The Great Rebuild 2017'18

[livivoice]

Getthatapologyforagoalkeepersamsonaffthepark.

 

Beat that Big Weegie Dosser!

[weeyin]

Tom Boyd?

[Goggles & Flippers]

Tom Boyd?

 

who?

[middleeastdave]

I am sorry I just don't see how this will progress the club with all these nationalities, why can't we look for some decent players from the Scottish Championship /Division 1 and I am sure the under 20's and fringe players must be getting p****d off with all these players being brought in.

 

This new guy might be ok nobody knows that, but sounds it will take until the end of the year to embed him into the team and even then it might not happen. I can see why we just offer 12month contracts in case he is another Blythe but unless he is exceptional I can only see him being used as a fringe player with only getting a game when injuries/suspensions kick in.

 

We went down this road around 10 years ago along with most Scottish Premier teams and didn't work then and cannot see it working now. It might be ok in the short term, but in long term I cannot see how this will make MFC a stronger club especially when it is owned by the community

[supermarv]

Or he could be the next Ojamaa n be absolutely class

[weeyin]

...why can't we look for some decent players from the Scottish Championship /Division 1

Because the development fees that would be due price us out the market.

 

That's why Cadden is worth 600k even if he lets his contract run down. The inevitable consequence is most of the young talent that comes through the ranks will move to clubs outside of Scotland.

[coop91]

A number of signings that Robinson has made are only 1 year unless they do enough To earn a longer contract. To me this seems to suggest that he would like to be promoting from the 20s next season, if they have progressed to a level where they can step up on a permanent basis. The youth players that are involved the first team at the moment are doing a fantastic job but are they really ready to do the full season? Robison looks like he has a plan for the future. Let's see how he gets on.

[fizoxy]

Players are only going to stick around at a club like ours for a couple of years regardless of their nationality.

 

As said above, we can't sign Scottish players under the age of 24 (I think) because we would have to pay a development fee even if they are out of contract, and if we wanted to buy said player when under contract we'd have to stump up even more. On the other hand we can sign a guy from elsewhere for nothing and then sell him on if he's good.

[Stu]

Look at how many people on here were calling for Robinson's head at the end of last season. Where was the patience or long-term planning from them?

 

Why is anyone surprised that Robinson is focusing on short-term signings when most managers lose their jobs in months rather than years and when some 'fans' are 90 minutes away from racing on to here to remind us that they never really rated him?

 

No manager is allowed the luxury of long-term planning.

[fizoxy]

We signed clay and Blyth on 2 year deals. I'd rather we mess up by signing a good player just for a year rather than a shite player for two.

[Clackscat]

A number of signings that Robinson has made are only 1 year unless they do enough To earn a longer contract. To me this seems to suggest that he would like to be promoting from the 20s next season, if they have progressed to a level where they can step up on a permanent basis. The youth players that are involved the first team at the moment are doing a fantastic job but are they really ready to do the full season? Robison looks like he has a plan for the future. Let's see how he gets on.

Couldn't agree more Coop. When I heard about this signing I thought someone would have a go about it, but like you I think this is a sensible move which covers a number of bases.

 

Robbo needs to buy time and have a number of options to cover signings not working out and/or U20s not fullfilling potential.

 

You need youngsters with the mentality to overcome obstacles and competition to reach the first team (not to see it as a right of passage) and grab their chance when it comes.

 

No more Blyths on 3 year deals is a big positive...now thats the type of signing it is right to have a go at, not this one which says 'prove yourself'

 

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

[Clackscat]

Look at how many people on here were calling for Robinson's head at the end of last season. Where was the patience or long-term planning from them?

 

Why is anyone surprised that Robinson is focusing on short-term signings when most managers lose their jobs in months rather than years and when some 'fans' are 90 minutes away from racing on to here to remind us that they never really rated him?

 

No manager is allowed the luxury of long-term planning.

I get where you are coming from and I actually think Robbo is covering both issues...immediate strengthening plus options for the future

 

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[Andy_P]

I am sorry I just don't see how this will progress the club with all these nationalities, why can't we look for some decent players from the Scottish Championship /Division 1 and I am sure the under 20's and fringe players must be getting p****d off with all these players being brought in.

 

This new guy might be ok nobody knows that, but sounds it will take until the end of the year to embed him into the team and even then it might not happen. I can see why we just offer 12month contracts in case he is another Blythe but unless he is exceptional I can only see him being used as a fringe player with only getting a game when injuries/suspensions kick in.

 

We went down this road around 10 years ago along with most Scottish Premier teams and didn't work then and cannot see it working now. It might be ok in the short term, but in long term I cannot see how this will make MFC a stronger club especially when it is owned by the community

 

I think the nationality element can be overplayed at times. It can be an eye catching statistic that you've little or no Scots in the team certainly but at the end of the day as long as they are doing the business on the park and they as people buy into the ethos of our club, nationality is not the be all and end all. It doesn't really matter if they were born in Bellshill, Belfast or Belgrade.

 

I mean take Louis Moult for example. I bet Motherwell were just another football team that he saw when checking the tables in his paper or that happened be on Sky Sports News when he flicked through the channels. Yet without any previous affinity he's completely bought into the community aspect of the club and makes himself available to supporters, appears at events etc. Then there's the likes of Dijkstra doing podcasts for Motherwell fans 20 years after he last kicked a ball for us and he and Nijholt have come over for events on several occasions.

 

That said, what I think you're also perhaps trying to get at - that an overly large group of fringe first team players blocking the route of progression of our U20's products isn't ideal, now that isn't an unreasonable point. But it is worthy of the debate we often have, of how many Craigan and Robinson believe are ready to contribute and to what degree, and how many are genuinely being held back.

 

I think as Stu alludes to Robinson is entitled to build a first team core, particularly in his first full season in charge. Now that may initially be to detriment in the short term of some of our U20's but I think he's due the freedom to get a squad together and look to supplement that with our U20's rather than be expected to be solely reliant upon them.

 

But by the same token it's also worth remembering though that despite quite a number of players coming in there aren't that many of them who are particularly old and have been brought in to supplement both the U20's and first team. Newell, our new Lithuanian signing (whose name I'm too lazy to cut and paste) and Cedric for example are what 20/21? It's not like we're talking older heads such as Craig Clay or Stephen Pearson being signed and blocking a pathway.

 

At the moment I'm fairly comfortable with how things are set up. A decent sized first team core with a much reduced average age than in recent terms, supplemented by a mixture of young signings in the 20-22 age group in conjunction with our own youngsters already at the club providing depth, cover and competition. You may question the quality of the players but I don't think the make up of the squad is miles off the mark.

[Yassin]

I am sorry I just don't see how this will progress the club with all these nationalities

By my reckoning our first team squad consists of

 

- 11 Englishmen (I'm counting Dunne,Rose and Bigi as they're all either born or raised in England despite representing other countries)

-7 Scots

-2 Northern Irish

-1 Irish

-1 Frenchman

-1Lithuanian

 

I'd possibly rather we had a few more Scots but that aside, it's hardly more multicultural than most workplaces.

[Lukemfc1]

By all accounts comes with a decent pedigree. Nottingham Forrest and then a fairly big club in Poland. 7 caps at 21 ain't too shabby too. Good to see the club tying someone else up. It will be interesting to see if he gets played as a winger or if it is a more central role. Personally i still feel we need an out and out striker but with the boy being young Robinson could have a different position in mind for him. Fingers crossed an experienced centre back is next on the list. I'd like to see someone a bit older come in as we seem to be lacking experience in the team at the moment. Don't get me wrong some of these young guys seem like have a lot to prove and a hunger about them but it's important to get a decent balance

[CrosshillWell]

I've watched a lot of Lithuanian football and spoken a lot about Lithuanian players over the last couple of years.

 

Petravicius comes with a good pedigree and is one of the top prospects in the country. A number of Dutch and Portugese teams were after him but he was very keen to stay in the UK.

 

My Lithuanian friends are surprised he was on trial with us and expected him to be back in the English Championship.

[Welldaft Mk1]

I've watched a lot of Lithuanian football and spoken a lot about Lithuanian players over the last couple of years.

 

Petravicius comes with a good pedigree and is one of the top prospects in the country. A number of Dutch and Portugese teams were after him but he was very keen to stay in the UK.

 

My Lithuanian friends are surprised he was on trial with us and expected him to be back in the English Championship.

Good insight - thanks.

 

My initial feeling was that this appeared to be an impulse buy, so to speak. He had only been with us for a week and has not played a lot of senior football in the UK. That said not sure how much senior football either Skippy or OJamma (to think of 2 players) had played in U.K. and they turned out to be decent signings.

 

With our wage budget we probably need to take some risks as buying the finished article or someone who is on everyone's radar is unlikely. Which means even a 50/50 success rate is quite high. So out of Newell and the Lithuanian boy unlikely both will turn out to be 1st team regulars this season or next. Time will tell.

[capt_oats]

Hartlepool interested in Bowman apparently. If you believe a report with no corroborating quotes but still, it wouldn't be a huge surprise tbh.

 

 

Hartlepool United are eyeing up a double swoop for Sunderland defender Michael Ledger and ex-Gateshead striker Ryan Bowman after giving boss Craig Harrison the go-ahead to strengthen his squad after Padraig Amond’s exit.

 

Striker Amond is expected to seal his move to Newport County today after telling Pools last week that he no longer wanted to play for the club.

 

The 30-year-old will put pen to paper with the League Two side in a deal which could be worth up to £40,000 for Pools.

 

Harrison and transfer chief Paul Watson have quickly drawn up a list of potential replacements, with Bowman among the targets.

 

The 25-year-old forward is still has a year left on his contract at Motherwell. Bowman has not been an automatic starter for the Scottish Premier League side at the start of the season, but came off the bench at half-time in their game on Saturday against Ross County to help inspire them to a much-needed victory.

 

A return to England may appeal for the Carlisle-born striker, who has plenty of National League experience from his spells at Darlington, Torquay and Gateshead, where he scored 19 goals in 48 appearances before moving north of the border.

 

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/football/hartlepool-united/hartlepool-line-up-double-swoop-for-sunderland-youngster-and-motherwell-striker-1-8716571

[Lobey_Dosser]

Appreciate Bowman has made an impact on occasion but if there is an opportunity to offload him I think we have to go for it. Particularly if it leaves enough room in the budget to recruit a Moult successor on a 2/3 year deal before Moult actually departs.

[ropy]

Would they pay anything?

[MelvinBragg]

The signings of Newell and Petravicius could be seen as blocking the path of U20s into the first team until you look at the ages of our attacking players in our U20s.

 

Jake Hastie 18

Dylan Falconer 18

James Scott 16

Alfred Agyeman 16

 

Certainly would seem unreasonable to expect players of that age to be ready to step up into the first team. Newell and Petravicius have a couple of years more physical development so you would hope would be more ready to step up. Noticeable that we haven't brought in any midfielders at the age of 20-21 because Campbell and MacLean are readier than Hastie, Falconer and the others.

 

Flipside to this would be any potential sale of Bowman. If Newell and Petravicius aren't quite ready for first team action, and we sell Bowman and Moult, it leaves us with only Fisher as a first team striker. It's all very well saying that we'll bring at least one replacement in but can we guarantee said replacement is fit and ready for first team action or are we likely to end up with someone like Newell and Petravicius who needs time to get up to speed?

 

For me, we can afford to sell Bowman or Moult, not both. If in six months, Petravicius or Newell look ready for the first team then we can move another on...

[Kmcalpin]

The signings of Newell and Petravicius could be seen as blocking the path of U20s into the first team until you look at the ages of our attacking players in our U20s.

 

Jake Hastie 18

Dylan Falconer 18

James Scott 16

Alfred Agyeman 16

 

Certainly would seem unreasonable to expect players of that age to be ready to step up into the first team. Newell and Petravicius have a couple of years more physical development so you would hope would be more ready to step up. Noticeable that we haven't brought in any midfielders at the age of 20-21 because Campbell and MacLean are readier than Hastie, Falconer and the others.

 

Flipside to this would be any potential sale of Bowman. If Newell and Petravicius aren't quite ready for first team action, and we sell Bowman and Moult, it leaves us with only Fisher as a first team striker. It's all very well saying that we'll bring at least one replacement in but can we guarantee said replacement is fit and ready for first team action or are we likely to end up with someone like Newell and Petravicius who needs time to get up to speed?

 

For me, we can afford to sell Bowman or Moult, not both. If in six months, Petravicius or Newell look ready for the first team then we can move another on...

Good post Greg. As of today we have short term options (Moult, Fisher, and Bowman); and possibly long term options (Hastie, Falconer etc) but no medium term options. The likes of Newell and Petravicius provide some succession planning. Our problem is if Bowman or Moult depart late in the window. They're different types of striker. if Moult goes we will need to repalce him with a goalscoorer. I'm not convinced that Bowman is an out and out goalscorer.

[Haggischomper]

Hartlepool interested in Bowman apparently. If you believe a report with no corroborating quotes but still, it wouldn't be a huge surprise tbh.

 

 

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/football/hartlepool-united/hartlepool-line-up-double-swoop-for-sunderland-youngster-and-motherwell-striker-1-8716571

Were we not linked with that Amond guy in the article a couple seasons back?

[CrosshillWell]

Were we not linked with that Amond guy in the article a couple seasons back?

We were.

[CrosshillWell]

Good insight - thanks.

 

My initial feeling was that this appeared to be an impulse buy, so to speak. He had only been with us for a week and has not played a lot of senior football in the UK. That said not sure how much senior football either Skippy or OJamma (to think of 2 players) had played in U.K. and they turned out to be decent signings.

 

With our wage budget we probably need to take some risks as buying the finished article or someone who is on everyone's radar is unlikely. Which means even a 50/50 success rate is quite high. So out of Newell and the Lithuanian boy unlikely both will turn out to be 1st team regulars this season or next. Time will tell.

Ojamma had played five times at English non league level, we signed him after a stint in Finnish football.

 

MacDonald had played twenty five times, two at Southampton and then various loan spells. He only scored twice.

 

As others have said, bringing in two young strikers was preferable as Mackin was released last season.

 

Turnbull, Hastie, Campbell, McLean and indeed McMillan give me hope over the next season. We are short at the back but hopefully McMillan will step up when needed.

 

I thought Campbell was MotM against Ross County.