brighton 😂 I did that and was quickly told that they have a billion dollars to spend on analytics so it doesn't compare. You're right, though. There's a lot we can take from their approach that can be adjusted to fit with what we're capable of doing. Our approach at the moment seems so far off the mark that it's not even funny.

Harking back to my post about data analytics in November, I honestly still believe that a club our size has to box clever, otherwise we will come undone at some point. And that point could very well be now. We cannot continue the process of throwing shite against the wall every summer and winter and hoping some of it sticks. That's not sustainable. I said in November that I didn't know if the club were already using data analytics to its advantage, but quite honestly, I've seen very little evidence of this being the case. We could be way better in this area. And we don't need to spend a fortune to get there. As I said back then, if we put the initial framework in place ahead of a summer window, we'd save a lot on the money we seem to spend during the January window.

I don't know if sacking another backroom staff and manager is the answer. What we've seen during this window is partly due to the fact we've been handing payouts to entire backroom teams like nobody's business. Also, if the club is being run according to what people say on internet forums, we're in more considerable trouble than anyone could imagine. Truth is, if we can maintain 9th spot, or even 10th, it's job done. Come the summer, it could be time for a discussion about the manager, but I can't see it being before then unless we hit a significant tailspin.

He's 43 now, and last played for Accrington Stanley over ten years ago. Might be within our budget, actually.

That's all just conjecture though really. Factors that can't be proven with data. All we know for sure is that when you rank all three towns on population, Motherwell comes in at the bottom.

Well, we don't know that, do we? You'd need to look at the different sizes of the towns. Paisley has a population twice the size of Motherwell, and while Kilmarnock isn't quite as big, it still has a more significant population than Motherwell. So, as a percentage of "stay away" fans it could be that they have more than we do?

If we're brutally honest, is Scottish football really worth the entry cost? £20-£20 to sit in the pissing rain and cold to watch football? The facilities are shocking, the food and drink on offer is a joke. I don't blame anyone for spending their hard earned elsewhere.

Agreed. It should be very rare when we give a manager anything longer than a 12 month rolling contract, in my opinion.

Imagine how much more f*cked we'd be financially if we'd binned off Kettlewell and his backroom team earlier this season as well?

Every chance we will eventually be relegated. Virtually every other club around us has been in recent times, so it could just be our turn. Hasn't kicked a ball since November. Take from that what you will.

But how are they able to do that? Aren't St Mirren fan owned? Just like us?

Aren't St Mirren fan-owned? Just like us? Where are they getting the money?

You telling me you think Forrest has a chance of making the Scotland team by coming to Motherwell? Or any other Scottish club for that matter?

If he knows anything about Steve Clarke and the criteria he has for picking players, he'd be asking his agent to find him a move to an English Championship team then.

Not only that, but he signed a deal with them until 2026. There's no way we can match the salary he's getting there, so if he's leaving permanently then he'll surely be looking for more than we can give him? A loan would be different, of course, because he'd still be getting the salary he agreed with Groningen, with us contributing.