The Canning Thread

[Admin]

Let's try and keep all of the Canning talk in this single discussion thread, folks.

All future Canning threads that are deemed unnecessary will be locked.

We've been having far too many duplicate topics cropping up, and as a result the discussion has been fragmented. Also, please try and keep it civil.

[Todd_is_God]

Surely merging the two existing threads into one would have been better than locking them both and starting a new one?

Locking the two threads makes it look like an effort to stifle discussion.

Will you be locking all duplicate threads in future (basically anything started by H9), or just Canning threads?

[Bluesy]

On balance I would prefer he stayed as a player coach and we got a new manager.

Can't see it happening though.

Need someone who'll buy into pressing game (which has gone to pot recently) and under 20s.

Mark McLaughlin done any badges?

[Todd_is_God]

I don't think this is the time for another experiment tbh. We need to bring in someone with a proven record in the top flight to give us a chance. I've mentioned him before, but Jimmy Calderwood 100% fits the bill for what we need right now. If the club wanted to develop MM into a future manager, it would need to be under the watch of a proven manager.

Not everyone is capable of being a manager. I believe MC is giving it his best shot, but that the reality is he's not cut out for it. Not without some sort of mentor anyway. Realistically, if MC was sacked on Monday, he would not get another job in the SPFL.

[accies1874]

This has been needed for a while so well done, Admin. Canning will end up stepping down now this has been done won't be?
I'd like to see McCall come in if Canning goes but I understand his reputation has taken a kicking due to his time at Sevco but he's the man that took Motherwell to being the second best team in Scotland two years in a row and third the season before.

[PrideOfLanarkshire]

Will we win another game this season? I don't think we will (i really hope i am wrong)

After today's comments in the papers from Les Gray the players will be thinking' why should i bother? if he doesn't care then why should i? We are going downhill rapidly. I remember when we got relegated under Billy Reid the season in the 1st div it looked like we where going to go down again. I honestly believe if Canning takes us down to the championship he'll take us down to league 1 the following year. Sorry, but i just don't have any confidence in him anymore. I gave him the benefit of the doubt last season but i can't do it this season.

Change needed. If martin has any consideration for us supporters he'll resign come the end of the season when we go down, unlikely though.

[really?]

I suppose the BoD are looking at results at the start of the season.

I can't understand how we went from being so dire at the end of last season to being so comfortable at the start of this, only to collapse again. I can only conclude it was a bit of a fluke and we were lucky. Plus the standard of other teams was pretty low. I actually thought we had a great chance of making the top 6 a couple of months ago.

How bad does it have to become before the BoD have to make a change?

8-1 ok, they say 'it's Celtic'.

If Hearts pump us 4 or 5 nil do they say 'well, Hearts are on-form and beat M/well 6-0 last week'?

[Stevie Clarke]

That's exactly what they'll say. It's still the Annan game that makes me want to chuck it. I don't think they have the first clue about the importance Accies fans place on the Scottish Cup. But then what can we expect when our charming Chief Executive admitted recently that relegation wouldn't unduly worry him and today Les says the same thing. What a bunch!

[redandwhite1874]

That's exactly what they'll say. It's still the Annan game that makes me want to chuck it. I don't think they have the first clue about the importance Accies fans place on the Scottish Cup. But then what can we expect when our charming Chief Executive admitted recently that relegation wouldn't unduly worry him and today Les says the same thing. What a bunch!

Except he didn't.

[Stevie Clarke]

Not word for word but it amounted to the same thing.

[glasgow accie]

That's exactly what they'll say. It's still the Annan game that makes me want to chuck it. I don't think they have the first clue about the importance Accies fans place on the Scottish Cup. But then what can we expect when our charming Chief Executive admitted recently that relegation wouldn't unduly worry him and today Les says the same thing. What a bunch!

Except he didn't.

He does say it in the interview that's in todays Sun newspaper .

[redandwhite1874]

The club twitter has stated that one paper did take Les's statements and put them out of context not sure if that was the Sun?

However, I think what was printed was that relegation would not be a disaster and no one would die etc ?

What do we want - for relegation to be a disaster for the club?

I don't think its anyway fair to say wouldn't unduly worry and not a disaster are the same thing at all.

[H9crx]

“If we get relegated it obviously would not be great- but it would not be a disaster. No one will die. The wife’s and wans will be okay no matter what."

LES GREY (AKA puppet master) Drink my cool Aid fans

What would not have been taken out of context would be

Canning and Accies have parted ways; we wish him all the best in future endeavours.

[really?]

When I think of all the players (some decent) who have been allowed to leave Accies because their face didn't fit.

What does Martin have to do to get fired? How low can we go?

[Mrsweetleftfoot]

After the statement released by Les on the BBC and in tabloid media I wander if Martin will ever be told enough is enough.

Annan, Celtic, Dundee, Thistle all massively embarrassing and humiliating results.

It's now got to the stage where we have went from being a breath of fresh air in the SPFL to a putrid stench. Again, us fans are treated with disdain and contempt by the board of directors and for the people that supposedly run Hamilton to stipulate that relegation wouldn't be a disaster makes me sick to the core.

Where is the ambition? The sense of pride to strive to always be the best that we can be?

9 wins in 43 games is an abysmal record. We need an experienced hand in to try and steady the ship, secure a few wins that will hopefully allow us to finish 10th and then try and kick on from there.

The biggest singular issue is that we no longer hassle and harry teams into making mistakes, we did it at the start of the season....what's the difference, have the players decided that MC isn't the man to take them forward??

I will be there on Sunday but Annan and Celtic are testing my patience to the limit.....again, a change is needed if we are to remain in the SPFL next season....otherwise, the Championship beckons.....who knows after that!

[Stevie Clarke]

Sorry to be pedantic but we will definitely still be in the SPFL next season, East Stirlingshire are in the SPFL, you mean Premiership
Great post though, "a putrid stench ", wish I had thought of that!

[redandwhite1874]

Let's be clear, are people actually wanting relegation to be financially disastrous for the club? Is that the operating model we should adopt?

[Bluesy]

The biggest singular issue is that we no longer hassle and harry teams into making mistakes, we did it at the start of the season....what's the difference, have the players decided that MC isn't the man to take them forward??

This is the biggest isssue for me - it's the way we play and suits the players - against Hearts earlier in the season and Dundee Utd - we chased them non stop and I thought we were nearly back to Alex Neil days.

Up at Perth at the weekend I saw Ali openly give up the chase a couple of times. His head would have been chewed off by Alex Neil for that. Not blaming just Ali by the way - it was just because it was so obvious.

[Yummy Fur]

Let's be clear, are people actually wanting relegation to be financially disastrous for the club? Is that the operating model we should adopt?

Yes, Les Gray should of come out yesterday and announced that relegation would be a disaster and that every player would be at risk if we went down down along with the very existence of the club. Six months ago he should of said that there was no limit to the club's ambition and that he was looking forward to marching our core support of about 1000 fans into Europe and beyond.

Of course neither of these statements would of been correct and that's the point that probably Les Gray isn't particularly media savvy at times but ultimately what he says is substantively true, however we are on a bad run and nothing that is said or done is acceptable and the smallest things are picked out and turned around to suit a certain agenda - our 19 year old striker scores his first premiership goal and celebrates = disgrace, 19 year old scores and doesn't celebrate = disgrace. Canning changes the team = selection bingo, Canning doesn't change the team = criticism for not shaking things up. We don't sign a young player on loan = what's going on, we do sign a young player on loan = why don't we play our own U20s. etc...........................

Results don't matter to this BOD? Yet they have delivered 10 years of unprecedented success?

Disdain for fans, lack of communication - but an invite to season ticket holders for free hospitality and fan's meeting only months ago goes almost unmentioned on this forum.

No ambition, club don't care - but our U17s & U20s topping their respective leagues and the sheer hard work to achieve that goes unmentioned.

Dundee, Celtic, Annan, PT results - no mention of Dundee United, Kilmarnock, 4-0, 5-0, 2,0 vs Motherwell.

Personally knowing what I know and not knowing what is going on behind the scenes I would of sacked Canning after Tues night, however the idea that sacking a manager is some silver bullet and cure all is simply wrong. The call to bring in an experienced manager, a safe pair of hands sounds good but it air brushes from history the fact that for 5 games after AN left that they had just that in Frankie McAvoy, someone who knew the players and the way AN played better than anyone - we lost every game including the 5-0 drubbing at PT.

I'm not claiming that everything is perfect by any means and to an extent I'm playing devil's advocate but some perspective is needed amongst the hysteria.

[Stevie Clarke]

A lot of good points Yummy Fur. Some of the comments have been OTT even though I do agree with the general consensus. It is easy for some to forget all the good that has been done by the board. Crowds did go up last season during our purple patch. They began the season embarrassingly low but when we went top there were certainly 100s more in attendance. Not down to any board initiative but down to results.

This board has without doubt tried their best to increase gates ultimately it comes down to performances. Now Les has said more or less that results don't matter when it comes to the manager's job security. I can't think of anything that would disillusion a support more than hearing that from the chairman.One lucky win in 15. I think any other club in the UK would have sacked him by now (Bolton excepted, they can't afford to sack Lennon)