Next Motherwell Manager - Steven Hammell

[star sail]

4 hours ago, MJC_mkII said:

I think it’s too soon for him and not the right circumstances for him to get the job just now.

However if he did get the gig then I don’t think I’d ever want to see a Motherwell manager succeed more than him. He’s a club legend and a genuinely good guy. 

Agreed. I am sure everybody would wish him the very best but it would be a horrible thing to watch the support turn on him if results went against him.

 If football clubs were really serious about youth development his current role is one that should be highly paid and highly valued. Maybe not as highly paid as first team manager because of the responsibility involved but it should be a prestigious position held by a first rate coach. I think the point I am making is that if this is not the time for him to take the top job he should be nurtured and rewarded for his current role and backed all the more to make youth development front and centre of the clubs philosophy. 

 

[joewarkfanclub]

I understand the emotion attached to the above posts, and whilst I share it to an extent, is it really a good enough reason not to give Hammell the job if he appears to be the best fit for the club/role at this point in time? None of the candidates named so far has universal support and all have their deficiencies that are putting some of us off. He could go on to be the best Motherwell manager of all time and cement his status as a club icon. Personally, I still havent seen a name I would prefer over Crags, but the rumours of his departure appear to be an impedement to his return. I hope that isnt the case because he ticks many of the boxes Hammell ticks and I could see the 2 of them working well in tandem to ensure our academy players get the pathway to the first team that the club desperately needs. I also think Craigan has a stature about him that would demand respect from the players......

[Kmcalpin]

6 hours ago, mfc said:

Dundee utd do seem to have recruited well this summer and of course that is a massive help

They should be, given the money they've splashed out but don't have. Their fans, and a compliant media, should be asking serious questions of their board. How much cash are they going to fork out to finish 3rd?

[Gadgey]

Apologies for being late to the party ….

What is the alleged/rumoured offence that caused Crags departure and apparent reason why he is now unemployable at the club?

[grizzlyg]

6 minutes ago, Gadgey said:

Apologies for being late to the party ….

What is the alleged/rumoured offence that caused Crags departure and apparent reason why he is now unemployable at the club?

He was on twitter criticising my jokes, never forgave him and reported him to the club!! Lol

[SteelmaninOZ]

18 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

He was on twitter criticising my jokes, never forgave him and reported him to the club!! Lol

Great answer  

[wellsince75]

9 hours ago, joewarkfanclub said:

I understand the emotion attached to the above posts, and whilst I share it to an extent, is it really a good enough reason not to give Hammell the job if he appears to be the best fit for the club/role at this point in time? None of the candidates named so far has universal support and all have their deficiencies that are putting some of us off. He could go on to be the best Motherwell manager of all time and cement his status as a club icon. Personally, I still havent seen a name I would prefer over Crags, but the rumours of his departure appear to be an impedement to his return. I hope that isnt the case because he ticks many of the boxes Hammell ticks and I could see the 2 of them working well in tandem to ensure our academy players get the pathway to the first team that the club desperately needs. I also think Craigan has a stature about him that would demand respect from the players......

Crags would be a great fit , I don’t think he wants the job , thats what I’ve always heard from his interviews .

he said the same when he was the interim mgr a few years ago . He didn’t want to be a first green mgr .

On many ways can’t blame him . He gets paid well as a pundit and will have a better life balance than one of a mgr . 
 

shame as I’m sure he’d be great .

The danger for any former player like hammel for example is what happens 2 years down the line when we want to change mgr . Likely they need to move on from the club .

[spudmfc]

With the interview process kicking off next week I suspect it will b a who's who in the main stand today as anyone with aspirations of managing our club will be there

[joewarkfanclub]

10 hours ago, Gadgey said:

Apologies for being late to the party ….

What is the alleged/rumoured offence that caused Crags departure and apparent reason why he is now unemployable at the club?

Some have alluded to a personal relationship with a staff member whilst in his previous post. I have no information in that regard one way or another.

[MearnsWell]

Amazing how many auld boys in the O Donnell  stand look like Marcelo Bielsa….

[si91]

Sportsound reporting a shortlist of possibly 4 candidates, with two confirmed as Stevie Hammell and Simo Valakari - just guesswork perhaps…

[Yodo]

On 8/5/2022 at 12:02 PM, MelvinBragg said:

Contradicting yourself slightly there. If you feel the new man has to have the right to move people on and needs to bring in 5 or 6 players then I'd argue there is a bit of urgency in appointing someone given how long is left in the transfer window. 

Personally I'm more in favour of us taking our time and getting the right man. I reckon 2 signings will be enough to make a difference...

After today any change in how many signings we need  I now think we need at least 8 

[Dossertillidie2]

We need someone who can quickly identify the players that are way off the pace and shouldn’t be near that squad

we need someone to create a new style of play that is actually enjoyable to watch 

We need someone who knows what’s available in the youth to bring through (which is going to be MASSIVE over the next few seasons)

we need someone who can bring players in quickly with what’s left of the window and players that are cheap 

passion and a genuine love and concern for the club would be a bonus

So my preference remains for hammell despite todays result . Can’t judge someone on one game otherwise we would have given him it last Sunday 

[Big Stall]

3 hours ago, Yodo said:

After today any change in how many signings we need  I now think we need at least 8 

In reality, we needed 10 new faces at the end of last season. Except for Kelly, the rest really have no business in the first team. The fact that GA felt he only needed to add 2or 3 shows how much of a fucking diddy he is.

Ps.. i rarely if ever agree with yodo

[Kmcalpin]

18 hours ago, si91 said:

Sportsound reporting a shortlist of possibly 4 candidates, with two confirmed as Stevie Hammell and Simo Valakari - just guesswork perhaps…

He's a decent guy but Stevie Hammell would give me the fear, if appointed, not because we lost but given his mistakes today. Wrong team selection and players looking unsure of their roles. Valakari would be a huge risk and if Sportsound is correct that leaves just 2 other candidates - whoever they are. If anything, today proved that we need an experienced manager to haul us out of the mess.  Either the manager or his assistant needs to have a knowledge of Scottish football. Despite public comments today, no more players should be signed until the new man is in place, providing that isn't weeks away. 

[mfc]

4 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

He's a decent guy but Stevie Hammell would give me the fear, if appointed, not because we lost but given his mistakes today. Wrong team selection and player looking unsure of their roles. Valakari would be a huge risk and if Sportsound is correct that leaves just 2 other candidates - whoever they are. If anything, today proved that we need an experienced manager to haul us out of the mess.  Either the manager or his assistant needs to have a knowledge of Scottish football. Despite public comments today, no more players should be signed until the new man is in place, providing that isn't weeks away. 

I agree with that about hammell,I love him as much as the next well fan but this isn't the time for him,there's deep rooted problems in our squad and were in need of the right reinforcements,any appointment is a gamble but we need to limit that and go for someone with experience.im not sure on valakari either but it does feel like this time is the closest he has got to getting the job.

[joewarkfanclub]

I understand the desire for an experienced manager given where we are currently. Someone who knows what they are doing, knows Scottish football and can get us organised quickly so we get some sort of bounce to buy us time in rebalancing the squad. But from the list of names available there is no one on it that I would trust to improve us. Tommy Wright and Paul Lambert are available but neither fill me with joy for various reasons. Genuine question, who would others suggest we go for? 

[Kmcalpin]

6 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

I understand the desire for an experienced manager given where we are currently. Someone who knows what they are doing, knows Scottish football and can get us organised quickly so we get some sort of bounce to buy us time in rebalancing the squad. But from the list of names available there is no one on it that I would trust to improve us. Tommy Wright and Paul Lambert are available but neither fill me with joy for various reasons. Genuine question, who would others suggest we go for? 

This 100%. We don't know, of course who has approached the club offering their services or who the club may have approached  but there does appear to be a dearth of available "suitable" managerial talent around just now.

[fizoxy]

Whether it is hammell or someone else, we need someone that knows the Scottish game and has a realistic vision for a style of play. We've seen the likes of Maloney and Glass try to change the style too drastically and it was a disaster.

Our recruitment team doesn't fill me with confidence either. They brought in Slattery and Tierney who are decent, but they also landed Sol, Ojala, shields and Efford. We can't afford to miss on any of the players who come in before the window closes.

I assume the contracts for mugabi, mcginley and Maguire were more to do with Alexander, as was Morris.

[Spit_It_Out]

If Hammell gets the job and it all goes Pete Tong I feel like the board would drag it out as they wouldn't want to sack him due to his relationship with the club that's my fear.Just roll on and on until we are done.

Said it early on get on the blower to Ross County get Malky Mackay in here might not be everyone's cup of tea but clearly can get a group of players together singing the same song and nobody is telling me our current staff are better or worse than Ross Countys.He might fancy a move down to central belt he might not worth a try.

This down to four if true I hope to god the other two are something special that's all I am saying.

[star sail]

I don’t know if Hammell is the man for the job or not but what today has shown me is the short term, reactionary thinking that is all too prevalent in football.

Last week Hammell was the man for the job ( with some) because we won. This week he is not because we lost. What if Collum had awarded one or both of the penalties yesterday and Motherwell had won the game? Would Hammell get the job on the basis of six points from two games despite the fact that it is fine margins ( a decision from a referee etc) that often win and lose these games?

The club will know the qualities and abilities of Stevie Hammell and that will not have changed regardless of the results both this week and last. 

My suspicion is that the club don’t see him as being ready just yet. If they did they would have given him the job before the St Mirren game. I think they will consider him as an able assistant very much like Lasley.

In many ways the results of the last two games are irrelevant. 

As Spit it Out has just said above Malky MacKay is the best we could hope for. I can’t see that happening sadly.

 

[wellsince75]

7 hours ago, joewarkfanclub said:

I understand the desire for an experienced manager given where we are currently. Someone who knows what they are doing, knows Scottish football and can get us organised quickly so we get some sort of bounce to buy us time in rebalancing the squad. But from the list of names available there is no one on it that I would trust to improve us. Tommy Wright and Paul Lambert are available but neither fill me with joy for various reasons. Genuine question, who would others suggest we go for? 

Craggs would be my number 1 choice . The issue stopping that is he doesnt went to be a first team mgr . 
 

honestly it’s not easy. Ideally we want to find the next Alex Neil who can move us forward over 3-4 years and move on.  Easier said than done .

if Valakari can bring some other European talent whilst bleeding youngsters into the team im good with that .

equally I’m not against hammell - he can see the issues and is currently hampered with suspensions , injuries and need to sign more players .

I don’t believe Malky is the answer - why come to Motherwell , we’re similar to county in terms of fan base etc , it’s not a step up for him 

[MelvinBragg]

9 hours ago, Big Stall said:

In reality, we needed 10 new faces at the end of last season. Except for Kelly, the rest really have no business in the first team. The fact that GA felt he only needed to add 2or 3 shows how much of a fucking diddy he is.

Ps.. i rarely if ever agree with yodo

I've stated elsewhere that this squad plus Tony Watt and Kayne Woolery showed itself capable of winning games in the SPL last season (I know O'Hara,  Donnelly and Grimshaw were also here but they weren't exactly crucial). It shows the difference just two or three of the right types of player makes.  Personally I reckon an organiser at the back or in midfield and some direct pace up top so teams don't feel they can defend as high against us, those two would improve us hugely.

But the next manager's biggest task is getting guys playing to their best. Take Mugabi. He was never Beckenbauer but last season looked solid for the most part with the occasional howler thrown in. In other words, an average SPL defender. Yesterday he, along with most of the team, looked terrified. Not an ideal mindset for playing football.

Talk of 6 or 7 new signings is fanciful. New manager, whoever he is, needs to identify 2 or 3 to address problem areas, yes. But also has to remind the guys that are here how they can play...

[wellsince75]

2 hours ago, MelvinBragg said:

I've stated elsewhere that this squad plus Tony Watt and Kayne Woolery showed itself capable of winning games in the SPL last season (I know O'Hara,  Donnelly and Grimshaw were also here but they weren't exactly crucial). It shows the difference just two or three of the right types of player makes.  Personally I reckon an organiser at the back or in midfield and some direct pace up top so teams don't feel they can defend as high against us, those two would improve us hugely.

But the next manager's biggest task is getting guys playing to their best. Take Mugabi. He was never Beckenbauer but last season looked solid for the most part with the occasional howler thrown in. In other words, an average SPL defender. Yesterday he, along with most of the team, looked terrified. Not an ideal mindset for playing football.

Talk of 6 or 7 new signings is fanciful. New manager, whoever he is, needs to identify 2 or 3 to address problem areas, yes. But also has to remind the guys that are here how they can play...

We all see the game differently .

Mugabi for me was never good enough.  Granted games where he was big and strong and won lots of balls but most games I watched his general lack of awareness either of where he was or where the opposition was caused all sorts of issues .

a big unit of a man who gives his all but lacks footballing intelligence . I don’t believe many if any SPL sides would sign him and from what I can see most other clubs have far better players in central defence 

[MelvinBragg]

55 minutes ago, wellsince75 said:

a big unit of a man who gives his all but lacks footballing intelligence .

You just described half the central defenders in the SPL and many we've had and done well with before (Kiprè?). Difference is Kiprè had Tom Aldred and Peter Hartley alongside him. Most clubs have one centre half who is an organiser or a leader (Mulgrew at Utd, Taylor at Kilmarnock). We have a load of guys who are ok as second centre backs with a leader alongside them. I'm assuming Ojala was supposed to be that guy given his pedigree but he's made of meringue...

EDIT As if to make my point, I turn on the telly and see Rocky Bushiri playing for Hibs...