Anier & Ainsworth - Keep Or Let Go?

[Mitch]

Yesterday's performance swing it for me as both were excellent! However if the rumours going round The Centenary yesterday are true then keeping Anier won't be an option!

[Mitch]

What were the rumours?

Bristol City are looking to take him in Jan.

[andalg]

In my opinion we should only keep them if there is a possibility of signing them on permanent deals next season if not let them go and play youngsters in their place

[TAM]

I'd like to keep both, but if we had to lose 1 I'd say that we could cope without Anier as Moore looks ready to step in. Ainsworth showed things yesterday that nobody else has been able to show from the right hand side.

[gilmour]

Not looking good.

Twitter

 

Motherwell: Henrik Ojamaa provides Henri Anier inspiration

By Clive LindsayBBC Sport ScotlandHenri Anier says his two-goal display against St Mirren was inspired by Henrik Ojamaa but fears he may have to follow his friend out of Motherwell.

 

Estonia team-mate Ojamaa, who left for Legia Warsaw in June, was back in Scotland to visit his fellow striker.

 

"He told me I was going to score two, so I did," said Anier, who would likeViking Stavanger to extend his loan.

 

"They won't accept this I think because I would be free in the summer, so maybe something else can happen."

 

"It was nice to see Henrik and I just hope he can make Pittodrie. If he can do that, we'll take him up there with us"

 

Stuart McCallMotherwell managerIt is unlikely that Motherwell, hampered further financially after an early Scottish Cup exit, would be able to pay a transfer fee to secure the 23-year-old permanently.

 

And manager Stuart McCall has indicated they would also have a problem should Viking demand that the Fir Park outfit increase their contribution and pay his full wages to secure an extended loan beyond January.

 

But Anier, who had a previous loan with Fredrikstad after joining Viking from Flora Tallin, thought there was still time for the clubs to come to an arrangement even though his agent had been quoted as saying there were other clubs interested.

 

"Obviously I've been around a few clubs and it would be nice to stay or get something permanent, or at least to stay until the end of the season," he said.

 

"I've really enjoyed my time here. It is between the clubs and I can't do anything and I hope something can get sorted out in the next two weeks.

 

The 22-year-old Ojamaa has helped reigning champions Legia to to the top of the Ekstraklasa

 

"I don't know about extending the loan because I've got one more year back at Viking, but my agent knows more than me and it's between the clubs.

 

"My loan finishes in the middle of January, so we still have time."

 

Anier was not frustrated at being denied a chance of a hat-trick by being substituted with 20 minutes remaining during the 3-0 Premiership win.

 

"I am happy with two and to get back to winning ways," he said.

 

"It felt really good when I was on the pitch. I think we played brilliant as a team as well.

 

"That could be one of my best performances for Motherwell."

 

Indeed, St Mirren manager Danny Lennon described the Estonia striker as "almost unplayable" on the day.

 

McCall thought Ojamaa's presence had helped get the best out of Anier and hoped that the striker's form would continue against Aberdeen on Boxing Day.

 

"Did he tell you why he did well? Mr Ojamaa," he joked.

 

"Henrik came over to stay with Henri for a few days and we had some lunch on Friday.

 

"He said they would go back and they would analyse his performance. I said, okay, you do that and make sure he comes and scores some goals tomorrow.

 

"It was nice to see Henrik and I just hope he can make Pittodrie. If he can do that, we'll take him up there with

 

[Wellfan1984]

In my opinion we should only keep them if there is a possibility of signing them on permanent deals next season if not let them go and play youngsters in their place

 

 

Why?

 

The questions that should be asked are. 1) Is it possible to keep them and 2) If so is it more likely we end in a higher position with them than without.

 

If the answer to both is yes, then we have to sign them on again.

[andalg]

Why?

 

The questions that should be asked are. 1) Is it possible to keep them and 2) If so is it more likely we end in a higher position with them than without.

 

If the answer to both is yes, then we have to sign them on again.

 

In my opinion we need to look longer term whats the point in finishing higher up the league compared to bringing through possible assets to the club. Look at Dundee Utd they haven't been in the Champions league but they are sitting with some great young players who could be worth a lot of money to the club. Has being in europe brought any benefits to Motherwell ?

[Tweed]

Got to say, I'm not going to be overly gutted whatever way this one swings. If they are playing as they can they enhance our team, of that there is no doubt however we effectively have six months of friendlies until May as we are already safe from relegation, I suspect almost safe in the top six since the six in the bottom of half are shit so do I think it is worth splashing the cash if there is no prospect of a long term signing of them - to be honest, possibly not.

[Frazzie]

The real question is whether McCall has given up on Europe or not. Inverness could drop like a stone and we could steal 4th and hope Celtic play Aberdeen or Utd in the Cup final. It's a long shot but it's possible.

[Tweed]

Celtic playing Aberdeen in the cup final is certainly a long shot.

[Frazzie]

Fair point.

[texanwellfan]

The real question is whether McCall has given up on Europe or not. Inverness could drop like a stone and we could steal 4th and hope Celtic play Aberdeen or Utd in the Cup final. It's a long shot but it's possible.

 

I still have not given up on 3rd! We have been playin like crap and are only a point or so behind the 3 who have been having wonderous seasons. They get worse we get better 3rd is still up for grabs.

[NottsMFC]

Rotherham's Lionel Ainsworth Wants Motherwell Stay

 

Lionel Ainsworth has pleaded with Rotherham United to allow him to remain on-loan with Motherwell.

The 26-year-old was speaking after his goal helped Stuart McCall's side to a 3-0 win over St Mirren.

 

"I hope that, with every power within myself, I can stay," said the Englishman, for whom it was a second goal in nine Motherwell appearances.

"I love the club, brilliant club, the lads are great, great staff, great management."

 

Ainsworth has been out on-loan nine times from six different clubs during his career and hopes to end a reputation as a football nomad.

McCall is also keen to retain the winger but is still waiting to hear what League One Rotherham's plans are for their player.

 

"I have not had any indications from them," said Ainsworth. "I am just playing for Motherwell at the moment and my focus is on them."

"I'd love to have some stability. I've been bought a few times and, if you want to play football, you go on loan and obviously it sticks."

"I've got hunger inside my belly to keep playing football as much as I can and, if I can do that with Motherwell in the future, that would be brilliant"

 

"But I've done well to be in the game as long as I have and there's a lot of players out there who are not playing any more.

So I've got hunger inside my belly to keep playing football as much as I can and, if I can do that with Motherwell in the future, that would be brilliant."

 

McCall has cited injury problems for being unable to give Ainsworth a consistent run in his starting line-up.

 

"You get little niggles and it is going to put you off, but in my head I knew that, once I was back fit and able to work hard and get in the team, hopefully it would go swimmingly," said the midfielder, who was substituted 15 minutes from the end against the Buddies.

 

"I know I was tiring near the end, but I think that was just testament to the shift I put in.

Obviously I've been wanting to play every game I can and because of the team selection I've had to bite the bullet and wait.

Fortunately, I got another chance and I was so happy to score the goal. It was a brilliant feeling."

 

Ainsworth was gushing in his praise of manager McCall: "He is a top man, a great manager, knows what he wants and knows what he can get from his players.

It is exciting to work under him. I'm enjoying it, I think it's brilliant and I've got a great respect for him and all the lads."

[joewarkfanclub]

I still have not given up on 3rd! We have been playin like crap and are only a point or so behind the 3 who have been having wonderous seasons. They get worse we get better 3rd is still up for grabs.

 

We shouldnt be giving up on 2nd at this stage.

 

We are 1 point off second right now having been brutal to watch at times. If we can keep players fit and avoid unecessary suspensions we might just find some form along the way.

 

Given our early cup exits, every penny will be a prisoner so we need to finish as high as we can to maximise prize revenue.

 

If we can play some more attractive football while we are at it we might not see as much drop off at the gate which would be a further boost.

 

No such thing as meaningless fixtures between now and seasons end. All the more reason we should be looking to keep Anier and Ainsworth if we can.

[mfc88]

We shouldnt be giving up on 2nd at this stage.

 

We are 1 point off second right now having been brutal to watch at times. If we can keep players fit and avoid unecessary suspensions we might just find some form along the way.

 

Given our early cup exits, every penny will be a prisoner so we need to finish as high as we can to maximise prize revenue.

 

If we can play some more attractive football while we are at it we might not see as much drop off at the gate which would be a further boost.

 

No such thing as meaningless fixtures between now and seasons end. All the more reason we should be looking to keep Anier and Ainsworth if we can.

 

See this is where I'm split on the matter. The post above is a good one and the recent wins suggest we should not be giving up on the league (therefore keeping the two loanees)....However the fact is we're nearly halfway through the season and things still aren't clicking yet. And we need to ask why?

 

Are there better options out there that might make us click? Would it be worth freeing up the wages to bring someone else in? Or giving the likes of moore/leitch/erwin their chance?

 

Still havent made my mind up. After saturdays performance I'd keep both, but had you asked me on friday I'd have definitely said otherwise.

[mjw]

See this is where I'm split on the matter. The post above is a good one and the recent wins suggest we should not be giving up on the league (therefore keeping the two loanees)....However the fact is we're nearly halfway through the season and things still aren't clicking yet. And we need to ask why?

 

Are there better options out there that might make us click? Would it be worth freeing up the wages to bring someone else in? Or giving the likes of moore/leitch/erwin their chance?

 

Still havent made my mind up. After saturdays performance I'd keep both, but had you asked me on friday I'd have definitely said otherwise.

 

It clicked on Saturday so whatever we did then should be our standard for the rest of the season.

[one m in motherwell]

I've quite liked Ainsworth when I've seen him, although he strikes me as the type of player who thrives on an overall good team performance - he's not the type who's going to grab the game by the scruff of the neck when required. He is a fairly straight requirement for Humphrey (and has a bit of a better touch IMO), but we'll need him to get the finger out on a more regular basis if we're going to challenge for the higher places in the league. We don't have much creativity through the centre (although we should given the players we have through there), so there's even more of a need to rely on our wide players. If ZFA and Ainsworth can both find a bit of form then it will really help us.

 

The biggest concern is if both of them leave - where does that leave us? The problems with Vigurs and Faddy are well documented, and unless we can uncover an Ojamaa-type curveball who can lift the entire side, I think we could be in for a bit of a slog for the rest of the season. In saying that, if either Vigurs or Faddy come on to a game (or if McCall actually works out a formation to suit this season's team) then we should still be good for 3rd/4th.

 

All that said, whilst we've generally been brutal to watch this season, we're somehow managing to grind out results. Keep that up, and who knows...as one of the earlier posters suggested, second really can't be ruled out yet.

[dosser1886]

If the two of them play like they did against St.Mirren it's a no brainer. Let's hope that that game was the opportunity for them to show us what they can do and now do it in a more consistent manner. So for me they both need to stay for the rest of the season.

[texanwellfan]

We shouldnt be giving up on 2nd at this stage.

 

We are 1 point off second right now having been brutal to watch at times. If we can keep players fit and avoid unecessary suspensions we might just find some form along the way.

 

Given our early cup exits, every penny will be a prisoner so we need to finish as high as we can to maximise prize revenue.

 

If we can play some more attractive football while we are at it we might not see as much drop off at the gate which would be a further boost.

 

No such thing as meaningless fixtures between now and seasons end. All the more reason we should be looking to keep Anier and Ainsworth if we can.

 

 

My mistake, you are correct. Not sure why I said 3rd. We are definately still in the hunt for second place and I fully expect us to remain in the hunt.

[Yir Elder]

For me I'd keep both if possible. We've had enough squad upheaval this year, consistency of selection could help us achieve European qualification again. Sadly I think we'll only retain Ainsworth as Anier seems highly sought after.

[mfc88]

It clicked on Saturday so whatever we did then should be our standard for the rest of the season.

 

Is it going to be though? We cant assume we're going to play like that from now on given the season up to now.

 

Like I say based on saturday, absolutely keep both. But are they both going to find that level of consistency that will help push and keep us ahead of the other top 6 teams?

[weeyin]

Like I say based on saturday, absolutely keep both. But are they both going to find that level of consistency that will help push and keep us ahead of the other top 6 teams?

 

Who knows, but given they have been training and playing with the team for half a season it's more likely they will find consistency than any new loan signings.

 

If we do lose either or both of them we need to replace them for the sake of squad depth. Even if we decide to blood a couple of youngsters in their place, we still need players on the bench capable of playing in the first team.

[mfc88]

Who knows, but given they have been training and playing with the team for half a season it's more likely they will find consistency than any new loan signings.

 

If we do lose either or both of them we need to replace them for the sake of squad depth. Even if we decide to blood a couple of youngsters in their place, we still need players on the bench capable of playing in the first team.

 

Of course we will need to. I'm not saying we wouldn't.

 

Anyway I suspect ainsworth will stay and probably aniers situation will be out of our hands.

[weeyin]

Of course we will need to. I'm not saying we wouldn't.

 

Anyway I suspect ainsworth will stay and probably aniers situation will be out of our hands.

 

I think, if he has a decent 2nd half of the season, Ainsworth might end up signing for us.

 

Like you say, Anier is a more complicated situation, but at least we have Moore to take his place if he goes.

[gilmour]

McCall has said Ainsworth has been carrying niggling injuries and now up to full pelt. If that's the case then keep him and he seems eager to stay, think this will happen. As for Anier he's off, its been muted we have no money for him (cup defeat saw to that) and he's near the end of his contract and the club will want a fee, sorry he's off IMHO. The Rosco duds are a waste of wages so far and unless McCall comes up with a way of using them effectively were stuck with them. Faddy is a bit of a luxury just now and needs to get the finger out big time we can't keep making excuses for him just because he is a club hero,a player of his ability should be doing a lot better.