Stuart Mccall - Your Time Is Up

[Spiderpig]

McCall shouldn't be getting his jotters anytime soon unless something drastic happens over the next few months. At the end of the season his performance should be assessed and decisions made accordongly. Given that we've been papped out of the Champions League, Europa League, the League Cup and now the Scottish Cup with barely a whimper, anything outside the European places makes this a shite season as far as I'm concerned.

 

 

Thats the problem being a motherwell fan these days, for 5 or 6 years now we have become regular contenders / participants in Europe, culminating this season with our 1st taste of the champions league, and when you throw in the Scottish cup final we have regularly over achieved for the size of the team we are. So anything less than a European place and / or a good cup run is considered a dissapointment.

 

Given the size of the squad we have and the quality of the players in that squad i think that SMC has done a great job so far, he is getting no help from the board with any cash to strengthen the team. Our home form is feckin woeful but we are sitting 3rd, and being able to close games out (ie St Mirren at home and Aberdeen away) would have seen us with another 4 points and joint top.

 

So lets stop all this is SMC's time up pish and get behind the team, yes we have been dumped from 4 tournaments with not much of a fight but we were playing in them, season 2012-13 will show Uefa Champions league, Motherwell as one of Scotland participants and that memory will stay with me for a long time., so onwards and upwards and concentrate on the SPL and another 2nd place finish and another champions league adventure.

 

We are all Stuart mcCall

[GrahamH]

I'm not a big fan of Stuart McCall but while we're sitting in third place in the league I feel it's unfair for people to be calling for him to go. Whether or not he should be offered a new contract is a different matter. If he can keep the majority of the team together I wouldn't be averse to him getting a new contract, however if (as looks likely) there's going to be a major rebuilding job required I'm not sure he's the man for the job.

[Welldaft Mk1]

Serious Question

 

Why is anyone bothering to respond to this post/thread?

 

It is a waste of your time and just feeds the image of MJC being the biggest moaner known to Steelmen Online, If you ignore hopefully he will stop posting or at least take a more measured view of Motherwell and Stuart McCall - unlikely but you never know....

[Phillibenesque]

Very rarely (never) post as I'm more of a lurker, however what concerns me most is the developing apathy of the fan base. I always think the thing that sustains a support is the promise of something better tomorrow, hence why we get excited about young attacking players breaking into the team and the inconsistency that brings, rather than the consistent efficiency we often see from the current team.

 

Comment above regarding Butcher's season where we finished bottom. I may be looking back with rose tinted spectacles, but despite finishing bottom that year I'm pretty sure I enjoyed that season more than I have the last few.

[TvTotherwell]

Some of us sure know how to overeact. The is Cup not our bread and butter. I'm really not fussed about going out last night, although hard to take as it was the Sheep that done it. We need to secure that top 6 place, Even sneak into Europe. Not having they extra cup games will help the squad.

 

McCall is doing decent job, Not great but on our day we can beat 10 of the other 11 teams.

 

Get behind the club! !

[Gaag]

McCall has to take the blame for players mindset and creativity collapsing on a regular basis. I'm still absolutely livid from the Rangers game earlier in the season and he's seemingly done nothing to improve players mindsets and confidence in their own abilities.

 

A game that actually means something? One off's, important cup ties, games against the old firm? Bet yer bottom dollar on the opposition.

 

Spineless and gutless were the words I think I used last time. Not going to say anything about last night as I didn't go, but the sentiment sounds the same from everyone else.

[MJC_MKI]

1355308437[/url]' post='369193']

Very rarely (never) post as I'm more of a lurker, however what concerns me most is the developing apathy of the fan base. I always think the thing that sustains a support is the promise of something better tomorrow, hence why we get excited about young attacking players breaking into the team and the inconsistency that brings, rather than the consistent efficiency we often see from the current team.

 

Comment above regarding Butcher's season where we finished bottom. I may be looking back with rose tinted spectacles, but despite finishing bottom that year I'm pretty sure I enjoyed that season more than I have the last few.

 

 

I have to agree completely with the second paragraph. It's crazy I know given that we finished 12th that season but think back to that season. We actually had some terrifically exciting matches and some great nights at Fir Park. Beat Celtic, beat Rangers, thumped Hearts 6-1, in fact we beat every side in the top six whilst our record against the bottom six was awful. Also we had a superb Scottish Cup run and should have reached the final after playing a Rangers side awash with international stars off the park at Hampden. We had a rawness about us that was great to watch and that was there for most of Butciher's time. We just haven't had anything like that in recent seasons and to be honest, I'd swap finishing 3rd whilst always falling short in cup games and 'big games" for a bottom six finish and a Cup win/run any day of the week.

On the subject of finishing 3rd, the above poster who said we were too feart to go for second is spot on. It was there for us but we just didn't push ourselves enough to get it and that is down to McCall. He is the manager, it's in his remit to motivate the team for every game and he fails on that count regularly and that is just not acceptable.

He has been exceptionally lucky in his time here. He inherited a decent squad of players when he arrived but he has largely failed to replace the ones that left and that is showing now. The fact that we have had two top six finishes, a 3rd placed finish and a Cup final under his watch is very commedable but they paper over some massive cracks because if you look closely you will see that for a bit of belief, a bit more tactical shrewdness then we could, and arguably should have had more.

[Wellfan1984]

A game that actually means something? One off's, important cup ties, games against the old firm? Bet yer bottom dollar on the opposition.

 

Cup games are fair enough, but games against the Old Firm? Mean fuck all if you lose other games before or after it. I don't think when we went to Inverness a scudded them without much problem (the scoreline actually flattered them) we got less points than Inverness did the following game when they beat Celtic.

 

I'd take getting humped off the Old Firm match after match, if I don't have to witness teams on our level coming to our patch and scoring for fun any season - it's how we got third last season.

[steelboy]

7 cup games this season. only two goals scored and i'm struggling to think of too many saves the opposition keepers had to make in any of those matches.

 

 

we struggled last night because the last four guys mccall brought in are offering nothing and the squad is on it's arse.

[steelboy]

I have to agree completely with the second paragraph. It's crazy I know given that we finished 12th that season but think back to that season. We actually had some terrifically exciting matches and some great nights at Fir Park. Beat Celtic, beat Rangers, thumped Hearts 6-1, in fact we beat every side in the top six whilst our record against the bottom six was awful. Also we had a superb Scottish Cup run and should have reached the final after playing a Rangers side awash with international stars off the park at Hampden. We had a rawness about us that was great to watch and that was there for most of Butciher's time. We just haven't had anything like that in recent seasons and to be honest, I'd swap finishing 3rd whilst always falling short in cup games and 'big games" for a bottom six finish and a Cup win/run any day of the week.

 

it seems that now because you only remember the good times.

 

losing 24 league games was horrible. 14 goals in 19 away games. fuck doing that again.

[Dodge]

On the subject of finishing 3rd, the above poster who said we were too feart to go for second is spot on. It was there for us but we just didn't push ourselves enough to get it and that is down to McCall. He is the manager, it's in his remit to motivate the team for every game and he fails on that count regularly and that is just not acceptable.

 

Its not solely down to McCall though as you are overlooking the individual on the park, you are also overlooking the captain of the team who'se role it should be to lead by example. We've not had a leader on the park as Captain since Scott Leith as is touched on in another thread and in this when you reminice of the Butcher era. Scott Leitch had similar ability to Keith Lasley yet Leitch upped his game that bit when it was required when the chips were down - I struggle to think of a game where I could say the same of Lasley. Its easy to captain when things are going well - its far harder to do it when things aren't going your way but its what defines the role of being captain in the first place.

 

Its not just that we are feart - we are to nice a team who continue trying to play football when other teams wanna role their sleeves up against us. Most of our team would rather shy away from going into battle against their opposite number than take them on head on.

[well-army]

He has been exceptionally lucky in his time here. He inherited a decent squad of players when he arrived but he has largely failed to replace the ones that left and that is showing now.

 

 

The fact that he has had his budget cut year on year makes it extremely difficult to replace decent players. Jennings, Clancy and Craigan haven't been replaced and this is one of the reasons we have been leaking goals this season.

 

I think you need to face up to the facts we have NO money to spend on decent players and need to rely on youngsters stepping up to the plate or freebies (Who don't want massive wages) as we found out in the summer when we tried to sign ryan stevenson until hearts found out and offered him significantly more than we could afford.

 

Scottish football in general is poor so it is increasingly difficultt to attract players and the fact we can only offer minimal wages

 

As for calling for McCalls head i think you need to get your head out of cloud cuckoo land. He is doing a decent job with the players he has. yes sometimes he gets it wrong tactically but so does every other manager in the SPL.................. Would you rather go back to having Malpas or McLeish in charge ?

[steelboy]

I think you need to face up to the facts we have NO money to spend on decent players and need to rely on youngsters stepping up to the plate or freebies (Who don't want massive wages) as we found out in the summer when we tried to sign ryan stevenson until hearts found out and offered him significantly more than we could afford.

 

 

he had a wage to bring in a player in the summer and he wasted it on ramsden.

 

he had money to bring in stevenston yet didn't manage to get anyone else signed. the buck stops with the manager.

[Finlay]

I'm not a big fan of Stuart McCall but while we're sitting in third place in the league I feel it's unfair for people to be calling for him to go. Whether or not he should be offered a new contract is a different matter. If he can keep the majority of the team together I wouldn't be averse to him getting a new contract, however if (as looks likely) there's going to be a major rebuilding job required I'm not sure he's the man for the job.

 

This is my view as well.

[MJC_MKI]

1355314453[/url]' post='369207']

he had a wage to bring in a player in the summer and he wasted it on ramsden.

 

he had money to bring in stevenston yet didn't manage to get anyone else signed. the buck stops with the manager.

 

Exactly, he was able to bring in Ramsden and Kerr so there must have been something available to him. He just didn't use it very wisely and that is a worrying sign for us. If he has to completely rebuild the squad next summer then we will be in big trouble.

[Big Stall]

I'd swap finishing 3rd whilst always falling short in cup games and 'big games" for a bottom six finish and a Cup win/run any day of the week.

 

 

 

So just to be clear, you hark back to Butchers days, you know the days he got us to one cup final, the one where we got royally humiliated off Rangers in. I'm really not sure how you can compare it favourably with McCalls cup run to the final.

 

 

 

On the subject of finishing 3rd, the above poster who said we were too feart to go for second is spot on. It was there for us but we just didn't push ourselves enough to get it

 

 

 

If I had the time or inclination, I would love to dredge through the archives of this board to find all the occasions where you have told us that we have no chance to beat either Rangers or Celtic in one off games, never mind finish above them in the league. Come to think of it, you continually tell us we have no chance to beat Aberdeen, Hearts, Dundee United etc, but you want us to beat Rangers over the course of the season!

 

Your man Keevins in your avatar has a word for people like you....... Internet bampots!

[MJC_MKI]

1355315221[/url]' post='369210']

So just to be clear, you hark back to Butchers days, you know the days he got us to one cup final, the one where we got royally humiliated off Rangers in. I'm really not sure how you can compare it favourably with McCalls cup run to the final.

If I had the time or inclination, I would love to dredge through the archives of this board to find all the occasions where you have told us that we have no chance to beat either Rangers or Celtic in one off games, never mind finish above them in the league. Come to think of it, you continually tell us we have no chance to beat Aberdeen, Hearts, Dundee United etc, but you want us to beat Rangers over the course of the season!

 

Your man Keevins in your avatar has a word for people like you....... Internet bampots!

 

No you're missing my point entirely. In Butcher's time we had some right exciting games and two memorable cup runs. We had a raw side which you just never knew what was going to happen next with, ie. 6-1 v. Hearts, Fitzpatrick's late winner, Skippy Sunday. We've had nothing in recent times that has come anywhere near matching that and under McCall have become predictable on the whole, except for always falling short in so called big games. I watch football for the enjoyment and excitement, not for predictability and disappointment.

[Shaka]

Very true,he had/has cash for 1 player a d since sept we haven't found 1 freebie out of the thousands littering the globe who could help us? Who the fuck is scouting and looking at players for us?

 

I've never hidden my feelings with McCall,I wasn't impressed that we ended up wi him but gave him a chance,his behaviour in the build up to & during the cup final I just can't forgive and since then we've been very very lucky! We have been postes missing at almost EVERY big game we've played and the same faults happen over & over. His time is up as him rebuilding my team in the summer gives me the fear.

 

In my opinion he has done as much as he possibly can. Our season is all but over and next month could determine wether we end the season fighting for top 6 or relegation. He has the ability to find 1 or 2 gems but not an entire team and by the looks our scouting network is either shite or non existant. Time for McCall to go,take Black & Johansson with him & we bring in sum1 who could maybe persuade 2 or 3 of the ooc guys to stay along with the contacts to bring in 5 or 6 decent quality players

[Wellfan1984]

7 cup games this season. only two goals scored and i'm struggling to think of too many saves the opposition keepers had to make in any of those matches.

 

 

we struggled last night because the last four guys mccall brought in are offering nothing and the squad is on it's arse.

 

I love stats...

 

17 league games and we've scored more goals than any team except the two teams above us.

17 league game and only the two clubs above us have less defeats

 

 

Our squad is on it's arse, I feel sorry for the other clubs...

[fatcalf]

Very true,he had/has cash for 1 player a d since sept we haven't found 1 freebie out of the thousands littering the globe who could help us? Who the fuck is scouting and looking at players for us?

 

I've never hidden my feelings with McCall,I wasn't impressed that we ended up wi him but gave him a chance,his behaviour in the build up to & during the cup final I just can't forgive and since then we've been very very lucky! We have been postes missing at almost EVERY big game we've played and the same faults happen over & over. His time is up as him rebuilding my team in the summer gives me the fear.

 

In my opinion he has done as much as he possibly can. Our season is all but over and next month could determine wether we end the season fighting for top 6 or relegation. He has the ability to find 1 or 2 gems but not an entire team and by the looks our scouting network is either shite or non existant. Time for McCall to go,take Black & Johansson with him & we bring in sum1 who could maybe persuade 2 or 3 of the ooc guys to stay along with the contacts to bring in 5 or 6 decent quality players

 

 

Like Jim Gannon you mean?

[sbcmfc]

While I can completely understand folks frustrations and disappointment, Jose mourinho isn't looking at the SPL as his next step, and cristiano ronaldo and lionel messi aren't dreaming of replacing Humphrey and ojamma in the summer. (Anyway messi would still get stick from the east stand for trying to take on too many men or not winning enough high balls )

 

I was really disappointed with last night, mostly as we just went out with a whimper, i think thats what really irks folk! We lacked any urgency or fight, and not for the 1st time this season seemed quite content to be losing. That is something that HAS to be addressed!

 

Perhaps we have too many heartless players (Humphrey, hately, murphy)? Perhaps we lack leadership, lasley and hammell, our most experienced players, are great, but they both seem quite nice, quiet guys.

 

I don't understand why McCall takes so long to change things, and when he does I often wonder why he makes the changes he does, but that's one of the biggest criticisms of managers the world over!

 

I think McCall on the whole is doing well, we are great away from home, and I just think we need a plan B for when we are struggling to break a team down at home! A replacement for Jennings has to be top of the shopping list in January.

 

Having finished 3rd, played in the champions league, currently sitting 3rd, 4 points behind celtic, been in a cup final,

 

What exactly do people want??

[weesacs]

f**king hell - can you imagine if we were bottom of the league just now!!!!!!!!!

 

a couple of things that MJC has has pointed out, that I would like to pick up on.....

 

going back to the Butcher era - yes I agree, the rawness made it more exciting - because we never knew what to expect. (we got pumped off all the teams around us in the league but managed to beat all teams in the top 6)

that has changed now - because we are more consistent now and in turn, that has raised fan expectation

 

we have no money - zilch, zero - not a penny, so where are we going to sign all these quality players from?

 

that leads me on to cup runs......

if money is all that matters, we have continually heard from the club that the cup runs are more lucrative than European games - if that is really the case (which i have no reason to doubt) then surely we should be making sure when we play in domestic cup games - the players know the significance???

 

someone else mentioned it - our problem isnt playing nice football - its the willingness to roll the sleeves up and fight for the team/fans/teammates that we lack. Once that battle is won, then we can play nice football. Any team who come to Fir Park and are willing to fight - more often than not beat us

[johnstone]

No doubt I'll get the usual standard responses to this but I stand by what I say and mean it 100%.

 

You get the same responses because you continue to spout the same shite.

 

Stuart McCall is a poor, poor manager who is tactically inept, struggles to motivate the team and for the life of him cannot change a game when things aren't going according to his 'Plan A'. His line ups and tactical set ups are largely predictable and as soon as soon as things aren't going to plan he has absolutely no idea what to do to change things. Ask yourself this, in Stuart McCall's time in charge, has he ever been able to change a game, ONE GAME, that has been going against us? I think you'll find the answer is no.

 

This season - Ross County? Dundee? Kilmarnock - all games we have game back from either a draw or being behind. I have not looked at last season.

 

We did well to reach the Cup Final in 2010/11 and we did well last season, but we were lucky and we did what we did in spite of McCall, not because of him and the longer he remains with us, the more backward we will go.

 

So the whole of last season was down to luck and the players and not one single element of the success of last season was anything to do with the Manager? Do you know how fucking stupid that sounds?

 

And finally, I know, I KNOW, that "we aren't Barcelona/Real Madrid/Man Utd, or even Celtic" and nor do I expect us to be. But what I do expect is for the team and the manager to give their all in every single game and not make the same, predicable and basic errors time and time and time again.

 

I agree with this and we have let the heads go down in too many games and the Rangers game was a total disgrace, but to get knocked out by a very solid Aberdeen side last night is not the end of the world. Yes we played poor, but look at it this way. Arsenal got knocked out by Bradford and never managed a shot on goal until the 70th minute. Thats football...

 

I'm sorry to anyone whom this 'offends', but I've had it with McCall and it's time for a change. To whom, I don't know, but we need a change of regime and soon.

 

This is the cherry on the top - you come out with your bonkers post and then can't even offer a solution at all! So lets get rid of McCall and not have a manager - that might work eh?

 

 

My thoughts are we are going through a very tough spell right now and our squad is at breaking point and could become critical by January, but I just can't see how we can justify sacking McCall considering our league form this season has been excellent and we are currently on course for another very good season if we can keep the results going.

[GazzyB]

Johnstone wins the internet.

[steelboy]

we have no money - zilch, zero - not a penny, so where are we going to sign all these quality players from?

 

when half the squad fuck off in the summer we will have a decent bit of money available in wages even if the budget is cut. it has to be spent wisely.