supermarv Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 We've signed Craig clay ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxteth O'Grady Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Two-year deal for Craig Clay http://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2016/08/10/craig-clay-joins-the-steelmen/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellowell Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Im OK with that not done a lot wrong but have never thought of him as an attacking midfielder but I'm sure he will do a decent job for us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebsbarmyarmy Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 I'm a bit meh about the signing also. Seemed OK and will offer competition but hopefully not to the detriment off our younger players like Campbell and McLean. Also he's only 24....... Wtf, hard paper round the lad, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobey_Dosser Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Good luck to him. Sometimes the underwhelming signings are the ones that go on to prosper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrosshillWell Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 8 goals in 157 appearances. Not the return of Pearson proportions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Two-year deal for Craig Clay http://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2016/08/10/craig-clay-joins-the-steelmen/ Good stuff. I've heard he's on a decent wage. About the same as a window cleaner. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Blues Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Good stuff. I've heard he's on a decent wage. About the same as a window cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superward Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Said previously I would rather he didn't as seemed to be a defensive midfielder but I did like the look of him. However maybe that he was told to play deeper than he would usually. Let's see what happens. Hope he does us proud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 McGhee must be thinking two holding midfielders with McDonald playing in the hole behind Moult and two wingers this season. If we ever line up Lasley, Chalmers and McHugh as a midfield three it will rival the Lawson, Leitch, Carswell trio that got hammered by Accies as the slowest midfield ever to start a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebsbarmyarmy Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 McGhee must be thinking two holding midfielders with McDonald playing in the hole behind Moult and two wingers this season. If we ever line up Lasley, Chalmers and McHugh as a midfield three it will rival the Lawson, Leitch, Carswell trio that got hammered by Accies as the slowest midfield ever to start a game. Lasley Chalmers and Clay tonight might match that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Lasley Chalmers and Clay tonight might match that. Big Joe is rampaging up and down the touchline tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobey_Dosser Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 McGhee must be thinking two holding midfielders with McDonald playing in the hole behind Moult and two wingers this season. You might be right. Otherwise I'm struggling to understand the addition of Clay and the possible further addition of Lucas. Fear we are really weak in a couple of positions, ultimately lacking pace and power at fullback and in midfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadgey Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Well, I haven't seen a happier new signing in a long time. Baptism of fire tonight though....he got roasted!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dossertillidie Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Craggs alluded to interest from the championship in Cadden during his commentary tonight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Wispy Flossy Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Craggs alluded to interest from the championship in Cadden during his commentary tonight He's probably been told to talk him up on air much the same as McGhee has been talking up Johnson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelvinBragg Posted August 10, 2016 Report Share Posted August 10, 2016 Craggs alluded to interest from the championship in Cadden during his commentary tonightMust have missed that. Wouldn't surprise me if Leitch and Hall caught the eye, he probably would as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted August 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 Obviously it's early doors, but I get the distinct impression that the majority of our new signings will turn out to be nothing more than average at best, with most of them eventually moving on without making much of an impression here. A bit like last season. I've said it before, but I thought we were supposed to be concentrating on bringing through players we've developed or lads that we've signed at a young age? Of the guys we've brought in I can understand the signing of a 22 year old in Ben Heneghan & Carl McHugh who seems like a good young prospect, but the likes of Tait, Clay and Blyth seem like signings who aren't really making much sense. Is Blyth really that much better than Craig Moore? When we send young players away on loan we always hear about how it's to give them game time and allow them to prove themselves, don't we? Didn't Moore play something like 25 games and score 14 goals or something for Ayr? What more can the guy do to prove himself? He goes away and plays regularly whilst scoring goals and gets sent on loan again? I'd rather we employed a system where rather than bringing in guys in their mid 20's and older from the lower leagues of England we instead concentrated on bringing in one or two really good prospects who the manager deems first-team ready, and also concentrate on picking up exciting young prospects in their early & mid-teens that we can put into the youth system for a few years before drafting them into the senior side. This policy of signing the players we have this summer and last season isn't going to work in the long term I don't think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWeegieDosser Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 Unlike Man Utd, we'll never win anything with young players. Reality is that it has to be a blend of youth , experience, and "steady Eddies" to keep us on an even keel. While we can unearth a few diamonds in the rough to boost finances, we still need to be able to stay in the top flight. And one final cliché, we can't polish turds, but rolling a few in glitter might just be the way forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellowell Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 We've seen Blyth for about an hour if that so can't make decision on him until he's fit and playing Tait has been impressive though howling last night and Clay will give him time it's early days wait till end of September then decide on signings as far too early IMO to write some of them off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobey_Dosser Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 Heneghan is the only one I'm confident about just now but I do like the look of McHugh, we just need him on the pitch more often. Tait has looked chronically slow since his debut but that doesn't mean he can't be a good right back. He'll maybe need a few months to adjust to the pace of our game. For Motherwell to offer him a 3 year deal, we must rate him pretty highly. Reading the Grimsby forums, the general consensus is that Clay is a good pro but him getting a 2 year deal in the premiership is indicative to them of how far Scottish football has fallen. Worth bearing in mind that Grimsby didn't offer him a contract after playing 70+ games, I hope he isn't deemed as Pearson's replacement. Blyth we'll need to wait and see. Few intriguing comments to date from McGhee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted August 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 Unlike Man Utd, we'll never win anything with young players. Reality is that it has to be a blend of youth , experience, and "steady Eddies" to keep us on an even keel. While we can unearth a few diamonds in the rough to boost finances, we still need to be able to stay in the top flight. And one final cliché, we can't polish turds, but rolling a few in glitter might just be the way forward. If we're honest we'll never win anything with our current approach anyway, so what difference does it make? I think we should be investing what little money we have in bringing in one or two young players who look like good prospects rather than a scattergun approach of sorts, where we're signing guys who are over 25 and have bounced around numerous clubs over the years. We've seen Blyth for about an hour if that so can't make decision on him until he's fit and playing Tait has been impressive though howling last night and Clay will give him time it's early days wait till end of September then decide on signings as far too early IMO to write some of them off Aye, definitely. I could be very wrong on my assessment, and I did say it was early doors, but I just don't think this current system is going to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middleeastdave Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 What I cannot understand is we got rid of Fletcher (IMO never got a chance) I presume due to being injury prone and his replacement Blyth appears not to be any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted August 11, 2016 Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 What I cannot understand is we got rid of Fletcher (IMO never got a chance) I presume due to being injury prone and his replacement Blyth appears not to be any better. Unfair to judge Blyth on his record so far...he's hardly played. Once he's had some game time under his belt we can then assess him. Certainly a very different kind of player to Fletcher. There's no point in blooding a whole raft of youngsters now and end up getting relegated. That would be catastrophic. We need a blend of experience and youth; skill and stability/soundness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted August 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2016 Then let's hope that the signings we've made don't go the same way as those from last season for the most part. We need to be looking for quality and sell-on potential as a priority, with our own youth players filling the gaps, with a few experienced heads (we're not lacking in those for sure!) thrown in as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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