dennyc

At our level they usually can't. And certainly not when denied support to help them out. Casey on the right of a back three, Wilson in midfield, Blaney on the left of a back three as examples.

Kettlewell was the master at playing players out of position. Hung several out to dry when they were clearly struggling, seldom providing them with any support. I fear Frail was part of whatever thinking was behind that nonsense being repeated time after time. Only my opinion of course, but I believe that led to a lot of the frustration and dissent we saw from players prior to Kettlewell manuevering his way out.

Good point. Also helps when the possession is in the opponents half of the field.

According to the BBC, he switched his formation around to counter Falkirk in this match. Audition passed.

Been mulling the interview over for a wee while to give me time to clear my head. Mainly because I found myself with more questions than answers. And a few things that I struggled to make sense of. Firstly, for me, there is no doubt that Brian Caldwell was at a low ebb and was shocked by the whole turn of events. He clearly feels empathy for his employee and is supporting him as best he can. It was a difficult and disturbing watch. I also get his unease at how quickly folk were applying to fill Stuart Kettlewell's shoes. But I find it strange that given the close working relationship we are told the two had........meeting or talking nearly every day and almost certainly more so in January given our downturn in form, injury situation and the need for action in the transfer window.....that our CEO had no inkling whatsoever of the mental anguish Stuart Kettlewell and his family were going through. To a lesser extent that also applies to other Board Members. Also we are told that the abuse situation heightened during the home victory against Aberdeen. Initially I thought it must have been during the cup loss to St Johnstone. I sit directly behind the home dugout and have witnessed fans screaming at SK to sort things out. At the Aberdeen game and at others throughout this season and last. So it does happen but not to any greater a degree than Alexander, Hammell and others before them had to endure. Not excusing or justifying it but just trying to get things into perspective in my own head. Given that I and others were aware of it, I find hard to accept that those sitting in the Directors' Box a few rows behind me did not see or hear what was a fairly regular occurrence. Or did they see it and disregard it as something that happens at matches the length and breadth of the country? Either way it makes no sense. It also struck me that there appears to have been no serious attempt to persuade SK to hang on a bit longer. possibly following a Club Statement asking for calm and informing fans that such abuse would not be tolerated. If I was to take a cynical view I might think that Caldwell was in part relieved at Stuart's decision as it might have avoided him having to take action if the performance on the pitch continued to spiral downwards. I don't do Facebook or Twitter so apologies if more details of the abuse Kettlewell suffered was revealed on those platforms. But I have witnessed nothing first hand that merits the all out assault on what feels like ALL Motherwell fans by the media,. And which sadly seemed to be supported by the statements initially released by MFC and the Well Society. I am not in any way playing down the abuse that most definitely takes in football be it aimed at players, Managers, Officials or even fans. But this whole situation makes less and less sense to me the more I try to understand it. For me, there are far too many contradictions. Hopefully Stuart Kettlewell and his family are now in a much better place. Time for everybody to move on.

Hearing a rumour of Allan Campbell to Dundee Utd. Anybody know if any truth in it, I know they tried for him last year.

Several Hibs fans I know would have Lennon back in a heartbeat. Don't know much about previous issues but the fact the fans still back him must mean something. As we have seen this week a Club's fans know more about what is going on at their Club than the gutter press. Much easier to write headlines than facts.

I wrote off the Tynecastle performance as a lesson to be learned. I then gratefully accepted the point at Rugby Park despite another woeful performance. We might even have stolen it at the end. Then came Easter Road followed by McDiarmid Park twice. Each game worse than the game before and against teams that ought to have been as fragile as us. We lost those three games and each time the margin of the loss flattered us. That is our current form and I saw nothing from SK to say he had any answers. We can revisit this at season end when hopefully your optimism will have been proven well placed with us sitting well away from and relegation battle.

What are we saying is actually abuse? Within a match/football environment as opposed to normal life. Does it include fans voicing their opinion on team selection, tactics, application, performance? Does it include those fans who choose to boo a team and players off the pitch following an insipid, toothless and passive performance? Does it include shouting at opposition Managers and players? Does it include criticism and frustration vented online? Does it include fans demanding a player be dropped or a Manager dismissed? Does it include charming ditties from the Stands defaming opposition players? All very easy to be offended by but is it abuse in the world of football? And sadly all of that regularly occurs within sport. Particularly in open debate. Not saying it is palatable at times. But it is reality. If the above is abuse, Goodwin and then Thelin at Aberdeen, Naismith when at Hearts, Clement at Rangers, Montgomery when at Hibs, Rodgers upon his return to Celtic, Adams when at County were all subject to abuse. Neil Lennon and Dougie Imrie everywhere. And numerous others. Possibly greater than SK experienced. But I heard little from the media regarding those situations and the Boards involved were also pretty silent. I also suspect those I listed would have been upset but saw it as part of modern day sport. Not great, but again reality. So what exactly is the abuse that Stuart Kettlewell was subjected to? If it was unlawful or threatening or even occurring when out and about with family and friends etc then that is disgusting and anybody in their right mind would condemn it. And action against those responsible would be support by most. Is it vile and offensive behaviour during matches in which case the authorities have the power to intervene and MFC could ask for restraint. I did not witness anything of that nature either Saturday in Perth. Others may have? I suppose I am asking for evidence that convinces me the media in response to the Resignation Statement are not blowing everything out of proportion. I feel sorry for Kettlewell and wish him well. But the cynic in me does wonder about the timing and the Club Statement. Whatever, I hope he can now get on with his chosen career.

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.

Very much my own thoughts. Spot on and in fact I thought he might walk after the Cup game having seen his reaction at the end. You mentioned the two Perth games in a previous post and again your experience mirrors exactly what I saw and heard. All I would add was that at the League match most fans were that disgusted they just wanted to get out of the Stadium as quickly as possible. A good number had left before the team made the tunnel. Possibly due to much reduced numbers I thought the discontent at that game was not as loud as it was after the previous shambles. Anyway, time to all get behind the team and whoever is in charge. Other teams will have us in their sights and the priority now must be avoiding the relegation places. The County game needs to see us back on track. Anything from the Celtic game will be a bonus but hopefully we will at least see a more determined set of players.

I think that is out of date. 12 Month Rolling Contract agreed August 2024. Whatever that means in reality I haven't a clue.

I have been a season ticket holder for decades but I cannot remember feeling as low as I feel now. And I have seen us relegated and survived Malpas, Kampman and Hynd. Maybe it comes with age, but I sat there today thinking ' What is the point?'. No doubt I will buy a Season Ticket next season because I enjoy going along to the games with my mates. And it is better than shopping....usually. But these last few months have been challenging......much more than the unbeaten run last season......because I am losing belief and more than a little concerned at the decline I am witnessing week on week.

My honest opinion. And that of the folk sitting beside me. Maybe Balcombe was nervous but his punched clearances under no real pressure caused issues. And I did give him credit for some top saves and did not blame him for the goals. I find it much harder to find anything to give Kettlewell credit for. And again, that's my honest opinion on todays offering. And that of anyone I spoke to at the game. I actually wish I had stuck to my guns and not gone along today. But Perth is fairly local and hope got the better of me. I will be at no more away games until the situation changes and will be selective regards home games, despite having a Season Ticket. It's just not worth the hurt any more.

He was far from the worst player today. Does not say a lot admittedly.