2026/27 Ins & Outs Discussion

[David]

From the admittedly limited times I've seen Chilvers, he seems technically clean, comfortable under pressure, and makes good decisions. But he’s not a player who directly influences matches regularly, and that’s the difference.

If you look at it from our point of view, he’d fit the way we play under Jens from a structural point of view. He’d be fine in build-up, understands space, and would slot into the system without any real issues I think. But I’m not convinced he actually gives us something we don’t already have. He’s probably closest to Fadinger in profile, just maybe a bit safer and with far less upside.

He improves the floor of the midfield, but I’m not sure he raises the ceiling, if that makes any sense? And if we’re looking to push on, what we probably need more of is goals and real impact from midfield rather than another tidy connector.

So I get the appeal, and in the right setup he probably looks a good player again. I’m just not sure he’s the kind of signing that moves us forward in any meaningful way.

[thewelllfan]

The midfield signing I'd most like to see us make is Bailey Rice. He's OOC at Rangers, our former academy player and when he was coming through was thought of as a better player than Miller. He's also 6'0 so would add some physicality to the side which is something we are currently lacking and if platformed correctly has the potential re-sale value the club would be looking for.

[Stuwell2]

7 hours ago, thewelllfan said:

The midfield signing I'd most like to see us make is Bailey Rice. He's OOC at Rangers, our former academy player and when he was coming through was thought of as a better player than Miller. He's also 6'0 so would add some physicality to the side which is something we are currently lacking and if platformed correctly has the potential re-sale value the club would be looking for.

Bit of a punt but not a bad shout.  Although he’s never really proven himself at Rangers he has shown signs that there’s a player there but I’d think he’d be looking for more money than we could offer but you never know, maybe he’ll be happy with a smaller wage if he gets game time and is coached to improve.

[Kmcalpin]

7 hours ago, thewelllfan said:

The midfield signing I'd most like to see us make is Bailey Rice. He's OOC at Rangers, our former academy player and when he was coming through was thought of as a better player than Miller. He's also 6'0 so would add some physicality to the side which is something we are currently lacking and if platformed correctly has the potential re-sale value the club would be looking for.

What would he cost, as he's under 24? 

[mio]

I wouldn’t touch Bailey Rice, I’m afraid he’s just another promising young player whose career has been killed by the old firm. I’ve seen nothing in him (and neither has Rangers) to say he’d play regularly at SPL standard. OK he was clearly a talented youngster but the world is full of these talented youngsters who don’t make the leap to become a good pro player. 
it’d be too much of a punt to take him on and I presume pay a good wage to and treat him as a project.

[mfc]

I would like to see us go for the boy stanway at partick thistle as a replacement for slattery if he leaves in the summer.

[Jonesy]

4 hours ago, Kmcalpin said:

What would he cost, as he's under 24? 

He's only been at Rangers for 3 years, so the fee would be almost negligible I'm sure. It would also be dependant on Rangers having offered him an improved deal - even though word is he was denied a loan move last summer because he told them back then he wouldn't sign a new deal. (Although they'll almost certainly have done this anyway purely to protect their interests.)

1 hour ago, mfc said:

I would like to see us go for the boy stanway at partick thistle as a replacement for slattery if he leaves in the summer.

We were linked with him in January.

[Mad Dog]

It would be a solid no for me regarding Chilvers, the only real similarity between him and Slattery would be his penchant for falling over. Skillwise, I feel that he is rather overrated. I would, however, offer Bailey Rice a trial to see if he would fit our style of play and to prove himself after those wasted years at Rangers..

[Throughthelaces]

Not to be harsh here bjt rice is a no from me. Could have developed amd played for us he chose not to. Glad hes got his bag but this is what happens when you leave here to end up playing in B teams and reserve leagues.nsame happened to hastie. Its a shame for these guys

[Mad Dog]

We're apparently being linked with young Scottish / Malawian defender Kieran Ngwenya of Dunfermline, who is out of contract this summer.

[mio]

Just watched Sydney FCs game on TNT sports. Brilliant strikers finish from AP.

i know 95% of you disagree but for me he’s still the best striker we have on our books.

[Spiderpig]

30 minutes ago, mio said:

Just watched Sydney FCs game on TNT sports. Brilliant strikers finish from AP.

i know 95% of you disagree but for me he’s still the best striker we have on our books.

Looking  good at the level hes playing at is all well and good but he had the chance to prove himself at premiership level on numerous occasions and failed, he will be gone permanently over the summer.

[mio]

26 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

Looking  good at the level hes playing at is all well and good but he had the chance to prove himself at premiership level on numerous occasions and failed, he will be gone permanently over the summer.

I disagree he failed. He scored goals and was a good player. He was in my eyes anyway. 

Nothing wrong with us disagreeing though.

[Mad Dog]

59 minutes ago, mio said:

I disagree he failed. He scored goals and was a good player. He was in my eyes anyway. 

Nothing wrong with us disagreeing though.

I don't see him as a failure either, perhaps he's just not a good fit for the team that we're trying to build. Only thing for sure is that he was SK's player and SK didn't get the best out of him by sticking him upfront on his own.

[David]

5 hours ago, mio said:

Just watched Sydney FCs game on TNT sports. Brilliant strikers finish from AP.

i know 95% of you disagree but for me he’s still the best striker we have on our books.

Could be that he's in a better mental state and feeling more confident playing back at home? I know we all tend to just think that success or less-than-success (I don't want to call it failure) is purely footballing, but being halfway around the world with family and friends in a different timezone can play a part. 

If he's happier out in Australia there maybe isn't much point in bringing him back. 

[mio]

13 hours ago, David said:

Could be that he's in a better mental state and feeling more confident playing back at home? I know we all tend to just think that success or less-than-success (I don't want to call it failure) is purely footballing, but being halfway around the world with family and friends in a different timezone can play a part. 

If he's happier out in Australia there maybe isn't much point in bringing him back. 

Yeah, I agree. As long as he continues playing well and scoring goals over there then hopefully we can recoup some money if he does sign permanently with Sydney.

im also not convinced their league out there is any worse or better than the SPL. The games I’ve watched looked decent. Standard is ok.

[wellsince75]

I thought AP was a very decent penalty box striker. Some of his movement was excellent and in the right team suspect he'd score a barrel load of goals. 

His first season was hampered by injury and this season he looked devoid of confidence. For all the right reasons moved back to Oz.  Shame it never worked out.  Not convinced that subsequent signings are any better, perhaps Thor with the right partner would get amongst the goals but we'd have to change our style of play. 

Be interesting to see what happens at end of the season (and possibly in the closing few games )

[joewarkfanclub]

31 minutes ago, wellsince75 said:

I thought AP was a very decent penalty box striker. Some of his movement was excellent and in the right team suspect he'd score a barrel load of goals. 

His first season was hampered by injury and this season he looked devoid of confidence. For all the right reasons moved back to Oz.  Shame it never worked out.  Not convinced that subsequent signings are any better, perhaps Thor with the right partner would get amongst the goals but we'd have to change our style of play. 

Be interesting to see what happens at end of the season (and possibly in the closing few games )

I think, ironically, Eythor & Stama whould work well as a double act.

Eythor has the physicality to hold the ball up and provide assists. Stama would run in behind and feed off those.

However,  I dont think we are liable to play with 2 up top very often, so probably a moot point.

[wellfan]

39 minutes ago, wellsince75 said:

Thor with the right partner would get amongst the goals but we'd have to change our style of play. 

Five games without a win suggests something needs to change. I’m not saying we throw the baby out with the bathwater, but if Eythor is fit, he should be starting.

[weeyin]

Interesting article about the demise of the Number 9 - and it's not just a Motherwell problem:

Where have all the No 9s gone? Why has the striker become a dying breed? Can anything be done to arrest the decline?

“It’s no longer a sexy position,” says Emile Heskey, a traditional centre-forward who won 62 England caps. He grew up watching strikers such as Cyrille Regis and Gary Lineker. “Now it’s possession-based, the striker generally doesn’t get involved in play. The striker’s job, especially in the buildup, is to create space for the No 10 or the two 8s or the two 10s or the wingers.”

The redefinition of the No 9 role can be traced, in part, to José Mourinho’s arrival at Chelsea in 2004 and his success with a solitary striker in a 4-2-3-1. Pep Guardiola went further, reimagining football without a striker altogether. At Barcelona he created majestic football with Lionel Messi as a false 9: a central forward who drops deeper.

On the way to the 2020-21 Champions League final, Guardiola even deployed two false 9s for Manchester City. Erling Haaland remains the modern outlier clinging to a bygone era, but even he has adapted in recent seasons, bending to Pep Guardiola’s will.

The shift has changed the entire landscape of training and youth teams. René Meulensteen recalls doing 15-30 minutes of finishing work with strikers every day during his time under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United from 2007-2013. Now, he says, beyond goalkeeping, training has become far more generalised. More matches at elite level and a greater emphasis on strength and conditioning have squeezed time on training pitches, where possession is prioritised.

Strikers “don’t get developed, it’s as simple as that”, Meulensteen told the Sacked podcast. “Everybody does the same thing. There needs to be much more specialist training.”

[wellon]

On 4/12/2026 at 4:57 PM, thewelllfan said:

I think if a bid came in the 1.5M range he'd be off. He's been good for us but I feel he always has a mistake in him. If he is off I'd be having a look at Prior from Livi or McCracken at Dundee who's OOC. Oxborough also was a solid enough keeper for us when he was starting last season so I wouldn't mind him getting another go.

You're kidding about McCracken surely...don't watch Dundee that much, but he always seems to be chucking them in.

[stv]

I still think that AP as a penalty box striker goal score was not up to it . Most of his goals were penaltys .He seemed to me that he was always a yard or two behind where he should have been to anticipate where the ball was going in front of goal. He also missed a right few chances. Being away seems to have made him a better player than he actually was . Best for him to remain in Aussie. 

[weeyin]

Sometimes players just aren't a good fit - even good ones. Paul Pogba at Man U is an extreme example. 

There can be many reasons, but if AP is enjoying being back home and playing well then good luck to him. 

[Yassin]

He's scored 2 in 9 over there.