MelvinBragg

This pretty much sums up my feelings in a nutshell. If I believed every rumour that I've heard/read over the last couple of months, then we would have a first team squad of Hammell, Craigan, Fitzpatrick and Sutton going into the new season. So many people have heard so many things "definite, 100%" that as a club we must have more leaks than a sieve. It strikes me that people have heard that Gary McAllister has apparently knocked back the job again and have taken from that the fact that the club will be selling all our assets. Having said that, things are now dragging on. I don't expect the club to come out and refute every story doing the rounds (Flow would have his hands full with half of it) but it's now less than two weeks til our first competitive game and frankly while Europe doesn't bother me that much, I would be concerned even if the European games weren't there. To start pre-season training and be in a situation where 6 a sides is the only match practise that we have enough first teamers for seems alarming. John Boyle knew that in every likelyhood Hughes, Smith, Malcolm and Klimpl would be leaving this summer. He knew Sheridan was going back to Celtic. It was clear to many of us on here, therefore should have been to Boyle, almost a month ago that McGhee would up sticks and leave. None of these issues have been addressed, it would seem. I'm sure the club are working hard behind the scenes to get a new manager in place but as of now concern is spreading withing the support. Were I Gary McAllister, I would have concerns about taking the Motherwell job if Clarkson, Quinn and Reynolds were being sold, arguably depriving me of the 4 or 5 most important players of last season's team while it being unclear as to how they were being replaced. Having said that, again this is all based on internet rumour and a throwaway comment by Sheepy McShovelface on his departure on how we might have to sell a couple of players. Will we never learn not to believe everything/anything he says? I find talk of a cash crisis puzzling. Since the folly of administration, Motherwell have run a reasonably tight ship. I find it hard to believe that we are in such a state that despite a large compensation settlement from Aberdeen, despite the SPL paying out the Setanta money for this past season, despite selling Porter, despite getting three of our highest earners off the book, that we will have to sell our best forward and our best defender and have no funds to replace them. New pitch, new strips, all very nice. All we need now is a team to run onto this new pitch wearing said new strips...

So have we any confirmation from the club that Beevers and Boyle are on their way at all? I've seen nothing from MFC about these guys so I'm wondering if it's the usual rumour season starting...?

I'm not entirely sure why we seem to be attracting bigger names for the job than, say, Falkirk. Big names not always a guarantee of success, but there are experienced managers and coaches applying for our job. From the very outset, it seemed clear that the Falkirk job was either going to May, Pressley, McNamara or McCann. Oh, and Alex Rae threw his name into the ring. Do people in football know something? Is money more tight at Falkirk than it is at Fir Park...?

Allegedly

No.

Caught on the horns regards Foran. Tends never to work second time around, but while agreeing he was never a world beater, he wasn't as useless as some are making out either. Would he be as likely to nick a goal as John Sutton is? Discuss...

I said as much yesterday...

Distinct possibility, I s'ppose. Funny when people talk about our saleable assets (and I include myself in this), they talk about Clarkson, Quinn and Reynolds and forget Stevie Hammell. Part of the reason, I would guess, is that he didn't settle in England and in terms of clubs in Scotland, they fall into probably wouldn't want him (the Old Firm) or couldn't afford to buy him (everybody else). If he was to go to another club in the SPL outwith the Old Firm, I reckon you'd be looking at a swap deal which opens up all sorts of questions. Or as weeyin says, maybe the new guy, Boyle, is versatile...

See I'm working on the assumption that Hughes is away (doesn't seem to be much talk about Graeme Smith, so who knows??). If the guy Beevers, who can apparently play anywhere in the back four, signs then for me we'd be sorted for cover at the back and it'd be curtains for Brian McLean. IF it's confirmed that Boyle has signed then I'll welcome the fact we have cover for left back. But Hammell has a good record injury/suspension wise up until now so I don't know how much we'll see of the guy...

Aye, when I read the list of those "on the shortlist and being interviewed", I thought to myself, well, that's them just taken the name of the two guys who've declared an interest publicly and added in the two guys most recently linked with it. I, like you, expect to be surprised but not only by those interviewed (should it ever come to light) but by whoever gets the job...

He can be interested all he likes. Not welcome round these parts...

Eh, we have two centre midfielders on the books. After Lasley and Fitzpatrick, it's either boys who've never kicked a ball in anger for us, Paul Quinn or Steven McGarry. While I like the idea of more defensive cover, it wouldn't have been my priority...

While I welcome the news that we're apparently improving the depth of our squad, left back seems a strange place to start. Especially since, as others on here have pointed out, Stevie Hammell led us for assists by some way last season...

Yet some would accept £300,000 for him. How much would relegation actually cost us...?

Change 'as' to 'of' or add return after the word squad...

My thinking is that of the names mentioned Boyle was either going to go for Luc Nijholt or Gary McAllister. Given the Setanta debacle is rolling on, I think McAllister will have passed on it, and I reckon when it came down to it, Nijholt just seemed an appointment too risky to Boyle...

Altogether now.. "Your hometown, yoooouuuurrrr hooommmetown..." At last a manager with some balls...

Hadn't actually considered that. Distinct possibility...

That's my guess...

OK, who do you think it will be? Not who you want it to be, but who do you think we'll see paraded with the Claret and Amber scarf whenever it happens...? EDIT Open question by the way, not just aimed at Lobey. What are people's gut instincts telling them? Not "I've heard from a reliable HP sauce that...". Given the rumours that have done the rounds, who do you think we'll bring in...?

Either he's trying to throw them off the scent, or the suggestion that there have already been interviews is nonsense. I'd like to believe we're close to appointing someone, because if it's going to take us at least two weeks from today, then we're really dragging our feet. I don't personally think we'll have someone in for Monday, I'd settle for this time next week...

And question is, do you think his name will be Steve Staunton...?

No, I quite fancy dark skinned latin types myself . On a serious note, I think the reason his name hasn't been mentioned in the last 24 hours is the fact that he seems to have distanced himself from the original story which stated he'd be interested...

It strikes me that people are now bored after an initial frenzy of speculation and the appointment of a new manager will be greeted with "Oh, it's him, ho hum". Which is quite sad really...

That thought had occured to me as well. Hence the ...