David

Hopefully we aren't looking for a new manager any time soon, but if and when the time comes, I think the title of the thread should be "Our New Manager, who should he look like?"

Oh, it's definitely a minority of fans. And to be fair, I equate those who moan on social media as being the same as me moaning about a game in the pub. Which is fine. Anyone who gets bent out of shape about a social media post that is critical of you as a manager or player within the confines of common decency is probably a little bit precious. I just don't get the end game of the abuse being dished out from the stands. I've yet to hear a post-game interview which goes along the lines of: Reporter: "Well Player A, you were trailing 2-0 at half time and playing terribly. How did you manage to come out in the second half and turn it around for a 4-2 win?" Player: "Well, I have to give a ton of credit to the group of fans sitting in the stand who absolutely lost the rag and proceeded to call me and the other lads absolute f*%&#%g c*$^s while spraying spittle and venom all over anyone sitting close to them. Without them acting like total t*ts every time we misplaced a pass or getting on our backs whenever we had the sheer audacity to play the ball sideways or backwards, it wouldn't have been possible to come back. It's what football is all about, really. I just wish my dad and my son had seen our fourth goal, but they left after my son burst into tears hearing a bunch of grown men who should know better hurling abuse at his old man, but hey, that's the beauty of football!" Anyway, the new man is in place. Let's leave Kettlewell to his interviews, media appearances and possibly the Thistle job. Good luck to the guy.

Absolutely. One thing I’d point out is that it’s often an older crowd who get involved in this sort of thing. Funnily enough, it's not the younger element that gets such a bad rap most times, and is generally looked down upon. There's always the hope that the vitriol and high levels of abuse die out with the generation that seems to be most involved. Hopefully the younger generation aren't quite so stupid.

If there’s one positive to take from this, it’s the attention drawn to the abuse that was handed out. Whatever the reasons for him leaving, his attitude, or what anyone thinks of him, maybe it’s time for that small group of fans to reflect and ask themselves why they believe behaving like that at football matches is acceptable. I’ve seen plenty of people online saying, “That’s just football.” And while it’s true that this kind of thing happens elsewhere and is often brushed aside, it doesn’t make it right. There were plenty of things that happened at football 15–20 years ago that people shrugged off as “just how it is” — and we now look back on those moments with embarrassment. Hopefully, one day, we’ll feel the same about this sort of behaviour. As for Kettlewell, I wish him well. Listening to him speak, I’m not convinced management is the right fit, and I reckon a lot of clubs will feel the same. As a coach, he’s clearly capable. I hope he finds something that makes him happy and that his family are doing well. But we move on.

I know the subject was done to death in the summer, so I won't go back over it, but trust me, it could and likely would have been much worse.

There’s plenty fans may want to critique about Kettlewell – his tactics, his signings, his approach to matches – and that’s entirely fair. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. However, to claim he has no respect for the supporters feels quite off the mark. He’s done, and continues to do, a great deal for the fanbase. Whether it’s engaging with the Society, collaborating with various supporters’ group, or taking the time to accommodate requests that most would understandably pass on, especially given the pressures of his role, his commitment is evident. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that people shouldn’t challenge his decisions as a manager. But when it comes to his regard for the fans, I don’t believe that’s something we can fairly call into question.

Absolutely, he’s the one responsible for securing the wins we need to get things back on track. No debate about that. At the moment, I’m relatively calm about the situation. If we were at full strength, with our best XI on the pitch, and still performing poorly, then I’d be seriously concerned. But I think things will balance out as players begin to return to the squad. What I will say is that before Miller, Oxborough, Stama, and McGinn (yet again) picked up injuries, I genuinely thought we had a chance of pushing for a top-six finish. Given the extent of the injuries we’ve sustained and the time these players are expected to be sidelined, I reckon we’re more likely to finish around 7th or 8th. Not ideal, but it’s far from disastrous.

To be fair, I’m not convinced St Johnstone or Hearts supporters would be staging those protests if their team were sitting fifth in the table with a cup semi-final under their belts. I fully appreciate the frustrations about performances—truth be told, we’ve not been anywhere near good enough. Most fans are being reasonable in their criticism, but there are a few speaking as if we’re rock bottom of the league and nine points adrift.

If it really is as simple as you make it sound, I wonder why the club don't just sack him and hire someone from this forum to do the job 😂

What would we say are the KPIs set for the manager at the start of the season?

We'll find out where we are headed. It's on the manager and the players to start putting some points on the board. To be fair, when we defeated St Johnstone in that match, we had our first-choice goalkeeper, our captain was still fit, Miller was available, and so was Robinson. At that time, we had plenty of options when it came to personnel. Of course, it’s the manager’s job to cope with injuries, but you can’t deny there will be a dip in quality when you lose players of that calibre.

Nobody knows where we’ll end up, though. Let’s say we lose this weekend, and Hibs manage a win away at County. Suddenly, we’d drop from 5th to 6th. Would the manager be sacked for that? If so, I’d have some serious questions for the club. Chief among them would be: who’s taking over? I’d assume there’s someone better lined up, ready to step in and make an immediate difference? Because for a club like ours to sack the manager while sitting in the top six would be absolutely baffling. Given all the hand-wringing over a supposed “financial gap” during the summer, I’d also want to know the cost of letting the manager—and presumably his coaching staff—go mid-season. Now, if we were down in 11th, fair enough, that’s a different conversation. But in the top six? Is that really where we’ve set the bar for managers at Motherwell? Have we reached the point where making it to a cup semi-final and being in the top half of the table doesn’t guarantee job security? If so, I’d seriously question the judgement of those making these decisions. For me, it’s about keeping our heads above water, and seeing how things improve once our key injured players are back in the fold. When the season’s over, by all means, let’s reflect on what worked and what didn’t. But making drastic changes mid-season? That should only ever be an absolute last resort.

Would it really be all that shocking if we managed to beat St Johnstone this weekend? How many times have we been written off, told we’re on the decline, and destined to come away with nothing, only to turn it around and notch up a few wins? The reality is, if you take Celtic, Rangers, and perhaps Aberdeen out of the equation, the rest of the teams could face each other ten times and likely split the wins evenly, five apiece. As things stand, we’re sitting in the top six. That’s not speculation or me trying to predict what might happen—it’s simply the truth. We’ve won more matches than every team below us. Again, that’s a fact. This is where we find ourselves at the moment. Could we slip down the table and end up 11th? It’s possible, but the same could be said for most of the sides around us and below. If it comes to that, then it’s a conversation we’ll need to have.

I'm not sure there's anything to buy in that regard. Or even an argument. We are sitting 5th. That's just a fact. Only the teams above us have won more games this season.