Gannon Sacked! Motherwell Part Company with Manager

[fat_tony]

Just to throw in my 2 cents on Gannon, I've been delighted with the job he's done with the club. He brought in some good loans/signings, played some promising youngsters and tried to get us playing good football. I've not agreed with all his footballing decisions but I've kept faith in what he's done thinking that he had a long term plan.

 

It was becoming apparent over the past few weeks though that there seemed to be a lack of dig about the team and a lot of players looked jaded. I didn't agree with dropping the senior players all the time either as it seemed to be done just to prove a point rather than on merit.

 

From the information available about all this, it sounds like Gannon really had lost the dressing room and if the stories of singing on the bus etc are to be believed then it really explains the apparent lack of energy the last few weeks. The most important thing is the future of MFC and by getting rid of Gannon now, JB is protecting the club's interests to allow a new manager on a longer term contract to come in and build a squad.

 

I'm disappointed that Gannon refused to sign a contract and had certainly misjudged his motivations towards taking the Motherwell job. He's done some good work and provided a decent base for a new manager to work on. Now we need someone who can manage the players and return some confidence to the side.

[dosser1886]

I was optimistic and happy when Gannon was appointed and thought that he would do a good job for us, but all the plaudits that he is getting for bringing the young players into the first team, would any other manager really have been any different with this?

 

He was pretty much pushed into a corner due to the number of first team players that left at the end of last season and all that he could do was play the younger guys, unless he was able to bring in a whole team over night and he wouldn't have had the funds for this.

 

Just fucks me off the constant compliments he gets for "bringing in the young guys" when they had come through our youth system anyway and he had no real option.

 

Sorry to see Gannon go, but if some or most of the rumours are correct then Mr Boyle has done the correct thing and at the correct time. For weeks now Gannon has just seemed to be totally fucked off, disinterested and had the look of a man who is regretting coming here and on the way out anyway so it is beginning to look like he was pushed before he jumped. So much for his "here for the long term" and "thanks Motherwell for taking me off the dole queue".

 

Fuck him, he's gone, he's old news on we go..

[weeyin]

Just fucks me off the constant compliments he gets for "bringing in the young guys" when they had come through our youth system anyway and he had no real option.

McGhee had the same option, but didn't play them. Gannon showed he had sufficient contacts to bring in an entire squad of new players if required, but chose to go with a number of the youngsters.

 

I think you're wrong on this one.

[dosser1886]

I think you're wrong on this one.

 

That's fine you're entitled to think that, but it's my opinion that it is the case.

[Ya Bezzer!]

i don't see the need for the doom and gloom now. we've got a decent core of players at the club and i think we've actually got a better chance of extending the contracts of coke, jennings and hateley without gannon and it whether he's here or not makes no difference to keeping ruddy and juke until the end of the season.

 

I'm repeating myself but there isn't a good side outside of the Top Four. We will have to be absolutely dire to get relegated.

 

The big trick will be to end this bad run of not winning a game. If we can do that, by hook or crook, I think we will be OK, as has been said the core of the players at the club are good enough.

 

Once we do that confidence will return. If Gannon really was as unpopular behind the scenes then his removal might give us the boost to break the trend but its going to be difficult, I don't expect instant improvement but I'm hopeful of better management from the sidelines.

[Jay]

Does Gannon play young players because it's his policy to give youth a chance, or does he just see older players as a threat?

 

The more I hear, the more I think it's the latter.

[Wellfan1984]

The thing is Rangers have proved over the last three weeks that there isn't a good side out side top one and I expect them to prove this point next week too in the Old Firm game. Rangers could, if they carry on this form run away with the league. The pretenders were put in their place in their own backyard without much of a problem, and we all seen what happened at Ibrox when we went there.

 

Yeah Celtic and Hibs are better than us, but I really don't see where the love fest for United has come from. We have played them twice and they really haven't shown this great side that they are against us.

 

As for the rest, they are certainly no better than us, and I don't believe Falkirk, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Hamilton have the ability to all end above us

[Lobey_Dosser]

Does Gannon play young players because it's his policy to give youth a chance, or does he just see older players as a threat?

 

The more I hear, the more I think it's the latter.

 

I'd definately say the latter mate. Think he thrives upon brainwashing the youngsters and fears the older heads will see right through him, as they did.

 

I imagine Craigan, Lasley and Sutton were reinstated on a Saturday as a parting 'get it up ye' from Jim Gannon.

[Malky79]

I don't believe Gannon's appointment was a mistake. He had a pretty good track record and had a decent start to his reign considering the players he was left with. Boyle recruited him due to his contacts in the English game, and this seems to have paid off with the signings of Hately, Jennings, Coke, Lukas, yass and Ruddy. He was also known for giving youth a chance, and as such we have seen Hutch, Forbes, Slane, McHugh and Saunders all given a chance when another manager may have signed older players. I could also see Gannon impressing at an interview, as when he first arrived he seemed to say the right things.

 

Most people praised Boyle for this appointment, as we could have easily gone for someone with no experience or one of the "usual suspects". He did have us playing pretty good football at times, but the European results shouldn't count as our dreadful first leg performances built up those shite teams to be something they weren't. Our league performances up until the second round of old firm games were fine, with only one defeat and quite a few clean sheets weirdly enough. However, someone mentioned the St Mirren game as a turning point, and I agree as this is when the performances started to get very shaky and the real tinkering began.

 

However, no one could have expected him to spit the dummy like he has, and the amount of sulking that's been going on. The board have made a difficult decision to part way with the manager, but have made the decision for the long term good of the club. Most of us wont ever know what happened behind the scenes, but the board known the importance of staying in the SPL so this decision wouldn't have been taken lightly.

 

Largely agree with that and whilst Yass has been largely murder and I'll be glad to see him gone you can see why he saw something in him and his ability to get forward. It was his lack of ability to manage said players, between the young guys, his finds and the core of players with experience already here we could have a half decent team but from bright beginnings it has been increasingly murder.

 

Perhaps if he'd signed the contract and we'd stuck by him things may have come good but if he alienating all around him it is hard to see that happening.

[Juan Kerse]

WTF?

 

I had the weirdest day yesterday - on an all day sesh down in Newcastle and kept hearing reports of this. Was so pished completely forgot about it untill now!!

 

To be honest I am giddy about the whole thing. We were well warnes by Stockport fans - the man's stubborn personality and ego will get in the way of the job.

 

And Jay - you are spot on. He is playing younger players for the sake of it - to be 'renowned' for it. He can't lose in his eyes by playing 8 stone 17 year olds. Well he did lose.

 

Cherrio!!

[dosser1886]

Does Gannon play young players because it's his policy to give youth a chance, or does he just see older players as a threat?

 

The more I hear, the more I think it's the latter.

 

Not sure about that one, definitely felt that some of the older guys are well past there best and need to be either moved on or given a boot up the arse and not assume that they will automatically be in the starting 11 every week. I supported Gannon's attitude towards this just bothers me somewhat the credit he gets for bringing in the young guys.

[jk2205]

JIM GANNON and Peter Ward outlined their future plans for Motherwell at a festive dinner with Fir Park chairman John Boyle.

Little did they know it would be a last supper - and it's left a bitter taste.

 

Gannon and trusted No2 Ward enjoyed the hospitality of their chairman and - they were convinced - his full support.

 

It's why they felt shafted when the axe fell on them.

 

They had been in charge at Fir Park without contracts and were fully expecting to take training yesterday afternoon.

 

But fateful phone calls abruptly changed their plans.

 

Ward, 45, hadn't long settled in his rented Hamilton flat after driving from Manchester when he got the news from Well's general manager Leeann Dempster that his services were no longer requited.

 

He told SunSport: "It was a bolt from the blue. We didn't see it coming.

 

"I don't know what's been going on and I've been trying to get back in touch with Jim.

 

"The chairman's away at the moment and he left it to Leeann Dempster to inform me that they were terminating my employment.

 

"I had travelled up this morning because we were due to train in the afternoon.

 

"It's a shock and very disappointing because I have really enjoyed my time at Motherwell. We had been busy trying to make improvements to the squad. We were getting stuck into the job.

 

"Recent results hadn't been great, we know that, but we weren't too concerned. It's what happens when you have a young team. Some of the kids have been looking tired.

 

"But there have still been encouraging performances and we were looking forward to the second half of the season.

 

"The board had been very supportive and there was no indication of any unhappiness.

 

"In fact, it was only a few weeks ago we went out for a meal with John Boyle and there was nothing negative said.

 

"We met first at John's office and we had been making plans to improve the squad ahead of the January transfer window.

 

"John was, and had been, very supportive. We felt he was behind us.

 

"We had a nice meal and a few drinks. It was a good night. So you can understand why I'm feeling shocked right now."

 

 

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Well chairman Boyle accused Gannon of lacking commitment, but Ward insisted: "Jim WAS committed to the club.

 

"As soon as he came in he wanted to get more youths into the team and he was anxious to improve the training facilities. We were all trying to improve the club."

 

While boss Gannon was high profile, making a few enemies, assistant Ward preferred to stay in the background.

 

They worked wonders at Stockport, including a Wembley play-off triumph in 2008.

 

Ward will now return to English football and could reform his partnership with Gannon at Crewe Alexandra.

 

But regardless of his ruthless sacking, he insisted he will still hold warm memories of his stint at Motherwell.

 

He said: "Of course what's happened is very disappointing, but that's football.

 

"I have really enjoyed my experience of the SPL. I think the team gave a good account of themselves in the first half of the season.

 

"But we always knew we had a lot of hard work ahead of us.

 

"Experience told us there was going to be a bad spell during the season.

 

"We haven't been on a good run of results lately, but we were confident that would soon change.

 

"We were working hard on the training ground and it was our hope to get a few signings in.

 

"I'm sad it's come to an end for us, but we move on."

[Jay]

Typical journo pish. For months Gannon has been the media's biggest enemy, then he goes and suddenly he's the victim of a ruthless sacking by the club.

[stoney]

just a pity that Jim didnt leave all the talking to Wardy.

 

Altho by the looks of that article JG was a bit frugal with info to wardy as well as everyone else cos Jim made it to leeds while Wardy travelled up for training aparently

[Mitch]

Had a bit of time to think about this now. I actually have no ill feeling towards Gannon leaving as some of his decisions were crazy at times.

 

Reckon he had been working his ticket out for some weeks. The team have not performed for months and I am not unhappy to see him move on. Especially now with rumours about his attitude and things going on behind the scenes.

 

The nonsense with Hugh Dallas pissed me off quite a bit and I am sure I am quoted on here saying so. Jim Gannon comes across very arrogant and wont accept anyone questioning his integrity.

 

I do believe we still have quite a bit of dead wood in our squad and the new manager has got a huge job on his hands in the coming weeks and months. Lets not kid ourselves we are in real danger of getting dragged into the dogfight at the wrong end of the table. Will be surprised if we are not in and around that area come May. We have got possibly the best man we could get at the time in Craig Brown. Wouldn't be upset if he sees us through till the end of the season and we start the rebuilding job (again!) during the summer.

[Haggischomper]

Burma's one of the few actually talking any sense in this debate actually.

+1 on that. I've agreed with a lot of what he has said. Not all of it, but most of it.

[Busta Nut]

Gannon was a lot like McGhee.

 

 

 

Spouted a lot of shite but we ignored it cos he was doin well

[Gaag]

holy shit, the fishal is so incredibly slow at the moment.

[fizoxy]

Flow said some whatever stuff about servers and traffic. Maybe we should take turns at visiting it?

[Gaag]

They can share with Steelmenonline if webtraffic and bandwidth is the problem

[rightdodgyman]

does anyone have footage of this?

 

 

I'm guessing this is it here.

 

Hardly what it was made out to be and I'm not even sure if there is any singing?

 

Plus, I didn't realise the senior squad travelled around in that wee mini bus. I thought they generally drove to training themselves and that bus was for the youth teams. Whit do I know though?

[GazzyB]

Fair play to Wardy there, he talks really well and doesn't say anything bad about the club.

[alanr]

I'm guessing this is it here.

 

More noteable in that video is big Lukas' look towards Jimbo at the end. It's a 'whit a wank you are' look if ever I seen one.

[Geedub]

More noteable in that video is big Lukas' look towards Jimbo at the end. It's a 'whit a wank you are' look if ever I seen one.

 

sutton mate

[nethertonwellfan]

I was taken in with what Jim Gannon had to say! I liked him and I was gutted he was sacked(before i knew what i do today). What a wanker I am!! I need to stop supporting and believing in motherwell managers. I need to dscover a cynical bone!! Apologies guys I hate being positive and supporting our managers. I will try and change my ways!!!