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Former Motherwell Fc Players Thread


Andy_P
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How did he end up at Ayr? I thought he was doing well at Morton?

 

Wasn't being a wise guy, but on further research, he was playing for Morton today against Dumbarton.

My bad... Was keeping up to date with my sisters team (Dunfermline) on the bbc page, seen the comment about Forbes and took it was the Dunfy's game not Morton... :crazy:

 

As I said earlier, going crazy with no Well game on...

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Going back to Humphrey. Been reading some reports online and in the papers from the Hibs v Dundee Utd game. Quite a few soundbites about Humphrey being 'outstanding' and a 'different class'

 

Just shows you the difference in opinions. I was always a Humphrey fan when he was with us and I thought he did well enough and was busy. But, wouldnt have described him as outstanding. Looked very much like the Humphrey we knew - good bit of pace about him, but still very hot and cold with end product.

 

Maybe a winger of his sort is something Hibs have been looking for more than anything.

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Going back to Humphrey. Been reading some reports online and in the papers from the Hibs v Dundee Utd game. Quite a few soundbites about Humphrey being 'outstanding' and a 'different class'

 

Just shows you the difference in opinions. I was always a Humphrey fan when he was with us and I thought he did well enough and was busy. But, wouldnt have described him as outstanding. Looked very much like the Humphrey we knew - good bit of pace about him, but still very hot and cold with end product.

 

Maybe a winger of his sort is something Hibs have been looking for more than anything.

 

 

I watched the game and he was very good. However it really is worth noting that it was just one game, he may still be dogged by inconsistency which will only become evident over the next few months.

 

Also Dundee United honestly looked like they didn't know what a football was at times.

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Not saying I thought he was the business or anything but do we actually think he got a good enough run/crack of the whip at Motherwell for all of us too comment on his actually ability.

 

I genuinely don't think he had enough of a chance.

 

I agree with you to an extent. I was actually pleasantly surprised by his pedigree when we signed him at first, scored a decent amount of goals in the Championship for Derby, but in any run out he had I must say he didn't impress me.

 

I think the fact that he arrived at the time where Baraclough was chucking money at anyone to sign went against him. It gave off the impression that he must clearly have had something about him, or that Baraclough didn't have enough conviction in the three strikers he'd already signed that summer. Unfortunately it seemed to be the latter.

 

Might be worth that noting that amidst his cup form, he's only scored once in eleven games in the league.

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I agree with you to an extent. I was actually pleasantly surprised by his pedigree when we signed him at first, scored a decent amount of goals in the Championship for Derby, but in any run out he had I must say he didn't impress me.

 

I think the fact that he arrived at the time where Baraclough was chucking money at anyone to sign went against him. It gave off the impression that he must clearly have had something about him, or that Baraclough didn't have enough conviction in the three strikers he'd already signed that summer. Unfortunately it seemed to be the latter.

 

Might be worth that noting that amidst his cup form, he's only scored once in eleven games in the league.

I think there's a bit of further context as well. When Baraclough signed Robinson on the 28th August, the strikers at the club; McDonald, Moult, Fletcher and Clarkson only had 2 league goals between them in 5 games and we were 1 win in 6 with 5 losses. Fletcher had been injured after scoring in the first game of the season and Moult had only just got off the mark in the league against St Johnstone.

 

Robinson was just in the door at which point Moult went on to score 3 in his next 4 by which point Baraclough had been emptied and between them Moult and McDonald went on to score 10 goals between them in the time between McGhee arriving and Robinson leaving. So in the time between him signing and moving to Port Vale the Moult and McDonald partnership had 14 league goals between them. With the 2 strikers in that sort of form and a new manager appointed he was never really going to get a look in, the fact that Baraclough had been indulged in a trolley dash during the summer meant that it was hardly surprising there would be expendable players around the squad.

 

Basically Robinson only started 3 games and made 8 sub appearances. In total he played 299 minutes of league football and 57 minutes in the league cup for Motherwell. There's no way you can really be revisionist about things, he offered next to nothing in what little time he did have but equally with the benefit of hindsight he was a panic signing from a manager who was miles out his depth, had been found out by the players and was struggling to get any sort of performances out of the squad he'd assembled.

 

Also, unfortunately for Robinson he arrived at the club just at the point the two strikers ahead of him in the pecking order had struck up a partnership and found a bit of form. It's worth noting that he only managed 2 goals in 14 games for Port Vale last season after he'd left Fir Park so it's definitely a stretch to say that he's been in any way prolific since he moved (or for that matter prior to him arriving, he had 12 in 72 for Doncaster).

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Also, unfortunately for Robinson he arrived at the club just at the point the two strikers ahead of him in the pecking order had struck up a partnership and found a bit of form. It's worth noting that he only managed 2 goals in 14 games for Port Vale last season after he'd left Fir Park so it's definitely a stretch to say that he's been in any way prolific since he moved (or for that matter prior to him arriving, he had 12 in 72 for Doncaster).

 

I think for the same reasons as this we might end up saying the same about Bowman (and possibly even Blyth if that mystery is ever uncovered) come the end of the season. McDonald and Moult are two established and very important players, who will very rarely get dropped and as well as this, very rarely be substituted.

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I honestly don't understand football at all sometimes. Surely there is a level where someone like Hollis can earn decent money playing fitba, which sits somewhere between finishing 2nd in the Scottish top flight a couple of years ago and an amateur league.

 

A bit like players who hit 33/34 and their careers fall off the edge of a cliff. Higdon turning out for Bangor City is a prime example. How is it possible to deteriorate to that level in a few years? (Enter fatbuster aka Steelboy for comment).

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I think a lot of that has to be down to attitude or mentality.

 

Reckon some players just mentally chuck it.

 

Some were maybe never that good in the 1st place and basically just get found out eventually. A lot of a footballers career, particularly early on is just down to luck, be it right place, right time, or a manager taking a shine to you etc.

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As well as attitude/mentality, I also think it's a pay-off between wages offered at a lower league club, and what you can earn in a "proper" day job.

For example, if football wages on offer are £500 a week, but you've got the opportunity to earn that, or more, with more job security then it makes sense.

I don't know if that's the situation here, but it's certainly how I would be thinking.

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I used to play football with Garry Fleming of Dumbarton's brother and at the time Ian Murray got the St. Mirren job, the chat was that he wanted to take him with him, but Fleming couldn't afford to give up his day job and go full-time with St. Mirren. The wages he earned from working, supplemented by his part time Dumbarton wages were far greater than what St. Mirren would pay.

 

Same with Rory McAllister, the lower league goalscorer. He's been offered a few deals full-time and he turned them down initially to finish his apprenticeship (unusually sensible for a footballer) but is now probably on the same boat.

 

Seems it difficult to make a living from full-time football outside of the top flight.

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A grey area as there are some small junior clubs and some large amateur outfits. Some, maybe even many, junior clubs register players as amateurs for financial reasons.

 

Not sure what the 'grey area' is to be honest...yes, some Amateur teams are better than some Junior teams but you can't play for the Amateur select team if you are signed to a junior Club. The amateur select team comes purely from players who are playing for Amateur football teams

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Not sure what the 'grey area' is to be honest...yes, some Amateur teams are better than some Junior teams but you can't play for the Amateur select team if you are signed to a junior Club. The amateur select team comes purely from players who are playing for Amateur football teams

We're probably talking about slightly different things.

 

Some junior clubs, like for example your Linlithgow Roses, Boness Uniteds etc are large and very professionally run businesses and could easily compete in the senior grades. Players are paid handsome salaries probably better than some senior clubs. At the bottom end of the professional junior game you have smaller clubs who don't pay salaries (and therefore aren't liable for income tax) and play their players as "amateurs". You then have pretty big "amateur" clubs who are run really quite professionally. There are various ways to pay wages, expenses and transfer fees as I'm sure you'll know.

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