Over the last few weeks I have been on the jobhunt, attending various interviews and tailoring my CV to help my applications. Being able to make a decent first impression can go a long way to ensuring success.
The same can be said of footballers, particularly new signings. When teams sign new players who come with some pedigree, expectations are naturally high. conversely, more obscure signings don't have as much hype around them, so any success is lauded.
Football fans are a fickle bunch though, and as quick as they can love a player, they can turn when things aren't going so well. For as long as I can remember, this has been the case down Fir Park way.
The earliest "hype" signing I remember the Well making was John Hendry. Signed in the summer of 1995, Alex McLeish brought one of Tottenham Hotspur's brightest young talents to Lanarkshire. A striker who had set the Spurs reserve team alight, he was all set to be our star man.
He wasn't. I don't know what he was, but he wasn't that. I think he scored against St Johnstone once and got injured. To put him in perspective, Rangers had just signed Gazza and Bergkamp had joined Arsenal on the same day. Those signings for those teams were legendary. Hendry, not so much.
In the 90s and early 2000s, we did have a knack for signing prolific strikers who failed to deliver. Anyone remember Stephen Halliday? Signed from Carlisle, just didn't cut in at all at Motherwell. Even Alex "Toastie" Burns, upon his return to the club was mince. Having started at Well as a youngster, where he battled for a slot between Coyne, Coyle and Arnott, he left and ended up at Partick.
He rattled in a shedload for Thistle in the First Division until he re-signed at Fir Park, where he jsut could not find his shooting boots at all. After his exploits in Maryhill, we expected so much, but Burns delivered so little.
Even players who were given the tag of "most expensive signings" have mainly turned out to be a bit gash. Shaun McSkimming, for example, while having a few memorable games (well 2 that i remember clearly, MyPa 47 and Partick in the Cup), was a donkey. A lazy midfielder who often let the game go by him, somehow remains one of our all time highest fees. Shocking.
Around that same time, bizarre things were going on. 15 years on, I still can't fathom out how we paid money AND Stevie Kirk for Eddie May. That's right, we gave Falkirk money and a Legend for Eddie May. A man so useless, he played in every position for us. Badly. Really badly.
I'm going to be a bit controversial here and say that a cult Well hero was also a bit of a dud after promising so much. Even meeting him in Asda as a youngster can't escape me thinking that Eliphas Shivute, the Namibian George Weah, was a bit guff.
Sure, he was pacey and tricky, but he just didn't deliver. Looked good in the luminous kit though.
The Kampman/Davies era and John Boyle's endeavours to make us the "Third Force" also brought a lot of expectation from the signings made. While players like Spencer, Brannan, Goram, Kemble and Goodman gained fan favouritism straight away, others didn't fare as well.
Kai Nyssonen scored on his debut on telly against Dundee United in a game that cost only £1 to get in to. Instant hit. Eventual failure. Others signed at this time that were expected to be amazing were Rob Matthei and Jan Michels, who were ok for a bit but injuries and poor form saw them fall out of favour. Michel Doesburg in contrast was a solid right back.
Franz Resch, Mario Doerner. Apparently amazing signings in a close season where I think they were the only signings never even made it to the first team. Out of all of these names though, one name is synonymous with being hyped to the hilt for no reaosn and was a complete and utter fail.
Holm Kraska.
A German defender, bought during the Kampman era again, came with so much praise, it was as if we had found our own Beckenbauer. £40,000 he cost, which for all the plaudits he garnered was a snip. So much so that we even signed him with an injury, guaranteeing his services.
He never played a game.
Of course, first impressions aren't reserved for new signings. Spotting talent coming up from the youth teams is always a pleasure. McFadden, Pearson and Hammell all had "it" from an early age and since the threat of administration, the focus has been on the youngsters coming through.
Granted not all of them will have the talent on first look, but potential is something to be nurtured. As mentioned in other blogs, certain homegrown players who have made instant impacts have petered out or not realised their potential at Motherwell, while others have flourished.
Jamie Murphy this season is playing the best football of his life, after a couple of seasons getting to grips with the SPL. David Clarkson was exactly the same. Clarkie had a whirlwind first season as a pro before hitting a confidence slump. After Scott McDonald (another signing who had an instant impact as a Well hero) left for Celtic, the onus was on him to be our main striker.
It took until McGhee's first season for him to start hitting the peaks he had in his first run in the team and spurred on by the death of his uncle, Phil O'Donnell, he became an important player, hitting double figures 2 seasons in a row.
The fans and forums were constantly on his back during his slump, but Clarkie can now be held in great regard as another alumni of the Well youth movement. if Murphy continues in that vein this season, then he too will join that club.
In the past when prolific scorers failed to deliver when we signed them, the last few years has been the opposite. Chris Porter was signed from Oldham by McGhee as a player lacking fitness and goals. A season and a half later, he had scored almost 30 goals and signed for Derby. Lukasz Jutkiewicz had been sent on loan to about 6 clubs over 2 seasons by Everton, scoring once in the process. A season at Well and he's got confidence back and is firing them in for Coventry in the Championship.
The SPL is definitely seen as a developing ground for lower league English talent, with so many players leaving the Scottish game to play in the Championship and Premiership. The first impressions these teams get of these players are based on the performances up here and how well they do on their debuts. It's a shop window which benefits both parties by giving players a chance to shine for clubs before making them a bit of money by selling on or league positions.
Without Jutkiewicz and Ruddy last season, we'd have been stumped. Replacing them was going to be hard but Randolph and Blackman have been just as effective thus far. The impression they have already had on the Well fans is that they will be vital to our season.
As will Alan Gow. The consensus of the fans for Gow is that he is "not match fit" just yet. It's a fair point to make, but I think he will be pivotal for us if we can keep him in January. He's had some poor games, but his control and running are great. He needs to be a little less greedy but that will come. When he signed, I had high hopes for him and although he had glass legs, once he is fit, he'll do us a turn. His late winner against Dundee United will kick start his season.
If not, I'll write a "How wrong was I?" blog when he leaves in January.
Up The Wel!!!
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