Gadgey Posted July 23, 2017 Report Share Posted July 23, 2017 Just to go back a bit, Dembele I can't believe that deal wasn't done. Surely when he came in for a trial, the conversation was had, how much he'd be looking for either directly or through an agent and MFC either said that was a possibility or we can offer x. We then offer x, and he turns his nose up at it. Don't get me wrong I'm not naive enough to think we're offering top dollar and players are well within their right to maximise earnings but just seems yet again MFC miss out to someone looking to make marginal financial gains. I'm surprised that anyone could be so astonished that a player (particularly a foreign player) may choose not to join motherwell. Also, I guess it must've been a no brainer when the offer to go back home presented itself. I feel no sense of loss for nothing we never had. What did cause the sharp intake of air was to see that a player that would walk into our team has gone to a third tier French team. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superward Posted July 23, 2017 Report Share Posted July 23, 2017 It's considerably higher. Go on then. Do tell....I'm guessing you won't. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwistAndShout Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 so agree with this. Some fans are so desperate to feel that in some way they're best friends with the players. Follow them by all means but continually messaging them and tagging them in your tweets seems a bit like stalking. Guess it's just the social media generation we live in. This. Also the weekly good luck tweets to every player at the club, along with tweeting ex players good luck in friendlies. Get a life. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desp Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 the weekly good luck tweets to every player at the club This is absolutely tragic behaviour. If you do this, stop it. Just stop it. Tweeting guys, some of whom are about half yer age, wishing them good luck for a game of fitba is dodgy behaviour. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superward Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Clearly some bitter lads here who haven't had a Louis Moult retweet... 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaka Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 I always thought Twitter was that bit on my Mrs between her twat and her shitter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaka Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Clearly some bitter lads here who haven't had a Louis Moult retweet... What do you get for a retweet? Does a retweet mean anything? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 What do you get for a retweet? Does a retweet mean anything? About as much as the "like" I just gave your post. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goggles & Flippers Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 This. Also the weekly good luck tweets to every player at the club, along with tweeting ex players good luck in friendlies. Get a life. Hiya Gael, Hiya pal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzyB Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 We've apparently signed a striker but I can't get onto the club website.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supermarv Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 We've apparently signed a striker but I can't get onto the club website..Youngster from Bolton, George Newell 20 years old and has been playing with the 20s and that's where he'll play but is to push for a first team spot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superward Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 What do you get for a retweet? Does a retweet mean anything? Untold wealth and karma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 We've apparently signed a striker but I can't get onto the club website.. George Newell, signed from Bolton for the u20s on a 1 year deal. https://twitter.com/MotherwellFC/status/889522311480692738 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daver Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Young striker called George Newell until the end of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onthefringes Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Mike Newell's son? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_oats Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Mike Newell's son? It is indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superward Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Mike Newell's son?Yep I know we are stating he's signed for the under 20s. But at age 20 you would think that he maybe isn't that far from the finished article for some first team action. A year to prove it I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Yep I know we are stating he's signed for the under 20s. But at age 20 you would think that he maybe isn't that far from the finished article for some first team action. A year to prove it I guess. He couldn't get a game for Flyde which isn't promising. We still look very short up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_P Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Always quick to accentuate the positives eh! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellowell Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Back on thread new signing George Newall a young striker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Go on then. Do tell....I'm guessing you won't. My understanding is around 40% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milo Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 40%?!?!?! Surely not?!?!? Pointless selling for any less than 750k then?..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 40%?!?!?! Surely not?!?!? Pointless selling for any less than 750k then?..... I would imagine we will be looking for around that figure or a little less. However, given that we picked him up for next to nothing, his contribution to the team, and that a portion of the funds we receive will go towards servicing our debt, it seems like a decent deal. Not to mention we will insert a tasty sell on clause too. I imagine if we hadn't agreed to that, he may have been priced out of our range. So there was a bit of risk mitigation there, too. Even if he stayed on until the end of his contract and left as a free agent, he has still been a cracking piece of business. Firstly because of his contribution. Secondly, as an example to other players we try to recruit as to how we can elevate their visibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadgey Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Did steelboy write this article? http://www.thefootballlife.co.uk/post/163370695926/spfl-201718-season-preview-motherwell-get-last SPFL 2017/18 Season Preview - Motherwell: Get Last Season Tae It seems odd to say it now, but not all that long ago, Motherwell were consistently in Europe, consistently challenging at the right end of the table as opposed to coming close to falling out of it. Once the Stuart McCall era went to hell, Motherwell have been a team of little else but false beginnings. Ian Baraclough created a positive attacking side that was a mess any time they were pressured at the back. Mark McGhee never resolved that and paid for that with his job, becoming a meme in the process. Stephen Robinson has one hell of a task on his hands. Motherwell, last season, were a joke. Successive big defeats and errors from defenders who talked the talked but were incapable of walking the walk culminated in the famous Get this tae incident at Aberdeen last season. That, possibly, wasnt the nadir of last season as Well came uncomfortably close to the playoff spot. Robinson took over as a permanent solution after a fairly dismal failure trying to go it alone in England. Is there any cause to expect better in Scotland? Stephen Robinson has been busy in the transfer market - nine players have come to Fir Park this summer so far and you would expect that not to be the end of it. Motherwell come into this season after having three poor ones and Robinsons task this season is less to try to recoup former glories and more just to make sure that, this season, the word relegation isnt uttered at any point. But with a side that lacked composure at that back last season, that task doesnt look like it will be an easy one. Motherwells key issue remains the defence. Craig Samsons departure as goalkeeper was met by fans with joy but replacing him with Trevor Carson is not exactly convincing. Carsons recent time has been as a goalkeeper at mid to low table English League Two clubs spending last season playing half of Hartlepools games in a season where they dropped out of the football league altogether. Motherwell have plenty of history picking up rough diamonds from the lower reaches of the English leagues but Carsons record of not being a steady number one at the wrong end of the lowest tier would suggest he will not be one of them. In front of him, the defence is not solid. Robinson may have quietly dropped Stephen McManus, but still has to use Stevie Hammell who, at 35, is no longer effective enough to maintain a solid back line. On the opposite flank, Richard Tait will play out of position bt showed enough last season before injury to suggest that he will be able to continue his progress and grow into a real asset for the side. Charles Dunne, signed on a free from Oldham, will likely allow Tait to go back to the right flank (and move Hammell out) in time but it is concerning that he was not chosen for BetFred Cup duty and Tait played out of position instead.. In the centre, Ben Heneghan seems likely to do the same and Robinson has gambled on Leicester youth reject Cedric Kipre to partner him. Banking on a player from England who has literally zero in the way of first team experience is worrying and something which has bitten Motherwell in the backside regularly with Messrs L Laing and Z Jules. While Kipre could develop into a solid player, backing him so early in his career to make a difference is an extremely risky bet given that it is bound to take him time to come up to speed in terms of the rigours of first team football. The back-ups, aside from Stephen McManus (who has lost too much pace to be of much utility nowadays), are all young academy players with only Jack McMillan having more than ten senior appearances for the club. Its quite difficult, then, to see how Motherwells abysmal defensive record improving much. Aside from Inverness, they were the worst team defensively in the division by some considerable distance. Barring either Robinson showing organisational skills that havent shown themselves so far (Motherwell kept the same amount of League clean sheets in the 14 games before his arrival as in the 14 games he managed after arriving) or him having discovered a gem of a player in Kipre (or a future signing) with untapped talent that hasnt shown itself so far, its hard to come up with an argument to say that Motherwell will be any less weak at the back than last season. Anomalies such as the 7-2 to Aberdeen may not happen but that doesnt bring the goals conceded count down much and any team that is going to concede a minimum of 55 goals in a season is always going to be hanging around the wrong end of the table. That would be enough were it the only issue. Midfield has a similar issue in depth and reliance in the youth set up (albeit, the midfield is arguably the strongest part of this academy crop). The end of Keith Lasleys career robs them of a certain handsomeness in midfield but the new recruits of Andy Rose (with significant MLS experience) and Gael Bigirimana (who managed to make it at Coventry and came close at Newcastle) may not be of a standard to lift the team all by themselves, but both have the pedigree and background to suggest they will be able to make an impact at the club. Added to that, Chris Cadden is continuing his progression and may well do so further as Robinson appears willing to trial him in the centre where he can be more effective (although Hearts remain interested in him) and Well should be able to get a full season out of Carl McHugh after having his face cut open did him in for a period of last term. They should, at the very least, have strength in the centre of midfield be it from a holding or from an attacking perspective. That is where the good news ends. Louis Moults time at Motherwell has to be automatically suffixed with the words for now. He has been constantly linked away and interviews the player himself has given suggest that he doesnt have any intention of staying at the club past this season at most and if someone wouldnt mind arranging a transfer for him right now, that would be very good please and thank you. With Scott McDonald gone, Moult departing would be a catastrophic turn of events. Alex Fisher showed at Inverness he has the ability to do something at this level, but Moult is one of the few players in the league who has the goalscoring ability to keep a team up all by himself. In a side with the issues that Motherwell has, that is absolutely invaluable and Motherwells season will be defined not by struggles in the next few months, but in the struggle to the end of August in terms of keeping Moult at the club until at least May. Keep him, and Motherwells chances will be immeasurably improved. Lose him and they will be in some trouble. Having also lost over the summer Dom Thomas, Lionel Ainsworth and Stephen Pearson, Motherwell also look a little less creative out wide. Without McDonald needling, Ainsworth crossing and Pearson thrusting, Motherwell suddenly look almost solely reliant on Louis Moult to do everything. Motherwell, in some eyes, will be challenging for the top six. After all, they have redeeming features in attack that many other sides dont (namely, Louis Moult). But those strengths are more than offset by their weaknesses at the back. Furthermore, the likelihood of those redeeming features in attack being taken away from them by other clubs seems far more probable than the likelihood of the defence suddenly looking magically competent after three seasons where it has often been a running joke. The Steelmen are left with the probability of yet another season of struggle ahead. At the end of last season, I noted on twitter that, with the players leaving on a free and the likelihood that Moult would be off, Motherwell possibly had the weakest squad in the division. Now we come into the new season and, while enough has been done to avoid that conclusion, Motherwell arent far from the weakest side in the league. They lack the spirit and defensive depth of Accies, who will no doubt be down there, but have more cutting edge - even if Moult were to go, Alex Fisher showed himself more a poacher than any attacker Accies have. Even in July, the first Lanarkshire derby of the season in mid-October jumps out as the stereotypical relegation six pointer, even if Well do benefit from a schedule which means six of their first eight games are at Fir Park. The bookies have Motherwell an incredible 4/6 to be in the top six this season but, for me, Motherwell appear nailed on for the bottom six. The only question is just how bad it could get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinnae-punt-it Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Why does Robbo continually say 9 signings when I count 8? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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