2023/24 ins & outs discussion

[pretzel]

17 minutes ago, steelboy said:

You can't compare this guy to them. This is Connor Sammon MkII.

[Spit_It_Out]

Offt looking at this forward line and thinking it’s worst I might have to watch at Fir Park in many a year the Midfield will have to chip in with goals big time.

I honestly think Blair Spittal might be our top goal scorer this season  might stick a few pennies on it.

 

[texanwellfan]

3 minutes ago, Spit_It_Out said:

Offt looking at this forward line and thinking it’s worst I might have to watch at Fir Park in many a year the Midfield will have to chip in with goals big time.

I honestly think Blair Spittal might be our top goal scorer this season  might stick a few pennies on it.

 

As long as somebody, anybody scores enough goals for us to pick up points that’ll do me. 

[Mad Dog]

I think that this is the right approach in that SK looks to be building a team that works well together. Not like last season when we were all about KvV so if an opponent figured out how to stop him or if he was injured / suspended / in a huff we rarely looked like scoring.

If we can get four forwards in rotation scoring several goals each then it will have been a success. I've no idea if the new signings and Ferrie are capable of that but I look forward to seeing how they all develop.

[Yodo]

1 hour ago, Spiderpig said:

It was a specific Troll being referred to, not the well adjusted forum members so no insult intended

As I well adjusted member of this forum can you tell us all who u would sign and how many goals u think Bair will score . As far as I can see your fill of wind and pish 

[gaz7]

like most  have commented he does not give of much confidence that he can score a lot of goals but I will reserve judgement until hes been in team a few weeks and see for myself.

all about opinions and even last year lots on here were saying spittal was shite before kettlewell even though he had at that time outwith van veen highest goals and assists. Mcginn was getting slaughtered weekly again imo was our best defender. Some said he couldnt play centre half although he played rcb for hibs loads. before him ohara was shit and last year won player of year for st mirren as well as players player of year. I could go on but you see the point .

He might just need an arm around him a couple of early goals and hes away which Im certainly hoping for as Obika and Wilkinson are also not giving off great vibes although Wilkinson goal on saturday showed what hes capable off. Ferrie is also nowhere near ready and I didnt understand when someone said hes impressed in lc group games as I certainly never saw anything to suggest that. I cant remember him even having a shot but hes only 17 so plenty of time there.

 

[GazzyB]

If we get another decent striker in and we have said striker +1 of Bair, Obika & Wilkinson I can just about get behind that, but if it’s they three + young Ferrie I genuinely think we might get relegated.

[mfc]

Wilkinson and bair are a fair size,I hope plan a isn't hoof it forward at every chance.slattery is looking lean and played well so far,miller is quality on the ball and spittal can play a pass as well,we have midfielders that are good on the ball,our next forward signing has to have a bit of pace and movement about them and give our midfield the option of a through ball.

[Mad Dog]

8 minutes ago, GazzyB said:

If we get another decent striker in and we have said striker +1 of Bair, Obika & Wilkinson I can just about get behind that, but if it’s they three + young Ferrie I genuinely think we might get relegated.

I think that with those forwards we'll see a lot more goals from our midfield as well. We know that Obika works hard and links up well so it up to Wilkinson and Bair to show what their strengths are too.

[steelboy]

4 minutes ago, Mad Dog said:

 We know that Obika works hard

Are you joking here? Any time we don't have the ball he jogs about like a pensioner trying to make it round the Strathy. 

[David]

I like to consider myself someone who's as far from a reactionist as you'll find on this board, but honestly, these signings this summer are really starting to concern me. 

I think we're seeing a whole lot of "well, if Kettlewell likes the look of them, we need to have faith" from fans, which is fine, but last season at this point in time, fans were losing their shit to the extent that our manager was replaced. 

I know the European games were the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, but I clearly remember everyone losing the plot over our summer business, which consisted of:

• Blair Spittal on a two-year deal
• Paul McGinn on a one-year deal
• Josh Morris on a two-year deal
• Kevin Van Veen signing a new contract

Compared to this summer, that business looks absolutely amazing.

I'm 100% behind Kettlewell, as he's the man in the hotseat, but I still remember my thoughts before he got the job. He didn't do great at Ross County when he got handed the reigns on his own, with a win percentage of less than 30%.

He did really well with us for the four months he was in charge last season, but this is his first transfer window. His first chance to really put his stamp on the team, and to be blunt, I'm not impressed.

[Spit_It_Out]

I wasn't expecting a goal scoring KVV replacement machine I was expecting someone to make me to raise an eyebrow hmmm interesting.

I look at the frontline we have basically signed three of the same player that play similar way not much flexibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dennyc]

36 minutes ago, weeyin said:

If SK thinks he can make a player out of him I'll put more faith in that than the opinions of a few punters on here. Of course the usual suspects will be slagging him off before he touches a ball, but no change there.

You can't directly replace a player like van Veen. You have to set up differently and look for goals from different parts of the team.

Still looking forward though to steelboy's suggestions on strikers that meet his criteria that are available for us to sign.

The point you conveniently ignore is that over the past five seasons our three new strikers have scored a total of around 15 goals (Obika), 30 goals (Wilkinson) and 8 goals (Bair). So unless we see a dramatic uplift from them,  we can look forward to a total contribution of 10 goals per season from our entire strike force. With a young kid who has potential but is a long way from being first team ready, and who has yet to score,  as the alternative. Either that or midfielders played out of position. That is worrying and fans are justified in expressing concerns. (How they express those concerns is another matter.)  I agree the players should not be written off before they get an extended chance to prove themselves and Kettlewell has also earned some leeway.

You mention goals from elsewhere, so lets hope that Slattery, Spittal and a seventeen year old Miller (if he can avoid burnout) contribute at least ten goals apiece. The career history of our new recruits suggests we are going to need them.

Compare those players' track records to those of Van Veen, Moult (unknowns in Scotland when they joined),  Higdon and Sutton who each had enjoyed 20 goal seasons in their career before coming to us. . That downturn in the quality of strikers we are signing may well be down to finances but it only adds to the concerns that those fans not wearing blinkers are expressing. And, sorry, but it's not up to Steelboy to identify the next van Veen or Moult. That's down to our recruitment team although in fairness they may well be hamstrung by the level of wages we are prepared/able to offer. I firmly believe there are decent players out there, it is offering them a strong enough package to join us that is the problem.

But let's be honest. Throughout the League Cup, the performance of our strikers has been far from the level we will require when the League season starts. Lacking in pace, disjointed as a unit,  poor in the air and apparently far from reliable when presented with decent goal scoring opportunities. Early days, but that has to change. So far our midfield has carried the team but is it realistic to expect that to continue throughout an entire league season? 

I don't agree with a fair bit of what Steelboy comes away with....especially looking at his obsession with certain players and former staff...but he has a point in this case. Troll or not. 

 

[Busta Nut]

I am looking forward to seeing this Bair guy.

[mio]

You just can’t make a snap judgement on a player without seeing him perform a handful of times in a Motherwell jersey. 
If he’s rubbish we’ll find out soon enough but he also might be ok? Getting demented about this just now is mental behaviour 

[David]

I wasn't expecting us to sign a 29-goal striker either, but I was expecting us to do better than three strikers with a collective haul last season of 5 goals. 

And before anyone says, I'm perfectly aware that we can't expect to sign a striker who's hot off the heels of a double digit scoring season. I get that. 

But the three guys we've signed look decidedly suspect if I'm being honest. Let's try to frame this positively...

Obika is 32, so he's not improving. He's on the downslide of his career if anything. That's just how it goes at that age. He managed to hit eight and five league goals in his two seasons in Scotland with St Mirren, so I guess there might be some cause for optimism, even if that was three years ago now.

Wilkinson is 28 now, so should technically be hitting his prime. He looks the most capable of the guys we've signed, which is something of a positive, even if, in previous seasons, he'd likely be seen as a backup for better players at the club, in my opinion.

Bair is a signing that, no matter how positive I try to be and how many different angles I try to look at the signing from, I just don't get it. I don't see the upside.

He's 23, which is relatively young, I guess, but he made his pro debut four years ago, and to date, his best season return is four goals in the Norwegian second tier if I'm reading his stats correctly. 

He managed three goals in three seasons in MLS, four goals in one season in Norway, and one goal in 37 games in Scottish football. I simply can't see anything there that would warrant a trial, let alone handing him a two-year contract.

Fans were quick to jump on Alexander for giving Josh Morris a two year deal, but at least that was a player who had notched up double digit appearances every season in almost ten years of football, with most of it coming at English League One level. He was a journeyman, sure, but he at least had been picked regularly by managers at that level over ten years.

I don't understand why we were all quick to blast that signing as an absolute joke, yet this Theo Bair lad is getting the "well, he's big" and "he might be better than Mandron" chat. 

Is this because Kettlewell is a smoother operator than Alexander was? Are we buying into his signings more, despite their apparent lack of quality, because we want to like him more? 

[Spiderpig]

1 hour ago, Yodo said:

As I well adjusted member of this forum can you tell us all who u would sign and how many goals u think Bair will score . As far as I can see your fill of wind and pish 

Nah your the back up Troll for steelboy on his days off, nothing well adjusted about either of you, as for Bair he will score more than the 1 he got last season might be two or twenty he's a punt so who knows.

[grizzlyg]

If SK can turn Bair into a key player then it will be a masterstroke.

However if he proves to be a poor signing then SK has made a Boo Boo!!  (Sorry folks... couldn't resist it) 😜😜

[grizzlyg]

Or roll on Saturday if we are losing 1-0 and Theo comes off the bench , we will need him to save us a point so it will be a case of.  HELP HELP here comes the Bair!!!

(One for 1970's cartoon fans)

[Spiderpig]

16 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

If SK can turn Bair into a key player then it will be a masterstroke.

However if he proves to be a poor signing then SK has made a Boo Boo!!  (Sorry folks... couldn't resist it) 😜😜

Look on the brightside he has a ready made nick name "yogi"

[David]

Just now, Spiderpig said:

Nah your the back up Troll for steelboy on his days off, nothing well adjusted about either of you, as for Bair he will score more than the 1 he got last season might be two or twenty he's a punt so who knows.

is Bair a punt though? I always thought a punt was someone who has maybe had a season or two where they've not looked great, or have been coming off an injury like Souaré is. 

As I said above, there's literally nothing to suggest Bair is a professional-level footballer. I assumed once St Johnstone got rid after his one goal in nearly 40 games that he'd surface in the Canadian or US semi-pro leagues. 

That we've not only given him a chance but handed him a two-year contract is absolutely astounding.

[stv]

3 hours ago, steelboy said:

Kettlewell's comments on the website are unreal. He's an expert in talking pish yet he can't even find a way to praise Bair's footballing ability in the slightest. 

'Adds to our project', 'experience of playing in the league', 'only 23', 'improve our options'. 

Do you think he will get goals and win games for us Stuart? Of course you fucking don't.

Take a chill pill n calm doon , ye will burst yer stitches

[grizzlyg]

13 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

Look on the brightside he has a ready made nick name "yogi"

If he doesn't set heather on fire the fans will be having a Barney!! 

[MJC]

Not enthused by this signing in the slightest.

However good luck to him and hope things turn out better than expected.

[pretzel]

19 minutes ago, David said:

As I said above, there's literally nothing to suggest Bair is a professional-level footballer. I assumed once St Johnstone got rid after his one goal in nearly 40 games that he'd surface in the Canadian or US semi-pro leagues. 

Having broke through into an MLS side at a young age, getting capped by his country and being sold to St Johnstone for over 100 grand you would think many have the opinion that he is a more than capable professional level footballer. While he did make 34 appearances in the league last season 28 of these were from the bench and just clicking through his soccerbase profile he was thrown on with 15, 10, and 1 minute to go regularly. I'm going to assume that's Kettlewell has signed him as a 'project' going by his statement the other week about signing someone who didn't enjoy the best of seasons (or words to that effect). I've been impressed by Kettlewell and how he has managed to move on so much deadwood, hopefully his gamble pays off.