Who Do We Want As Our New Manager?

[mcguru]

From BBC:

 

 

Motherwell are expected to confirm by Thursday that ex-Scotland midfielder Stuart McCall is their new manager. The Fir Park club met McCall again on Wednesday after the 46-year-old former Bradford manager impressed the board in his initial interview.

 

There were talks with other candidates, but McCall is seen as the man to succeed Craig Brown, now at Aberdeen.

 

Well had interviewed former Oldham boss Dave Penney, while Neil McDonald and Ricky Sbragia withdrew their interest.

 

BBC Scotland has learned that Wednesday's follow-up talks went well and the club are expected to announce McCall's appointment in the next 24 hours.

 

McCall won 40 caps for Scotland and was a key player at Ibrox in the 1990s during Walter Smith's first stint as Rangers manager.

 

Prior to that, he had made his name as a combative midfielder at Bradford, to whom he returned after Ibrox, and Everton.

 

He finished his lengthy playing career at Sheffield United in 2004/05 and became manager at Valley Parade in May 2007.

 

The Leeds-born boss threatened to leave at the end of the following season when Bradford failed to make the play-offs, then quit in February of this year after a run of poor results.

 

Penney, 46, had emerged as a possible candidate for the Fir Park vacancy and had been interviewed, his experience in England's lower leagues appealing to the Motherwell board.

 

Former Blackburn Rovers assistant McDonald pulled out of the running after deciding the job was not for him.

 

That followed a similar decision by Sunderland chief scout Sbragia.

 

I'm like General Montgomery going down to see the troops every morning, I give them a battle plan and the casualty list

Motherwell interim manager

Gordon YoungInterim manager Gordon Young will now be in charge for a third game, Wednesday's visit to Celtic Park.

 

"I've always adopted the attitude that I would keep the place on a steady footing and organise so that when a new manager came in, whether it be a day or a month, there would be no way he wouldn't hit the ground running," said youth coach Young.

 

"I have planned for the game, I have planned for Hamilton and, believe it or not, I have planned for Dundee the week after.

 

"I'm like General Montgomery going down to see the troops every morning, I give them a battle plan and the casualty list. It is becoming a bit of a laugh in the dressing-room."

 

McDonald became the latest to fall by the wayside despite holding negotiations in Scotland and watching Motherwell's 4-1 defeat by Rangers on Boxing Day.

 

The 45-year-old, who was surprisingly sacked along with Sam Allardyce at Ewood Park this month, returned to his Preston home to think over the post but decided against progressing with negotiations.

 

He fulfilled the criteria laid out by Motherwell vice-chairman Derek Weir as he told BBC Scotland on Sunday they were down to "two, maybe three" candidates for their managerial vacancy following more than 40 applications.

 

"There are three things we are looking for," revealed Weir. "We want someone who is well known in the lower leagues of England, because that has worked well for us in the past in terms of finding players we can afford.

 

"People who have a network in terms of bringing in loan signings, which again has worked well for us.

 

"And then people with experience, either in the Scottish or English game.

 

"There are a lot of people out there who have all of that. Now we have to narrow it down."

 

That appeared to rule out the likes of former Hibernian manager John Hughes, ex-St Mirren boss Gus MacPherson and former Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss Jimmy Calderwood.

 

Lennoxtown-born Sbragia is understood to have been high on their wanted list having been Sunderland caretaker in December 2008 after the departure of Roy Keane and leading the side to safety from relegation on the last day of the season before resigning.

 

Ex-Lincoln boss and former Celtic striker Chris Sutton was thought to be in the running and also fitted the bill set out by Weir.

 

Sources close to former Celtic striker John Hartson, who had been in the running for the Wales job before the appointment of Gary Speed, had suggested last week that he was expecting to hear from the SPL club.

[Haggischomper]

"I'm like General Montgomery

Demoted

[davkel]

Interestingly enough Tommy Craig was in the POD stand last week at the Hearts game ..

[weeyin]

I think this appointment will be a disaster and we'll finish bottom six this season.

 

Come back to me if i'm wrong..

I think we would have ended up bottom 6 this season with Brown, so finishing there with a new boss wouldn't rank as a disaster to me. Brown was a good 6 month appointment last season to bring a bit of stability, but should have been nowhere near the job this season.

[Lobey_Dosser]

I'm sure Robyn mentioned on here weeks ago that Tommy Craig had expressed an interest.

[stuwell]

I think this appointment will be a disaster and we'll finish bottom six this season.

 

Come back to me if i'm wrong..

 

 

A lot of folk on here - including myself- thought we'd finish in the bottom 6 at the start of the season when Brown was in charge.

[El Grew]

The one saving grace here (if true) would be Tommy Craig as a number 2.

[MelvinBragg]

The one saving grace here (if true) would be Tommy Craig as a number 2.

It is a very ginger management team though...

[Finlay]

The one saving grace here (if true) would be Tommy Craig as a number 2.

 

I'm in favour of this as well.

[star sail]

I don't know about how good, bad or indifferent this appointment is or will be but personally speaking before a ball has been kicked I don't think I have ever been so dispondant as a Well fan.

 

The true fans will give him a chance etc, etc but for me I am calling time out. Been struggling with the football for a while now with only the Euro games giving me some renewed enthusiasm. We can pretend that this is good news but this guy is at best choice no 3 and I would be surprised if he was even that. I should be able to rise above the Rangers connection but can't. This guy represents the Rangers I don't like and the Rangers culture that is stuck in the last decade.

 

I said a few pages back that for me the great thing about Jim Gannon was that he gave us something to buy into. The 'lets get in about them lads' that I would guess this character will bring with him is not something that I am that keen on investing time, money and emotion on.

 

To the fans who will get behind the new man and pay their money no matter what, good on you, you have more commitment and dedication than me but in true Dragon Den fashion, for now, I'm out!!

[Brazilian]

Demoted

or still climbing the ladder.

 

 

Still nothing official yet?

[Taff]

Motherwell aren't exactly a big attraction for talented world beating managers are they and the club don't exactly have the money to entice a big name .Like someone said before, some of your expectations were way to high. who ever got the job some fans will find something to moan about. If you truly love the club, you will at least give the guy a chance FFS.

Its one of them en it. Where some fans will be almost willing the guy to fail.

[Lobey_Dosser]

If you can watch a Motherwell team managed by Butcher or coached by Knox I don't really get the issue with the Rangers connection.

 

As for being 3rd choice.

 

Celtic, Killie, Hibs & St Mirren have all failed to get their first choice in the past 6 months or so.

[TheLip69]

This is the scraping of the barrell, it's an absolutely pish appointment, the man's managerial record is beyond woeful.

[Andy H]

Normally I am quite optamistic, but looking at his managerial stats

 

 

Managerial statistics

updated 6 February 2010.^[116] Team From To Record^[120] G W D L Win %^[121] Bradford City. 6 November 2000 20 November 2000 &00000000000000020000002 &00000000000000000000000 &00000000000000000000000 &00000000000000020000002 &0&00000000000000000000000.00 Bradford City. 22 May 2007 8 February 2010 &0000000000000133000000133 &000000000000004600000046 &000000000000003500000035 &000000000000005200000052 &000000000000003459000034.59

 

Anyone else got that Malpas feeling?

[deJaya]

or still climbing the ladder.

 

 

Still nothing official yet?

 

just to be clear ... it may not be on the official site ... but mccall IS the new motherwell manager and tommy craig is #2 .. both on a 2 1/2 year deal

 

gordon young has confirmed mccall's appointment on radio scotland

[weeyin]

Normally I am quite optamistic, but looking at his managerial stats

 

 

Managerial statistics

updated 6 February 2010.^{Stuart_mccall#cite_note-soccerbase_manager-115} Team From To Record^{Stuart_mccall#cite_note-119} G W D L Win %^{Stuart_mccall#cite_note-120} Bradford_City_A.F.C. 6 November 2000 20 November 2000 &00000000000000020000002 &00000000000000000000000 &00000000000000000000000 &00000000000000020000002 &0&00000000000000000000000.00 Bradford_City_A.F.C. 22 May 2007 8 February 2010 &0000000000000133000000133 &000000000000004600000046 &000000000000003500000035 &000000000000005200000052 &000000000000003459000034.59

Just saying OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO again and again doesn't make it scary.

[star sail]

If you can watch a Motherwell team managed by Butcher or coached by Knox I don't really get the issue with the Rangers connection.

 

As for being 3rd choice.

 

Celtic, Killie, Hibs & St Mirren have all failed to get their first choice in the past 6 months or so.

 

 

If you are feeling optimistic then good on you, it's the way to be and the best way to support your team. I'm just saying that for me it is a real turn off and at a time when I have been struggling to really get into the football this is the nail in the coffin for me. I would love to be proved wrong.

[Robyn]

I'm sure Robyn mentioned on here weeks ago that Tommy Craig had expressed an interest.

 

Indeed.

[fizoxy]

I'm sure this isn't the first time we haven't got our first or even second choice candidate. These things happen all the time, they just aren't always played out in the media.

 

Out of all the names mentioned over the past couple of weeks, Fenlon was the only one that I thought would be an exciting choice. McCall isn't a glamour appointment, but anyone who was expecting a big name or someone with an excellent track record is deluded. Look at the quality/experience of players we attract and that will tell you the kind of manager we're going to get. Very few managers are going to want to work with almost no money, and even the teams in the lower leagues of England have money to spend, add this to the fact the guy has to be unemployed and this is going to thin out the list of possibilities further.

 

I don't care who our new manager used to play for, all I care about is how he manages MFC. He's obviously impressed the board enough for them to offer him the job, so I'll trust them on this one for the time being.

 

One thing that seems to be lost on SPL teams these days is bringing through players and managers from the Scottish lower leagues. Is this a quality or a financial thing?

[Ernie]

Nice to see the usual positivity on this forum. At least it looks like this one might be on a contract now surely that is at least a step forward?

[Andy H]

Ok what I was trying to post was 46 wins in 133 games...

[bigmcd]

for some people on here no matter who we brought in they still wouldnt be happy. Even if mourinho had got the job folk on here would still moan we have mccall in charge so lets at least give the guy a chance to see what he can do, but to say the guy is hopeless before he has had 1 game is totally unfair. He is the new well manager so lets give him all our support and he may even surprise a few people

[Brazilian]

Derek Weir on Radio Scotland, achieving the announcement without announcing it

 

first person offered

 

preferred candidate

 

not able to confirm name

 

hope to make announcement tomorrow, after papers are signed

 

McCall in directors box would be a coincidence

 

re-contract: significant commitment from both sides but not to e discussed publicly

[East_Stand_Al]

Come on Flow get your fancy new web site updated with this breaking news, would seem Youngy has spilled the beans.

 

 

 

"Interim boss Gordon Young said: "I look forward to working with Stuart McCall." "