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2014-15 Ins And Outs


Toxteth O'Grady
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He was seemingly a player in demand, and the fact that Notts County actually wanted to sign him but Forest didn't want to let him go hints at him being a quality player.

 

Motherwell FC can today announce the loan signing of highly-rated Nottingham Forest defender Louis Laing.

 

The 6ft 2 in centre back has spent the first half of the season on loan at League 1 side Notts County and performed excellently, tasting defeat just once in his 12 matches

 

The 21-year old former England Youth International started his career at Sunderland and made his Premiership debut for Black Cats against Wolves back in May 2011.

 

He also spent a brief loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers before signing for Stuart Pearce’s Forest during the summer.

 

He was farmed out to near neighbours County in September before opting to join on at Fir Park until the end of the current campaign.

 

The Steelmen have managed to beat off competition for his signature and he’ll go straight into the squad for Saturday’s match against St Johnstone.

 

Laing said: “I trained for the first time on Thursday morning and it was a good session. I like the way the manager speaks and he puts on good drills in training. The manager and all the coaching staff seem really good.

“All the lads seem like good lads, there are no bad eggs in the changing room.”

 

“I want to fight for a place in the team and stay in the team. It’s not going to be easy because there are some good players here but I want to play every game, everyone does, and help the team climb the table.

 

“I’m match-fit, I’m sharp, I feel good. I have been playing games at Notts County before this and there has only been a couple of weeks when I haven’t been playing. Even then I have been training well so no worries.”

 

Ian Baraclough feels the signing – which follows earlier deals to bring in Stephen Pearson and Anthony Straker – is a real capture for Motherwell.

 

“He’s a player that was sought after,” the manager said. “I watched him a couple of times at Notts County and I know about his character from speaking to people at Notts County.

 

“They put a bid in to buy him but Nottingham Forest wanted to keep him for another season and they were happy for him to come up to the Scottish Premiership. I’m really, really pleased about that because it was a coup for the club.

 

“He is a strong player who is comfortable on the ball. He’s got good pace and he brought a calmness and assuredness to Notts County. He will go on to be a top, top player I’m sure and we will aid him in that development.”

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That's the puzzling thing for me about the signing. Young championship centre back on loan to partner McManus? O'Brien and Laing seem to both fill the same role...

 

Or as has been said, are we going three at the back? Only thing about that would be that none of our right backs strike me as wing back material more orthodox full backs. Law or Watt at a stretch. Pearson, Lasley and Carswell in the middle? Kind of renders Thomas, Ainsworth and any other winger surplus to requirements though...

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The circumstances then were completely different to those that Baraclough has found himself in.

 

Brown took over a side that was sitting in 6th place when Gannon was sacked, and he had players like Jennings, Hateley, Ruddy, Reynolds, Jutkiewicz and Murphy to see him through until the end of the season.

 

Gannon was a bit mental, but we weren't in as bad shape playing-wise as we were when Baraclough joined us.

 

 

McCall had more background knowledge on the current squad than anyone and he was at a loss to figure out what the fuck was going on, wasn't he? Just because Baraclough knew some of our players and had an idea of what they were capable of doesn't mean he was going to be able to come in and sprinkle some magic dust to turn around our fortunes.

 

He's brought in two players thus far, and one of them is a quality midfielder that knows the Scottish game well. The other is a bit of an unknown, but we can't really judge him until we've seen him get some game time.

 

 

Yeah, there is.

 

Sack Baraclough after eight game or so, stick Kenny Black back in charge and proceed to go through the entire process of recruiting a manager again, all the while admitting that we didn't know what the fuck we were doing in the first place, because that's what such actions will suggest.

 

Why any other manager worth his salt would take us seriously after that is beyond me to be honest. Would you risk your reputation on a club that fired a guy a few months after he was in the door? I know that I certainly wouldn't.

 

If we're wanting to survive relegation the best thing to go for is continuity. That means keeping the guy you hired, especially when he's only just gotten started in the job and has signed a couple of players.

 

Let him do his job for fuck sake man.

 

 

If this team falls into the Championship the blame lies at the feet of the current playing staff and the former manager, not the guy who was brought in late on to try and mop up the mess.

 

 

Am I suggesting that our new manager be given use of a budget to rectify mistakes and issues that the club had before he was appointed? Yes. That's how it works, isn't it?

 

The new guy is appointed and is then given the funds to do his own thing with the team.

 

 

Agree 100%

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