Where Do We Go From Here?

[Lobey_Dosser]

Are player contracts still pegged to the league position bonus scheme?

 

Do we still budget for top 6?

[superward]

Most probably down a division with no finances or no structure to come back up.

That unfortunately is a highly possible outcome.

 

L.D. left for a reason -she knew that financial hardships were about to unfold and moved with a high reputation intact.

A.B. stayed, due to being a loyal Motherwell fan (and an undoubted talent on the media front.)

However, being offered the G.M. position seemed a panicked reaction and now that we appear to have hit the buffers, there is no one of note capable of steadying the ship.

 

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread about team selections, unbalanced formations etc and the need to get back to basics and get in their faces.

The fitness is so bad, there's no more gears left in this team.

The spine of the team have plenty of experience, but the truth is, they've all lost a further yard in pace and are pedestrian at best. Couple this in with wide players not tracking back and we are exposed and over run, time after time in most games.

 

We are unfit, unbalanced, lazy and I don't believe this team are capable of winning a dog fight if/when the time comes.

Someone at F.P. has to take this by the scruff of the neck ASAP before it is too late.

 

I expect to be slaughtered - but that's an honest assessment from being outside looking in.

 

I think there is an element of truth in there but a lot of opinion based on, like you say, looking from the outside in. For the sake of debate, only:

 

"L.D. left for a reason -she knew that financial hardships were about to unfold and moved with a high reputation intact." - The financial hardships about to unfold. What are these? What is any different from last season? She left a team that just made an extra £250k we didn't expect to, we have sold Anier for approx £300k and we should have been making some money from Europa too. I think she left because she is ambitious and hibs can offer more on that front due to bigger attendances and therefore budgets. I think she also left as her biggest legacy, the well society, looks like it is doomed for failure.

 

"being offered the G.M. position seemed a panicked reaction" - Opinion here. Mines is it was a thought out decision that, probably, saved money, kept a level of consistency, eased handover etc. Remember it wasnt a Leeanne out and Alan in. The job role changed. the board, of experienced business men, should be stepping up to replace the chief exec element.

 

" there is no one of note capable of steadying the ship." - You make a statement of fact here. Not one of us can be sure as we dont know how things operate day in day out. .This isnt the job of a general manager. but it is the job of a chief exec, yes. Given we dont have one we need to be looking at the board as a whole to be sitting down and discussing the best way forward.

 

"Someone mentioned earlier in the thread about team selections, unbalanced formations etc and the need to get back to basics and get in their faces.The fitness is so bad, there's no more gears left in this team.

The spine of the team have plenty of experience, but the truth is, they've all lost a further yard in pace and are pedestrian at best. Couple this in with wide players not tracking back and we are exposed and over run, time after time in most games.

 

We are unfit, unbalanced, lazy and I don't believe this team are capable of winning a dog fight if/when the time comes."

 

Agree with that.

[Shaka]

I don't see how anyone could slaughter you for that worryingly accurate assessment catweazle.

 

I do! Do either of you know that we are "punching above our weight" and there are many fans on here who "have seen far worse in my 40 years, dont you know we were in the first division once" so Im pretty sure there will be a queue shortly to point out "its all part of the rollercoaster" and tell you to appreciate what we have, no matter how accurate you (Or I!) think Catweazles assessment is

[Andy_P]

Excellent thought provoking post Catweazles and equally good reply from superward.

 

I don't know so much about nobody being there to steady the ship but I do feel that we're kind of marking time off the park at the moment, trying to hold what we have and keep to the routine that has served pretty well of late. With the loss of a very successful chief-executive, a new General Manager being installed I don't see that as being unreasonable in the short term.

 

Particularly so when financial factors like waiting for the SPFL to finally deliver a meaningful sponsorship deal, the continued absence of finance brought in from Rangers games and the now lost revenues from both Hibs and Hearts have a big bearing on finance.

 

November will at least bring some clarity over whether the WS will have accumulated enough to take their interest in control of the club to the next level, or whether the board will begin seeking investment elsewhere and that clarity will surely help begin to shape what direction the club will take in the future.

 

On the park itself I think we've been holding our breath waiting for something like the start of this season to happen since McCall's first full season in charge. There has been an awful lot of quality left Motherwell in the last few summers, yet somehow we've managed to dig out two second place finishes.

 

Now I don't see a repeat of anything like that for a minute this season, but in each of those two seasons it took a good few months for the team to gel. The table isn't making pleasant reading just now but I'll see how things are once we've got our first choice back-line in place and the creative types likes of Ojamaa and Vigurs have another couple of ninety minutes under their belts before I write the team off completely this season.

[Welldaft Mk1]

I think most Well fans on here must be either Aliens or Robots.

 

Only because I read an article in the paper today that states that HUMANS generally are hard wired to take an optimistic view or look positively when things are going badly.

 

Obviously whoever wrote that article has never been on Steel men Online!!

 

Things are sh1te right now, but this was always going to happen at some point. I don't like to see the team lose EVER, but even Man United are struggling

these days.

 

The happy clappers are often criticized and rightly so, but the knicker wetting is reaching a crescendo.

 

I will wait until Ojamma is fully fit, our defence is as strong as can be and we have our best team on the pitch. Not likely to be after the International break sadly.

 

Think mid table is what we are destined for this season, but would take that with a decent cup run.

[MJC_MKI]

I agree with the majority of what you say there Wdmk1, but I really don't think you can call the reaction to our start to the season 'knicker wetting' or even knee jerk.

 

The facts are this. We have played six competitive matches - two of which in Europe - and have one fortunate win and five goals to our credit, with four defeats and ten goals against. Add to that our squad appears to be drastically unfit and under prepared and there is very little in the way of encouraging signs for us to cling to. St.Mirren outplayed us two weeks ago during our solitary positive result so far and Inverness and now a poor Kilmarnock side have beaten us with ease and we can consider ourselves fortunate to escape from both games with only two goal defeats. Our manager also appears to be unable to adapt to losing a few players and seems to be struggling to motivate the players just now, that is something that has been alarmingly clear in almost every match we have played so far this season.

 

I know its early days but the signs really aren't good for us.

[Catweazles ring piece]

Any debate that is constructive, can make me think differently with decent counter arguments - so fair play guys.

 

I've seen the good and bad of Motherwell Football Club since the late 60's until the present date, so I don't consider myself a pant wetter or a doom monger.

However, what I do see, is the effect of not having a benefactor injecting sustainable cash into the club and with the lack of sponsorship etc, the club's having to tailor its cloth.

However, under this financial climate, we need experienced heads at the club to steer us through this difficult time.

 

S.M has done a fantastic job the past few season, but under the current climate, I see things gradually unraveling.

There's no money for players and we're bereft of a youth system.

 

I do think unless the club secures a major cash injection, we will be forced to overhaul our youth system and I fully expect a new manager to come in to oversee this. A long hard season ahead by the looks of things.

[Ya Bezzer!]

The happy clappers are often criticized and rightly so, but the knicker wetting is reaching a crescendo.

 

Time is running out to sort the problems otherwise the dye is cast.

 

Not too many people espect us to take any thing off St. Johnstone in the next match.

 

After that we are away to Ross County which, if we don't get anything against St. Johnstone, suddenly becomes a huge match and a potential 6 pointer.

 

Then the next game is away to Celtic which could be a complete roasting and a collapse in morale if we've not got a win by then.

 

To be sitting on, say, 4 points after 7 games wouldn't be knicker wetting. It's not happened yet but the next two matches are really important for us in terms of defining our season.

 

Remember by the time we play Celtic at least 4 teams, excluding Celtic, will have a very good chance of being over the 10 points mark and potential a few others could as well.

[ScottW1886]

The club are stuck in a vicious circle here I think.

 

No matter how successful or otherwise the team were, crowds didn't really vary that much. Now crowds seem to have dwindled as the product on the park has declined.

 

This is in no way a criticism of anyone who chooses not to go to the games - simply an observation as I see it. I would never criticise someone for prioritising their money and football not being top of the list.

 

That said, I think the club need larger crowds to allow them to invest in the squad a bit more. While a number of fans it seems need the club to invest in some players which would improve the product on the park.

 

Not sure what the answer is, but if the club need/decide to blood youngsters to make up the squad then the fans need to show some patience. At the same time, the players need to up the performance level to show the fans that they are worth the patience.

 

Worrying times just now, but it's still early in the season. Plenty of time to turn it around.

[Well Well]

We must also have the emptiest corporate boxes in the league. I believe the club were looking to target businesses more in an effort to increase the cash coming into the club. Fingers crossed that this is being done at the moment. I think the club have done a lot to encourage fans to come to games but as many said the numbers are falling. We need to plug the shortfall in cash from gate receipts and season tickets with money from the private sector if we can. With the country very much in turmoil then I am not optimistic but hope we can try to get something.

[Welldaft Mk1]

Time to bump this thread since we have 2 weeks till the away game at Ross County.

 

Sad to see Shaka's post from the St Johnstone match day where he is basically saying he cannot be bothered paying to go and watch MFC at the moment. Judging by recent attendances he is not alone!

 

I have a season ticket, so will go to home games come what may, but yes I will be and am more selective with away games if we are performing like we have been of late. That and I would rather give my money to Motherwell and not the other clubs, especially seeing the attendances of away fans at Fir Park.

 

Q is are we more critical of our team and players than most other clubs. I get the impression we are. Finishing runners up virtually 3 years in a row has meant expectations increase, somewhat unreallistically given our budget and crowds.

 

The key Q - is McCall the man to get us out of our mini slump or is 3-4 years the optimum time before we need a change. Wenger and Ferguson aside most managers last a year or two. It strikes me that McCalls man management is more of the friendly camaraderie and this has paid dividends in recent years. But is it what is needed when the team and certain players hit a slump?? Injuries have not helped and until we can see a semblance of our strongest starting 11 it is hard to gauge whether we will turn things around.

 

Steelboy posts invariably are critical but there are also (imho) some valid points. The trip to Portugal did not seem to make the players that much fitter and our preparations for Europe were baffling. I would rather the players came back early, even by a week and get more meaningful games. It may not have made the difference, but we seemed unprepared for Stjarnan, despite knowing we stood a good chance of drawing a team well into their season.

 

McCall has most definitely earned the opportunity to turn our season around. Hopefully that starts sooner rather than later as a loss to Ross County (probably with new Manager) followed by inevitable loss away to Celtic could leave us rooted at the bottom of the league

[milo]

The discussion began with the concern of fitness immediately after the Starjan home game and yet with each subsequent game, 6 weeks later, we are STILL having the same discussions with no obvious signs of improvement in any area. Lack of fitness, lack of balance in the team, lack of creativity, lack of shape, many players incapable if the basic aspects of football, key players out of form and/or carrying injuries, players being played out of position....the list is endless, and yet it continues.

 

In 5 league games we have scored 1 goal. That's embarrassing; there's simply no other way to put it, and we haven't even looked like scoring. In 5 games we have hardly tested any of the oppositions keepers and I'm struggling to think of any passage of play to create a chance. Our general play is slow, laboured, predictable with seemingly no desire from any player to take responsibility. The leadership on the park from the spine of the team appears to be non existent and we are clutching at straws to say the least that the return of 2 full backs will be the miracle cure.

 

We are now in our 2nd season with no recognised left winger but we sign Josh Law whom no one really knows where he plays and he looks miles out his depth anyway.

 

The price hike doesn't really bother me as the prices are still reasonable and very little in life stays the same price year after year. Others obviously feel differently but our attendances really do concern me. They are pitiful.

 

Ross County in 2 weeks time is a must win now, as is picking up points from Accies and Thistle in the upcoming games and the players and manager have only themselves to blame for the position they now find themselves in this early in the season.

 

I'm sure I've seen us lose 4 games in a row before and not score a goal for weeks but I can't remember when but this run of form, especially at the start of a season is as bad as I can ever remember and the excuses being rolled out aren't washing with me.

 

Form has never been a deciding factor on whether I go to see Motherwell or not but we're now reaching a tipping point where if we don't win a few games soon the unthinkable of relegation is a serious possibility and I don't think the club could survive that.

[Shaka]

Personally, I feel we need to put Alan Burrows back to his Media role and bring in a Chief Exec with some experience who can work with companies to try diversify away from the Cap in hand to Fans tactic our current board feels the need to use. I cant be the only person sitting in Fir Park noticing almost every Executive Box we have sits empty on a match day? There are clubs in England (even in lower leagues) that have a "Premier Club" and/or a "Business Club" that looks to expand Business contacts in the local areas or offer something a little more special for fans that have the money. We need to think outside the box here.

 

The main thing we need is a new structure and Ethos within the club. We need the Business Side,Football Side and Academy Side all working together. From the ground up we need our youth teams trained correctly and a through road evident for the development of our youngsters. We need a Head Coach who actively encourages youth development and integration in our first team and we need a business side capable of forward planning,selling our best youngsters and developing the business side to maximise our money earning potential. We need creativity + positivity, we have short termism + pessimism

 

At the moment we have a business side who seem disjointed and silent, who only pipe up to remind us how skint we are. We live from season to season with a track record of developing talent for a so called selling club that is shocking and we have a management team who largely ignore our own youth and look to play their favourites come what may, the ave age of our team is sky rocketing and the entertainment is garbage, all wrapped up in an ever increasing cost to fans

[maxywell]

People are over complicating our poor crowds, it's down to money.

 

 

 

Prices have went up, fair enough it's only a pound but for a family that's £50+ a season and quality has went down so it makes people even less inclined to go when we're playing shite and they're charging more.

[liquid_football]

Hamilton and Inverness are deservedly topping the table at the moment and both have far less money to spend (and much smaller crowds) than we do. They're both very fit sides who play a passing game - though they're prepared to hoof it long when required - and press agressively when they don't have the ball. They're also very well organised, both have kept their shape well in any game I've seen them play in so far. That's a reflection of good coaching.

 

Year on year reductions to our budget were bound to have an effect sooner or later, but it doesn't excuse our poor start to the season. Like us, Hamilton and Inverness can't afford to buy in quality or numbers, so they've obviously worked hard on the training pitch and in the gym because that's an area they CAN compete - why haven't we done the same? It's so basic, but 7 competetive games into the season (we even had the advantage of playing Euro ties to help our match fitness) and most of the squad is still blowing out their arse by the 60 minute mark. Not to mention the alarming number of injuries players have picked up in training so far. We don't look capable of physically competing with the rest of the league, and that is more worrying to me than our league position at the moment.

 

A lot of the off-the-park issues at the club are beyond the control of the board and coaching team, and therefore very difficult to solve. The same can't be said for the current coaching and fitness regimen - and it needs to be looked at ASAP.

[mjw]

Hamilton and Inverness are deservedly topping the table at the moment and both have far less money to spend (and much smaller crowds) than we do.

 

Sorry but anything you wrote after this part doesn't deserve to be read.Hamilton are the proverbial yo-yo club and i will never ever be envious of anything they do.

[madscot]

Personally, I feel we need to put Alan Burrows back to his Media role and bring in a Chief Exec with some experience who can work with companies to try diversify away from the Cap in hand to Fans tactic our current board feels the need to use. I cant be the only person sitting in Fir Park noticing almost every Executive Box we have sits empty on a match day? There are clubs in England (even in lower leagues) that have a "Premier Club" and/or a "Business Club" that looks to expand Business contacts in the local areas or offer something a little more special for fans that have the money. We need to think outside the box here.

 

The main thing we need is a new structure and Ethos within the club. We need the Business Side,Football Side and Academy Side all working together. From the ground up we need our youth teams trained correctly and a through road evident for the development of our youngsters. We need a Head Coach who actively encourages youth development and integration in our first team and we need a business side capable of forward planning,selling our best youngsters and developing the business side to maximise our money earning potential. We need creativity + positivity, we have short termism + pessimism

 

At the moment we have a business side who seem disjointed and silent, who only pipe up to remind us how skint we are. We live from season to season with a track record of developing talent for a so called selling club that is shocking and we have a management team who largely ignore our own youth and look to play their favourites come what may, the ave age of our team is sky rocketing and the entertainment is garbage, all wrapped up in an ever increasing cost to fans

 

Im sure alan burrows still reads Steelmen online. If not why no message him on twitter , im sure he will reply .@Alan_Burrows

[rambunctious]

Some people

[madscot]

Some people

 

Eh ?Shaka makes some valid points that alan burrows might find interesting .

[rambunctious]

Eh ?Shaka makes some valid points that alan burrows might find interesting .

 

My reply wasn't aimed at just him to be fair. The man's been in the job only a matter of months, and has done absolutely nothing wrong as far as I can tell.

 

I think people are far too quick to slate him, McCall, Kenny Black and every single player.

 

Imagine you got demoted in your job after being in it as short a time as he has? Or imagine that you got sacked (like some people are asking of Black) after having a slow start to the year in your job after 3 years of unparalleled success.

 

We're 5 games into a 38 game league season for fuck sake

[Judge Jules]

I've posted on this thread before and it wasn't till tonight i thought about the question the thread asked and realised my answer. Where do we go from here ? I recognise things are shit right now but i was brought up on Motherwell being shite, the success we've had recently was the break from the norm, whats happening now is your bread and butter Motherwell.

If we wanted constant success all the time we would be following one of the ugly sisters. Following a team thats under performing is part of being a Well fan, i do believe there is problems with the current set up but we have been here before, the reason we loved the highs of Europe so much is because we all experienced the lows of supporting the Well. We are currently going through a bad spell again but if we take a step back and think about what other clubs have been through whilst we have enjoyed our successful spell then it shows how lucky we've been.

The sheep shaggers, Hibs, the Dundee clubs, and all other SPL clubs would all love to have had our recent record but they don't have those great memories.

So where do we go from here ? Wherever this journey of being a Well fan takes us, there may be lads on here who will take the piss out me for this post and thats ok cause me 10 years ago would have done so as well, but no matter what league we are in or what state we are in i know i'm one of many who is Motherwell till i die.

[Lobey_Dosser]

The issue is that during 6/7 years of relative success, we have failed to provide a platform to sustain the future of the club. This leads to apathy. In terms of the league, we can do any better than recent years but have relatively nothing to show for it.

 

Interesting to see what happens with the WS over the next couple of months. Reading tweets about soft loans to fund fan ownership?

[wunderwell]

In terms of corporate packages I am really disappointed nothing is available in the Davie cooper stand anymore. This was great for myself and my young family inclusive of one year old to avoid the shite weather, good having the bar inside with my dad and also none of that tie nonsense.

[Onthefringes]

1409562241[/url]' post='420490']

In terms of corporate packages I am really disappointed nothing is available in the Davie cooper stand anymore. This was great for myself and my young family inclusive of one year old to avoid the shite weather, good having the bar inside with my dad and also none of that tie nonsense.

The club decided there was more funding available in turning the boxes over to classroom facilities to aid community initiatives - fair enough given they herald being community based... To not consult those who had paid in advance for the facility on match days leaving them to pick up on second hand information - sources at the club even denied it was planned. No options given, nothing offered in return until a call stating "Stevie Kirk will call you later" was taken.

[Kmac]

I am sure that I am not the only one who has been perturbed by all of the information coming out of late.

The poor form has thrown up a lot of issues regarding training regimes, demands on players, signing policies etc.

Off the park things seem to be equally as under developed. We have a real lack of structure / practical views on the continuing success of the "business", which the turning over of boxes would appear to be another example. The wallpaper used to piece over cracks would appear to coming away...