David Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 We'd normally be looking forward to seeing who's coming and going next season by now, so let's just batter ahead with this. I know we don't know what the script is with contracts and suchlike, but for the time-being we have the following players out of contract at the end of the current season. Most deals end in May/June I believe. Rohan Ferguson Mark Gillespie Richard Tait Peter Hartley Charles Dunne Adam Livingstone Barry Maguire Mark O'Hara (end of loan) Tony Watt Christopher Long Christy Manzinga Christian Ilic Ronaldo Aarons (end of loan) Mikael Ndjoli (end of loan) That's a sizeable chunk of the first team squad, although I'm sure some of them will be retained. Personally, I'd try to keep Tait, Dunne, Watt, Long, and maybe Ilic. The rest I wouldn't be all that fussed about. If we can get O'Hara permanently then that would be a great piece of business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiderpig Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 I would agree with, keeping Tait, Dunne, Watt and Long, the rest can go, as they have contributed nothing, the signs seem good for a permanent deal for O'Hara, so here's hoping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supermarv Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 Could be a new manager we are looking for very soon rather than players with the NI job becoming Vacant. Seen a lot of news things online suggesting Robbo is the favourite, wouldn’t begrudge him that move but feel he can still do a lot more in club management and hopefully lead us into Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_P Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 Purely on a football basis I were Robinson I'd be inclined to take the Northern Ireland job if offered. He is young enough that if even if weren't to work out as he might hope on the back of what he's done at Motherwell he would be better placed than many to resume life at domestic level. I don't think there is massive amount left for him to achieve at a club of our stature beyond winning a trophy, and well we're closing in on 30 years since the last Motherwell manager did that which gives that some perspective. There is Europe of course but again as we have seen in the past the Europa League has been and gone for us before we're on to third league fixture. Enough of a draw for you to knock back a rare chance of managing your country. Hmm..... You kind of think about Stuart McCall electing to stay on and not moving when his managerial reputation was perhaps at its peak and how quickly things can turn. There are however one or two off field variables in there that will muddy the water. He's mentioned repeatedly about the manner in which he's supported by the board and it would appear that was very much the case throughout his well publicised court case. He may feel there is more to give back as a consequence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santheman Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 He is big on loyalty and if it was another club sniffing about I think he would almost certainly elect to stay with us but the chance to manage your country might only come along once in a lifetime so he will be tempted. However, I think that he will go on to be successful managing at a bigger club and will undoubtably get the chance again when he has a bit more experience under his belt which might make him even more successful than if he took the job now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winning by Name Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 19 hours ago, David said: We'd normally be looking forward to seeing who's coming and going next season by now, so let's just batter ahead with this. I know we don't know what the script is with contracts and suchlike, but for the time-being we have the following players out of contract at the end of the current season. Most deals end in May/June I believe. Rohan Ferguson Mark Gillespie Richard Tait Peter Hartley Charles Dunne Adam Livingstone Barry Maguire Mark O'Hara (end of loan) Tony Watt Christopher Long Christy Manzinga Christian Ilic Ronaldo Aarons (end of loan) Mikael Ndjoli (end of loan) That's a sizeable chunk of the first team squad, although I'm sure some of them will be retained. Personally, I'd try to keep Tait, Dunne, Watt, Long, and maybe Ilic. The rest I wouldn't be all that fussed about. If we can get O'Hara permanently then that would be a great piece of business. Is Ferguson the goalkeeper who was on loan in N.Ireland? If so I would keep him as Carson's cover. I agree completely with everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiderpig Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 18 hours ago, supermarv said: Could be a new manager we are looking for very soon rather than players with the NI job becoming Vacant. Seen a lot of news things online suggesting Robbo is the favourite, wouldn’t begrudge him that move but feel he can still do a lot more in club management and hopefully lead us into Europe. The BBC gossip page this morning has Tommy Wright as the favourite to replace O'Neil for the NI job https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52393850 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Blues Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 22 minutes ago, Spiderpig said: The BBC gossip page this morning has Tommy Wright as the favourite to replace O'Neil for the NI job https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52393850 They're talking up Ian Baraclough as a front runner too. What times we live in! https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52383755 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted April 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 If Robbo pips Baraclough to the Ireland job, we could always get him in as his replacement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkyred Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 1 hour ago, David said: If Robbo pips Baraclough to the Ireland job, we could always get him in as his replacement Surely a straight promotion from within. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted April 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 59 minutes ago, Yorkyred said: Surely a straight promotion from within. Just to clarify, I wasn't being serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelmaninOZ Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 2 hours ago, David said: Just to clarify, I wasn't being serious. I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkyred Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 8 hours ago, David said: Just to clarify, I wasn't being serious. I know, neither was I, should have added a winky thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stv Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 You will go blind doing that thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texanwellfan Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 Time to leave this conversation I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxteth O'Grady Posted May 13, 2020 Report Share Posted May 13, 2020 https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mark-gillespie-plays-canny-newcastle-21996832 Quote Mark Gillespie plays it canny as Newcastle United transfer target speaks out on Motherwell future Goalkeeper is pushing on with a business management degree as he weighs up future. Mark Gillespie has spent lockdown dispelling the myth that all goalkeepers are daft. The Motherwell shotstopper has completed the first year of an Open University degree in business management - and harbours ambitions of one day running the game rather than playing it. Before that though the 28-year-old has a massive career choice to make on the park with his contract at Fir Park at its end. A new deal in Lanarkshire is on the table but Record Sport revealed last month Premier League big guns Newcastle United are keen to take the Geordie back to his native land. Talks with the Magpies are on hold just like football itself as the world attempts to overcome the coronavirus crisis. But Gillespie, who has also caught the eye of English Championship clubs, hasn’t ruled out staying put with the Steelmen for whom he was a standout between the sticks in the last season. It’s all a bit of a headache for now. But Gillespie has proved he has the intelligence to make the right call as he gets stuck into his studies. He said: “My future is up in the air at the moment until everyone knows the situation with the wider game. “Clubs, players, managers don’t know what’s coming next week never mind next season. “Once it becomes clear where the leagues stand and things like that there will be conversations to be had. “Lockdown has been hard for everyone but it’s given me a chance to complete the final module of my first year of a business management degree. “Goalies get this rep that they are mad. Okay certain elements of the position probably mean it helps to be a bit crazy but to say we are all mental is a complete myth. “A few team mates down the years have said I’m one of the few with a brain. I’m not blowing my own trumpet but I’d say I’m probably right at the top of the class in the Motherwell changing room - I’ll not say who’s bottom! “It’s done through the Open University and is something I have thought about for a while. I had a few injuries when I was younger, I thought about it then and it has stuck with me. “It’s never too early to start thinking about life after football. You just don’t know what’s round the corner and it would be stupid to reach 35 and have nowhere to go. “I’m doing my coaching badges too and Motherwell Academy have helped with that. “I was quite good at school so I wouldn’t rule out doing something that involved wearing a suit. My expertise is in football so maybe I could combine the two because sometimes the higher up you go in football then the fewer people are there who have actually played the game. “Maybe there’s an argument that more people who have actually played the game could have a part to play in the management of it. “I’m just at the end of my first year - it’s part-time and will take six years! Hopefully the last years will coincide with towards the end of my career.” It’s 10 years ago this weekend since he made his professional debut for Carlisle United. And he admits the campaign which could finally be ended officially in the coming week is his best yet. “I’m really happy with my own performances this year but even ore so with how the team has done,” he said. “For us to be sitting third is a credit to everyone at the club and especially the manager. Just the way the club is run as a whole. “It was really frustrating the way it stopped. “We were due to play Aberdeen on the Friday night and a win would have put us in a really good position to clinch third place. “We were ready to play but we got wind of what was coming pretty early in the day especially with had happened with Mikel Arteta in the days before. “But we’ve had a brilliant season no matter what. We came back from the winter break and the first game was Aberdeen away. People were saying our bubble would burst but we went up there and won 1-0. That was a huge statement. “The manager showed us a league table for the calendar year 2019 and we were third in that as well. So there’s no argument, we’ve been the third best team in the country for a sustained time. “Motherwell have been brilliant for me. It’s been the highlight of my career so far. “I had lost my way a little bit but the last two years I have kept a lot of clean sheets and I’ve been pleased with my performances.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinjy Posted May 14, 2020 Report Share Posted May 14, 2020 I wonder if Gillespie, Long and any other player who was offered a deal and didn't sign is now regretting that. With their contracts up in June it could be six months before anyone signs them and they see a wage again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxteth O'Grady Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52709540 Quote Motherwell: Playing budget impacted by coronavirus By Scott Mullen BBC Sport Scotland 19 minutes ago From the section Motherwell Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson says his team will be built around youth next season Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson admits his playing budget has already been impacted because of the financial pressures caused by coronavirus. Robinson said the Fir Park club could no longer "gamble" on players after revealing some have already been told their deals would not be renewed. "It's the hardest bit of football," Robinson said of squad cuts. "Everyone is going to have to tighten their purse strings... we aren't in a position to take gambles." Robinson guided Motherwell, the only fan-owned club in the Premiership, to third place in the table. And he revealed that he has already made some tough decisions regarding his squad for next season. "Some are probably dictated by finance at the moment. Everyone is going to have to tighten their purse strings. So boys who we were maybe going to give another year to to see how they progress we weren't able to. We just had to get to the base squad we are committed to. "Difficult conversations but I think it was only fair to them to do it as quickly as possible to give them a heads up on their livelihoods and careers, as up until then there was still a remote chance we may have come back to play the season out. "We aren't in a position to take gambles. We take a couple each year." A high turnover of players is nothing new at Fir Park. Thirteen first-team members left last summer, with Robinson retaining a core for this season's campaign. While some were told they would not be staying on Monday, new contracts have been offered to several first-team players, with clarity expected by the end of the week. However, Robinson admits terms offered to some may change as the club adapts to financial constraints. "Boys we have offered contracts to we are still hoping to fulfil them. It may be at a lower rate of pay," he said. "I haven't got the budget yet as all this only happened yesterday. But it's going to make an impact, make no mistake. Every club in the country will be exactly the same, not just us. "We are in a decent position in terms of where we finished and European football, but there will be a big impact on budget and the club, staff and Scottish football as a whole. "We have boys contracted. We will try to fulfil the contracts to the younger boys we have offered contracts to, as that is who the club is going to be built around. "This will become clearer this week when Jim [McMahon, chairman], Alan [Burrows, chief executive] and the board sit down on Zoom and thrash out what we are able to give. There will be a worst-case scenario which is right now when we don't know when crowds are coming in, the next when it starts opening up a little bit and possibly back to normally." Monday's announcement that the league season had been called meant Motherwell had secured European football for the first time in six years. And Robinson added: "It's fantastic for the whole football club, the players should be very proud. Ultimately, I thought we would have finished third over the calendar year anyway. "I think we thoroughly deserved it, some of the football we've played has been excellent and some of the young players have really stood up." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkyred Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 47 minutes ago, Toxteth O'Grady said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52709540 Given every club is going to be impacted I don’t see us being impacted any more or less than any other club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaka Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Motherwell finishing a season with a "woe is me, were skint" plea. Yawn. Exact same when we got to the Scottish Cup final in 2011, McCall spent the entire build up bleating about how we have to cut the budget. Same a couple years ago when we made 2 Cup Finals in the same year, same excuse when we sell all our kids, and same again now we have finished 3rd. Every club in the land is going to be affected, however WE should realistically be affected least giving the fact that there isnt a hope in hell we would have budgeted for a top 6 finish nevermind 3rd! Instead of tediously continuing to plead poverty, how about putting out a positive story about how we finished 3rd against all expectations and have a European challenge to look forward to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Aye, I was thinking the same myself. Back of a fag packet calculation: At best we'd have had 4 home games left this season. Our average crowd this season has been officially clocked at 5, 574. so let's be generous and say we maintained that average. If we have 4,000 season ticket holders, then we have their gate money already. So staying in a generous mood, if we had 1,500 paying punters at an average of £20 a game over those 4 games, that would be £120,000 in gate money we lose out on. There would be a loss for hospitality, pies, programmes etc, but a saving on police, stewarding and other staffing. Our prize money for finishing 3rd is something like £2.06 million. So even if we had budgeted on finishing 6th, that's and extra £500k than we anticipated and should exceed the loss of income from those last 4 games. I understand that there is uncertainty over the income from the upcoming season, but the Sky contract means overall the prize money should increase. And given that one of the main reasons clubs wanted to call the season now was to make sure next season's TV money was protected, it's not unreasonable to think that will be the case. I'm certainly not suggesting we should be set £100s on fire, or splashing out on mega contracts, but the "we're skint" spiel is a bit old and tired. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 45 minutes ago, weeyin said: Aye, I was thinking the same myself. Back of a fag packet calculation: At best we'd have had 4 home games left this season. Our average crowd this season has been officially clocked at 5, 574. so let's be generous and say we maintained that average. If we have 4,000 season ticket holders, then we have their gate money already. So staying in a generous mood, if we had 1,500 paying punters at an average of £20 a game over those 4 games, that would be £120,000 in gate money we lose out on. There would be a loss for hospitality, pies, programmes etc, but a saving on police, stewarding and other staffing. Our prize money for finishing 3rd is something like £2.06 million. So even if we had budgeted on finishing 6th, that's and extra £500k than we anticipated and should exceed the loss of income from those last 4 games. I understand that there is uncertainty over the income from the upcoming season, but the Sky contract means overall the prize money should increase. And given that one of the main reasons clubs wanted to call the season now was to make sure next season's TV money was protected, it's not unreasonable to think that will be the case. I'm certainly not suggesting we should be set £100s on fire, or splashing out on mega contracts, but the "we're skint" spiel is a bit old and tired. Agree overall but don't forget gate money is subject to VAT and due to concessions our average £20 might be nearer £15. We would also have to fork out expenses to away games like Aberdeen for example. Other clubs will face exactly the same financial issues. It'll be interesting though which clubs, outwith the gruesome twosome, splash the cash over the summer (irrespective of whether they have it or not). Your points are well made though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 8 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said: Agree overall but don't forget gate money is subject to VAT and due to concessions our average £20 might be nearer £15. Absolutely. My rough calculation of 1,500 at £20 was meant to compensate somewhat for losses from other match day revenue streams, but I'd imagine actual gate revenues would be much closer to £15 a head. As you say, regarding overheads for away trips etc., our actual profits for the remainder of the season would be less than my fag packet calculation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastfromtheeast(stand) Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52709540 subject to this article I was wondering what players do people think might be away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzlyg Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 3 hours ago, Yorkyred said: Given every club is going to be impacted I don’t see us being impacted any more or less than any other club. I have had issues about this for a while. Why are we always going to media saying we have no budget, costs being cut etc etc?. All clubs are struggling financially but they all dont come out pleading poverty. There are lots of well fans who will be struggling at the moment with the current situation so we dont need Robbo coming out with statement a day after we could celebrate 3rd. Again that is just my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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