Motherwell

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Michael Wimmer has held his first media conference as Motherwell manager.

Here are the key points he made:

• Wimmer said it is "not a sprint, it's a marathon" when asked if he could implement the style he seeks quickly. However, he believes from what he has seen in a short time with the squad that the players "are hungry to get information".

• The German outlined his style of football as being "proactive, to be dominant with control and energy".

• He said he was not in a position to talk about the departure of Stuart Kettlewell but going forward he was "looking to have a good connection with the fans", adding it is important that relationship "is tight".

• On Scottish football more generally, Wimmer said he likes the "intensity, honesty and passion".

• He added one topic discussed before being appointed was the development of young players as one of the clubs' aims.

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

Judgement day is upon us, and we now have a new man behind the wheel.

Welcome to Motherwell, Mr Michael Wimmer.

I'll be honest with my ignorance, as I hadn't heard of him before yesterday, but, after looking into his tenure at his previous club, I think this could go well for us.

The Ross County game was an utter shambles but the departure of Stevie Frail is beyond unfortunate. The enjoyment and love for this club was all over his face. He was a delight to have involved with Motherwell.

The status of the club just now is a hard one to describe, with both optimism and fear ringing through the halls. I am leaning more on the hopeful side, now it is finally confirmed who the captain behind the ship is...

We asked you for your views following Michael Wimmer's appointment as Motherwell manager.

Here's what some of you said:

Joe: I was surprised with the announcement, but praise the board for forward thinking - we have been subjected to negative tactics for too long. Hopefully this will change with the new managerial team. I am taking a lot of positives from this appointment - things can only get better 😀

Robert: I hope Wimmer has an immediate, positive impact on the squad. He's got a massive job to turn around a team low on confidence, if he wants a more proactive approach. I really hope it works. He needs time, but that isn't a commodity in huge supply.

Nick: I wish him well. However, not entirely sure about taking a gamble at this stage of the season on an unknown with very little pedigree. That said, I hope he hits the ground running and gains some valuable wins.

George: Not at all excited by the new managerial appointment. Record of 16 wins in 47 at only previous long-term appointment, yet this was the standout candidate from hundreds of applications according to our chairman.

Only time will tell I suppose and, for the sake of the club, I hope I'm wrong, otherwise, it'll be Championship football next season.

Adam: This looks like an excellent opportunity. An experienced coach with new ideas and hopefully a better set of results. Look forward to seeing his game plan at Tannadice.

Andrew: Like most supporters, I expect not many will have heard of Wimmer, or of his past coaching career. Hopefully the board will have served due diligence considering how many applicants there was.

I expect his initial target will be not to finish in the bottom two. He will need to clean the dross and hopefully kick on next season with a reduced squad.

James: Time will tell. The way we've been playing, should have went for Harry Potter.

Gary: Quite excited by this. We normally go left-field but this is left-field, even for us! Track record looks decent and hopefully he brings a new style that the team badly needs.

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Stuart Kettlewell has no regrets about resigning as Motherwell manager last month, believing he "made the decision for the right reasons". (Sun), external

New Motherwell boss Michael Wimmer hopes to bring "exciting" football to Fir Park. (Scotsman - subscription), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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After working in the Nurnberg academy for over eight years, it is perhaps no surprise that Michael Wimmer is looking to utilise Motherwell's youth set-up to his advantage.

The Lanarkshire club have produced David Turnbull, Max Johnston and now Lennon Miller through their academy in recent years, and new manager Wimmer wants to develop Motherwell's own.

"It is a very good academy, I hear," he told club media. "There's very good young players, who you can develop. I like to work with young players, to develop them. This is one aim and I hope I can do it here."

He also made it clear that his style of football is more front foot than Motherwell have shown in certain matches this season.

"What I want to see is that we play with a lot of energy, that we play proactive football, that we are high-pressing, that we control games, and that we have fun with the fans together," he said.

"It is a big squad. We need to get to know each other, I need to learn all the names. It's very difficult, but I like it. It's a great challenge. I'm here to work hard, I'm not here to relax and have a holiday. I'm here for working and to bring my input into the club."

Wimmer has also brought assistant manager Ahmet Koc with him, who he worked with previously at Nurnberg and Austria Vienna.

"Ahmet has known me 18 years, we've worked together for 14 years. He's a great friend, one of my best friends. But he's not here because of that, he's here because he's a very good coach.

"He's very important for a dressing room, he has always a brilliant relationship with the players. He's perfect on the pitch. It's important he can communicate to the other staff because there's never a one-man show or a two-man show, this is a club and we're always together."

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Motherwell's new managerial appointment Michael Wimmer, could be a "calculated gamble", according to German football expert Derek Rae.

Wimmer had roles as an assistant at Stuttgart and Augsburg before becoming head coach of Austria Vienna in January 2023, where he won 16 times in 47 league matches before being dismissed in May 2024.

The Steelman named the 44-year-old as their new boss on Monday, and Bundesliga commentator Rae believes the German's experience working with young players will help his cause at Fir Park.

"It's an interesting one," Rae told BBC Scotland.

"I think his experiences with young players, especially across Germany with Nuremberg and then assistant coach at Augsburg and Stuttgart, will stand him in good stead. But we know he has a big challenge."

Wimmer was briefly in interim charge of Stuttgart in 2022 and Rae was told the Bundesliga side seriously considered keeping on a permanent basis before they "ultimately went in a different direction".

"He doesn't have an extensive history as a head coach," Rae added. "You've really got to just look back at that one post with Austria Vienna and his 18 months there – it was a bit of a mixed bag.

"So it's maybe a bit of a calculated gamble from Motherwell, but one I hope most fans will welcome."

And what might those supporters expect from their new man in the dugout?

"I listened to him on a podcast not so long ago talking about his philosophy and what he said was he veers towards the pro-active, towards the more ambitious rather than playing scared football," outlined Rae.

"He says you have to have control when that is necessary in a game, but ultimately when that is in doubt you should go for the attack-minded way of doing things. He doesn't really believe in going into a game with, as he said, the sort of rabbit in the headlights philosophy.

"So I think he will fit, I think he's progressive."

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New Motherwell manager Michael Wimmer insists there will be "no settling-in period" when he gets into the Fir Park dugout.

The former Austria Vienna boss will begin his duties as soon as his work permit is issued and is determined to hit the ground running despite the Steelmen's poor run of recent results.

Motherwell have lost their last five outings and won just one in 11, but Wimmer sees potential.

"There will be no settling-in period," he told the club website. "We will commit 100% of our efforts to producing an exciting football team that can achieve targets.

"This is a hugely exciting club whose core values align with mine. Speaking to the board was insightful, and it was interesting to hear their vision."

Motherwell sit eighth in the Scottish Premiership table but are level on points with sixth-placed St Mirren, only behind the Paisley side on goal difference.

Wimmer is joined at Fir Park by assistant Ahmet Koc, with Stevie Frail - who oversaw the home losses to Celtic and Ross County - leaving the club.

If the new management team are able to achieve a top-six finish, it would the first since the 2021-22 season under Graham Alexander.

"It's not a club standing still, and I feel Ahmet [Koc] and I can really help the football club move forward. We're at a crucial segment of the season, with opportunities all around us.

"I can't wait to meet the supporters. The passion and enthusiasm are admirable, and it will be a huge contributing factor in our success going forward."

Motherwell fans, what do you make of the Fir Park club appointing Michael Wimmer as their new manager?

What do you think would constitute success for the rest of this season? Were you hoping for a different name?

Have your say here., external

Former striker James McFadden on the "big job" that awaits the next Motherwell manager after the Steelmen lost 3-0 at home to Ross County in a fifth consecutive defeat.

Ross County inflict managerless Motherwell's fifth successive defeat to move out of the Premiership relegation play-off spot. (UK users only)

Motherwell fans, we asked for your views on Saturday's Scottish Premiership defeat to Ross County.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Allan: Another game where Motherwell's set-up was baffling. No width as usual. What do we have to do to see a winger at Fir Park? Three shots on target at home is nowhere near good enough. Did Ross County totally outplay Motherwell? No, but they had more game intelligence to take the points.

Eric: Why are we surprised? Stephen Frail was Stuart Kettlewell's assistant so you'd assume he agreed with previous tactics and line-ups so we can't expect anything else. To change something you either need to be brave or be someone different. Unfortunately Frail is neither. What Tony Watt contributed is a mystery.

Norrie: Another disappointing performance. The whole team looked dejected. Never seen so many players lacking in self-belief. Whatever is going on I don't fancy any manager could pick them up. You can clear out the majority of the players Kettlewell has brought in. Start again, just hoping it is not in the Championship.

JJ: Absolute disgrace. I've said it all year, it's the worst team in a lot of years. A team of imposters not fit to wear our colours. Frail is just a glove puppet of Kettlewell. Radical change needed to get rid of the deadwood. Farm our youngsters out on loan and bring in so-called better youngsters from England but are they really?

Alan: There was a total lack of energy, drive and commitment. The defence were porous, the midfield lacked cohesion and the attack never really penetrated. Why Tawanda Maswanhise doesn't play from the start is baffling! Where is the team that accumulated 31 points?

Edward: What have you all been doing for the last two weeks? The team has now lost to every other team in the division and doesn't seem to have any heart. How dare you serve up that performance! Europe? Yeah right. Relegation on the cards!

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• Motherwell have failed to win any of their past nine matches when conceding first in the Premiership, since a victory over St Mirren on 28 September 2024.

• Motherwell have a record of W0, D0, L9 when trailing at half-time in the Premiership this season.

• Motherwell have lost their last four games in the Premiership, their last joint longest losing streak was from 16 September 2023 to 7 October 2023.

• Ronan Hale has now scored three goals in three appearances in the Premiership against Motherwell, and his eight Premiership goals this season are more than any other Ross County player.

• Noah Chilvers has assisted his fifth goal at the Premiership this season, more than any other Ross County player.

• Connor Randall scored his first goal in the Premiership this season, netting for the first time since 12 August 2023 against St Johnstone.

• Ross County have scored 10 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Celtic (19) and Dundee United (15) have scored more in the Premiership this season.

Ross County moved out of the relegation zone as they eased past managerless Motherwell at Fir Park to record a first Scottish Premiership win in four attempts.

Ronan Hale netted either side of the interval with composed finishes before Connor Randall's low shot crept past the outstretched Ellery Balcombe late on to put the game beyond the struggling hosts.

Stephen Frail remained in interim charge of Motherwell and confirmed pre-match that a new boss is expected to be appointed at "the start of next week".

Have your say on the game here., external

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Motherwell interim manager Stephen Frail: "Extremely disappointed, angry is an emotion as well.

"It was just a poor performance, I've not really seen from what we've worked on the last couple of weeks.

"The sessions have been good, the players have been alive, they've been bright, they've been desperate to get back on the pitch.

"We start the game reasonably well, we concede a cheap goal and you can just see the confidence getting drained from them.

"I'm stressing at half-time, we're fifth in the league for a reason for the start of the season that we've made, collectively as a group of players and a coaching team.

"But to lose that goal and then, I'm not using the word capitulate but we don't show enough urgency to get back in the game.

"Second half, again, we're probably more on the front foot but we concede a second goal and as I say the whole energy from the players, in the stadium, it's just like somebody just popped a balloon and it just goes so flat and as I say it's an incredibly disappointing result.

"Hopefully the new manager, who we're hoping is in place some time next week, can maybe get something from the players in terms of just a lift, that new manager bounce hopefully comes in.

"They are a talented bunch of players but for whatever reason the last few weeks they've come off the things that we work on daily, the things that we work on every week in the analysis room and they just seem devoid of any confidence to go and try and get a result.

"It's as though we're sitting waiting for someone to score against us.

"It'll be a fight now, but hopefully, as I say, the manager, when he comes in, can try and get the players going straight away when they go to Tannadice next Saturday.

"For whatever reason, the confidence seems to have drained from them."

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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A new era is set to begin next week at Fir Park with the arrival of the yet-to-be-revealed manager but there is little to build on after today's performance.

From 18 shots and 69% possession, they seldom troubled Amissah in the County goal, only registering three on target.

They have now lost their last four top-flight games, making it their joint longest losing streak since 16th September 2023 to 7th October 2023.

Lennon Miller returned to the starting line-up, a welcome sliver of good news amidst the ongoing troubles facing the club, and he showed in glimpses how important he is to this side.

They enjoyed periods of sustained possession and were often in the final third but were toothless for most of it.

If the new manager brings the cliched new manager bounce with them then this crisis may well be averted, if not though, the play-off spot is a mere four points away now.

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He tells BBC Scotland: "I think there will be more concrete news for first of all the players because the players need that clarity, they've had me in their ear for two weeks saying that there'll be a new manager coming in, so the clarity for that will be for them at the start of next week and for you guys.

"Until then obviously I'm not privy to say who's coming in.

"I know who's coming in and hopefully everything gets signed and dotted properly and this football club gets a manager who's going to build on the good work that's gone before him and hopefully continue to get us up the table and finish in a healthy position.

"I won't be giving you a name at quarter to five either, not unless something drastic happens. I would love to, even family and friends have been asking me. It's not as if we're going to unveil Pep Guardiola tomorrow and everything's been kept quiet for that.

"It'll be a manager of really good standing, good pedigree and one that the club believes, and having looked at who we're bringing in, I believe, to go and, as I said, enhance and take the club forward and finish the season really, really strongly."

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Lennon Miller and Jair Tavares are back in training for Motherwell, and Callum Slattery will return from illness. However, Jack Vale faces a lengthy spell out after Achilles surgery.

The Steelmen remain without goalkeepers Archie Mair and Aston Oxborough following fractures in their hands.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (calf), Steve Seddon (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh) and Zach Robinson (Achilles) remain out.

County have been without Jack Grieves (head), Michee Efete, Ryan Leak (Achilles), Alex Samuel (thigh) and Will Nightingale (knee) in recent weeks.

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Andy Halliday insists he and his team-mates are not listening to the "noise" surrounding Motherwell as the search for a new manager continues.

It has been three weeks since Stuart Kettlewell resigned at Fir Park, with assistant Stevie Frail stepping up as interim manager.

"Obviously there's a lot of noise," Halliday said. "Of course you're going to talk about it within yourselves, but it's part of the uncontrollables. It's something that we can't control as football players.

"All we can control is coming in every day, applying ourselves, gearing towards the next game, which is obviously Ross County on Saturday."

Plenty of names have been linked to the Lanarkshire club, including former Newcastle cult hero and current Cyrpus boss Temur Ketsbaia.

"I think everything else is up to Brian [Caldwell], the chairman [Kyrk McMilan] and the people behind the scenes to get along with, to appoint the next man," Halliday added. "For us as a group of players, it's just the next game.

"What I will say is the players and the backroom staff have done everything they can to prepare properly and then everything else will take care of itself.

"We've had a couple of weeks' training, which is really important. We've been on the grass nearly every single day."

Despite the managerial upheaval, Halliday says there has been no drastic change since Frail took the reins.

"There's obviously not wholesale changes, because Stevie was part of the management team before and he's obviously somebody that the players really respect as well," he said.

"He's been part of any success that we've had this season and towards the tail end of last season as well.

"The boys have responded to it well. You can't dwell on any sort of negatives or uncertainty around the football club, that we obviously had for a short period when the manager left but we've had a good couple of weeks training under our belt."

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• Motherwell are unbeaten in five home league meetings with Ross County (W2 D3) since a 1-0 defeat in March 2022 under Graham Alexander.

• After their 2-1 win in November, Ross County could win successive league meetings with Motherwell for the first time since March 2022 under Malky Mackay.

• Motherwell have lost their past three league games, last losing four in succession in October 2023.

• Only Kilmarnock have won fewer away games (two) and conceded more away goals (29) in the Premiership this season than Ross County (three wins, 26 goals conceded), while the Staggies are the lowest away scorers in the division (eight goals).

• Against Celtic, Luke Armstrong was the first player to score on his first league start for Motherwell since Sam Nicholson v Livingston in February 2024. The last player to score in both of their first two league starts for the club was Stuart McKinstry in October 2022.

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Lennon Miller's return to training is "a huge boost" for Motherwell, says interim manager Stevie Frail.

The 18-year-old is back in full training following a hairline fracture of his ankle back at the end of December, and was expected to miss up to two months of action.

But Frail, who will once again lead the Steelmen on Saturday against Ross County, revealed the Scotland youth international is close to a return, though stressed the Fir Park club "don't want to heap too much pressure on him".

"It's a huge boost," Frail said of Miller's return.

"I think it's been evident how good Lennon has been and how good a player he is, but we don't want to heap too much pressure on him. He's still a young lad.

"He's coming back from an injury that's kept him out for several weeks, but we do miss his quality, I think that's plain to see.

"We've still got other players in there who have the quality and maybe he can hopefully come in and add to that."

Frail also confirmed Callum Slattery will return from illness.