El Grew

I see Jamie McCart, Shaun Rooney and Callum Hendry are all out of contract at St. Johnstone at the end of the season. Are any of them worth consideration?

I doubt it will make any difference which 11 is picked to play because our league record at Tannadice is pretty poor to say the least:- P94; W18; L42; D34; GF95; GA158 Our last win there was in February 2016 and better Motherwell sides than the current one have struggled up there so I don’t see this being improved upon. Hope they prove me wrong.

Wonder if it would be worthwhile casting an eye over the clubs in the Championship that are involved in the play-offs.

Ah, the old argument “the ends justify the means”. Well I’m sorry not for me. Claret and amber runs like blood through my family from my grandfather, my father and my uncles down to me. I love it and wouldn’t change it. Like every provincial club we’ve had our ups and downs, highs and lows and doubtless this will continue ad infinitum. However, I like to be able to see footballers, either as individuals or as a team being entertaining first and foremost. I remember a few years back when the late. great Davie Cooper signed for us. I’m the first to admit that I was against it as I thought he was well past his best. Well I went to see us playing Dundee Utd at FP not long after he signed for us. He produced a couple of moments of sheer magic. For the first, he picked up the ball just inside his own half and proceeded to slalom past 3 defenders and placed the ball into the corner of the net. For the second, he produced a sublimely disguised reverse pass into the path of Dougie Arnott in the penalty area and Dougie duly dispatched it into the net beyond the advancing keeper. Genius at work even in the twilight of his football career. I was forced to admit I’d been wrong and remember telling my mates that those two moments alone were worth the entrance money. To see people doing something that you can’t is what entertainment is all about. I’m afraid however that it’s in extremely short supply at FP just now.

Picked up this from another site: First team squad and their contracts GOALKEEPERS Liam Kelly (2024) Scott Fox (2023) PJ Morrison (2022 - loan to Alloa) DEFENDERS Max Johnston (2023 loan to QoS) Stephen O'Donnell (2023) David Devine (2023 loan to E. Fife) Darragh O'Connor (2022 loan to QoS) Sondre Solholm Johansen (2024) Liam Grimshaw (2022) Jake Carroll (2023) Ricki Lamie (2022) Nathan McGinley (2024) Bevis Mugabi (2024) Juhani Ojala (2023) Victor Nirennold (2022) MIDFIELDERS Ross Tierney (2025) Barry Maguire (2024) Dean Cornelius (2023) Mark O'Hara (2022) Liam Donnelly (2022) Callum Slattery (2024) Sean Goss (2023) Liam Shaw (loaned from Celtic) FORWARDS Connor Shields (2024) Kevin Van Veen (2023) Kaiyne Woolery (2024) Justin Amaluzor (2022) Jordan Roberts (2022) Joe Efford (2023) That’s a total of 29 players in our first team squad. That’s far too many and a cull is required. IMO, including goalkeepers, it should be kept to a maximum of 22 players. That would mean getting rid of 7 players but given O’Hara, Lamie and Shaw will be leaving us, we only need to drop another 4 to achieve a squad of 22 players. Next, the players I’ve highlighted in bold and italics (11) are the only ones that I would retain. This means we would be on the look out to add 11 players to our first team squad. Whilst I know this is radical and drastic we must purge all the dross and deadwood. In doing so we could free-up much needed cash to be used to help find replacements and in this respect I we must prioritise quality over quantity. I know it’s a big ask to get shot of 11 players and that it probably can’t happen in one tranche, but it’s by no means an impossible task. It was an aspect of management in which Tommy McLean excelled for us. Over time he gradually wheeled and dealed players out and in until the quality of the squad was to his liking and standards. If we have the right manager in place this could be replicated. Oh and we must cease looking to non-league and lower league clubs in England for players. This policy has produced quantity not quality and with a couple of exceptions has introduced far to much dross into the club.

Ya Bezzer, whilst I support your right to express your opinions on the present state of our football club and the abilities, or lack thereof, of our current players and manager and admire your loyalty no matter how misplaced, I think you are deluded and, judging by remarks made in response by a fair number of posters, you are in a minority of one. For my own sins, I’ve been a diehard fan since 1967 and like countless others I’ve ridden the Motherwell emotional rollercoaster that comes with that and I can honestly say that in all that time, the present squad of players is the worst I’ve ever seen. As for the manager and his football philosophy (for lack of a better adjective or perhaps a piss-poor vocabulary on my part) I think that it can best be described as, well, shite. Like many others, I can no longer work up any enthusiasm for going out to pay to suffer what can only be described as the equivalent of having your balls jammed in a vice whilst your teeth are pulled out one by one, and all without the benefit of anaesthetic. Make no mistake, if this guy is permitted to remain as manager, then at the end of next season, we will be relegated and consigned to the Championship and as other clubs of our ilk have discovered, it is no easy task to get back out. In some of your posts under this topic, you have berated fellow fans for expressing honestly held views with contemptuous ripostes like “When we are on the ball we are hopeless. I know that and Alexander knows that but a lot of our fans haven’t caught on to that yet cos they operate on mollusc level logic.” AND “Its easy to mock when folk display a complete lack of understanding of the whole situation around Motherwell FC.” Now, this seems to imply that you alone possess personal insight into these matters that us lesser mortals lack. If this is the case, then perhaps you could enlighten the rest of us; but if not please accept this in the same spirit as your aforementioned ripostes, and f*ck right off.

You first then!

I can’t argue with that. I wasn’t looking for us to beat Rangers today but when the circumstances presented themselves I did feel the worst we would get would be a draw. However we need to face the stark fact that we very probably have the worst squad of players that’s ever been assembled at Fir Park. It’s packed full of utter dross. Added to that we have a manager in charge of the aforesaid utter dross, whose football philosophy makes me cringe. We are bereft of football ability; we lack cohesiveness as a group; we are uncompetitive and utterly unwatchable. We’ve only taken 9 points from a possible 42 since the turn of the year and that’s relegation form. Thankfully it won’t happen this season but it’s an absolute racing certainty that it’ll be on the cards from the start of next season. We are also starting to lose fans with even some diehards finding it tough to keep going. Radical change is badly needed in our recruitment philosophy as the quality of player being brought in from lower and non-league English and Irish football has been abysmal for some time now. It’s time for the chairman and board to wake up smartly and smell the shite.

Very best wishes to Keith Lasley on his new venture at St.Mirren. He played more than 500 games for us since he arrived when he was 19. One of my favourite ‘modern day’ players, Keith always gave 100% and never let us down. One of the most consistent players we’ve ever had.

Many posters on this forum have been groaning about our style of play - eye-bleeding is one that comes to mind. Now that we’ve scrambled into the top 6 many of those same posters are now trotting out the “ends justify the means” argument. Sorry but that’s hypocrisy. You can’t have it both ways. Eye-bleeding football and a top 6 finish or attractive football and no top 6 finish. Football is supposed to be in the entertainment business and in the current difficult economic climate fans may need to start rationing their attendance at matches. However I would argue that this may be less likely to occur if clubs were more consistent, entertaining and attractive to watch. Quite honestly, Scottish football is as poor as it’s ever been as witness by the number of teams from Hearts down who have unable to show any level of consistency and are producing shitfest football every week and the powers that be are happy enough with this as long as it keeps the big two happy and on side.

Unfuckingbelieveable!! However it should change nothing as far as the manager’s tenure is concerned. He’s still got to go for me. Top 6 finish or not we are simply unwatchable.

Ross County scored from penalty to go into top 6 with Livingston.

Yes, but we are getting neither!

Same old same old.

In 4-4-2 Kelly Mugabi Johanson Lamie O’Donnell Slattery Cornelius Goss Efford Van Veen Tierney

Sad news indeed. Along with John “Goldie” Goldthorp, Kirkie was one of my favourite forwards back in the 1970s. Thoughts and prayers for his family. RIP Kirkie.

Fair play to Alexander and the players yesterday. The game had all the ingredients for another hapless display and probable defeat but for once that script went into the bin. We really played quite well and I think having 3 recognised midfielders who can pass the ball made a huge difference - no howitzer deliveries for the front 3 to deal with. Sure we lost a poor opening goal but the important fact is the players didn’t chuck it. They simply reset and started again and scored 2 goals in a minute to turn the game on its head. The 2nd St. Mirren goal was the result of a misjudgment by Liam Kelly but you can’t pillory him for that as he has kept us in a lot of matches this season with some fantastic goalkeeping displays. But yet again, the players reset themselves and went again and deservedly went in front through young Cornelius. I think St Mirren dominated most of the 2nd half but without causing too many difficulties for us. Van Veen’s lead up play for our 4th goal was fantastic and it was great to see somebody beat players and drive into the heart of their defence causing mayhem in that manner. I thought the side had a balanced look about it yesterday that has been absent for a while. Each of the players seemed to understand their individual role and their role in the collective unit. I think this was down to the midfield 3 where Cornelius being there seemed to give Goss and Slattery the confidence to look forward and link with the front 3 each of whom I thought were very good. Efford’s running, pace and persistence was a constant problem for the St. Mirren back line and they were never able to contain him. Shields too with his willingness to make runs into the inside-right and inside-left channels caused problems for the St Mirren defence who couldn’t seem to work out how to play him. And Van Veen was at times simply unplayable and when he’s in this kind of mood he is a fantastic attacking spearhead. The weaknesses were mainly in defence but then that maybe that’s the first time these 4 have played together in these positions so I’m not going to slaughter them. Same starting 11 next week please.

As I’ve said on here previously, young Dean Cornelius is one of the best midfield prospects we’ve had at FP since Phil O’Donnell. A real old fashioned box to box wing-half. Took his goal so calmly. I just hope he’s on a long-term deal.

Jim Goodwin wants Charles Dunne at Aberdeen?! Surely that must be an April Fools joke!

Say what you like about Stephen O’Donnell but since he arrived at FP he’s been a model professional. He doesn’t moan or bad mouth the club or manager if he gets dropped and always puts 100% in when called on to play. Refreshing in this day and age.

I see Dunfermline beat Partick 4-1 tonight with 3 of our ex-players in their line-up - Stephen Lawless, Liam Polworth & Don Thomas.

I did put a “health warning” on my post about the website in question. Anyway, prior to signing for us, Darragh O’Connor was at Leicester City where he was on £2,400 per week. For an English Premiership side that is chicken-feed.

I don’t know how they get their info or how accurate it is but this website carries details of players’ wages at a number of SPFL clubs including ours. https://salarysport.com/football/scottish-premiership/motherwell/ Our highest earner is reported as being Liam Kelly with £4K per week and our total wage bill as £39,910 per week.

As Hamlet said “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. I fear bad times may lie ahead similar to those which occurred in 2006/07 under Malpas. Having only won 1 of our previous 10 games, we got humped 4-1 away by bottom of the table Dunfermline. The following week we had St. Mirren at home and contrived to toss away a 2-goal lead to lose 3-2. Fortunately, ICT beat Dunfermline to send them down. But it was a close run thing.

You beat me to that.