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Need To Strengthen


East_Stand_Al
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I accept this may be a knee jerk reaction but I can't see many areas where we do not need to strenghten the team.

 

Randolph Hammell and Sutton are the only ones who spring to mind as performng consistently (or at least as consistent as Motherwell can be )

 

 

 

 

Defensively we very weak, we stand off players and allow them time and space on the ball Centre Backs particularly. Hammy

 

Midfield we have pace on the wing in Humphrey but he tends to blow a bit hot and cold Jenno solid but maybe too physical for Scottish refereeing standards Hateley again inconsitent Las solid dependable but pushing on a bit, Jones not seen enough to decide.

 

Murphy too lightweight decision making poor drifts out wide and then trys to come inside , Gloria least said the better. Franny Jeffers will see us through the end of the season against bottom six teams.

 

 

Problem is we have not got the money to have a wholesale cull of the team and rebuild, McCall will need to bring in Harry Potter as a consultant.

 

Thoughts and opinions please.

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We have a decent enough spine of the team to get into or challenge for a Top 6 place but we need more experience in the squad, too many young players.

 

It's obvious that our confidence has never really recovered from the Brown saga and of course the squad has also been depleted since then.

 

If McCall brings in 3 or 4 seasoned, decent quality players during the close season I can't see us struggling to badly, perhaps not be as consistent as under Brown but you can't expect European or even a Top 6 finish ever season.

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Said it when we hired McCall, and will say it again; lets see what he can do in the summer. I'm sure we can get players in to strengthen the side but as Ye Bezzer said, it is time to get in some older wiser heads. Aye, we all love seeing our youngsters coming through and playing but the same youngsters at times are to naive and amny won't be ready for a full season of league and cup (and maybe Europe too - we are still in the Scottish Cup).

 

Few solid pros from League 1 or lower Championship might be the way to go (unless we can find some decent European solid pros...)

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we could potentially lose about 6 or 7 players in the summer 2 of whom we'll struggle to replace i can see jennings heading back down south and ive got a bad feeling that somebody like hibs or hearts will take sutton.im no fussed about any of the other out of contract players staying though i did hear craigan is on his way back to partick thistle as player coach.we may have to see a gannon style rebuilding job over the summer only this time were skint so mccall has a huge job on his hands improving the squad

 

 

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again, the end of the season overhaul is the normal. Thats the modern game, where players and agents chase the money. It would seem Killie have gambled this season and pushed the boat out slightly for better players, and top six finnish. Was it worth it? as they wont see europe, and probably wont be financial better off.

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We have to give McCall at least until half way into the next season before making a decision on his ability to do a job here. While I'm not convinced that he is the long term answer, bizzarely he still has a chance to join the exclusive list of mangers who have managed to bring the Scottish Cup to Fir Park.

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McCall needs one complete season in charge as far as I'm concerned, so I'd give him until the end of next season.

 

The simple truth of the matter is we haven't been better than enough teams to warrant a top six placing. I don't think we deserve a top six placing this season.

 

I also don't think that a club like Motherwell should automatically assume that a top six finish is our right every season either. We've been spoiled somewhat by the last few seasons when we've qualified for Europe.

 

We've got a decent cup run this season (and it's not over yet), and a chance of finishing in the top six.

 

All of that is still possible despite our management team leaving us in the lurch halfway through the campaign, and a new management team trying to get a handle on things having arrived right before the window opened in January, resulting in us losing both Reynolds and Blackman, both of whom were key players in the first half of the season.

 

To say it's been a season of roadbumps is an understatement, and even without a top six finish I'll still be able to look back at our cup and European run as a highlight.

 

Hopefully next season will be more calm as far as backroom staff goes.

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Close season predicition, we lose some players and wait ages to get anyone in. Those we do get in we'll probably know very little about and the concensus will be we are weaker than where we were start of the previous season.

 

Pretty much summed up most close seasons since McGhees first at a push. What the team will be like who knows. I imagine the back 4 will be largely similar. If Randolph gets over todays form blip he should move on for hopefully a decent fee on his regular form which will hopefully allow us to refresh the team elsewhere.

 

Really big game against Utd, a semi final and possibly a cup final would really help up us keep likes of Jennings and get one or two decent new faces in.

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Of the current squad, the only ones I'd really like to see here next season are

 

Randolph

Hammell

Hutchinson

Saunders

Lasley

Jennings

Sutton

Murphy

Humphrey

Forbes

 

Some odd names in there for some, but Forbes has ability, we just need to find the best way use him. Humphrey's pace is a weapon that not many have in the SPL so he's worth keeping in my book. Saunders and Hutchinson both have huge potential (I actually think Saunders might have a better career than Hutchinson). Murphy, likewise. It seemed that Craig Brown had found the optimum way to use Murphy, hopefully McCall can find a shape that suits him.

 

Sadly, I reckon we'll lose Randolph, Sutton and Jennings. Really big players as well so replacing them will not be easy.

 

Which only leaves Hammell and Lasley on my list. Both of whom probably only have a couple of seasons left in them.

 

Over to you, Mr McCall. And we wondered why a few folk turned the job down...

 

 

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Said it when we hired McCall, and will say it again; lets see what he can do in the summer. I'm sure we can get players in to strengthen the side but as Ye Bezzer said, it is time to get in some older wiser heads. Aye, we all love seeing our youngsters coming through and playing but the same youngsters at times are to naive and amny won't be ready for a full season of league and cup (and maybe Europe too - we are still in the Scottish Cup).

nice post

 

Of the current squad, the only ones I'd really like to see here next season are

 

Forbes

 

Some odd names in there for some, but Forbes has ability, we just need to find the best way use him.

 

 

LOL

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this is the first season in a while were we don't have a forward who can create a goal for themselfs/goal out of nothing (faddy, mcDonald, mccormack, clarkson, porter, juke all recently) and it shows big time. That was the difference between us and why we were better than similar sized clubs such as st mirren, ict, falkirk etc

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this is the first season in a while were we don't have a forward who can create a goal for themselfs/goal out of nothing (faddy, mcDonald, mccormack, clarkson, porter, juke all recently) and it shows big time. That was the difference between us and why we were better than similar sized clubs such as st mirren, ict, falkirk etc

 

Yes, some truth in that. We're also missing a box to box central midfelder in the Giles Coke / Phil O'Donnell mould who can motor up and down the park to support his strikers. Too often this season the striker(s) have been left isolated.

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If Motherwell had a bigger squad size, then the standard of player would be even worse than what we've got currently. Melvin's list of players he would like to see next season I can agree with mostly, although I can see an extension for Craigan, Hateley will definitely be here next season and I'd quite like to see us keep Page too.

 

 

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If Motherwell had a bigger squad size, then the standard of player would be even worse than what we've got currently. Melvin's list of players he would like to see next season I can agree with mostly, although I can see an extension for Craigan, Hateley will definitely be here next season and I'd quite like to see us keep Page too.

Forgot about Page, or perhaps more accurately don't think of him as a first team player yet.

 

Hateley will be here. I'd gladly hunt him unless he agreed he's a right back (I can live with Saunders and Hutchinson at centre back). Oh, aye, and agreed to stay away from set pieces...

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Strengthen? I'll crack the jokes here. More U-19's promoted and some 6 month loans if we are lucky...

 

Nail on Head

 

wheres all this cash to strengthen coming from?

 

Club has to be self sufficient now, gate income undoubtedly down at present and no doubt dropping further due to the whoring out to a fantasy TV deal with the league restructure

 

contracts will be getting cut, senior players will probably move on as the deals on offer will most likely not even maintain their income

 

Mcall will be given time as its a transition period and someone needs to be in charge when we dont 'punch above our weight' :ph34r: for at least a year or two.

 

some more realistic hopes need to be set by supporters, 7th in a league of 12 is pretty good for a club with Motherwells clout.

 

9th in a league of 10 will be a huge success when others gamble what money they have (or dont in some cases) on staying in the league and we continue on the self sufficient spending route.

 

But even I can dream ...... if only there was another Cooper, Coyne or O'Donnell out there looking for a club just like ours, to help the next Mcfadden, Pearson, Clarkson, Reynolds,

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IMO there are only a few players in the current squad worth hanging onto -

 

Randolph

Saunders

Hutchison

Lasley

Sutton

 

We have about as poor a squad of players as I can remember for a long long time at FP. Having said that, I echo what others have said - where is the wonga to come from for a cull of this sort or indeed of any sort. I think the cupborad is completely bare and we hav no playing assets to realise.

 

I think the direction of travel the club has chosen is puzzling and very dangerous.

 

We had a relatively young inexperienced manager in Jim Gannon who despite his problems with man-management seemed to have the right idea on replacing some of the 'been here too long and not very good brigade' with younger players who could be moulded more easily. This seemed to appeal to John Boyle.

 

Then when Gannon exits he brings in two old codgers who'd been around a fair bit in Craig Brown and Archie Knox who simply reversed that policy.

 

Next when they exit he goes back to an inexperienced young manager in Stuart McCall and opines that this is because he thinks this will allow the club to continue to do what Gannon had done by fishing in the top leagues in England for good young players to come in on loans and in the lower leagues for older ones. I personally do not believe McCall will cut any ice as manager here but regardless I do not think that our club should continue with that policy. I think we should have appointed a manager based in Scotland (my preference was for Jimmy Calderwood) and who would search the lower leagues up here for players. Dundee Utd have succesfully managed this on a number of occasions and I believe we should do likewise.

 

I fear that next season we could find ourselves struggling from day 1 and end up in the same seat the Accies are in just now. :(

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Looks like we're gonna lose Sutton, Jennings, Jeffers and possibly Randolph in the summer. We're also probably gonna get rid of the deadwood i.e. Charalambous, Casagolda.

 

I also fully expect Craigan to announce his retirement at the end of the season.

 

Meaning that we're gonna have to seriously strengthen the team or we'll end up relegation fodder next season. Hopefully if we do lose Randy we'll get a good transfer fee for him.

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