wellfan

I hope I’m wrong and that he’s shown the door before any further damage is done, but anyone who survives a horrendous run like he did last year is basically told they’re invincible.

Although we're quite clearly in free fall again, he's not getting sacked. The Club is going to persevere again with this donkey at the helm as we capitulate again and then allow him another transfer window again to repeat the same mistakes again, allowing the cycle to repeat itself again. Rinse and repeat, until we're either relegated or season ticket numbers significantly drop.

Conflating moaning with valid critique is a sign of limited intellect. It is reductive nonsense.

That’s one helluva a team sheet. No idea what the formation could be. Is Kettlewell about to pull a rabbit out of the hat tonight?!

This is correct, but it very much has the feeling of marking one’s own homework. Given where we’re at now, and it could even be a condition of whichever insurance policy the Club holds for injury circumstances such as this, perhaps it’s time to instruct an independent review.

Miller’s market value was updated today to £4 million. Let the bidding war commence in January. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lennon-miller/profil/spieler/924857

Something has to be amiss here. We’re either signing injury prone players or breaking players in training. It’s getting ridiculous now.

Perhaps the negative rot has set in and they no longer know how to play as an attacking team on the front foot. It feels like another winless run is inevitable.

Merit means nothing to Kettlewell. For example, Tavares getting on at Hampden over Ebiye will never cease to amaze.

That’ll be St Johnstone away on 18/19 January for the cup game and again the following weekend for the league. What a shite draw, unless you like Perth in the winter.

Based on who we've got available, we'd be as well going 4-2-4. It can't be any worse than starting 6 defenders and still losing.

If now isn't the time, when we're shipping goals for fun and absolutely dugmeat across the pitch anyway, then when is the right time? After another appalling winless run? Or once the longterm injured return and miraculously and instantly recover their previous form? I'm not so sure about that. Kettlewell needs to arrest this slump now, as he certainly won't get away with another poor run again, but he seems intent on continuing to repeat the same crap tactics and silly formation(s), as well as make the same mistakes, that will see the team continue to decline in both their performances and confidence levels. It's pretty obvious to all what's on the horizon should he continue as is, so he'll only have himself to blame if/when he's relieved of his duties.

As promising as Wilson and Kaleta are, they’re not in the mould of Gent or Spencer, yet. Therefore, our back 5 is basically just that; 5 defenders with limited dynamism or consistent attacking threat. Add into the mix a static midfield of Miller as a pivot with 2-3 non-attack minded players around him, and 1 isolated man up top, then we’re absolutely useless. Switching to a flat back 4 would immediately allow a better balance to be brought into the middle of the park, which will in turn lead to a better service being provided for our attacker(s). 4-4-2 or 4-1-3-2 or 4-2-3-1 or something similar has to be the way forward now.

Kettlewell will never switch to a back four for a starting line up. He’s not brave or intelligent enough to do so.

Precisely this. Scunnered. I’m a season ticket holder and I cannot recall voluntarily missing as many home games as I have done this season and last. Unglamorous football will never drive Motherwell fans away, but predictable, amateurish and negative shite will.

You’re right. Persevering with an overly defensive 5-3-2 when we’re shipping goals for fun is unacceptable. It’s broken. Everyone and their dog can see that moving to 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 is a good idea, but Kettlewell can’t/won’t see it.

I agree with most of what you wrote in your overall post, but it’s this part that jumps out the most for me. It’s be said by many to a death. There’s only so long that this situation can be acknowledged and then excused before questions are rightly asked. History is repeating itself here and his repeated (in)actions are demonstrating to me that he’s incapable of learning, which highlights that he’s just not very good at being a football manager. He has no plan A, let alone the B and C he refers to in his repeated excuses.

Like clockwork.

Maybe others here may finally start to see what I’ve been saying about Kettlewell for some time. Other than riding our luck recently and relying on set pieces, he’s a clueless donkey with the tactical nous and learning capacity of a molten turnip.

Playing players out of position on an ongoing basis is one of Kettlewell’s biggest flaws.

Since we’re all pointlessly dreaming of Kettlewell moving away from starting 6 defenders in a defensive setup, how about a wild 4-2-3-1… Ox Kaleta Gordon Balmer/Casey Seddon Miller Wilson Watt Paton Maswanhise Stama

I’ve said this before: if I was Stama, and the manager kept deploying me in a way that rendered me useless, I’d be banging his door down before my stock dropped any further. It’s akin to buying a fork and trying to use it as a knife. Stupid.

Hibs can’t buy a win at the moment but of course we’re going to gift them the win. It’s what we do.

Give it a rest. We’re all adults with agency. if the Club told you Kettlewell was your Da, you’d be the first to believe it.

6 defenders. 1 up top. Zero attacking midfielders. Stama isolated. Wingbacks not making runs. Useless punts and pings. Second to every ball. Even the pies were shite. I may provide a fuller analysis of the game in time. Suffice to say, however, Kettlewell is a donkey and we got exactly what we deserved yesterday having set up like that. Utterly appalling and predictable pish from kick off. County deserved their win. Wish I hadn’t bothered with the massive dangerous journey.