Motherwell

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Stuart Kettlewell has been speaking to the media as his Motherwell side prepare to face Montrose in the League Cup groups on Tuesday night.

Here are the key points:

• Tom Sparrow looks as if he'll miss out on Tuesday's match, Kettlewell stresses it's nothing too serious but he's the only fresh injury concern.

• Liam Gordon is still building back up and Steve Seddon will miss out again after a planned small procedure.

• He says Tuesday's game will be a totally different test as Montrose "always punch above their weight."

• On handing Paul McGinn the captain's armband, the manager says it's an "obvious" choice, insisting McGinn is an example to any young player and is a voice and big influence in the dressing room.

• On Theo Bair's potential exit, Kettlewell says talks are moving to an "advanced stage" and reveals that the reported fee is wide of the mark.

Motherwell striker Theo Bair is heading to Auxerre, with the French club paying just over £1.2m for the Canada international. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

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Defender Dan Casey has lauded the efforts of his Motherwell teammates during pre-season.

Stuart Kettlewell's side return to competitive action against Edinburgh City in the Scottish League Cup on Saturday.

"We didn't get a lot of time off,” Casey told Motherwell FC's website.

“We got told before we left that there was a standard expected for when we returned and that we had a time that we had to make for the pre-season running tests.

“There’s no hiding place. If you don’t do the work, you’re going to get left behind. Credit to everyone, we all came back and did well. Everyone made the time.”

"It was a tough first week but we got through it together. I made the requested testing time by five seconds. That’ll do me.

“Long distance running isn’t for big men like me, it’s for the skinny midfielders!”

Liam Kelly, the 28-year-old Scotland squad goalkeeper, insists that his return to Rangers is worth sacrificing the Motherwell captaincy, regular action and potentially his international place for as understudy to Jack Butland. (Daily Record), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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With nine new faces replacing 11 departures, Stuart Kettlewell has been the busiest Premiership manager this summer so far as he looks to reshape Motherwell into a side that can challenge for the top six this time out.

Amid the mixture of journeymen and players yet to live up to their potential from home and abroad, the most intriguing question is who will replace Scotland squad goalkeeper Liam Kelly after the club captain’s move to Rangers’ bench.

Parent club West Ham United have high hopes for 21-year-old Krisztian Hegyi, who has arrived on loan fresh from spending last season gaining experience in the Dutch second tier with Den Bosch.

However, the Hungary Under-21 cap has been rotating during pre-season with Aston Oxborough, the 26-year-old former Norwich City youth who will be hoping to play more than the two League Cup games he managed last season. Who will start at home to Edinburgh City?

• Read Clive's full piece here

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Goalkeeper Matty Connelly says he can "continue to grow and progress" at Motherwell, after he signed a new one-year contract with the Fir Park club.

The 21-year-old made the step up from the Motherwell youth academy in 2019 and has been out on loan with East Kilbride, Falkirk, Gretna and Stranraer over the last five seasons.

"I’m really happy to remain at Motherwell," Connelly said.

“I feel I can continue to grow and progress here and learn from my fellow keepers Krisztian [Hegyi] and Aston [Oxborough].

"We are a tight-knit group and we bounce off each other well."

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Eight Motherwell academy graduates have penned professional deals with the Fir Park club.

Strikers Nathan Lawson and Harry McLean have signed on, as well as midfielders Rocco McColm and Scotland under 16 international Zander McAllister.

Defenders Jon-Joe Friel, Andrew Arnott and Jay Gillies also make the step up, alongside goalkeeper Jack McConnell.

“It’s an exciting time for all eight individuals,” academy director David Clarkson said.

“They have put in a lot of hard work to get to this point, which is commendable. But now it’s time to go up another level.

“We believe we can give a young player the best chance of having a successful career and look forward to working with all eight players."

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Shaun Blaney hopes to instil a "buzz" around Fir Park by helping Motherwell to a run in the Premier Sports Cup.

Stuart Kettlewell's side kick off their campaign by welcoming Edinburgh City to North Lanarkshire on Saturday.

Motherwell start the group stages as favourites to progress to the last 16 in a group also consisting of Partick Thistle, Montrose and Clyde.

"We're not getting too far ahead of ourselves," Blaney said.

"It's been said already that the aim is to finish top of the group. We'll go out on Saturday and hopefully start that campaign with a win.

"I'd love to see the buzz about the place with a cup run. It's definitely something I'm very up for and the lads are all pulling the same way.

"We're probably in a better stage than we were last season in terms of people we have in. We've gelled well. There's some very good quality through the door."

We asked for your thoughts on what would be a successful season for Motherwell. Here’s what some of you had to say:

Anonymous: We need to be in the top six to make it a successful season along with a decent cup run. We are more than capable of doing it, we would have made top six last season had we not gone on a 15-game winless run, we cant afford that to happen again.

David: I genuinely believe Stuart Kettlewell is assembling a squad talented enough to push for Europe. Injuries last year hampered our season, so let’s hope our bad luck regarding injuries is over.

Adam: A good season would be a consistent level of performance especially at the back. A top-six finish would be a very good season and I believe that it is possible to achieve. Maybe a cup run and winning a final would make our season a fantastic one.

David: The pre-season results have been encouraging and recruitment has been pro-active and we seem to have built a fairly robust squad. If things click with the new players and Lennon Miller stays, top six is a possibility. Realistically, seventh or eighth would be fine.

Grant: The biggest thing we always hope for is staying up, we don't have the money that the majority of the other teams have and we punch above our weight every season so anything other than staying up is a bonus, a good cup run would be good.

James: Top six is a priority, a lot of new signings so they all have to gel quickly, hopefully a successful season in the two cup competitions.

Chris: This will be Motherwell's toughest season for over 20 years. I would take tenth place now if it was offered. Anything above this will be a bonus. Not very ambitious I know but realistic. However, I would love a decent cup run or two. I am looking forward to the new season. It will be a rollercoaster!

Gary: Top six is a must this season. Motherwell fans been underwhelmed by performances and lack of consistency. New signings seem positive but lots of distractions off the field in regards to investment. Hopefully avoid the high number of injuries that were seen last season and start competing in the cups once again.

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Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell says speculation surrounding the "outstanding" Lennon Miller is going nowhere as he is "getting better and better every day".

Reports this week suggested Rangers are keeping a close eye on the teenage midfielder, who is already an integral part of the Fir Park side at the age of just 17.

When asked about the Ibrox club's potential interest, Kettlewell said: "I see speculation continuing on someone who is an outstanding footballer.

"Clubs will be linked with him constantly, they have been since he was a young kid. We signed him on a long-term deal for a reason.

"He knows this is a brilliant place for him to play and he's getting better and better every day."

Kettlewell also confirmed there has been interest in striker Theo Bair, whose Canada side were eliminated from the Copa America last four by Argentina this week.

Bair, who scored 15 goals in an impressive campaign last term after a tough spell at St Johnstone, did not feature for his national side at the tournament.

However, his Motherwell boss still hopes it was a valuable experience for the 24-year-old and says he would "love to have him here this season and beyond".

"But that situation is out of my control," he adds. "We did a lot of work to get Theo to the club and did a lot of work while he's been here.

"We've shown him a lot of faith and a lot of trust, but he's repaid us as well. We'd love to have him here this season and beyond - but if people offer big numbers, we're a selling club."

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has been speaking to the media prior to the start of his side's competitive campaign on Saturday.

The Fir Park club host Edinburgh City on Saturday in the League Cup groups.

Here are the key lines:

• Kettlewell says the squad "hit all our markers" in pre-season and he is "positive and looking forward" to the game on Saturday.

• He confirms "everyone who is fit and available can play 90 minutes" but there are "five or six niggles to important players".

• One of those is new right-back Johnny Koutroumbis, who will be "out for a couple of months" with a calf problem.

• Kettlewell confirms there has been interest in Canada striker Theo Bair and says the forward will "come back a better player" after his Copa America experience.

• On speculation linking Lennon Miller with Rangers, the Motherwell boss says "clubs will be linked with him continuously" as the teenage midfielder is "getting better and better every day".

• Kettlewell still expects "more to be done" in the transfer window and has made it clear "we are still short of two or three".

Rangers are interested in Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller and had the 17-year-old watched in last weekend's friendly win at Livingston. (Football Scotland), external

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

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Motherwell fans, what do you think would constitute success under Stuart Kettlewell in the coming season?

Is staying up the primary objective, or would you set your sights higher?

Have your say here, external.

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Theo Bair was an unused substitute as Canada were knocked out of Copa America.

Jesse Marsch's side suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of reigning champions Argentina.

The Motherwell striker was an unused substitute in all of Canada's Copa America matches.

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Moses Ebiye struck twice as Motherwell continued their warm-up for the new season with a 4-2 win at Linlithgow Rose.

However, the game was all square after 85 minutes when the League Two side levelled for a second time through PJ McGiff.

A Lennon Miller penalty gave the Premiership side a half-time lead following a foul on Filip Stuparevic.

In what was a testimonial game for centre-half Gary Thom, Alan Sneddon hit back for Rose, also from a spot-kick.

Ebiye converted from a Harry Paton cross before McGiff shot past substitute goalkeeper Aston Oxborough.

Ebiye replied immediately though, finding the top corner of the net with a fine curling strike.

And Paton completed the scoring on a rain-soaked night, finishing off after good work from teenager Dylan Wells.

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Former Motherwell chairman Brian McCafferty says approving the Wild Sheep investment proposal would put the Fir Park club's "financial future at major risk".

From Monday, Well Society members will have two weeks to vote on whether they want to accept or reject a deal the board of the fans' group has opposed.

"I find it strange that there is a drive to rush this deal through when the club is financially stable," said McCafferty, who has chaired Motherwell and Well Society boards.

"By the looks of the Wild Sheep plan, it's a massive gamble and I urge Motherwell fans to reject the offer."

The Motherwell executive board has recommended shareholders accept the £1.95m offer from the Barmack family for a 47% stake.

On Monday, the club's current chairman Jim McMahon reiterated his stance that "you get the best deal when you don't need the money".

"This is an attempt to move away from season-to-season budgeting to a more sustainable basis," the statement adds.

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell wanted his side to show more of a second-half "spark" in their 2-1 pre-season friendly victory over Livingston.

The Fir Park boss did admit that not too much importance is placed on the scoreline in these games, however.

“I thought from our side of things the first half was very good and that we controlled the pace of the game and had one or two opportunities in there,” he told club media.

“Young Dylan Wells was quite bright within that, a couple of opportunities fell his way and I felt he was involved in a lot there.

“I always speak about your striker scoring goals at this stage of the season so it was good to see Moses [Ebiye] hitting the back of the net. I also thought we looked really secure defensively.

“I felt that we came out looking slack and sloppy in the second half, it was the same group of players so it’s not that excuse of making changes.

“I know we don’t put emphasis into the scoreline in pre-season but I wanted to see us come out with more of a spark in the second half and still control the pace of the game and potentially look to create one or two more chances.

“I wanted us to be far more aggressive out of possession to turn it over, to try and create those opportunities which we had done in the first half.”