postiejim Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 MARK McGHEE says he'll have to become a magician this summer to pull new signings out of thin air. The Fir Park gaffer says he's struggling to seal deals with transfer targets as English Championship clubs are offering THREE times the wages of Motherwell's top earners. He groaned: "We've been talking to the agent of a player in the First Division since Christmas and were confident we might get him. "Then he got an invitation to speak to a Championship club who have already offered him three times our best wages. "Some youth players are ready to progress but that's not enough to equip the squad - we need experienced players. "Last year we found Maros Klimpl, Jim O'Brien and John Sutton . We'll need to do the same again this year." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzyB Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 O'Brien's been a consistently good player all season and Sutton has chipped in with his fair share of goals. Don't see what's funny about that at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML1 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 O'Brien's been a consistently good player all season and Sutton has chipped in with his fair share of goals. Don't see what's funny about that at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat_tony Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Sutton is a good player if used in the right way. Unfortunately, we haven't been playing to his style. We've asked him to take the Porter role, something he's out everything into but just isn't suited to. Get him in and around the box and he'll score goals no problem. We just don't utilise him to the best effect. As for O'Brien, since Christmas he's been consistently good (aside from some shocking crossing) and hopefully can improve in the right ways over pre-season. There's no denying we need a couple of quality players though and possibly more depending on who leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobey_Dosser Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Wonder who the player is!? Griffiths or Dobbie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faddythedaddy Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Dobbies away to Swansea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_P Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I think two of them have been at worst fair signings. Sutton I think must be a really frustrating player to manage. He looks to me at times as if he's completely anonymous for 2 or 3 games at a time then you get a wee burst of goals, miss straight forward chance then out of nowhere there's a Zidane like strike like his goal at Ibrox. But I think any Motherwell player that can hit double figures has something to offer the team and he's done that, so while he's a bit of an enigma I think he's been a decent signing. O'Brien has shaped up well since he got into the team and I would like to think there's more to come. He's still relatively inexperienced in comparison to many his age - I don't even think he's played 50 plus top team career games yet, has shown a desire to better himself and reacted well to McGhee's promptings, so he's a bit of a work in progress. But again I think a decent signing from what I've seen thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelvinBragg Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Sutton is a good player if used in the right way. Unfortunately, we haven't been playing to his style. We've asked him to take the Porter role, something he's out everything into but just isn't suited to. Get him in and around the box and he'll score goals no problem. We just don't utilise him to the best effect. I think the way we play hasn't helped Sutton. A lot of our build up goes through the middle. He's a guy who thrives on crosses. I think that a 4-4-2 with proper wide men raining crosses in, or even a 3-5-2 might benefit him. And I don't think this would do any harm to Clarkson's game either, he's decent in the air as well. Also might mean that not everything was gojng through Clarkson. It seems to me that teams have worked out that if you shut Clarkson down, there's a fair chance we won't score... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML1 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Going back to the original article, Motherwell cant compete with Championship clubs in the transfer market , is the manager genuinely surprised by this how long has he been here ? and without singling anyone out if what we are getting from them is their best, nevermind bottom 6 next season we could have a relegation battle on our hands. We lack goals and thats a worry , games against the (rank rotten) teams at the bottom lately have shown us up. We didnt deserve any more than we got against Falkirk St Mirren or Kilmarnock and robbed Hamilton the last time we played them. Third best team in the league my dick. From midfield going forward we definately arent good enough although i trust MMcG to put it right. Although hopefully when he says we need more experience he doesnt mean benchfillers at the top end of our wage structure like we have now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I'd like to think Mr McGhee is doing all he can to secure a commanding leader for the team, someone who can instill some fighting spirit .......... which is sadly lacking at present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML1 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I'd like to think Mr McGhee is doing all he can to secure a commanding leader for the team, someone who can instill some fighting spirit .......... which is sadly lacking at present. Id actually disagree with that a wee bit , in Klimpl , Craigan , Quinn for example we have chest thumpers who can gee the team up and in any case i'm not doubting the effort of any the players. I think it's more a case of lacking in talent that see's us fail to impose ourselves in an attacking sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelvinBragg Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Id actually disagree with that a wee bit , in Klimpl , Craigan , Quinn for example we have chest thumpers who can gee the team up and in any case i'm not doubting the effort of any the players. I think Quinn is far more of a leader than Craigan but unfortunately the manager undermined that by removing the captaincy from Quinn last season. We do need someone to be a driving force in the middle of the park. I don't know if Klimpl is that man, he seems a bit much of a headless chicken to me to fulfil the Scott Leitch role... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milo Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 We need a goal scorer and badly. We've only scored more than 2 goals in a game twice this season (Falkirk 3-2 and Utd 4-0) which is a shocking statistic. Nae goals v Kilmarnock on 3 occassions this season, and none in the last two games against Falkirk and St Mirren. I don't see how McGhee can say we're the 3rd best footballing team in the league to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelvinBragg Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 We need a goal scorer and badly. We've only scored more than 2 goals in a game twice this season (Falkirk 3-2 and Utd 4-0) which is a shocking statistic. Nae goals v Kilmarnock on 3 occassions this season, and none in the last two games against Falkirk and St Mirren. I don't see how McGhee can say we're the 3rd best footballing team in the league to be honest. I'd agree with your last statement, the first paragraph I'd take issue with. Clarkson, Sutton and prior to his departure Porter have all weighed in with goals. The real problem is that no other bugger does. We need a goalscorer, aye, but one that plays in midfield not to replace one of the strikers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postiejim Posted May 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I don't see how McGhee can say we're the 3rd best footballing team in the league to be honest. As someone says he talks a good game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelvinBragg Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 As someone says he talks a good game. Careful, with talk like that round here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I can't say I 100% agree with McGhee when he says we are the best outside the top 2 but after meeting him the other day, he said that theres only 10 first team players he can trust whilst on the top of their game to win constantly - and I think that is how he feels when he has his top players out performing to their best he feels we have the third best team in the league. If anything it shows ambition and if he truly believes it - it rubs off on the players - giving them extra self-belief/confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweed Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 There have been a number of games this season which we have dominated and not had that many chances - I think creation of the good chance is more of an issue than taking them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ya Bezzer! Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 We need a goal scorer and badly. We've only scored more than 2 goals in a game twice this season (Falkirk 3-2 and Utd 4-0) which is a shocking statistic. It's not really a goal scorer we need. Clarkson, Sutton and Porter all scored goals and are right there at the top of the SPL goalscoring charts. The big problem is no one else in the squad scores goals. We get nothing from the midfield or the defence in terms of goalscoring (Big Boab is the top scorer excluding the forwards with 3 goals). What we really need is midfielders chipping in with 4 or 5 goals and defenders getting 1, 2 or 3 per season. Instead we got Craigan, Reynolds, Hammell, Lasley, McGarry and McLean on 0 goals this season in 129 combined starts! Then we have Quinn, Hughes, Fitzpatrick, O'Brien, Murphy, Klimpl and Sheridan with 1 goal each in 117 combinded starts! So basically our squad, excluding the three main forwards and Bob Malcolm have contributed 7 goals from 246 starts or ONE GOAL EVERY 35 APPEARANCES. There is the problem and it's a much bigger one than just bringing in a new striker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherwell Football Club Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Without Sutton and O'brien we would most likely be deep in the relegation dogfight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML1 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 A quick look shows i think they played together in the 8 games up until yesterday , we won 2 of the 8. Id say a full season of them together is more likely to see us in a relegation dogfight. Anyone know why O'Brien wasnt playing yesterday ? Id like him to play these games to either get confidence against the worst defences in the league or show to the manager that he isnt good enough for the top league and should be bombed before the next window shuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I think Quinn is far more of a leader than Craigan but unfortunately the manager undermined that by removing the captaincy from Quinn last season.I think Quinn did a fair job of that himself. A number of clubs would have shown him the door after his antics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 O'Brien was apparently ill, but McGhee said he and Quinn failed late fitness checks through injury. I honestly do think O'Brien can cut it easily, get a solid pre-season behind him and we will benefit from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML1 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Last year in Austria and onwards seemed to be solid enough for everyone else .... hope you are right, whether he is good enough or not isnt really here or there as we are stuck with him or McGarry to replace him, that's just how it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haggischomper Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I'd like to think Mr McGhee is doing all he can to secure a commanding leader for the team, someone who can instill some fighting spirit .......... which is sadly lacking at present. We definitely seem to have a lack of bottle right now in contrast to teams that Butcher would put out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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