Next Motherwell Manager - Steven Hammell

[Big Stall]

The official press release makes impressive reading. If he's as good as that makes it out to be then we have won a watch here.

All the best Stevie!

 

[El Grew]

1 hour ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

When you fire someone you should have a plan to bring in a replacement.  I don't think we did and the club has meekly folded to the idiotic knee jerk roasters in our support.

Alexander wasn’t fired - he left by mutual consent.  I think it’s plain the club were surprised at this because they gave no indication they weren’t satisfied with his performance and why would they?  With a top 6 finish and qualification for European football they were probably highly chuffed.  They had only recently extended his contract, allowed him to cull the squad and bring in 3 new players.  So why would they need a plan to bring in a replacement.

I believe Alexander “engineered” his exit from the club in an attempt to protect his own image as evidenced by his spin in the media about having preserved the club’s top league status, gotten us into the top 6 and qualified for European football.  In his mind it allowed him to leave with nothing but plusses on his CV for his next job.

As for the appointment of Stevie Hammell - he was a fantastic player for us and a terrific servant to the club and of course I wish him well and he’ll have my support.  However I believe it’s a another gross error of judgement on the part of the board. There’s a vast difference between managing young academy players who, by and large will do as they are told and managing and trying to make something out of a squad of professionals, the vast majority of whom are bereft of the footballing ability required at the level in which they are operating.

I wish him all the luck in the world because he is going to need it.

['WellMagic!]

1 hour ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

None of the names mentioned were inspiring. I certainly wasnt excited about Valikari, Lambert, Thomson and the like ... The market we operate in its highly unlikely to get someone to excite anyone.

Valakari was my choice and he was moderately exciting for me. More managerial experience, both at the top of a league with a modest team, and at the bottom with Tromso. Then adding his experience managing in Europe, knowledge of Scottish football and general enthusiasm in applying three times. I'm not daft though, I know he was still a risk, the main one being he has no managerial experience in Scotland. However, Hammy has no experience managing anywhere.

On paper, various parts of the Hammell appointment makes sense, club history, finances, transition time, understanding of youth.  However, on the other hand, we're giving the job to Hammell and Kerr, two coaches with virtually zero experience at this level, at a time when our squad generally seems humped. We're also risking losing seemingly good academy coaches if everything goes tits up.

Simo with Hammell as assistant was what I was hoping for, it seemed like the best balance overall. 

In theory, Las would have been a better choice  After all, he applied twice before and was rejected on the grounds of not having enough experience. Unfortunately, Las at 'Well seems like another thing Alexander fucked up.

Again, more than happy to be proven wrong and he has my full backing. Wonder if or when we'll see Faddy join the coaching staff? 

[El Grew]

1 minute ago, 'WellMagic! said:

In theory, Las would have been a better choice  After all, he applied twice before and was rejected on the grounds of bit having enough experience. Unfortunately, Las at 'Well seems like another thing Alexander fucked up.

That’s a very good point that’s been overlooked.  I always thought Lasley became assistant to Robinson with an eye to the future.  However Alexander’s arrival put the kibosh on that.  So having opted not to appoint from within on the basis of lack of experience why are we now backtracking?

[mfc]

21 minutes ago, Coatsy said:

Lambie must never play left back again we've been there and seen what happens No No No. let SOD or McGinn play there or sign someone, perhaps Max Johnson can play left back. Carroll and McGinlay should be released, madness renewing their contracts last year just another Alexander mess

Agreed,as things stand lamie is our most reliable centre half,we would just be creating another problem by moving him to left back,him and mugabi should be nowhere near the full back positions.im not a big fan of a right footer at left back but would be happy enough to go with either odonnell or mcginn there as back up to hopefully a new signing and one that's better than McGinley or Carroll.

[El Grew]

Our chairman has been quoted today as saying:

“He inspired us with not only his short-term plans to reshape the squad and adapt the style, but his medium to long-term vision around a fully integrated club and we felt this matched how we see the future of the club.”

Exactly wtf does “fully integrated club”mean?! 

['WellMagic!]

Just now, El Grew said:

Our chairman has been quoted today as saying:

“He inspired us with not only his short-term plans to reshape the squad and adapt the style, but his medium to long-term vision around a fully integrated club and we felt this matched how we see the future of the club.”

Exactly wtf does “fully integrated club”mean?! 

The only thing I can take from this, is that there must have been splits all over the place under Alexander.

Player fallouts, Las leaving, bringing in a lot of new staff, and signing players as backup when we have youth backup - it makes some sense. 

[Yabba's Turd]

Stevie looks proud as fuck in his interview, I'll buy into his enthusiasm 

[wellsince75]

4 minutes ago, El Grew said:

Our chairman has been quoted today as saying:

“He inspired us with not only his short-term plans to reshape the squad and adapt the style, but his medium to long-term vision around a fully integrated club and we felt this matched how we see the future of the club.”

Exactly wtf does “fully integrated club”mean?! 

Worth watching this , he covers it briefly in terms of more integration with both the youth coming through and also the local community . 

basically ensure we properly support and mentor the youth to give them a reason to stick around at 16 and not bugger ff

https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2022/08/11/steven-hammell-speaks-for-the-first-time-as-motherwell-manager/

[ColinAtherton]

Our chairman has been quoted today as saying:

“He inspired us with not only his short-term plans to reshape the squad and adapt the style, but his medium to long-term vision around a fully integrated club and we felt this matched how we see the future of the club.”

Exactly wtf does “fully integrated club”mean?! 

I was assuming it was something to do with brining the youth set up closer to the main squad. Not sure though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Yabba's Turd]

5 minutes ago, El Grew said:

Our chairman has been quoted today as saying:

“He inspired us with not only his short-term plans to reshape the squad and adapt the style, but his medium to long-term vision around a fully integrated club and we felt this matched how we see the future of the club.”

Exactly wtf does “fully integrated club”mean?! 

It means no separation and a route to the 1st team for academy players, coaches will work closer with 1st team, maybe even training will be joint

[Spit_It_Out]

I hope to god Burrows is working out Daws leaving the club.It won't work if he is still in charge of our recruitment I honestly thought he would have left by now.

 

[MJC]

2 hours ago, steelboy said:

Hopefully the lack of interest in the job from credible managers gives Burrows and the other key decision makers at the club a kick up the arse regarding our transfer policy. We have been burning piles of cash on dross for too long and it's left us in a very precarious position. Something has to change on that front. No more Effords, no more Grimmys, no more Niernolds, Ojalas, Sloths.

Absolutely this. 
 

If we do end up going down this season then it’ll be on Burrows and the board for allowing Robinson and then Alexander to blow so much of our meagre budget on absolute dross. When you look back at some of the absolute guff we’ve brought in over the last five years it is absolutely galling.

We are in big trouble this season and relegation is a distinct possibility. As I said before I reckon it’ll be between us and the two Saints clubs to avoid the bottom two spots and even though it’s early the signs are not good.

For Stevie Hammell it is a massive ask to keep this squad in the league. He has inherited an absolute pigs ear from the previous manager and those who allowed him to assemble it. Needless to say he is going to need all the luck he can get, as well as support and backing from both the fans and those in the boardroom.

[Yorkyred]

32 minutes ago, El Grew said:

Alexander wasn’t fired - he left by mutual consent.  I think it’s plain the club were surprised at this because they gave no indication they weren’t satisfied with his performance and why would they?  With a top 6 finish and qualification for European football they were probably highly chuffed.  They had only recently extended his contract, allowed him to cull the squad and bring in 3 new players.  So why would they need a plan to bring in a replacement.

I believe Alexander “engineered” his exit from the club in an attempt to protect his own image as evidenced by his spin in the media about having preserved the club’s top league status, gotten us into the top 6 and qualified for European football.  In his mind it allowed him to leave with nothing but plusses on his CV for his next job.

As for the appointment of Stevie Hammell - he was a fantastic player for us and a terrific servant to the club and of course I wish him well and he’ll have my support.  However I believe it’s a another gross error of judgement on the part of the board. There’s a vast difference between managing young academy players who, by and large will do as they are told and managing and trying to make something out of a squad of professionals, the vast majority of whom are bereft of the footballing ability required at the level in which they are operating.

I wish him all the luck in the world because he is going to need it.

These are my worries, it could go badly wrong. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

[wellfan]

I am delighted for Hammy.

Listening to him talk about an integrated club is positive. Having staff work across all the squads is vital to develop continuity between the Academy and First Team and everything in between. This comment and vision suggest that Alexander was given free rein to do what he wanted, such as relegating Lasley,  filling the squad with shit from elsewhere and sticking with the same anti-football hoofball, and look how that ended. Making him King Alexander of MFC is what nearly killed us off. Our Club thrives when we are an enjoyable to watch but an average team who ocassionally punches above our weight. That approach is not compatibile with arrogance.

 Appointing Hammy suggests to me that the Board now understand what the Club needs and what the fans want. Given we've already entered and been expelled from a Euro campaign and started our season, Hammy's other comments on the lack of fitness and required recruitment are unsurprising but a further damning indictment of the Alexander regime. I would expect Daws to also be mutually-consented soon and for the Board to have learned a very harsh and expensive lesson with the recent Alexander project.

Good riddance to Alexander the Failed.

[Great Balls of Shire]

2 hours ago, Spit_It_Out said:

I hope Daws leaves then it might work  doesn't fill me with hope if he is still in charge of transfers.

think nick daws is getting a hard time , probably because of his association with ga....any transfer will have to be rubber stamped by manager, so ultimatelt its on manager if signings are poor.

[texanwellfan]

2 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

Personally I’m of the belief everyone can learn from their mistakes, otherwise what’s the point.

I refer my honorable friend to our previous manager. 

[Spiderpig]

3 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

Personally I’m of the belief everyone can learn from their mistakes, otherwise what’s the point.

In football by the time you start to learn from your mistakes you have been punted and are unemployed, and typically you revert to type when and if you get another gig so the mistakes you made before will invariably happen again as you are convinced your approach is correct, then you get punted again and the merry go round continues ad infinitum.

[middleeastdave]

Congratulations Stevie thoroughly deserved, it will not be easy, especially inheriting the players that we have and it will take a couple of transfer windows alone just to get a team that you will be happy with.

just as a footnote when David Martindale was made Manager at Livingston nobody would have heard of him never mind his capabilities and I hope and expect Stevie to have the same impact with us.

[El Grew]

1 hour ago, wellfan said:

Board to have learned a very harsh and expensive lesson with the recent Alexander project.

The Alexander Project.  Great title for a novel. Sounds like something Frederick Forsyth or John le Carre would have written. Lol.

[El Grew]

4 hours ago, Yorkyred said:

Personally I’m of the belief everyone can learn from their mistakes, otherwise what’s the point.

“The players will learn from this.”  “We will learn from this.”  “The players must learn from this.” “We will use this as a learning experience.” etc. etc. ad nauseam.

Phrases straight from the book of football manager double-talk and drivel that are continually trotted out when teams lose.  What a load of tripe.  Players at a certain level such as ours, never learn anything and they just continue to repeat the same mistakes time after time.

As Bill Shankly once said “Football is a terribly simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass.”

He also said a football team is like a piano - you need 8 men to carry it and 3 who can play the damn thing.

Well at present all we have are piano carriers. Stevie needs to try somehow to get us 3 players.  Good luck Stevie.

[grizzlyg]

47 minutes ago, El Grew said:

The Alexander Project.  Great title for a novel. Sounds like something Frederick Forsyth or John le Carre would have written. Lol.

Hoooooo.....ah'll dae the jokes!! Lol

[Yorkyred]

1 hour ago, El Grew said:

“The players will learn from this.”  “We will learn from this.”  “The players must learn from this.” “We will use this as a learning experience.” etc. etc. ad nauseam.

Phrases straight from the book of football manager double-talk and drivel that are continually trotted out when teams lose.  What a load of tripe.  Players at a certain level such as ours, never learn anything and they just continue to repeat the same mistakes time after time.

As Bill Shankly once said “Football is a terribly simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass.”

He also said a football team is like a piano - you need 8 men to carry it and 3 who can play the damn thing.

Well at present all we have are piano carriers. Stevie needs to try somehow to get us 3 players.  Good luck Stevie.

My post was a reply to a comment about a potential manager with a bit of history.

[Kmcalpin]

Stevie's appointment has certainly split the support, if posts on these boards are anything to go by. I've no idea who applied for our vacancy or were approached by the Board but you have to call into question the overall quality of candidate.  I'd be a bit brassed off I had been approached by the club to apply and then not be granted an interview or be given the job. Thats no reflection on Stevie Hammell by the way - its simply that he's totally untried as a manager, and as such represents a huge gamble. He's used to managing young lads - how will he get on managing petulant senior pros or Big Time Charlies? How will he compete tactically with other managers?

Many cite his knowledge of the club as being an advantage and yes, it is in the short term. He says he wants to strengthen a couple of areas; hopefully he's being euphemistic when he says that. Many of us are hoping he starts a clear out - that would only be half the job.  He then has to bring in better replacements.  Remember Harri Kampmann? He certainly identified weak areas quickly and effciently and got shot of a good few. The problem was that he couldn't replace them with better quality.

Anyway, good luck to Stevie and he gets my 100% backing. He does sound enthusiastic about the task ahead. 

[AllyMax]

3 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

Stevie's appointment has certainly split the support, if posts on these boards are anything to go by. I've no idea who applied for our vacancy or were approached by the Board but you have to call into question the overall quality of candidate.  I'd be a bit brassed off I had been approached by the club to apply and then not be granted an interview or be given the job. Thats no reflection on Stevie Hammell by the way - its simply that he's totally untried as a manager, and as such represents a huge gamble. He's used to managing young lads - how will he get on managing petulant senior pros or Big Time Charlies? How will he compete tactically with other managers?

Many cite his knowledge of the club as being an advantage and yes, it is in the short term. He says he wants to strengthen a couple of areas; hopefully he's being euphemistic when he says that. Many of us are hoping he starts a clear out - that would only be half the job.  He then has to bring in better replacements.  Remember Harri Kampmann? He certainly identified weak areas quickly and effciently and got shot of a good few. The problem was that he couldn't replace them with better quality.

Anyway, good luck to Stevie and he gets my 100% backing. He does sound enthusiastic about the task ahead. 

The evidence would suggest that Hammy's appointment is universally supported by the fans.  Why else would there no be a 'Hammell Out' thread started by now