Gadgey

And putting your faith in youth in such a precarious position would be an act of desperation.

To be fair, I wasn’t one of those calling for his head. His development has plateaued though, and if the boy has any ambition of making the transition from youth to adult international or carving a career at a higher level, then that is where he has greatest career opportunity.

I seem to remember a debate last season about Cadds and how the manager had been causing frustration by playing him out of position and thus stifling his potential. I remember saying at the time that in the modern game, his prospects south of the border would be better as a RWB. I think Superward nails it. My opinion hasn’t changed. That RB/RWB position for Scotland is up for grabs and the most likely opportunity for a player like Cadden to play at that or a higher domestic level. He would flourish in a relatively decent side playing 4231 for example. Whether he achieves the giddy heights anticipated by some Well fans is debatable but much of that is about objectivity.

I’m really looking forward to this and a bit disappointed there hasn’t been much made of it on here. Hibs are decent and the age gap may cause us issues. That said, there’s a lot of experience in our team and their game management will offset much of that. It hasn’t caused much hassle throughout the season. G’on the WELL !!!!

There was a time when that wasn’t wholly unrealistic if there was the desire. I’m old enough to remember the days when a huge proportion of players playing in the Scottish premier were born in Lanarkshire....particularly Bellshill maternity. As YaBezzer has said, there was a conscious decision to move away from Scottish talent and buy supposedly cultured journeymen from England and abroad. Clubs like Dunfermline have never fully recovered and we nearly died because of it.

It’s not a definitive no. It varies considerably depending upon level of investment and your measure of success. Some clubs have a great success rate but as WishyWell has indicated, it is a cut throat business and players are often the victim of it. It is important to emphasise that a large proportion of the EFL Championship roster and almost all players in League 1 down are primarily English born. My English team Charlton for example have a conveyor belt of young talent. Their Academy is partially fan funded and has 6 players and the manager of the current first team squad on its graduation list. It’s given the greedy bastard owner his greatest income through the sale of the likes of Ademola Lookman and Ezri Konsa. They do however have far more failures to succeed than successes. On a wider scale, the growth of the independent Academies are providing an interesting and unprecedented dynamic. The draw of the privately run academy is the opportunity of playing the big clubs and their measure of success is how many they can get picked up by professional clubs. This takes much of the recruiting burden from many of the pro clubs. A new cycle is in place. Parental desire for their son to be the next Messi and pay for their early retirement makes them willing to pay large monthly sums for their kid to get extra training and opportunity to get spotted at showcase events. These showcase events allow the Academies to act as types of agents and the clubs don’t have to do much more than host an event. My boy was picked up by Charlton at one of their Community Trust half term grass roots activities. This is heavily funded by fan base membership subscriptions and “holiday club” parental fees. The community trust works wonders for the club PR and allows opportunity for talent spotting. 3 of the team I coach (one of which a girl) now train weekly at Charlton because of it. Many smaller English clubs do or outsource something similar. The England DNA at least in theory seeks to address some of what WishyWell describes and focusses not only on the development of a players physical and technical/tactical skills but also puts a young players social and psychological capabilities as a priority. It has been in place for 4 years now and their youth international success is an early indicator that it is working. In many respects, it’s Southgate’s commitment to this that has got him to where he is. I guess time will tell. I have seen none of what “project brave” aims to achieve or the principles behind it.

I don’t have the skills for a nodding head emoji but would do one if I could. So, the million dollar question, what is the solution? Are you involved in the ‘industry’ WishyWell or have been close to it? I can familiarise with some of what you have said in that when I was a boy, I spent 3 years with Motherwell boys club and was let go at the age of 14. Each year, we would have trials to be re-signed to our Y or S forms and tellingly, there was nobody from my group at the time who progressed to becoming a professional player. Fast forward many years and my son began playing at a much younger age than I ever started at. He’s 7 now, has been playing since he was 3, plays for his club team (which I coach) and also for an academy side. We live in Kent and he regularly plays against top professional academy sides or in talent spotting tournaments ran by the professional club academies. By contrast, I didn’t have access to play football until I was playing U9s. The level of talent, footballing mentality and tactical nouse that I’ve witnessed from kids so young has been a real eye opener and light years ahead of anything that I was “coached” as a kid. I’m a FA level 2 qualified coach and the England DNA seems to me as a very positive step in the right direction. Does the SFA have something similar?

A really thought provoking post. Surely what you describe is a cultural problem for all of Scottish football and not in isolation to MFC?

Yes....I should’ve remembered him

LOL I knew someone was gonnae say that. I guess it proves he’s human. Mind you, he cottoned on quick, signing Jules in June and loaning him out for the season in the August. Jules was one of something like 11 Shrewsbury free signings to replace the 13 or so dead wood (including Jim O’Brien) he sold or released. Add a few key loans and you have a team that went from hot tips for relegation to almost season long league leaders.

To be honest mate, I think you’re looking to make a point that just isn’t there to be made. Let’s take your criticism and run with it. You say that management have failed in looking to the long term by failing to give this very good young squad much of a chance in the first team due to external buys from elsewhere. How many ‘Well youth academy players in say the past 10 years (?) who were stifled by 1st team recruitment and selection and have then gone on to prove that the club were wrong? My memory isn’t the best but I honestly can’t think of one.

I don’t think there would ever be any likelihood of us attracting Lambert. I would take the man he replaced though. Ipswich may not have worked for Paul Hurst but he has a decent record in the English lower leagues and did a tremendous job last season with a Shrewsbury squad that isn’t dissimilar to ours.

For the first time in a long time, there’s some reasoned argument for why perhaps there should be a change of manager. Reasoned argument that Yodo has failed to convey in his prolonged and consistent (I’ll give you that) attack of Robinson. So what do you do Yodo when others are coming round (all be it a bit more rationally) to potential agreement with you? Seek to belittle and goad other users. Obviously, grammar and punctuation are not your strong point. Aren't you a clever boy or girl?

To be fair, no one outside of the club does but as you say, to appoint a club legend with no managerial experience from within would be a gamble and given our present circumstances, a naive gamble at that.

It’s not very often that I agree with Ya Bezzer but I’m now in full agreement that Robinson has been sussed by his contemporaries and by his intransigence, he has run his own course. The only discussion at board level should now be who is the best person we can afford to come and get us out of this mess, when is the best time to make the change and how much can we afford to give him to spend in January. As much as I like Las, he is not the answer and anyone who suggests he is, is allowing nostalgia to fuel naivety. Any comparisons to McLean and whether Robbo would play Cooper are invalid as quite simply, we would never be able to attract or afford players like Cooper, Russell or even Craig Paterson for that matter in the current market. All is not lost but I fear that with the current playing staff dynamic, there’s a danger it could be.

At first, I thought you were just a wind up merchant doing some trolling. It would seem that in actual fact, you really are a proper roaster.

It looks like your personal vendetta against Robinson is beginning to gather momentum. I must admit, I don’t think he’ll see the season out at this rate. However, I’ve asked you this question before, but who would you replace him with? If indeed we do have players with no technical ability, then those limitations will still be there when there’s a new man in charge.

Nope and neither should any Scottish provincial club manager for coming out with the same patter. What sets Killie apart is that they have an outstanding coach who has the best pedigree in the league. You don’t sustain such a long career in such high profile jobs with such high profile clubs in the most high profile league in the world by running your mouth off. History has proven that all who do, finally get lynched. With regards Motherwell’s place in the food chain, sadly, all evidence (be it historical, attendance, resources available, club structure, balance sheet) shows that we are a lower half top division team. It’s a fine margin between glory and disaster. Perversely, for a club like Motherwell, avoiding both could be measured as a successful season. Premier League survival is not a god given right and I’d far rather have a Motherwell manager who recognises that and can provide necessary incentive to players and fans alike that his team can achieve it.

And the positives from today are?????

I think McCann has shown several times now that he has no class. Surely his jacket is on a shoogly peg. Tremendous win for us today.

I get what you say, but if the youth were truly knocking at the door, there would not have been the necessity to source players from elsewhere. I would expect that was scrutinised when the purse strings were being asked to be loosened.

Would that be the same season when we were relegated despite having having sellable young assets in the team? Honestly, other than Lawless, who was the last youth player to be released by Motherwell and managed to carve a sufficiently good career that proved the club wrong? I don’t disagree with your point about the necessity of making the academy a success. You’re correct about Craggs and co, you’re correct about attracting new talent. What you, I nor anyone else outside the footballing side of the clubs employ cannot be correct in saying is that the management team are blocking the progress of our current youth. We fans honestly don’t know how good or ready the lads you mention are. Maybe an alternative theory (which is all we have without the facts) is that the loans and one year contracts are there as place holders for the lads coming through? That would forward thinking. Given the variables (because footballers are not objects), it can’t be articulated in a business plan so I guess we have to have faith and see what happens.

I would agree with all of that. Johnson may well turn out to be stellar but like many before him (including Moult), he will require a period of adjustment. As others have said, we don’t know the intricacies of the day to day i.e. wages paid, what goes on the training ground and the group dynamics of the squad. I am prepared to wait and see. Those returning from injury may also require some time to adjust and to form relationships/partnerships. As painful as it may be, we may have to anticipate some torture before the correct blend is found. I am personally hopeful of a Bowman/Johnson partnership. Based on nothing (because like I said, in terms of day to day facts, I know nothing), but Bowmans endeavour is endearing and Johnson looks also to be a grafter with an eye for goal.

To be fair Steelboy, that is a bit of a cop out and fairly obvious side step by stating the bleeding obvious. The club will of course go through the motions of a recruitment process and fans will of course speculate when the time comes. We are in the here and now and whilst we have a manager in post, your response is merely a futile attempt at derision and in the eyes of many, will make you look a bit of a muppet. Yeh, you are one of the resident ner do wells but every forum needs one. That is your role but being a muppet is beneath you. You can do better. To be clear, I’m not a Robbo must stay campaigner and he does indeed have some work to do. We have all however heard the phrase “be careful what you wish for”. In compliance with your post, it is a natural train of thought for a rational thinker to think of reasonable alternatives when considering termination of the status quo. Hence the question to Yodo (cheers for the answer) who has been a consistent “Robbo must go voice” and indeed to any other who has been intimating that Robbo’s time is either up or in grave jeopardy. Yodo-other than his sudden and unexpected availability, is Sammon out the only reason for suggesting Kenny Miller?

Here Yodo, seeing as you dingied me last week, I’ll ask again. You’re consistent in your rallying cry to have Robinson sacked. Who do you want to replace him with?