star sail

I think I am just letting out frustrations that have been building for some time about the professional game in Scotland. I hope that it is the transition that is the problem and that after next Thursday I can laugh at my misplaced angst when we come out comfortably on top. I suppose I should wait untill then before being too critical.

11 Full Time Players v 11 Part Time Players. Should have won regardless of circumstances.

Really pleased to hear Gannon speak honestly. He was absolutely spot on. I am really surprised that people on here are defending the players for what happened last night. I understand the need to support the team but there comes a point when a situation or performance becomes unacceptable and last night was one such example. How often over the last few years have we lost goals at corners? How often have we lost games because of poor defending at corners? The conclusion you come to is that our Central Defenders are poor at defending corners, regardless of whether or not one of them has played for Northern Ireland. The manager says we should be doing better at corners. He is absolutely right and should not need to apologise for saying so. The important point is will the manager fix the problem or just talk about it for two years like our previous manager. Laslay was not interested last night so was replaced at half time. Spot on. Jim O Brien was ineffectual so was replaced. Spot on. The senior players took no responsibility last night and the manager realised this and said so. Spot on. Could Motherwell go to the San Siro and beat Milan 1-0 in the Europa Cup? I don't think that would ever, ever happen and yet Motherwell are a professional team. A Part Time team comes to Scotland and beats Motherwell 1-0 and some people are making excuses for the players. 'It's the first game of the season' ,'It was the wrong formation','the manager got the tactics wrong' etc. Defenders played in defense, midfielders played in midfield and strikers played up front from where I was sitting and collectively they managed 2/3 attempts on goal the whole night. Is the manager to blame for that? If last night is in some way acceptable, because we are Motherwell and because we lose these types of games fairly regularly, then why not go Part Time? That way the next time we lose to a Division 1 team' or Division 3 team or a Welsh team at least we would not have payed these players a decent wage for the privilege. I am really excited so see what Jim Gannon does at Motherwell. He may just be the man who finally shakes things up a bit in the SPL.

No.

You could criticise much of the team but Hammell particularly just did not look interested. He was playing in front of the East Stand Second Half so he was close to us, and his body language said it all. Also he was giving no encouragement to the younger players in front of him.

Normally I would agree with that, first game of season, new manager etc but to put this into perspective, I counted three of their players that had beer bellies, I kid you not and they were coasting. What we watched tonight was disgraceful and some of the so called senior players should be embarrassed about taking a wage for that dross. Gannon takes no blame for this, but I would imagine that he is wondering what he has let himself in for. That's two games in a week, conceded 4, scored 1 against two Part time teams. How many times does this have to happen before we realise that Scottish Football is shit!

Thanks mate. Would be ideal if we could park at the stadium.

Somebody told me that the Excelsior Stadium has designated parking. Is this true or is it a case of parking out in the street?

Is Paul Quinn likely to play? He did not play on Saturday

I know that statistics cannot be disgarded but there are other factors. When we had that excellent spell during McGhee's first season, Hughes was pulling the strings. I see him more as a link man than someone who sets up goals. I agree however that playing killer balls and scoring goals is the weaker part of his game. The sad aspect thought is could he have kept up that level if Phil was still there to play along side him? One of those questions we will never know the answer to.

McLean, Quinn and Clarkson are all replaceable without breaking the bank. A player of Hughes ability will be difficult to replace. I know he did not have as good a season last year but he is still one of the better players in the SPL. I think we are going to have some players that we have never heard of before with us in a few weeks all from the middle divisions in England. If they are anything like the quality of Chris Porter we may be in for a decent season. Jim Hamiltons free.

I think the team had to be submitted a few days back so no chance to add new faces I don't think. Wish Quinn and Clarky had held their move untill Friday as they are both named in the squad. I think the reality is if the players that we have cannot do a job and get us through then they are simply not good enough to play in the SPL.

Has anybody found footage of the press conference online?

I still think that Clarky has a long way to go to be at the same level as Faddy, Roscoe and even Pearson but as a man, professional and as a club servant he has been first class. It is rare to get players these days you can truely call your own and he will be missed. I am sad to see him go for emotional reasons and it seems like the end of an era in many respects for the club. All the best. Will look out for Bristol City scores from now on. Make Phil proud.

Had a chuckle at that. Shows McGhee's confidence (arrogance?) when he thinks that Hughes will take a pay cut and move his family North just to have the pleasure of McGhee as his boss. What a boost it would be if we could keep Stephen Hughes. In terms of physicological advantage it would be a big one.

Harsh!

Thanks for that. Will be interesting to see a few County shirts at Wells games. How about LLanelli for starters? Interesting that you along with a few others have mentioned that he may need time to get things going his way. I hope my fellow Well fans give him that time if the season does not start particularly well. Don't think we are any worse than others football fans but we are not much better either. I'm sure he is going to be great for us. It will be fantastic if we have a manager that we can really get behind. Our last manager, although he did well at Firpark never really had the best of relationship with the fans.

You got the impression when McGhee got the Aberdeen job that he was very confident of getting Hughes. Maybe the players did not think as highly of McGhee as he obviously thinks they did. I know there are other factors but I think if Hughes really wanted to play under McGhee he would have gone to the Dons. On Klimpl, I thought he was hugely overrated. He had a positive impact in our team because the team was a bit lightweight and he was not scared to put a foot in, but he looked like a potential train wreck most of the time. He (along with Quinn) almost single handedly seemed to be trying their best to prevent our qualification for the Fair Play Euro place. If you have decent creative players around him (like Stephen Hughes) then there is a place for him to break up attacks but if you are looking for a creative player look elsewhere. He did not look like a defender to me either. Anybody else feel that it seems a long time ago since McGhee left?

Don't agree. I think our Chairman is actually going through a purple patch at the moment. Listening to the fans regarding Davie Cooper stand, not letting Aberdeen bully us over MM and appointing Jim Gannon. We may be one of the few SPL clubs that actually have little to worry about financially. That all sounds good to me. To top it off we have a brand new playing surface. I would say all is well. Just shows it is all about opnions.

Or it could be seen as an incentive to bring on young players, or any player for that matter. Understand your concern however.

What 3-0 !!! Sack the Manager!! Never liked the guy. Gannon must go.

Really excited by this. I just have a good feeling about it. He seems like a guy that players want to play for. It appears just by what as been reported that he may not have been the favourite to get the job at the start of the interview proccess but he has impressed to such an extent that he has jumped to the top of the list. He must therefore be articulate, with a clear idea of how to take a Football Club forward. It's all very well for people to have a preference for other names but JB has been the man who has taken the time to really get to know the thoughts of these guys. Comments about Stockport's excellent disciplinary record, style of football etc all sounds good (dare I say McGhee like) I just have a feeling that as fans we may be able to buy into the Gannon revolution more than we ever could with McGhee. It would be fantastic if he could persuade Stephen Hughes to stay. Who knows Brian McLean could still re appear on the squad list. Suddenly things seem brighter again.

If Jim Gannon is our new man then I am delighted. I have no particular reason for saying this but it just seems to fit. He has beaten of strong competition and Stockport County fans speak very highly of him. It really had to be someone who is keen to bring on the young players and not rely on money to spend. I think he is going to galvanise the club and bring back the bond between team and fans that was missing a bit under MM. Sign up Stephen Hughes again, add a couple of new players and we are laughing. Motherwell F.C. Giant Killers. C'mon the Well!!!

I think we are in a good position. The money that is being quoted for Quinn, Clarkson etc is good money and should be taken. I am sure than JB has realised that a good manager can make a big difference to the club. Average players like Clarkson and Quinn have developed into better players because of the good management of MM. He needs to get this management appointment right and the rest will sort itself out. I believe that Clarkson and Quinn are replaceable. I also think that more emphasis will be put on some of the younger players to now step up and be counted. I think that a key consideration in JB's appointment proccess will be who can best bring on players without relying upon spending money. So here is a wild guess at what will happen: New manager appointed, Clarkson, Quinn and maybe Reynolds sold for decent tranfer fees, McLean and Hughes sign again on improved deals, the new man brings in a couple of his tried and trusted players and guys like Murphy, Saunders Sloan etc are asked to step up to the plate.

Think it will be Craggs mate and there has been some talk of Gordon Young the Youth Coach helping out. Don't think it will come to that. I think we will have our new man by then.