The African
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Posts posted by The African
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Well, as the sun sets on a season to forget for multiple reasons ( actually it's morning here and absolutely p*ss*ng down which also seems somehow apt) where do we find ourselves?
The players who are already signed on for next season are an uninspiring bunch who have either underperformed over the last twelve months or are just not good enough. It is the manager's task to get a whole lot more out of them both collectively and as individuals. A fair few question marks over a few - can Carson return from injury and be as good as he was? can Grimshaw return after illness and provide the industry and utility that would enhance the squad? can Stephen Lawless find the form and inclination to remind us that his signing was a cause of some optimism? can Harry Robinson return from Aldi with everything on the list and the correct change?
The players we have brought in on loan have been a mixed bag, but I honestly cannot make a case for keeping any of them. Kelly would be a great signing, but we couldn't afford him and the only other one to make an impact , Roberts, is now out with a long term injury.
The players whose contracts are coming to an end are another mixed bag. Cole has done enough to warrant a new deal, though whether or not t will be with us is the real question. Long is a frustration in that there is obviously talent there, but it only appears when you have just about given up on him. Probably a luxury that a club at our level cannot really afford. I have some sympathy for the likes of Semele and Cornelius who have lack opportunities to show if they can make a mark, but if they haven't already broken through in our current squad, will they ever? Scott Fox has been unlucky with injury but you would think that Morrison is now ready to be our back up keeper. Charles Dunne has to prove that he has recovered enough to be a viable option in our squad. Foley is decent, but not a long term option. I can se most of them going.
My hope is that the manager is able to take what we already have and get the best out of it. A good team is greater than the sum of it's parts, and the one thing that we can probably all agree on is that, this season, this has not been the case at Fir Park.
I think we will have to bring in some new blood. As o who and what position, a lot will depend on who remains after the new deals are offered, rejected and so on. The three things I think we need to highlight with regard to strengthening the squad are leadership, quality and character. All three have been sadly lacking this season and, without them, we are in for another year of struggle at the wrong end of the table.
Anyway, we made it through this year. Sincere best wishes to all true Motherwell fans. Here's to better times ahead, and not just on the football field. I believe we are lucky to support an amazing football club, forged in the steel of a white hot furnace, and trying to achieve against the odds. When I think about it, I thank my late father for instilling this passion and support in me and realise that, although it may be a struggle on the bad days, it is part of me forever now and I love it.
PS A wee cup win next season would be nice.
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26 minutes ago, stephmc1886 said:
The way things are going it'll be colt teams in the lower leagues, this seems like the favoured plan!
A favoured plan, yes, but not for the likes of us.
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44 minutes ago, steelman1991 said:
...... and bought from St Mirren.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkBrian Wright was definitely at Hamilton before us. Are you perhaps mixing him up with Brian Martin?
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I think I enjoyed the first game more, in the sense that proving that they were sh*t* was more satisfying than just confirming it.
Following it from over here, one of the best aspects was sticking it right up the Scottish sporting press and media. They didn't give us a hope in hell, and were still talking up Rangers chances after the first leg. Apparently the fact that they weren't good enough to get promotion via winning the Championship was just forgotten and the standard line of old firm invincibility was trotted out.
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How about the Ferrier and Stevenson stand? Historically they seem to have always been bracketed together as players.
From a more recent vintage, I would not have an issue with naming it after Joe Wark.
As others have said, too many worthy contenders, not enough stands.
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1 hour ago, SteelmaninOZ said:
Goalie Brisbane Roar goal keeper wants away worth looking at.
Young looks a decent goalkeeper, and he could be the sort of player who might be nterested in a move to a club like ours. In his mid thirties though, so not really a long term prospect or likely for us to develop and sell on.
I think that Kelly is probably beyond our budget, though another loan could be an option, but I have always been an admirer of Trevor Carson and hope that he can make a successful recovery and return to our first team.
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I think that the lack of any under 20 or reserve team fixtures this season has made it even harder for young players to develop and make a case for being given their chance in the first team. Normally I am an advocate for giving youth their chance, but the lack of an intermediate level for them to work on and showcase their talents is just another minor problem caused by the pandemic. Hopefully it is just an abstract issue for a limited period and we can continue to develop the core of our team for the future.
As for the remaining fixtures, let's just play the best team we have, try and finish as high up the table as possible, and then consign this season to the dustbin of history where, from our perspective, it rightfully belongs.
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There is a fairly fine line between "better" and "different". Facilities are safer and that has to be a good thing. Crowds have gone down though, as the price/cost of football has increased, to at least partly pay for these changes The changes in society throughout this time cannot be discounted with regard to how they changed the match day experience - from large scale unemployment to the increase in other competing leisure activities, from a greater understanding of health and safety risks to a decreased sense of local community and the corresponding link to local sporting teams.
The question of whether players were better is already subjective before you take into account any changes in coaching, fitness and speed. Whilst agreeing that their have been advances in all these areas, I do tend to think that the improvement in these areas has not necessarily resulted in an improved final product.
Another possible issue in any comparison can be the nature of the evidence available. In the 1970s only two games a week were televised. Motherwell might only be on television ten times a year. Now every match is just about available and we see every excruciating moment if we are braver enough, this season anyway. I am also of the opinion that this season, without crowds through Covid restrictions, deserves to be discounted. Yes, we have played pretty dreadfully, but the games without crowds are just so lacking in atmosphere and spectacle that they should be seen as a, hopefully short lived, aberration.
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1 hour ago, Spiderpig said:
Simpler times.... dangerous unsafe grounds, no concept of customer service, non existent or appalling facilities, people bringing in carry outs aka weapons when empty, paying money to stand in the pushing rain for 90 mins,
In this case things needed to change and they were very much for the better, all this "Football was better in the good old days" chat is nonsense.
Well yes, if you want to pick and choose your criteria, there was certainly plenty to moan about back then and some change was necessary. Grounds are safer, marginally nicer, quieter and more expensive places to be. The pitches were obviously much worse and, I'd argue, the players were better, but less well remunerated. On a broader level, it is probably unfair to compare ifferent footballing periods without an understanding of the societal changes that have occurred, otherwise the lack of context makes any such comparison both pointless and meaningless.
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I have watched that one a few times and it brings back many happy memories.
As the greedmongers and money men who now think they can control the game play their high stakes game of chicken, it is nice to be reminded of simpler times and to remember the old adage, " things change, but not necessarily for the better".
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While the extra cash from finishing 7th/8th etc would undoubtedly be welcome, the kudos for having done so is pretty worthless. Now that we are, to all intents and purposes, safe from the threat of relegation, all the energies of the club must be focused on making next season a marked improvement on this one. It has been a horrible season in the most trying of circumstances for everyone. I will be glad to see the back of it and hope for better, all round, in the seasons to come.
I know some will think that I am tempting fate with the assumption that we will not go down, but if we do somehow manage to find ourselves in the Championship next season, it will not only be a remarkable feat from here, but we will be truly deserving of our fate.
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Hopefully we realise that a win here will go a long way towards the arithmetic safety we all crave. A loss here and we suddenly face a dodgy trip to Hamilton where a further defeat coukd see us right back in the mire.
Knowing us, the best we will achieve is a point, just to keep us dangling over the edge for a few more weeks.
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The key to our performance will be whether or not Tony Watt is fit, and how we cope if he doesn't make it. I certainly don't think we should be taking any risks with him, especially on a plastic pitch. He has become too important to s for us to risk ending his season now. If Cole and Roberts could work together as a pair, I could see some sense in playing Gallagher in a back three/ five, but I have my doubts about this, and also worry that nobody in our midfield would be capable of playing further up the field to provide the link play and make the runs that are what Watt has been doing so well.
Right now, once again, I'd be happy with a point.
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Any kind of win would be a fantastic result. Killie are playing for survival and must realise that they have to get something out of this match. Right now, I'd be more than happy to take a point and move on to the post split fixtures with a clear idea of what we need to achieve to ensure top league football for another season.
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No need to get too clever with selection. If they are all fit and available the team that performed well at Easter Road deserve the chance to back up that performance with a repeat.
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Very sad news. Like many on here, I am too young to remember him as a player, but the fact that my father was in awe of him would be enough to convince me of his status as a legend. I do remember how excited my Dad was when he returned to the club as manager and it does seem a real shame that his spell in charge was short lived. I remember St John saying that the move to Portsmouth was a mistake, mainly because he was lmisled about the proposed future for that club. I assume that most of the media will be full of his time at Liverpool and his work as a pundit, but his significance for our club cannot be underestimated.
RIP, and my thoughts and respect are with his family and friends.
In closing, I would add one thing. During his work as an expert/ pundit over the years, where he was both inciteful and honest ( and so much more than just a comic foil for Jimmy Greaves) you were never unaware that he was a Scotland man, a Liverpool man, a Motherwell man.
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Bringing youngsters into this team at present s probably not a good idea. The experienced professionals around them aren't doing their jobs so how can we expect novices to maketheequired difference? Not only will it be both unrealistic and possibly stall their development, but it could be classified as wantonly cruel.
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A rude awakening and a timely reminder that we are at the wrong end of the table for a reason. Forget about anything else than tenth place from now till the end of the season, and be thankful that there are several sides in our division who are as equally sh*t* as us.
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In reality it is probably hyperbole to call this a "must win" game. I also admire the optimism of those asking up a win as opening up our chances of somehow making the top six. As I see it we are still on the cusp of a relegation battle and that has to be our main concern. The good news is that we are on our good run at present with some mproved performances and results. Keeping it going for another couple of weeks would be most beneficial A result in this fixture will go a long way to securing our future in the division. Let's hope we can achieve that.
Hamilton are such a dreadful bunch of scrapers. They will be up for it and have recently proved they are capable of getting decent results against anyone. I would love three points, but a draw would not be the end of the world.
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The only thing I don't like about the "free hit" option is that it works when the opposition is taking maximum points off all our competitors. Given where Celtic currently find themselves, I am thinking that currently this is no longer the case. As such, I think it is up to us to take the fixture seriously and see what we can get out of it. I still would see even a point as a bonus, but other sides will be taking points off them before the end of the season.
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Not going to complain about a result finally going our way. Hopefully we can build on this and secure our top flight status.
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A decent servant to the club during his time at Fir Park. He played at a time when his lack of touch or genuine footballing skills were made up for by his strength and commitment. By the time he was with us, as others have said, he was past his prime, but still put in a shift and his attitude could not be faulted. Am I correct in thinking that his performances for us got him back into the Icelandic national squad?
RIP and respects to his family and friends.
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19 minutes ago, underboyleheating said:
We need to remember that like last season this season could finish at anytime and whoever is bottom at that time will be relegated. The bar was set when Hearts were sent down. Going into the latter part of the season the quicker we get ourselves off the bottom the better.
Fortunately for us, the league would be called on points won per game, so if it were to happen right now we would be above both accuse and county.
unfortunately, when we lose tomorrow, we drop below them. So no pressure lads.
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2021/2022 Rebuild
in Club Chat
Posted
Charles Dunne is a strange one. He has been missing through injury for so long that it doesn't seem to feel like losing a player. His efforts when he was fit were worthy enough, though you tended to think that the main asset he brought was his pace, and without that you would have to consider whether he was good enough for this level. I think the club has done the right thing by him and obviously got him back toa level of fitness, but what sort of deal were we going to offer him? As it is, you certainly cannot be on harsh on the guy for accepting a two year deal, even if it is with St Midden. I am happy enough to offer a qualified good luck and best wishes to the guy. He always gave his all for the cause while at Fir Park and deserves a bit of luck on the injuries and fitness front. Please just don't come back and have an absolute blinder when you play against us.