Former Motherwell Fc Players Thread

[weeyin]

1 hour ago, grizzlyg said:

I am wondering if its because Fletcher hasnt played a competitive game for us and could get pinched by England.

He's barely played a competitive game for anyone and there was zero indication England were looking to call him up.

[wellfan]

SFA 🤝 Clarke

 

[Lobey_Dosser]

I’m gutted for Lennon and it’s certainly dampened my own enthusiasm for our World Cup campaign. Unless young Fletcher, who I wish all the best, ends up being a sensation then I see no reason why a lad with 17 minutes of senior club football gets in ahead of Miller, Barron, Irving, Watt and possibly others. 

Specific to Lennon, being the only one to not get a minute of game time against Japan and Ivory Coast didn’t sit right with me. It somewhat pointed towards him not impressing Clarke or indeed the senior players who carry influence, in training. 

On the back of that rejection in March, I watched a couple of his starts for Udinese. I want him to do so well but I personally found those games a difficult watch. Even accounting for the step up in level,  he was on the periphery more than you would expect - not what you want from a central midfielder in a team that tries to play possession based football. This is possibly too deep but I got the impression that the Udinese players were opting not to pass to him on occasion despite being free. That can’t be easy when he’s been used to all his teammates feeding him the ball from age 6-18. 

Whatever has influenced Clarke’s decision, I think it’s fair to say his first year in Italy hasn’t quite went to plan. Listening to him prior to the Napoli game last week, he continued to come across so balanced and mature. He’s clearly a good kid and a terrific footballer, hopefully this huge disappointment fuels the fire and Clarke is made to look silly a few months from now.
 

[Kmcalpin]

Gavin Miller replaces John Park at St Mirren. Can Keith Lasley not think for himself?

[El Grew]

To be absolutely honest, I wouldn’t cross the road to watch any team that Steve Clarke manages. As for the World Cup I can’t get excited about it. It’s now become a 3-ring circus and having 48 countries involved is farcical.

[weeyin]

46 minutes ago, El Grew said:

To be absolutely honest, I wouldn’t cross the road to watch any team that Steve Clarke manages. As for the World Cup I can’t get excited about it. It’s now become a 3-ring circus and having 48 countries involved is farcical.

I'll probably play more attention after the group stages are done and dusted. I'm a much bigger fan of the knockout rounds.

[Spiderpig]

7 hours ago, El Grew said:

To be absolutely honest, I wouldn’t cross the road to watch any team that Steve Clarke manages. As for the World Cup I can’t get excited about it. It’s now become a 3-ring circus and having 48 countries involved is farcical.

100% this, well said

[stv]

World Cup over the three country's is a joke for fans attending . Prices for hotels were a joke prices for games were a joke. Think they have found out now fans aren't really that stupid and prices have crashed.

Fifa is in a different world from real fans and are so arrogant that they thought fans would pay any price. Maybe the rich celebs , rich executives and rich Arabs they regularly mix with has something to do with this alternative view of our sport.

Holding it in USA is only trying to promote football to the masses there. Corporate greed has really taken over now.

No chance Scotland will progress from our group.

[Mad Dog]

2 hours ago, stv said:

World Cup over the three country's is a joke for fans attending . Prices for hotels were a joke prices for games were a joke. Think they have found out now fans aren't really that stupid and prices have crashed.

Fifa is in a different world from real fans and are so arrogant that they thought fans would pay any price. Maybe the rich celebs , rich executives and rich Arabs they regularly mix with has something to do with this alternative view of our sport.

Holding it in USA is only trying to promote football to the masses there. Corporate greed has really taken over now.

No chance Scotland will progress from our group.

If you think that's a joke, it's being held over three continents in 2030.

[David]

I was just about ready to throw myself out a window after trying to explain to a younger family member that Steve Clarke "getting us to major tournaments" isn't as impressive as it might have been when we were doing it in the 80's and 90's, when said tournaments included 24 and 8 teams. 

Don't get me wrong, I grudgingly respect Clarke getting us to the tournaments he has, but let's not pretend that it's even close to the same as Roxborough getting us to the 1990 World Cup and 1992 Euros.

It's mental to think that tournament in 1992 featured us and only seven other teams!

[Pettywulliegrew-2]

See Smelik have terminated Welsh’s contract……….should we be busting the bank for him ????

[weeyin]

7 minutes ago, David said:

I was just about ready to throw myself out a window after trying to explain to a younger family member that Steve Clarke "getting us to major tournaments" isn't as impressive as it might have been when we were doing it in the 80's and 90's, when said tournaments included 24 and 8 teams. 

Don't get me wrong, I grudgingly respect Clarke getting us to the tournaments he has, but let's not pretend that it's even close to the same as Roxborough getting us to the 1990 World Cup and 1992 Euros.

It's mental to think that tournament in 1992 featured us and only seven other teams!

The 8 team Euros were my favourite footballing event and still remember the 1976 tournament where the original Panenka was taken (by Panenka, obviously) in the penalty shootout in the final.

[weeyin]

1 minute ago, Pettywulliegrew-2 said:

See Smelik have terminated Welsh’s contract……….should we be busting the bank for him ????

We shouldn't be busting the bank for anyone.

Welsh was great, but other football playing centre backs are available.

[Happy Dosser]

49 minutes ago, weeyin said:

We shouldn't be busting the bank for anyone.

Welsh was great, but other football playing centre backs are available.

The amazing thing to me was that I never spoke to a Celtic fan who rated him in the slightest.

[weeyin]

26 minutes ago, Happy Dosser said:

The amazing thing to me was that I never spoke to a Celtic fan who rated him in the slightest.

Nobody at the club, fans or Board, seems to rate him.

I understand that sometimes players aren't always a good fit for a particular team or system, but given the way Celtic like to play it feels like an obvious choice to keep him (and start him).

 

[Kmcalpin]

1 hour ago, Pettywulliegrew-2 said:

See Smelik have terminated Welsh’s contract……….should we be busting the bank for him ????

He's not coming to us. 

On a separate note, I get the feeling that there's more to his departure from Celtic Park than meets the eye. 

[joewarkfanclub]

6 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

He's not coming to us. 

On a separate note, I get the feeling that there's more to his departure from Celtic Park than meets the eye. 

I would presume that the reason he has agreed to rip up the last year of his contract is because he has been offered a deal elsewhere on the same or better. Why else would you?

Clearly they want him off the books to free up a wage, the fact that they dont have to pay up his contract is a bonus for them.

I love the fact its being painted as a charitable exercise from Celtic though as a thanks for all his years of loyal service!

[texanwellfan]

12 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

I would presume that the reason he has agreed to rip up the last year of his contract is because he has been offered a deal elsewhere on the same or better. Why else would you?

Clearly they want him off the books to free up a wage, the fact that they dont have to pay up his contract is a bonus for them.

I love the fact it’s being painted as a charitable exercise from Celtic though as a thanks for all his years of loyal service!

Definitely not a charitable act on Celtics part

I will  be surprised if it’s not Toulouse. 

[mio]

1 hour ago, Happy Dosser said:

The amazing thing to me was that I never spoke to a Celtic fan who rated him in the slightest.

I think that confirms what we all know about the vast majority of Celtic fans. Totally clueless.

he’s not rated by them as he’s Scottish and a product of their awful youth academy. Even the likes of James Forrest and Macgregor who are highly decorated and whatever we think of them have been excellent Celtic players, haven’t ever been really liked by their support and have had many shout of “not Celtic class “… whatever that means.

for me Welsh and McGinn have been the best defenders in the league this year… by a distance.

good luck to Welsh, he gave his all and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up in France 

[Happy Dosser]

2 hours ago, mio said:

I think that confirms what we all know about the vast majority of Celtic fans. Totally clueless.

he’s not rated by them as he’s Scottish and a product of their awful youth academy. Even the likes of James Forrest and Macgregor who are highly decorated and whatever we think of them have been excellent Celtic players, haven’t ever been really liked by their support and have had many shout of “not Celtic class “… whatever that means.

for me Welsh and McGinn have been the best defenders in the league this year… by a distance.

good luck to Welsh, he gave his all and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up in France 

I didn't know that Forrest and McGregor weren't fêted much (unlike foreign players) by the Celtic support. I feel this is typical in Scotland. If you have an Italian, Spanish or sexy Dutch name, you're probably going to be regarded as intrinsically better. Likewise, if John McGlynn were a slim 30-y-o with a sexy foreign  name, he would be praised as a tactical genius.

IMHO one of the best things Askou did was to show that humble players, Scottish or otherwise, could play great football based on ball-control, positional awareness, passing and moving, bravery on the ball and risk-acceptance  if they are properly coached.

In a sense, Clarke is the opposite, as stuck in the past as the other hardy annuals on the Scottish managerial merry-go-round who people our media as pundits. As far as Scotland squads are concerned, OF Scottish players can walk in but players at provincial clubs are at a huge disadvantage and SC will look to the English Championship, whether in form or not, before considering a Watt, McGinn or Welsh. 

Some might say Clarke hasn't as much time with the players  as club managers do but most of those  players outwith the Scottish Premiership  are probably quite used to more enlightened coaching. They just need a mindset and a plan devised by a talented and progressive  manager.

 

 

[mio]

1 hour ago, Happy Dosser said:

I didn't know that Forrest and McGregor weren't fêted much (unlike foreign players) by the Celtic support. I feel this is typical in Scotland. If you have an Italian, Spanish or sexy Dutch name, you're probably going to be regarded as intrinsically better. Likewise, if John McGlynn were a slim 30-y-o with a sexy foreign  name, he would be praised as a tactical genius.

IMHO one of the best things Askou did was to show that humble players, Scottish or otherwise, could play great football based on ball-control, positional awareness, passing and moving, bravery on the ball and risk-acceptance  if they are properly coached.

In a sense, Clarke is the opposite, as stuck in the past as the other hardy annuals on the Scottish managerial merry-go-round who people our media as pundits. As far as Scotland squads are concerned, OF Scottish players can walk in but players at provincial clubs are at a huge disadvantage and SC will look to the English Championship, whether in form or not, before considering a Watt, McGinn or Welsh. 

Some might say Clarke hasn't as much time with the players  as club managers do but most of those  players outwith the Scottish Premiership  are probably quite used to more enlightened coaching. They just need a mindset and a plan devised by a talented and progressive  manager.

 

 

Totally agree. I might be wrong but I dont think Clarke has been to Fir park this season? He’s not interested in clubs like ours. He might have came once the year before to see Miller but I don’t remember the game.
His treatment of Miller is an utter disgrace, to bring in a boy with no game experience before the likes of Miller is a crime. I find it annoying we are at a World Cup and I have no excitement about it as I know we’ll watch 3 games of anti football and embarrass ourselves yet again at a tournament in front of the world.

[Faddyisgod]

On 5/31/2026 at 9:37 PM, Lobey_Dosser said:

I’m gutted for Lennon and it’s certainly dampened my own enthusiasm for our World Cup campaign. Unless young Fletcher, who I wish all the best, ends up being a sensation then I see no reason why a lad with 17 minutes of senior club football gets in ahead of Miller, Barron, Irving, Watt and possibly others. 

Specific to Lennon, being the only one to not get a minute of game time against Japan and Ivory Coast didn’t sit right with me. It somewhat pointed towards him not impressing Clarke or indeed the senior players who carry influence, in training. 

On the back of that rejection in March, I watched a couple of his starts for Udinese. I want him to do so well but I personally found those games a difficult watch. Even accounting for the step up in level,  he was on the periphery more than you would expect - not what you want from a central midfielder in a team that tries to play possession based football. This is possibly too deep but I got the impression that the Udinese players were opting not to pass to him on occasion despite being free. That can’t be easy when he’s been used to all his teammates feeding him the ball from age 6-18. 

Whatever has influenced Clarke’s decision, I think it’s fair to say his first year in Italy hasn’t quite went to plan. Listening to him prior to the Napoli game last week, he continued to come across so balanced and mature. He’s clearly a good kid and a terrific footballer, hopefully this huge disappointment fuels the fire and Clarke is made to look silly a few months from now.
 

I’m sorry but as someone who is immersed in Serie A I can’t agree with this. Miller has played over 1000 minutes this season in a strong Udinese side with an excellent midfield. The coach has said numerous times what a strong player he is and his team mates have said how shocked they are that he has adapted so quickly to the game here. He is 19, moved to a different country by himself, playing at a much higher level and didn’t speak the language (as an aside I heard him try an interview in Italian recently and was impressed)

 

I moved to Italy 20 years ago, the same age as Lennon. It’s a very different place from Motherwell and can be very lonely at times. Playing high level sport (as I was also doing at that time) also makes the transition even more difficult. I have been very impressed with him and expect him to get more game time next year. 

[weeyin]

I'd also add that as bad as I feel for Miller I also feel bad for Billy Gilmour too. It's every player's nightmare to be selected for the World Cup finals and then get injured in a warm up game. 

I'm partly convinced that Clarke didn't pick Baron or Miller as a replacement to annoy all the fans and journalists who said he should.

[star sail]

1 hour ago, Faddyisgod said:

I’m sorry but as someone who is immersed in Serie A I can’t agree with this. Miller has played over 1000 minutes this season in a strong Udinese side with an excellent midfield. The coach has said numerous times what a strong player he is and his team mates have said how shocked they are that he has adapted so quickly to the game here. He is 19, moved to a different country by himself, playing at a much higher level and didn’t speak the language (as an aside I heard him try an interview in Italian recently and was impressed)

 

I moved to Italy 20 years ago, the same age as Lennon. It’s a very different place from Motherwell and can be very lonely at times. Playing high level sport (as I was also doing at that time) also makes the transition even more difficult. I have been very impressed with him and expect him to get more game time next year. 

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.

 

[Happy Dosser]

1 hour ago, Faddyisgod said:

I’m sorry but as someone who is immersed in Serie A I can’t agree with this. Miller has played over 1000 minutes this season in a strong Udinese side with an excellent midfield. The coach has said numerous times what a strong player he is and his team mates have said how shocked they are that he has adapted so quickly to the game here. He is 19, moved to a different country by himself, playing at a much higher level and didn’t speak the language (as an aside I heard him try an interview in Italian recently and was impressed)

 

I moved to Italy 20 years ago, the same age as Lennon. It’s a very different place from Motherwell and can be very lonely at times. Playing high level sport (as I was also doing at that time) also makes the transition even more difficult. I have been very impressed with him and expect him to get more game time next year. 

Thanks for the inside track on Lennon: great to hear of his development on and off the pitch from someone who knows Serie A. Haven't heard him speaking Italian yet but Ferguson at Bologna sounded ok.

 

1 hour ago, weeyin said:

I'd also add that as bad as I feel for Miller I also feel bad for Billy Gilmour too. It's every player's nightmare to be selected for the World Cup finals and then get injured in a warm up game. 

I'm partly convinced that Clarke didn't pick Baron or Miller as a replacement to annoy all the fans and journalists who said he should.

Yes, I felt the same. I feel he's really thrawn and blinkered  and I feel he didn't like Lennon's naïve/misreported comments a while ago, probably especially  coming from a "diddy team" player at the time.

A four-year contract for Clarke  before a WC tournament is insane but sums up the SFA's cosy cartel of useless blazers who have failed to produce any improvement in the Scottish game domestically or internationally  since the 80s.