Mark McGhee

[Lobey_Dosser]

Unless McGhee stays longer than anticipated I expect Lasley or Craigan to be our next manager. This should provide the necessary continuity in an environment that reportedly has an embedded structure that supports player recruitment, player development and sport science.

[Tweed]

Malpas all over again.

[Graeme Bremner]

What the club have to do is communicate with their counterparts in amsterdam and get our youth set up running on a smaller scale like ajax's

 

Traditionally been good footballing talent through lanarkshire and we should be looking to be the club to be snapping these players up when they are fifteen or younger developing them and seeing where that takes us

 

Its how ferguson did it at aberdeen and to a lesser extent at united

 

Not saying we will win the league but we could have ourselves in a position to be comfortably premiere league quality

 

But club has to find out what the dutch are doing and replicate it thats the only way for us to sustain top level football at fir park in my honest opinion

[faddythedaddy]

Groundbreaking stuff

[superward]

Ajax was the original blueprint but things have moved on since then. Loads of different ways to do out there and it should be a blended austen that is right for us and club of our size and position.

[star sail]

McGhee's achievements are incredible. My feeling is that when we have a focused, motivated McGhee, we have the best man manager in the league.

 

Looking back over the last 10 years, I think we have done exceptionally well with managers. Not all of them have been a long term success, but they have all contributed in timely fashion, to Motherwell's continued Premiership survival. Gannon and Baraclough built squads at times when we desperately needed players to allow the experienced man managers in Brown and McGhee to then mould these squads into top six teams.

 

McCall provided a time of almost unparalleled success for the club but there was always a sense at that time that it was a live for the day mentality, with no forward planning at all.

 

The point I am making is that few of our managers have been the complete manager, but they have all contributed in their own way at just the right time.

 

In fact since Tommy McLean, the only two managers that for me, had an overall negative effect were McLeish and Malpas. That's not bad for a spell of 25 years in a clubs history.

[Guest]

Ajax was the original blueprint but things have moved on since then. Loads of different ways to do out there and it should be a blended austen that is right for us and club of our size and position.

 

Fully agree with this. Football (possibly just fans and pundits) across the UK are always pining for whatever is in vogue at the time. We'd to be like the Dutch, because Ajax produced great players, then the French and the Clairefontaine centralised model when the French won the world cup, then we'd to be like Spain, with their massive academies at big clubs, now we've to be like the Germans, with every club having a specific academy scheme.

 

Take what we've got and improve it as much as we can, keeping on chasing whatever has produced results there and then for someone is never going to be a success, as you're already behind.

[weeyin]

It's not about chasing. Each of the models you mentioned continue to be successful to a large degree. Of course there are ups and downs depending on the talent pool, internal politics etc. but it seems we are still too parochial in the way we address the grass roots. What makes that even more galling is that the UEFA coaching schools we run are regarded as some of the best in Europe.

[superward]

It was only a few years ago we reorganised into the Academy system and have, since Les came in, started to provide more focus on recruitment and that pathway to the first team. I would give it a few years yet before saying we need to change it. Quality youth production is a slow burn and also needs a bit of luck along the way.

[weeyin]

We have brought in 2 youth players who established themselves as first team regulars, and guys like Thomas on the fringe. We have also recruited younger players like Kennedy (22), Moult (23) and Laing (23) with an expectation of selling them. If we can do that every season we will be in decent shape.

 

From what McGhee said in his Manager of the Month interview, it certainly sounds like he wants us to still invest in small transfer fees to complement the youth programme.

[Lobey_Dosser]

Can't wait to see how he gears up the Scotland team for the Italy and France games.

[Well 4 Europe]

Can't wait to see how he gears up the Scotland team for the Italy and France games.

Tragic bump.

 

Whoever recommended McGhee to the owner should be getting the bullet. This was never going to work.

[Lobey_Dosser]

Tragic bump.

 

 

Fair enough.

[mjw]

Can't wait to see how he gears up the Scotland team for the Italy and France games.

whatever way his boss tells him.

Probably.

[milo]

5th in the league is absolutely fantastic, over course it is, especially after where we all we feared we could be again but McGhee has now presided over a 6-0 and a 7-0 to Hearts and Celtic in what must be our heaviest defeats to these, or any team, in easily 35/40 years.

 

That isn't an enviable stat.

[Gadgey]

So should we sack him????

[GazzyB]

#teammcghee

[Kmcalpin]

5th in the league is absolutely fantastic, over course it is, especially after where we all we feared we could be again but McGhee has now presided over a 6-0 and a 7-0 to Hearts and Celtic in what must be our heaviest defeats to these, or any team, in easily 35/40 years.

 

That isn't an enviable stat.

I'll take a 6-0 and 7-0 defeat every season if we consistently finish 6th or above year after year.

[one m in motherwell]

Have to agree with that!

[weeyin]

While overall I am very much in the pro-McGhee camp, there are certainly games where I think he has lost the plot. Certainly, he tries to be too clever sometimes and overthinks himself. His quote today about Marvin being fine at left back because his is a good athlete, is one example given that left back is all about tackling and, more importantly, positioning.

 

For all that, however, I don't care who the manager is, every player is responsible for their own professionalism, effort and performance. Far too many today had chucked it before kick off, and that is basically cheating the paying fans.

 

I'm still satisfied with 5th place, but as others have said, a weak capitulation leaves a bad taste in the mouth for the summer.

[Guest]

While overall I am very much in the pro-McGhee camp, there are certainly games where I think he has lost the plot. Certainly, he tries to be too clever sometimes and overthinks himself. His quote today about Marvin being fine at left back because his is a good athlete, is one example given that left back is all about tackling and, more importantly, positioning.

 

See to be fair, I thought Marvin did fine at left back. We lost three goals in the first half with him there and he wasn't particularly culpable for any of them. He at the very least kept Roberts at bay, I thought.

[Al B]

I have to say I'd see that differently, I thought Roberts had him on toast. He'll do that to much better and more natural full-backs though...so it's not really a criticism of Marvin. Roberts is a fantastic footballer.

[ONeils40yarder]

5th in the league is absolutely fantastic, over course it is, especially after where we all we feared we could be again but McGhee has now presided over a 6-0 and a 7-0 to Hearts and Celtic in what must be our heaviest defeats to these, or any team, in easily 35/40 years.

 

That isn't an enviable stat.

stat? fuck off

[Guest]

I have to say I'd see that differently, I thought Roberts had him on toast. He'll do that to much better and more natural full-backs though...so it's not really a criticism of Marvin. Roberts is a fantastic footballer.

Is fair enough, like. I'd never want Marvin to play there, obviously, but he certainly didn't disgrace himself. Given that Watt, allegedly a defender, was getting a roasting off a guy who's barely kicked a ball all season, he did fine for me.

[Ya Bezzer!]

Our level of professionalism sky rocketed when the previous manager was released and McGhee came in culminating on a great run towards the end of the season. I think what has happened has McGhee has probably allowed a sort of 'last day of school' atmosphere creep in when there was nothing to play for.

 

However this team has proved time and time again that it needs to be kept on a short leash.

 

I don't think McGhee will make that mistake again.