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Steven Craigan is the only one in the " Media Gang" who has actually taken time to look beyond the banal, lazy shite journalism of "they are 5th, been in a semi final, what do Motherwell fans expect" You could tell all season that he's basically seen us for what we are, thought we are shite and couldnt see what were were trying to do tactically, without actually saying we are rank rotten.

You don’t need to reply to every single post that you don’t agree with 👍🏼

Wonder if any of those posters are looking for a transfer, they seem to know more than a few on here

Spare me your faux outrage. We’re talking about a manager choosing to leave of his own volition. He WAS NOT chased out by a mob. I suspect Mr Kettlewell may have a career in politics once this blows over. Any personal abuse is out of line and shouldn’t be tolerated. That being said, fans venting frustrations and/or calling him shite doesn’t constitute abuse. If he’s that offended by that, then I suggest he’s in the wrong career. As for SODs, his time would be better spent contemplating his own failings rather than blaming those who pay his wages.

In the context of what we're are currently talking about, is this comment acceptable ? Maybe this is supposed to be tongue in cheek but if it is not I don't think it is acceptable. For those who think it is acceptable, ask yourself the question ' If somebody was saying this about a member of my family on a public forum, how would I feel about it?' SOD himself has taken unacceptable levels of abuse from our support in recent times. We can't simply pretend that all the negativity is just a media led conspiracy.

He's saying that because SK is the only manager in the premiership that would have SOD in the first team I am afraid he's past it after the last injury ,he's probly feeling bad as well he sold the jerseys twice adding to pressure on SK to go. Anyway footballs a big boys game ,or it used to be, a bit of abuse and stick comes with the territory when your a manager. What other job do you resign from cause you can't hack it and get your full contract paid as you leave. We pay hard earned cash in a recession to watch shite like that week after week your allowed to voice your opinion or we would all be sitting with our arms folded nodding politely. I'm still raging at the tone of that club statement re poor SK abuse. It looks like the club is blaming the fans very badly worded and as i said before the press are having a field day.

SOD knifed Alexander and Hammell. He’s a fucking charlatan that should’ve been chased long ago. Fuck him.

All they needed to say was although we recognise the right of our fanbase to criticise and voice their concerns, we also recognise that a small vocal minority may have taken their criticism a bit too far and we would urge them to consider their actions going forward so that it does not reflect on the wider fan base and cause negative publicity for the club. Or words to that effect

The personal abuse stuff is bullshit, it's SK trying to keep his reputation intact to deflect from the fact that he had lost the dressing room and ran out of ideas. And it's worked, he's now the victim a good manager forced out of a job by the foul mouthed fans. As a rule anything written about football clubs outwith the ugly sisters by the west of Scotland media is best ignored as its mainly pandering bullshit with a blue or green tinge depending on what "big team" the journo supports.

Manager critcises fans for abuse manager abuses refferees / 4th officials personal abuse from fans in not accceptable but come to feck stuart you have been working your ticket since you slated the fans youv managed to get out while your stock is slightly high but youv seen the mess we are in and only heading in one direction if SF sets up on a totally differant formation in the next 3 games that we might suspect there was a differance in opinions beetween manager and assisant time will tell but i personally think SK has pulled a stroke on his timing of this and his BBC radio scotland pals will rally round him , except craggs who has been highly critical of the way we play and the stats of posecion and shots on goal Any way onwards n upwards and dont let the door hit your arse on the way out stuarty boy am sure you will pop up elsewhere talking about 5 th place ,semi final , theo, blah blah But you wont talk about how bad weve been for weeks , tumbolla team selections, sq pegs in round holes, etc you will spin it all out bout your good times , but dont forget, YOU turned the fans against you NEXT PLEASE 👍

Not sure I agree with this...Robinsons blood and thunder style of play with Moult, Bowman, Hartley, Aldred etc was far easier to watch than the passive, stand off-ish, 30% possession at McDiarmid park daftness that's been served up recently. Not that I want Robinson back, nor think he would come back either

Jesus Fucking Christ. Congratulations, despite some tough competition, you’ve won fuckwit of the day 👍🏼

I'm sure if the club continues their PR disaster and further alienates the fanbase, Caldwell will be getting a fair few emails from longstanding season ticket holders explaining why they are no longer renewing. Perhaps then he will conveniently remember who funds his and the players' salaries.

I’m not doubting for a second that Stuart was subjected to an element abuse that may have crossed the line, but if it’s to the scale where he’s felt the only option was to tender his resignation then perhaps it would be prudent of the club to carry out an investigation and hold those responsible of said abuse to account. Instead they have verbatim pedalled the narrative of an outgoing manager, throwing your entire fan base under the bus with a poorly worded statement. In what other business would you not protect your own interests and those of your customers? Absolutely incredible, and has the potential to create a real divide between the club and the fans when we should be calling for unity. Interviews and snippets with Frail and SOD are adding fuel to the fire and allowing the media to have a field day with this when they ignore sectarian bile being spouted on a weekly basis and the stick that certain other managers have received recently. Personal abuse of any kind is completely unacceptable, unfortunately it’s rife in the world of football and every club has its element of unsavoury fans, the club has fuelled this narrative and I’m at a loss to see what they are trying to gain from it? Hardly an enticing job for a potential new manager when it’s plastered all over the news that the fans are abusive and hounded the manager out, also not the best message to send out when you will be begging said fans to renew season tickets in a few months time.

Your football CV is much like mine. The sad thing is that the club is in our heart and it's the hope that keeps bringing us back. The club has been in some really dark places in the past, but we always found a way to survive and push on. We badly need leadership and someone to lift us out of this apathy.

Someone who doesn't bring their family to work.

Jeez can we please not start booing SOD on Sunday if he plays?. Really fed up with the pelters that lad takes. Yes he hasn't been playing well but seems to get blamed for everything, anyone got proof? Hmmmmm

I assume you are new to both football and the internet?

And not a mention of his part in all of that.

That’d be an interesting one. I’d like this 100% more than the other names mentioned. an experienced manager with contacts (not lenses) would be beneficial for us as a club.

Thought all the folk that were desperate for ketts to leave would have been on here with their suggestions,pretty quiet.

Robinson's tenure featured three terrible runs of form the last of which almost got us relegated. It wasn't all bad but here's the thing about 'style of play'. When Robinson had either of the two outstanding players during his reign, Moult and Turnbull, we were decent to very good. When those players weren't there (or not being played) we were mostly garbage. To play good football you need good footballers. Under Robinson, under anyone. I'm in my fifth decade going to Fir Park. In that time we've had 4, 5, maybe at a push 6 teams that actually played consistent good football and all of them had, at our level, outstanding players whether it was Tom Boyd, Davie Cooper, Tommy Coyne, Brian Martin, Paul Lambert, David Turnbull, Ross McCormick, Darren Randolph, Michael Higdon or who ever. Outside of Lennon Miler we don't have anyone and he's had two periods of injury that, both times, has seen our form fall away. At its most innocent the quest for good football without good footballers is like the alchemy of the modern day. It's a bird brained folly. It's just not going to happen. At its worst it's a re-write of the clubs history to justify the most atrocious toxicity. It's like alt right weirdo Trump stuff that denies actual reality. It used to be you went to the football to escape all the bad things of life. Now the football is all the bad things of life magnified. Support the team and stop all this idiotic, toxic hatred.

Thats pretty much my view too. I was at both Perth games. I'm not saying that he wasn't abused but I never heard any of that. There was widescale booing at the culmination of both games and shouts of "resign" or similar but that was about it. I didn't hear any cursing, oathing or personal abuse. That would be out of order. I have to say our fans are no worse than those of any other club. I've not read or seen anything nasty on social media.

Some of the performances this season have been horrendous,the last few away from home are as bad as it gets.injuries aside,our squad is a shambles,he had a preferred formation and the whole time he was here,he never signed players suited to that system.hes definitely been feeling the pressure the last few weeks with the constant back and forth with officials and the comments after the cup game,he had been criticised a lot for his substitutions and they were the final nail in his coffin for me on saturday,we were clearly trying too see the game out and he brings on a guy that he clearly doesn't rate and the other that was signed the day before,absolute madness and you can see why folk had it in for him.it can't be nice for a managers family to hear any sort of abuse directed his way.i think the abuse thing is a smokescreen,there's clearly issues with the team and he's got out while his stock is still in decent shape but at the same time,he's probably not done himself many favours with any future employers as any club he goes too next will have supporters that dish out abuse and might think twice about employing him.

I doubt Casey got close enough to his man for a proper bust up.

Kettlewell was what we needed 2 years ago. He dug us out a hole then, and he can certainly take credit for good things in those 2 years. Unfortunatley, we've never really kicked on from his first half season, and his footballing philosophy for the club is no longer working. Good luck for the future Stuart.

The more I think about this, the more annoyed I'm getting at SK and him citing abuse from the stands as his reason for rapping it...I'm glad he has mind, but it looks to me that he's hiding behind that excuse (there is no way, that the abuse was that excessive that it's forced a pure dead fitba man into chucking it) because he knew the writing was on the wall after recent performances from the team on the park, the recent spate of run-ins he's had with officialdom and his incredibly stupid interview where he couldn't have been more condescending to the people who pay his wages if he'd tried. I didn't have a huge opinion on SK before today, either positive or negative but he's gone way down in my estimation now.

No booing from me. I'm merely making an observation on a forum. He does, however, need to improve his performances.

Agree

I'd honestly love to see the likes of Kettlewell and SOD spend a season at one of the old firm that was doing poorly...they'd know all about it then. If said abuse of SOD, is 'yer no very good Stephen' then I'm as guilty as charged.

I could have put my mortgage on you giving me your resume... Yes I think that post was absolutely fine. The vast majority of the support are quite right to be offended, as they have done absolutely nothing wrong. The way the broader support is being portrayed, regardless of what abuse was actually directed at Kettlewell, is disgraceful. The club statement, society statement, sky interviews and the latest twitter video from the club are a PR disaster. I have no problem with anyone offering Kettkewell support and questioning a victims lived experience is just not tolerated these days, but there must have been a better way to do it that this. How to alienate your fans in 3 easy steps.

I agree with that too and I've said it more than once on social media. Not just on the manager - players need to take accountability too

The club - in its infinite wisdom - is doing its best to create an us vs them scenario. I mean, how dare the fans of a fan owned club express their discontent at how their club is being managed. Disgusting fan behaviour. All of this is very unwise and won't end well for Caldwell or the players who comment negatively about the fans in the media (e.g. SOD).

https://x.com/CorkCityFC/status/1884303331570639351 Jesus fuck

I don't care what club a player played for, I just want best person for the job. I wouldn't have a problem with Brown or Lennon, both would set high standards and not tolerate slackers. Anyway let's wait and see. Beat sellik on Sunday and Frail gets the gig till end of season

Current form. In 2025 we have played six matches, all but one against teams sitting below us in the League. We have won one match, against an Aberdeen time that has not won in over a dozen league games. We have lost four games and stolen a very fortunate point at Kilmarnock. We are out of the Cup at the first hurdle. With Celtic to come followed immediately by games against teams with us in their sights. Good on you for not being concerned about current form and performance and for setting aside the narrowing gap between us and the play off spot. Nobody in their right mind believes abuse of any kind is acceptable but all the talk of what or was not aimed at SK should not deflect from the woeful performances he oversaw of late. As recently as November being drawn into the relegation zone was not a consideration. It is now. And he shares responsibility for that. I'm truly sorry it ended this way for Kettlewell but I think it was time for change. Having supported him throughout last year's run, I had hoped the SF defeat would have proven to him that a passive approach was not the way to go week in week out. Had he not walked, I'm not convinced he would have lasted much longer. Has anybody seen anything in recent matches to suggest he had the ability to turn things round? Or seen a willingness to try something a wee bit different? That might just have been enough for many of those fans keen to see him succeed.

He said, she said. Your fault their fault. ok I’m moving along to the new manager thread.

Yep. Exactly as I posted yesterday. Rather ironically, he's pulled off a tactical blinder here.

Scathing attacks on our fan base on BBC website. I think without evidence. Lots of comments from alleged well fans calling us clueless and being less than positive about our character. This all stems from this statement. Surely if your tarnishing name of a club there should be evidence? Too easy to lay blame at fans door

We have a decent record of not giving the typical Scottish Mgr the gig . my immediate thoughts took me back to when we brought in Craig brown and Archie Knox - this would be a similar ish appointment re a seasoned mgr who can help us . i do think we’ll appoint someone who wasn’t mentioned as the bookies favourites yestersay

This was my issue if we did sack Kettlewell, who would we get that was better? I know I mentioned Lennon who I think would do ok but I don’t know if I necessarily want him? every name mentioned I don’t fancy Mcglynn McCabe Brown…… no thanks. Someone even mentioned imrie lol….. he fkn hates Motherwell lol then we have the usual van der gaag stuff…. Christ knows what’s for the best, I don’t envy the person or group choosing him as I have a feeling they’ll be slaughtered by a number of us.

The club’s statement on Kettlewell’s departure stinks of McMahon’s departure statement, where both continue to highlight the need for a head of comms or media strategy or something to that effect.

I have given this issue some thought and have approached it from the position of who has the necessary skills and attributes to fill the role. Given that the two qualities that I have identified as being crucial in any candidate are those pf outstanding leadership and having a particularly thick skin, the somewhat left field solution I have come up with is Babar the elephant. The biggest stumbling block may be our inability to lure him away from his current position as king of the elephants. No? Okay, Stuart Baxter? What's he doing these days?

In the modern game the press will likely have received the details in a release from SK's agent, so unlikely we could hide it. Plus you know SK will be giving hour long lectures on it any time he is asked what time it is. I don't doubt there is some truth to it. I also don't doubt there is some truth to the fact he was running out of ideas. So by going this route SK is doing a bit of "personal brand" protection, to use horrible marketing speak, and the club avoids accusations of hysterical "hiding the truth behind SK's departure!!!” headlines.

Not sure how i feel about Kettlewell stepping down, Obviously i want my club to do well and have better results but was our last few run of results completely his fault? He did pull us through some bad times and was very passionate about the club. Takes alot to step down as a manager tbh, Maybe it wasent just from the abuse but perhaps he didnt see things geting any better and didnt want things to end up going the same way when Hammell eventually got sacked. Where ever he goes next i hope it works out for him and wish him all the best. 💛👏

No way would I want Robbo back. I'd rather steelboy got the job

Personally I think the personal abuse is bang out of order, even if his maw is a cow.

SK for me is bowing out at the right time . He can say I left Motherwell with higher points tally, cup semi and 5th in league when he left. That keeps his stock high . for me he’s looked quite stressed since December and honestly like Mcall and Robinson had ran out of ideas . At his best he and the team did the basics well - that went a long way . Those basics haven’t been in place since November and unlike last season didn’t appear to have the cohesion . got to say he gave his all and did a lot of good things for our club. I don’t this this will put managers off - the modern game is pretty exhausting . i do think we need to go beyond replacing the manager - from recruitment to all mgr staff it’s worth ensuring we’re set for the future . do want to say thanks for SK for all the positives and also for walking when he was out of ideas - full credit to him and wish him well.

I sit in the East Stand and I never heard regular abuse at him. Not sure what it's like in the Main Stand. There is no excuse for personal abuse but it also sounds his way of deflecting away from his recent record. If he had care about the club that certainly isn't the way to part. But.......again there is no excuse for personal abuse when it stops his family going. I couldn't go Alexander but the abuse he got at times was shocking also. A big reset for some of our fans also

Probably inevitable but at this moment in time I feel a bit ashamed being a Motherwell fan given the circumstances. Some of our support really are *****.