Gadgey

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.

When making direct comparisons, it will be Chris Caddens physical presence and ability to play wing back that will get him a move south as opposed to the likes of Elliott Frear who is an out and out winger who has better delivery but struggles defensively and by consequence, is unlikely to play at a level higher than what he is now.

All it took was a childrens stool, a tiny piano and a wink from Alexis Sanchez for Motherwell to earn the Manchester United seal of approval. The Scottish Premiership club announced the permanent signing of defender Peter Hartley from Blackpool with a brilliant parody of Uniteds unveiling of the Chilean following his move from Arsenal. Rather than explain what happens, it is better just to watch it. To laugh. To enjoy. From the clubs social media accounts it has been viewed more than two million times across the world to much fanfare, and appeared on Sky Sports News and BBC Breakfast. And it shows little sign of stopping. Obviously the numbers are still going up and the global exposure is continuing to grow, so we will continue to measure it. But we can already clearly say that yes, we are overwhelmed by how well it has done, said Grant Russell, the clubs communications manager. For Manchester United to then engage back with us was also fantastic and validated what we had set out to achieve. It is a reply in keeping with a club which is modest and humble, but also ambitious and innovative, on and off the field. The video encapsulates just that: funny and engaging; self-deprecating but professional. The idea grew from a joke among the clubs media team on Tuesday at their usual morning meeting. It then developed, earning buy-in from manager Stephen Robinson, chief operating officer Alan Burrows and, most importantly, the star of the show Pete, an ingenious twist on Alexis. And it was all achieved in the space of six hours, which included locating a piano at Argos after an hour or so driving around different toy stores until striking gold. We knew Peter Hartley was going to sign from early in the week and we had a rough, different idea which we also thought would do well (which well now keep for another time), Russell explained. Then it was suggested why dont we do the Alexis Sanchez video? Obviously this started as a joke but as we kept talking we realised we could do an excellent parody of it. We are very fortunate at Motherwell FC that despite the small team and the financial limitations, we have an incredible skill set and a similar sense of humour. He added: Thats the brilliance of our club. Everyone is a decent judge of things and then they are so encouraging. Everyone recognises the value of innovative media content. We arent content to be stuck in our ways and we arent content not to challenge the accepted norms. Thats an attitude that goes right through the place. Embodying that attitude at the club is Pete, who was completely unaware of the Sanchez video but was given the chance to smash a piano - and swear. When we showed him and told him our ideas, he got on board immediately, said Russell. He sums up everything about this current squad of players at Motherwell. He has such high standards and is passionate about doing well for the club. Thats an attitude that goes right through the playing squad. Lets not lie - when we pulled out the toy piano and had Pete sitting on the toy stool, you start to worry its all going to be a bit too ridiculous for him. But hes a great guy with a great sense of humour and he just embraced it all, and suggested other ideas as we went along which we incorporated too. Youll just have to wait and see if Pete is staying on the shirt... Teams such as Manchester United, rivals Manchester City and fellow members of the European elite have both hordes of staff and oodles of cash to invest in their brand and media engagement. Motherwell, with average attendance of 5,856, and fan-owned by The Well Society, around 2,500 members, are continually required to think outside the box. Producing such content is more than just retweets and likes. It is important to the club and offers a range of benefits. Exposure like this for a club like Motherwell FC is unprecedented, said Russell. It gets us in the minds of football fans around the world who might follow us and engage with us over the longer term. That has a lot of value if we can convert even some of them even into casual fans or possibly Well Society members. For our current fans, it gives them more good feeling about the club, I would hope. It has been a good season so far and this all adds to the good atmosphere. For our sponsors as well, this exposure is great for them. There is immense value in traditional sponsorships but when you combine it with a strong and creative media output, and a bit of luck getting something to go as big as this, its a massive advantage to be one of our sponsors. Scottish football fans should be familiar with the creative output from Motherwell, whether it is the artwork on club programmes or the clubs noisy and original ultras, the Motherwell Bois. It is a theme which is key to the clubs development. Russell concludes: We are competing for the next generation of fans. We are acutely aware of that. The explosion of football to bring the global game into hyperlocal forums, particularly your phone, presents big challenges. We are competing with teams, players as brands, shortening attention spans, so many more things that we could list. What we do is find ways to make Motherwell appealing to current and prospective supporters. We also need to showcase ourselves to prospective players. Im also a big believer in building more a brand around the players, telling their stories and showing more of their personalities. People love that sort of thing more than anything.

I agree with regards to his desire to stay put for now. He strikes me as being quite switched on and is reminiscent of Murphy in that respect. I havent seen anyone say that he will likely go to league 1 dross and I cant imagine the prospect of that will appeal. None the less, English football is a competitive workplace and unless Cadds does become the best player in the SPL, regardless of who he goes to, there is an inevitability to him having to go to places like Doncaster on a cold Tuesday night in the pishing wet if he does make a move south and wants to climb the pyramid. When faced with the same decisions, I think Murphy played it just right

Cadden is a great prospect and has managed to accrue a lot of first team appearances at a young age. This of course will stand him in good stead when an eventual move occurs. The difficulty for him is, like others have said, the market Motherwell trade in and the perception within the trade that Scottish football is considered inferior to the championship and on par with mid to lower 3rd tier English football. Playing wing back is good preparation for life south of the border as many teams currently play with wing backs within the presently fashionable 352 and 4231 formations. That level of football is awash with strong and fast wingers, many of whom are young (u23) home grown loanees from the EPL or Championship. Whether we as fans like it or not, Cadds would be considered League 1 level at best until proven at that level. Our selling price and potential suitors will reflect that.

Perhaps if in sentiment only, that response has proven Clackscats point for him

No, but its fair to say that Bury is an obvious low point in the boys career. Burys defence are an absolute car crash this season. Fresh start for the lad and I hope he excels.

Some good signings so far. Keep the updates coming Seasonal

Talking about McGhee, he was spotted sitting next to another former manager Alex McLeish at Charltons Tuesday night checkatrade cup tie at the valley. Its being reported that McLeish is heading up a consortium to take over ownership of Charlton with his mate former Rangers director Donald Muir as a key player. Understandably, Charlton fans are shitting themselves that McGhees connection may lead to his appointment as manager. Bizarrely, theyre up for McLeish taking charge....oh how little do they know. Also Charlton related, Connor Ripley was Burys best player today as they fell to their 8th straight defeat against the Addicks. As good as he is, theres nothing he can do for a team that has now gone 754 minutes without a goal.

I do find this forum entertaining. Are some people now saying Kipre is pish and that hes just another disasterous SR signings?

Agreed. Reading this thread, youd think we were only a day or so away from the window closing. As frustrating as it may be, there is plenty time and plenty yet to happen.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/gavin-gunning-joins-forest-green-1012518.amp And in contrast, the basket case Gavin Gunning has another former club to add to his list. Gavin Gunning is set to face Port Vale on Saturday after signing for their League Two rivals Forest Green Rovers on a free transfer. Vale boss Neil Aspin is disappointed to lose Gunning, who was a regular in his Vale side before the defenders half-season contract ran out at the end of December. He was offered a deal by Vale but has instead accepted the terms offered by their League Two rivals.

I remember sitting with my dad in the Cooper for our one and only time and seeing a very young Stevie Hamill for the very first time. It was the auld yins last visit to Fir Park. Reminiscing about Cooper, he turned to me and said that blonde boy is quality. Imagine having him in the same team as Coop, he made a donkey like Boyd look like a player, imagine what he couldve done wi some real talent

A cracking debate. I cant help but sympathise with Ya Bezzers frustrations but I cant help but think that those frustrations are caused by external forces that clubs like Motherwell and countless others like them cannot change. The football industry (for want of a better dehumanising word) has changed. The Bosman ruling changed the whole landscape for clubs like us and of course we all know that that ruling was to give greater rights to the employee and not the employer. The result? Players earn proportionally more over their playing career than their predecessors and the ability of a club or manager to realise their ambitions of build a squad over several seasons has been almost entirely eradicated. The last time we did that was with wee Tommy. I remember us setting club records for the longest period without a goal, our first time to top the premier league and us getting relegated. Had it not been for external factors, the McLean era would have been set within an entirely different and less optimistic setting. Theres been a lot mentioned about different eras and its fair to say that the 90s were catastrophic for Scottish football. We saw an influx of European (often Dutch) journeymen whos wages forced managers to play them over youth on account of the inflated wages they were on. Those same inflated wages starved youth development at many key clubs. Dunfermline and Dundee were great examples of how this can go wrong. I for one feel far more comfortable with the present model as it generates income. For many years, our youth system didnt. Our current model is not dissimilar to many clubs around us or indeed to clubs ranging from the English Championship to the 5th tier of the English pyramid. Im a season ticket holder at league 1 side that is one of those fallen from the limelight. Regardless of league placement, this summer will be a great rebuild as it will be for the majority of the teams in that division. I do have faith also that our long term vision is to develop more home grown talent. As Andy P indicates, the proof will be in the pudding but Im happy that this is the vision. To prioritise playing youth in the first team now would be folly. The post admin team was mentioned. Yes, we managed to sell some players for some large sums.....but that team still got relegated!!!! Had it not been for external factors, the Buther era would have been set within an entirely different and less optimistic setting. The only other team I can recall that went all out for youth was hearts and what happened to that team? We certainly wont have the money to buy our way back like they did.

I also pay no heed to anything that comes out of Keith Jackson. Indeed, Ive often wondered how he has managed to get to where he has and sustain a living. Hes a lucky boy hes from central Scotland because hed be reporting for a local rag if he were from south of the border. How his opinions are entertained is a sad indictment of the quality of his audience and Scottish medias aparant willingness to indulge the ill educated and narrowly sighted amongst us. That was a fabulous press conference from Robinson. The way he defended Bowman by using factual logic will serve to galvanise his team only further but will do nothing to win any war with those of the Keith Jackson mindset. Unfortunately, the smear campaign has begun and the Scottish sports journalistic community are nothing more than a bunch of bullying wee boys tattle tailing who have been allowed to have considerably more power than they have earned.

Does anyone know when the announcement will be made regarding when the final will be? Will it definitely be the Sunday? I want to get travel plans sorted pronto

As physical as they were, there was a fair amount of talent in that Hearts team of the 80s. All the while we get dismissed as being nothing more than a bunch of hammer throwers by those who dont watch us much, wee Robbo will continue to perpetuate that myth with chat like that whilst quietly getting that team clicking and diligently going about its business.

Would winning the final heal that wound? How sweet would it be to end the unbeaten run whilst we're at it? Maybe I'm getting a wee bit carried away but a cup win that beats the top 3 which includes both sets of cavemen would be amongst our greatest ever achievements.

I didn't know him, but I'll have one for Iain RIP

Truly fuckin magical!!!!

They're the result of our problems in Scottish society

Well, cannae really disagree wi that!!

I hate the old firm and pretty much everything they represent, but when their success outside of our shores benefits us and Scottish football, why not encourage them?

I see Oldham have just appointed a successor to Robbo's successor. I know many believe his time there to be a car crash but all things in context. John Sheriden took over immediately from Robinson in January, but won only 10 of his 33 games in charge. A statement on the Oldham website said the board had "not seen the progression we hoped with what was felt to be the nucleus of a good squad". Was that the nucleus that Robbo put together? Robbo had to work under financial pressures at Oldham as he started pre-season with only seven contracted players due to the club being under a transfer embargo since November prior to his appointment. Robinson won seven, drew 11 and lost 15 of his 33 games in charge of Oldham. Comparing apples for apples, against an experienced manager like Sheriden (three terms in the Oldham hot seat), I think he was on a hiding to nothing and in context, didn't do that bad at all. What a difference when in a steadier place and with a board who believe in him.