The Great Rebuild 2017'18

[capt_oats]

Is Dembele right or left sided?

 

Right but played on the left side of the pair with Heneghan.

[Dosser30]

A while two weeks preseason training and one friendly! Should be ready for the league season now eh? FFS give the players time to bed in and get used to each other

[weeyin]

It's always amusing to read the critiques of an early pre-season game.

 

When we play them behind close doors, people complain.

 

When we play them in front of fans, it's panic stations that we aren't a well oiled machine after a few days back in training.

[Gadgey]

Weeyin he might well have looked a decent player at Oldham but i think most on here would say we're probably better than them, for players coming from mid table league one or below teams the spfl is a step up and one that plenty haven't been able to make.

Sorry Maxywell, I just don't think that we are much or any better than Oldham of last season.

 

I watch more League 1 and SPL than any other football and IMHO the SPL is not a step up on league 1. Granted, it's a different style of game and often in both leagues, the standard of "football" on display is turgid. I think it's the difference in style that determines whether a player makes it in either league or not.

 

It's a fact that some non league teams have greater financial clout than us and it's also a fact that many league 1 and 2 teams live on extremely restricted budgets. That's the three tiers of English football we have to compete with in the transfer market.

 

I'm quite enthused by our signings this summer.

 

Hopefully this season we will turn the corner but in truth, with that defence and midfield, had Motherwell been in league 1 last season, we would most likely have been relegated.

 

I'm not meaning to be controversial, just an observation as a league 1 regular.

[pingu]

You seem quite keen to tell us that. I will reserve judgement on all our new signings until half a dozen competitive games

Agreed its too early to judge fully but everyone is entitled to a first opinion.

[Kat]

I thought Dunne played alright tbh, any real issues today were caused by a McManus brain fart and Kipre being slow off the mark. Only 45 mins under his belt but i'm confident he will have more success than Jules, Chalmers and Straker.

[maxywell]

Sorry Maxywell, I just don't think that we are much or any better than Oldham of last season.

I watch more League 1 and SPL than any other football and IMHO the SPL is not a step up on league 1. Granted, it's a different style of game and often in both leagues, the standard of "football" on display is turgid. I think it's the difference in style that determines whether a player makes it in either league or not.

It's a fact that some non league teams have greater financial clout than us and it's also a fact that many league 1 and 2 teams live on extremely restricted budgets. That's the three tiers of English football we have to compete with in the transfer market.

I'm quite enthused by our signings this summer.

Hopefully this season we will turn the corner but in truth, with that defence and midfield, had Motherwell been in league 1 last season, we would most likely have been relegated.

I'm not meaning to be controversial, just an observation as a league 1 regular.

Celtic would have won league 1 easily, Rangers and Aberdeen would probably have won it too.For us that might be about our level financially but i reckon if you offered most players the same wage for a mid table league 1 team or a mid table spfl team they'd rather go to the latter where they have a chance of playing against 2 of the biggest teams in europe, possibly winning a cup or playing european football or just generally being more watched and probably being more likely to get a move to a championship team.The spfl overall is shite compared to the epl and even the championship but i've seen a fair amount of lower division games and there's a big drop off after that.

[Gadgey]

Celtic would have won league 1 easily, Rangers and Aberdeen would probably have won it too.For us that might be about our level financially but i reckon if you offered most players the same wage for a mid table league 1 team or a mid table spfl team they'd rather go to the latter where they have a chance of playing against 2 of the biggest teams in europe, possibly winning a cup or playing european football or just generally being more watched and probably being more likely to get a move to a championship team.The spfl overall is shite compared to the epl and even the championship but i've seen a fair amount of lower division games and there's a big drop off after that.

I agree there is a definite drop in standard and I would definitely agree with regards attracting players. Those are the Motherwell and rest of the SPL USP.

 

I agree Celtic would romp league 1 but the rest of the league is so competitive, Aberdeen may be in and around play offs and rangers would be mid table. The rest of us could aspire to lower mid table mediocrity.

 

Even more so this season with the teams falling and climbing into league 1.

 

I watched almost every home game of the worst Charlton team in decades and even with Josh Magennis and Tony Watt up front, they would have cut us open.

 

The likes of Walsall, Southend, MK Dons and even Lee Clarks revitalised Bury are all perennial third tier sides who'd consistently outscore almost all the SPL would offer.

 

Relevant to this thread, I'm really chuffed we are signing experienced players from league 1 as opposed to non league punts and if they manage to gel quickly, then I am hopeful we could achieve some of the things our USP promises

[dossertillidie]

Any info on Tuton and dembele? Where were they playing last season?

 

Appear to be the pick of the bunch today

[capt_oats]

Any info on Tuton and dembele? Where were they playing last season?

 

Appear to be the pick of the bunch today

Dembele was at Barnet, Tuton was contracted to Barnsley but on loan at both Grimsby and Barrow.

 

In truth, goal aside, Tuton didn't really do much but then the service he was getting was pretty woeful.

[pingu]

Dembele has been in lower league French football then eventually making it to Rennes where he didn't seem to make the cut. He then moved to Stevenage and then to Barnet.

 

Tuton has come from Barnsley via loan spells at Grimsby and Barrow (who we play a week on Tuesday).

[Lobey_Dosser]

Do we think we have many irons in the fire outwith the trialists and Coulthirst?

 

The lineup today underlines the size of our squad. 21 players stripped, an absent Moult, Fisher, Bigi and Carson, Blyth and Watt out the picture, yet no room for the likes of Turnbull and Hastie.

[Jacol]

I thought Dunne played alright tbh, any real issues today were caused by a McManus brain fart and Kipre being slow off the mark. Only 45 mins under his belt but i'm confident he will have more success than Jules, Chalmers and Straker.

I agree I thought Dunne was our best defender in the first half, he was also a decent out ball a few times. I was actually quite optimistic that he will be our recognised left back this season.

[capt_oats]

Do we think we have many irons in the fire outwith the trialists and Coulthirst?

 

The lineup today underlines the size of our squad. 21 players stripped, an absent Moult, Fisher, Bigi and Carson, Blyth and Watt out the picture, yet no room for the likes of Turnbull and Hastie.

I seem to recall Robinson saying he planned to keep a bit of budget back in case anything came up later in the window so it may well be the case that a loan or such might be in his thinking.

 

That's him saying in the Evening Times there that he's working on getting a few out at the moment since as things currently stand they need to move some out before they can think about offering the trialists anything.

 

As far as Dunne goes I didn't think he was as bad as quite a few on here have been making out but the 2nd half showed that Hammell was/is still far better on the ball and has a much better touch. That cursed amulet may already have been slipped into Dunne's kitbag.

[supermarv]

I seem to recall Robinson saying he planned to keep a bit of budget back in case anything came up later in the window so it may well be the case that a loan or such might be in his thinking.

 

That's him saying in the Evening Times there that he's working on getting a few out at the moment since as things currently stand they need to move some out before they can think about offering the trialists anything.

 

As far as Dunne goes I didn't think he was as bad as quite a few on here have been making out but the 2nd half showed that Hammell was/is still far better on the ball and has a much better touch. That cursed amulet may already have been slipped into Dunne's kitbag.

Seems like a fair judgement but in Dunne fairness it's his first game but after injury and the first of pre season. Hopefully he can turn it on though and become a good player for us and as far as the trialists can go I can see us possibly taking on 2 and the boy coulthrist but I guess that would mean moving on others like Blyth and Clay etc.

[wellfan10]

Do we reckon bowman will stay was he perhaps frozen out by the style of football we played. With the right style of play could he be seen as part of first team plans ? Or do we reckon he'll go?

[capt_oats]

Seems like a fair judgement but in Dunne fairness it's his first game but after injury and the first of pre season. Hopefully he can turn it on though and become a good player for us and as far as the trialists can go I can see us possibly taking on 2 and the boy coulthrist but I guess that would mean moving on others like Blyth and Clay etc.

 

I'd be a bit worried if we were looking at Coulthirst tbh. I'm on board with the majority of signings thus far but Coulthirst just smacks of one of the supermarket sweep moments of the Baraclough window. Overlooking the fact we're reported to have been in for him before but he didn't want to move away from his family in London you're talking about a player who didn't really do much at Mansfield (5 goals in 20 games) and Peterborough (7 goals in 43 games) are looking to offload. It's quite possible we'd need to pay a fee for him given he's got a contract running up to 2019.

 

Having a look at Mansfield's supporters take on Coulthirst and "meh" would be the best way to sum it up. It's all a bit Theo Robinson tbqh.

[capt_oats]

Is Dembele right or left sided?

 

I stand corrected on this btw. I just had a look at transfermarkt and Dembele's listed as left sided (and has played left back). No idea why I'd made the assumption that he was right sided.

[Lobey_Dosser]

 

I stand corrected on this btw. I just had a look at transfermarkt and Dembele's listed as left sided (and has played left back). No idea why I'd made the assumption that he was right sided.

That being the case, surely we don't need Dembele and Dunne?

[capt_oats]

That being the case, surely we don't need Dembele and Dunne?

 

I'd say Robinson's probably mindful of the lack of an older head at centre half if McManus isn't available (for whatever reason). They weren't particularly tested and I'd acknowledge we were playing against a League 2 side in what was pretty much a bounce game but Heneghan and Dembele looked relatively comfortable together as a pair.

 

The article that ran in The Herald this morning (I just assumed it was the ET as I saw Scott Mullen wrote it) is quite informative. Not least as Robinson indicates that he's actively working on a couple moving out.

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/15384862.Motherwell_ponder_Dembele_move_as_Stephen_Robinson__39_s_men_get_off_to_a_winning_start/?ref=twtrec

 

 

STEPHEN ROBINSON praised his trial stars yesterday as an experimental Motherwell kicked off their pre-season with a 2-0 win over Stirling Albion.

But the Fir Park manager conceded he can’t afford to keep all three unsigned players and that they will get another chance to impress midweek before he is forced to make a call on their future.

French centre-halves Cedric Kipre and Bira Dembele as well as former Barnsley forward Shaun Tuton all got 45 minutes each at Forthbank, with the latter scoring a tremendous volley from the edge of the box to kickstart a comfortable Motherwell win on 35 minutes.. A second-half Ryan Bowman tap in after an hour finished things off in front of just over a 1000 fans.

Motherwell are keen to bring in central defensive cover after midfielder Carl McHugh was drafted in last term following an injury sustained by Stephen McManus. At the other end, speculation about Louis Moult’s future earlier this year could lead to the Premiership side needing attacking reinforcements.

And Robinson is ready to give his potential new recruits an outing away to Livingston on Tuesday before making a decision.

“It was a super finish," he said of 25-year-old Touton's screamer that nestled in the top corner. "It maybe took people a wee while to get their touch back and their decision making. It was a great finish.

“They will play on Tuesday night at some stage for a part of it. We will have a look again on Tuesday night then we will have to make a decision.

“Obviously financially we can’t keep them all. We need to get people out before we bringing any more in. It’s something I’m actively working on at the moment.”

When asked if he would have to pick between 21-year-old Kipre who came through the ranks at Leicester and 29-year-old former Stade Rennes and Barnet defender Dembele, he said: “Quite possibly. They are both at different stages of their career.

“One is 29 and has played loads of games the other is a young boy with loads of potential. That obviously dictates what Motherwell we are able to pay them.

“We’ll look at both of them. We’ll look at Shaun and see what we need, but we’re aware we do need a centre-half. If the finances dictated we probably need two, but one is probably what we’ll be able to do.”

Motherwell fielded 21 players in all throughout the 90 minutes with Robinson attempting to get game time into his players’ legs as well as have a look at his recent signings.

New boys Charles Dunne, Craig Tanner and Andy Rose all played, while long-term absentees McManus and Richard Tait both got run outs.

One man who didn’t play was Moult. The man who has been the club’s top goal scorer for the last two seasons underwent groin surgery last month and is only just getting back to training.

Motherwell kick off their Betfred Cup campaign at Hampden against Queen’s Park, and Robinson is hopeful the former Wrexham forward, who was on the radar of Rangers last season, will get some game time before Pedro Caixinha’s team come to Fir Park on August 5 for the Premiership opener.

“He’s not quite here yet but he’ll start training on Monday or Tuesday,” said Robinson. “We are easing him in gently before the first game of the season.

“We are hopeful and he’ll will join back in. He’s three or four weeks on from his surgery. We don’t want to rush him in pre-season games, we just want to make sure he’s right for July 15 or the first Premiership game.”

[Wellfan1984]

That being the case, surely we don't need Dembele and Dunne?

Is McManus got years left in the tank? Our two oldest players are a left sided centre back, and a left back.

[Lobey_Dosser]

Is McManus got years left in the tank? Our two oldest players are a left sided centre back, and a left back.

No but we aren't exactly looking at young prospects to provide competition and ultimately replace them.

 

Hammell, McManus, Dunne, Dembele and McHugh as left sided options would be overkill when we only have Heneghan and Tait on the right.

[capt_oats]

No but we aren't exactly looking at young prospects to provide competition and ultimately replace them.

 

Hammell, McManus, Dunne, Dembele and McHugh as left sided options would be overkill when we only have Heneghan and Tait on the right.

 

It at least affirms the idea that McHugh is to be viewed exclusively as a midfielder I'd say.

 

For him to say that ideally he'd like to add two centre backs suggests that he'd prefer to recruit left and right sided players but realistically we'll probably just have to go for whoever is the best player regardless of what their preferred side is.

[milo]

Would Dembele maybe have been a better option than Dunne if we can only afford one? (Going on brief reports of how they both played yesterday)

[MelvinBragg]

Regards left/right sided defenders, looking at the left side of the defence makes sense if you feel that it's unlikely that McManus and Hammell will be available all season. Flipside to that is that the defender we are most likely to lose this summer is our right sided centre back. I would hope that we have a target in mind should Heneghan leave and that that target may require Heneghan leaving to free up funds.

 

Again, and I was slated for this opinion before, this is what concerns me about our approach to strengthening our defence. Important area of the team to be relying on trialists to fill gaps. The same approach to our midfield led to us signing Clay and Lucas last summer...