S Robinson Motherwell Manager

[steelboy]

The only positive about getting relegated is that he won't be here next season.

 

What's the chances the best candidate to replace McGhee is the same guy Barraclough chose to be his assistant?

[steelboy]

I'm not convinced Robinson would go even if we were to be relegated. Look back at some of the quotes from Flow on his appointment where he refers to him as being the outstanding candidate given the outlook he presented for the short, medium and long-term.

 

Thus far, and I repeat thus far, it hasn't been great but it hasn't been so woefully bad results wise that you would think they wouldn't give him a chance to get us back up and undertake whatever the rebuilding job he has in mind.

If we go down Burrows has to go as well.

[Shaka]

Burrows job will be untenable. He is a great Media manager but utterly out of his depth in senior management. Another beneficiary of the old pals act!

 

The guy sounds great and has the club at heart, but even jobs like his are judged on results and under his watch were still bleeding cash by the looks of it, more importantly he has made a rip roaring cunt of what looks like 3 managerial appointments now and it also looks like he will preside over our relegation from the top league,the season the money finally boosts up a bit.

[Kmcalpin]

The jury is still out on Robinson for me but a few things are undeniable.

 

2 points in his defence,

 

1) A cursory glance at the results alone show that since he took over the games have been very close and when we've lost its only been by the odd goal.

 

2) He has inherited possibly the worst collection of players anyone can ever remember seeing represent Motherwell.

 

However....

 

1) Anyone who has been at the two most recent games will tell you of the horrendous style of ineffective hoofball we have adopted. Truly hit and hope stuff.

 

2) There has been no turnaround in results, we're not scoring goals and our league position is now significantly worse off than when he took over.

 

 

 

A good summing up of where we are at the moment. I have seen worse Well sides but not in recent years.

[Shire Greats]

Now is not the time for fancy fitba

That's a good point, maybe he's no choice but miss out the midfield.....that didn't help Frear yesterday though, who looks good , but the game passed him by yesterday.If we can get McHugh into the middle somehow and a front three between Ainsworth , Frear , Moult and McDonald , there's hope .

 

Could young Ferguson play at the back with Henegan ?

[underboyleheating]

...our relegation from the top league, the season the money finally boosts up a bit.

This is a major concern as financially this is not a good year to be relegated. I suspect there will have to be some cutbacks if we go down and job losses may well play a part in the rebuild. There is no denying Flow is a great guy and I have lots of time for him. However, his strength is in media and he has the awards to prove it. I wished him well in his new role, however, it may well have been a step too far for him. I really hope we can get out of the mess we are in, and there is no better way than by thumping Inverness 1-0 next week at Fir Park.

[Yassin]

I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with a pragmatic style of play especially considering our predicament. I'm not a fan of hoofball but I can understand why Robinson chose it considering we're missing Moult,Tait and McManus, as well as the knock on effects of being forced to take Mchugh out of our already weak midfield which probably increases pressure on our defence, as well as stifling Cadden and Frear's creativity by moving them further back. Would Robinson choose to play this way if he wasn't putting out a makeshift starting eleven every week? I've no idea.

 

It obviously didn't work but to his credit Robinson did change it at half time and I'd be surprised if we play that way against Inverness.

[ropy]

How many goals have we scored from headers from open play this season? I honestly don't know, unlikely to be many, so a floaty ball high into the box is unlikely to be our most productive tactic.

[dossertillidie]

This is a major concern as financially this is not a good year to be relegated. I suspect there will have to be some cutbacks if we go down and job losses may well play a part in the rebuild. There is no denying Flow is a great guy and I have lots of time for him. However, his strength is in media and he has the awards to prove it. I wished him well in his new role, however, it may well have been a step too far for him. I really hope we can get out of the mess we are in, and there is no better way than by thumping Inverness 1-0 next week at Fir Park.

I think where flow is concerned he's being hung out to dry

 

Out of his depth? Perhaps? Best man for that role? Perhaps not

 

However

 

We didn't have the finance or even someone in house upstairs to make the appointment that was required for a CEO.

 

In my opinion for all the investment les made to which I'm grateful,investing a 3-5yr salary on someone with chief executive experience was a massive failing

[Al B]

I think there's a massive (mis)assumption over what Alan Burrows does and what he's responsible for.

 

He's the COO, not the CEO. Yes, I'm sure he's involved in discussions, meetings and interviews at all levels...but he reports to the people that make those decisions, he doesn't make them.

 

A Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the day-to-day running of a business. He has much more to do with things like deciding which company gets the tender for the catering contract, or prioritising if the dressing rooms need refurbished, or the showers need replaced, and allocating budget for that and bringing in a contractor to do the work.

 

I'm sure due to the fact that we're a relatively small company, he's involved in other processes and his opinion is sought (in fact we know it is), but people who think he's responsible for player contracts, managerial changes etc are the footballing equivalent of flat-earthers, and seem to think he's one step away from picking the team.

 

His meetings and phonecalls involve more plumbers and turf companies, than they do agents and player reps.

[Ya Bezzer!]

I think there's a massive (mis)assumption over what Alan Burrows does and what he's responsible for.

 

He's the COO, not the CEO. Yes, I'm sure he's involved in discussions, meetings and interviews at all levels...but he reports to the people that make those decisions, he doesn't make them.

 

 

We have a support who want a simple narrative and easy scapegoats - whether that be Craig Samson, Mark McGhee. Alan Burrows or whoever the next one is.

[Lobey_Dosser]

I think there's a massive (mis)assumption over what Alan Burrows does and what he's responsible for.

 

He's the COO, not the CEO. Yes, I'm sure he's involved in discussions, meetings and interviews at all levels...but he reports to the people that make those decisions, he doesn't make them.

 

A Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the day-to-day running of a business. He has much more to do with things like deciding which company gets the tender for the catering contract, or prioritising if the dressing rooms need refurbished, or the showers need replaced, and allocating budget for that and bringing in a contractor to do the work.

 

I'm sure due to the fact that we're a relatively small company, he's involved in other processes and his opinion is sought (in fact we know it is), but people who think he's responsible for player contracts, managerial changes etc are the footballing equivalent of flat-earthers, and seem to think he's one step away from picking the team.

 

His meetings and phonecalls involve more plumbers and turf companies, than they do agents and player reps.

According to McGhee, Burrows dealt with all player contracts. He's also played a key role in hiring McGhee and Robinson.

[Al B]

He was part of the interview panel, I acknowledged that. However I've been part of a ton of interview panels and never once been responsible for who was selected.

 

Where did McGhee say that first part? Not meaning that in a contradictory way, just curious to see what info is out there. There's a big difference between dealing with the player contracts and deciding on the player contracts....

[steelboy]

I think there's a massive (mis)assumption over what Alan Burrows does and what he's responsible for.

 

He's the COO, not the CEO. Yes, I'm sure he's involved in discussions, meetings and interviews at all levels...but he reports to the people that make those decisions, he doesn't make them.

 

A Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the day-to-day running of a business. He has much more to do with things like deciding which company gets the tender for the catering contract, or prioritising if the dressing rooms need refurbished, or the showers need replaced, and allocating budget for that and bringing in a contractor to do the work.

 

I'm sure due to the fact that we're a relatively small company, he's involved in other processes and his opinion is sought (in fact we know it is), but people who think he's responsible for player contracts, managerial changes etc are the footballing equivalent of flat-earthers, and seem to think he's one step away from picking the team.

 

His meetings and phonecalls involve more plumbers and turf companies, than they do agents and player reps.

Well if that's the case the role needs to be changed and someone needs to be brought in who can run the club properly.

[Lobey_Dosser]

He was part of the interview panel, I acknowledged that. However I've been part of a ton of interview panels and never once been responsible for who was selected.

 

Where did McGhee say that first part? Not meaning that in a contradictory way, just curious to see what info is out there. There's a big difference between dealing with the player contracts and deciding on the player contracts....

A few weeks before he was sacked when he was asked about his views on Director of Football role.

[dossertillidie]

A few weeks before he was sacked when he was asked about his views on Director of Football role.

And I know for a fact he was involved in contract negotiations with players last summer.

 

Take the point of al b that he's in charge of day to day running of club but in my opinion he is involved in chief exec jobs as well, which can be seen from his attendance at meetings with the Scottish Fa that the likes of lawell/Murray/Dempster/Alan Johnstone all attend

[DEWELL]

We have a young enthusiastic manager who has inherited the worst Motherwell team in my decades of watching . There really is no point to this thread. We're seriously in the shite and we need him and the duffers who represent us to get us out of it. I never wanted him in the first place and I'm sure we all know it was a cheap option that could cause us our premier league status. We're in it together now.

[stv]

We have a support who want a simple narrative and easy scapegoats - whether that be Craig Samson, Mark McGhee. Alan Burrows or whoever the next one is.[/quote

 

Support you mean owners.... God help us .

[sbcmfc]

Surely Burrows has the most dissected CV in Scottish football!

 

Has anybody seen Leanne Dempsters CV? Or Peter Lawells? Stewart Robinson? Nope!

 

I kind of presume his (Alan Burrows) job is more like the old fashioned club secretary rather than the Vladimir Romanov he's made out as...

 

I'd also defend his appointment of McGhee (if he made that decision?). He took a team that was on a runaway train heading to the championship and not only kept us up, but got us to 5th place come the end of the season, so the right man at the right time!

[gilmour]

 

 

We have a support who want a simple narrative and easy scapegoats - whether that be Craig Samson, Mark McGhee. Alan Burrows or whoever the next one is.

Samson a scapegoat. Oh please do one

[Wellfan1984]

Samson a scapegoat. Oh please do one

Yes. He has taken more shit than any other player despite it not being his fault that our outfield players are fucking woeful at the very basics of football...scoring goals, passing and defending.

[underboyleheating]

Yes. He has taken more shit than any other player despite it not being his fault that our outfield players are fucking woeful at the very basics of football...scoring goals, passing and defending.

I have some sympathy for Samson, he’s not the best, however, what he has in front of him is just as bad.

[Kmcalpin]

I have some sympathy for Samson, he’s not the best, however, what he has in front of him is just as bad.

Agreed. Going back to the Accies game by way of an example, he had several saves to make, 2 of which came into the very good category. That was because the defence and midfield in front of him failed to protect him. The Accies keeper had perhaps one save to make all game and none in the second half despite heavy pressure from us. Accies players were closing us down and preventing efforts on goal by throwing themselves at the ball. Thats been pretty much the story all season. Samson is far my from my ideal keeper but the cover he receives is woeful.

[ONeils40yarder]

I didn't think Robinson was the right appointment and I've already stated my feelings on how the whole process was handled by the Club and my belief that it was never on their agenda to appoint him until they ran out of ideas...A quick glance at his c.v. would be enough to suggest that he shouldn't really have been in with a shout of getting the job.

 

What I've witnessed since he tookover has done nothing to change my mind that it was the wrong appointment, I've seen comments on Social Media such as 'theres been a massive improvement since he tookeover', but I'm yet to see it. I understand that he can only piss with the cock he has, that our squad of players can be described individually as anything from, 'shite' to 'uninterested' to 'anonymous' to 'feart' and that obviously he isn't to blame for where we currently find ourselves. But lets not dress this up in anyway, that 1st 45mins on Saturday was as bad as the 1st 45mins against Dundee, but for poor decision making and finishing from Thistle could easily have been 4 or 5 at half-time.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm supportive of him, because I want to see us avoid relegation and hes the only guy that can make that happen, but I'm far from convinced that the guy is a good football manager.

 

As for Alan Burrows, I've known him for a long-time, I don't claim to know him particularly well but we're a similar age and I've sat on supporters buses with him many times when we were younger, and there is no doubting he is a Motherwell man through and through and will always operate with the interests of the Club at heart...whether the guys on here who defend him, like it or not, he is the face of the Club at a management level and for that reason he is open to criticism. I honestly wouldn't know any of the other guys on our Board if they came and sat next to me in the East Stand and I'm positive that most fans will be the same. This is where one of the problems lie at the moment for the Club, the Well Society 'project' has left the Club 'faceless' in my opinion, we don't really understand who makes decisions and therefore we all seem to know Alan and he gets it in the neck. In years gone by, we knew it was Chapman or Boyle or Dempster or Hutchinson who were pulling the strings, now we seem to be run like a Social Club, by committee. The fact that Burrows never sits in the Directors box at home matches, or away matches, would suggest to me that he isn't operating at that level.

[Goggles & Flippers]

Jesus, the "Get him tae fuck" fucktards are out in force again I see.

 

Put yourself in the shoes of Mark McGhee ....

 

"Hi Alan, I've identified this midfielder as a good acquisition, start the ball rolling"

 

"Yeah I'm not sure sure Mark, his form is patchy and he's never managed to live up to earlier promise"

 

Cue a barrel load of swearing and a few snide remarks including the following phrases "what the fuck would you know". "Managing Brighton" and "20 years of management experience"

 

Lets get real here, the manager and scouts select targets, the operational people (Flow and others) grease the wheels at the bidding of the manager and close the deal. I'm sure he's maybe floated the odd name here and there, but ultimately its down to the footballing department to research and instruct a pursuit.

 

He can't be held responsible for some of the duds we've bought in the past few years. If these duds were on extended, lucrative contracts without a lack of protection for the club then he can come in for criticism because that's his domain and remit.

 

What we are failing from here is the chronic underperformance of our midfield. It's been an issue for about 5 years now and has never been addressed. They win the ball, feed and support the strikers and protect the defence. That hasn't happened in a satisfactory way since we had players of the calibre of Jennings, Coke, Law etc.

 

At present, exciting prospect Cadden has went off the boil, stalwart Pearson has yet to deliver since returning, McHugh has been forced to act as a plaster for an leaky defence, Lasley still seems to make a difference but is feeling his age and a host of others are simply not good enough and were bought hastily due to the proximity of the window closing to get us through the season.

 

On the other note, I see no difference between Samson and Josh Law, just a season or two apart. Both maligned, both offered no protection from a shaky defence or impassive Ainsworth in front of them respectfully.