Motherwell

Image source, Getty Images

The 2024-25 SPFL schedule will be unveiled at 09:00 BST on Thursday, and we've got all the information you need before the return of domestic football.

The action in all four leagues kicks off on the weekend of 3 August.

Eight months later, the Premiership split happens on the weekend of 12 and 13 April and the top-flight season concludes on the weekend of 17 and 18 May.

And while it might be too painful to be thinking about the national team, there are international periods in September, October, November and March to bear in mind.

There will not, however, be a winter break this season.

The expansion of Uefa's club competitions - with the new league phase of the Champions League and Europa League running until the end of January - is the reason for that.

The SPFL said the format change "exerts additional pressure on the domestic calendar" and means no mid-season trips to the sunshine for Premiership clubs.

Image source, Getty Images

Motherwell striker Theo Bair was an unused substitute as Canada beat Peru 1-0 in the Copa America.

A second-half strike from Lille forward Jonathan David proved to be the difference between the sides after Peru's Miguel Araujo was sent off.

Bair was also left on the bench during Canada's defeat against Argentina.

Jesse Marsch's side play their final group game against Chile on Sunday (01:00 BST), knowing a win would take them into the knockout stages.

Image source, X

Motherwell have unveiled their new "like never before" home kit for next season.

The strip, while similar to Motherwell's home kit from a century ago, features the traditional colours of claret and amber but enters "uncharted territory" with the design.

Featuring a white collar and cuffs, the top of the home shirt - the shoulders and upper chest - are completely claret.

Below that, bisected with a horizontal white line, remains the traditional amber.

The word ‘Steelmen’ remains imprinted on the back of the neck, while a hexagon shape is embossed throughout the top.

This year’s shorts are all claret, with a white hooped trim, while the socks are also hooped.

Image source, SNS

The Well Society board are still recommending all members reject the Barmack family's proposal to invest in Motherwell.

It comes after recent amendments to the deal, which state the fans' group would remain majority shareholders after the six-year investment period.

The new submission would leave the Well Society with a 50.1% stake, down from its current 71%, after contributing just over £1.3m.

The Barmacks, meanwhile, would receive a 47% stake at the end of the sixth year after investing £1.95m.

Last week, the Well Society said they were still "deeply concerned" about the deal, even with the revised terms.

Following those recent changes, the two-week voting period has been delayed and will now start on 8 July.

Image source, SNS

Motherwell have announced the signing of defender Liam Gordon from St Johnstone on a two-year deal.

The 28-year-old captained the Perth side to Premiership survival last season, but turned down a new deal, instead opting to move to Fir Park.

Gordon made 201 appearances for St Johnstone and lifted both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup during his long spell at McDiarmid Park.

"We have been working to bring Liam to the club for a number of weeks now," Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

"I've spoken with people who know Liam really well and they all speak highly of him as a person, as well as a player.

"He is a leader and someone who gives everything for the badge. It’s that sort of mentality that we need in our team.

"We’ve brought in a player who was skipper at a team in our league last season, I think that really shows how good a move this is."

Image source, Getty

Motherwell's Theo Bair was kept waiting for his first international appearance in four years as Canada opened the Copa America with a 2-0 defeat by defending champions Argentina.

Striker Bair was un unused as Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez opened the scoring and Lautaro Martinez confirmed the win late on from Lionel Messi's pass.

Canada, who are managed by former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, meet Peru next at 23:00 BST on 25 June.

In the aftermath of the defeat, Canada Soccer - the nation's football governing body - said one of their players was subjected to online racist abuse.

"Canada Soccer is aware of and deeply disturbed by racist comments made online and directed at one of our men's national team players following tonight's match," read a statement posted on X.

"We are in communication with [governing bodies] Concacaf and Conmebol about this matter."

Image source, Getty Images

Motherwell have signed Serbian forward Filip Stuparevic on a two-year deal, with the option of a third season.

Stuparevic, 23, became the youngest ever player in the Serbian top flight when he made his debut at age 15 with Vozdovac.

He joined Watford in 2019, amid reported interest from clubs including Juventus, and was most recently at Slovenia's Domzale.

He scored six goals in 22 appearances last season and has been capped up to Under-21 level by his country.

"With over 100 games played in the Serbian top flight, you can see he has experience," said Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell.

"He had a really successful start to his career and burst on to the scene. When you have teams in the Premier League and teams like Juventus interested in you, it shows us all the talent Filip has.

"Filip had a really good season last year and having watched all his games, I know the type of player we're getting. He has real flair and can do a lot of good on the pitch."

Fellow forward Zach Robinson has already joined Motherwell on a two-year deal this week while midfielders Ross Callachan and Tom Sparrow and defenders Kofi Balmer and John Koutroumbis have also been recruited.

Image source, SNS

Callum Slattery has extended his Motherwell stay with a new one-year deal and is grateful for the "faith and trust" the club have shown in him.

The 25-year-old midfielder, who has made nearly 100 appearances since joining from Southampton three years ago, is recovering from a serious knee injury suffered in training in January.

"It's so good to continue my stay here," said Slattery.

"I know I can get back to the levels I've shown before and more. My focus us now just getting fit and back out there."

Slattery's new deal comes with the option of Motherwell keeping the player until summer 2026.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell has "no doubt" that Slattery will return to his best when fully fit.

Image source, SNS

Blair Spittal will add "another dimension" to Hearts' attack, says head coach Steven Naismith, after the club confirmed the signing of the Motherwell playmaker.

Spittal, who had signed a pre-contract, arrives at Tynecastle on a three-year deal.

The 28-year-old was a standout for Motherwell last season, scoring 13 goals in 45 appearances and providing 11 assists in league matches, second only to Celtic's Matt O'Riley.

Spittal spent two years with Motherwell and has further top-flight experience from spells with Ross County, Partick Thistle and Dundee United.

“I’m really pleased to get Blair signed up," said Naismith.

“He’s got a wealth of experience in Scottish football and his form last season was up there with the best in the league.

“He’s going to provide another dimension to the team going forward and he’ll give us more options when we start navigating through domestic and European fixtures.

“Blair is similar to others in the squad in that he’s had to work extremely hard to create and then take the opportunities to get to where he is in his career.

"That work ethic is impressive and I think he can continue to progress and maximise the level he can achieve.

“Having spoken to him, I know he’s keen to impress in a Hearts shirt and I’m sure he’ll fit in well to our team.”

Image source, SNS

Motherwell have announced the signing of striker Zach Robinson on a two-year deal.

The 22-year-old spent the past two seasons on loan at Dundee, scoring 19 goals in 58 appearances, but makes the move to Fir Park after his contract with Wimbledon expired.

"It’s pleasing to see another new face at the club," said manager Stuart Kettlewell, who has now signed five players this summer.

"Getting so much business complete early on gives us a real base to work with.

"Zach is still young but has good experience of football in Scotland. He knows where the back of the net is and he adds more options for us up the top end of the park."

Robinson is excited to be continuing his career in the Premiership.

"I've only heard good things about the club from people that I've talked to," said the English forward.

"Everyone I have met has been great and it just makes the move so much easier.

"I feel like I've got more to give and this seems like the perfect place to do so."

Image source, SNS

Motherwell have sold midfielder Ross Tierney to Irish side Bohemians for an undisclosed free.

Tierney, 23, returns to his former club having played 38 games and scored four goals for the Steelmen since his arrival in January 2022.

The Irishman, who was under contract at Fir Park until next summer, spent last season on loan at Walsall in England's League Two.

In a statement, Motherwell said: "The club thanks Ross for his service and wishes him all the very best in the future."

Image source, SNS

Ross Callachan has taken the "perfect next step" in his career by joining Motherwell from Ross County.

The midfielder, 30, has signed a one-year deal at Fir Park with the option of a further 12 months.

Callachan joined County three years ago but missed all of last season after rupturing his ACL.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell said: "He's been unfortunate over the past year with injuries but has recovered well and is ready to kick on.

"We believe he can really add quality to our midfield."

Callachan joins his seventh senior Scottish side, with most of his 333 appearances coming at first club Raith Rovers. He has scored 28 goals.

He has spent most of the past seven years in the Scottish Premiership with Hearts, St Johnstone, Hamilton Academical and County.

Callachan, who follows Kofi Balmer, John Koutroumbis and Tom Sparrow in moving to Fir Park this summer, said: "I can't wait to get back on the pitch.

"Last season was tough for myself but my recovery has gone to plan and the opportunity to play for Motherwell was something I simply couldn't turn down."

Image source, SNS

Motherwell say their valuation of £4m put off potential investors who believed the club had been "significantly" overestimated.

That is despite a large number of fans and the Well Society board heavily criticising the figure that was first revealed earlier this month when the club published details of Erik Barmack's proposed deal.

The Well Society, the club's majority shareholder, said the valuation "drastically undervalues" the club and is "completely unacceptable".

After receiving "overwhelming requests" for more information, a lengthy update, external from the club, which details its finances, valuation, share ownership and board, reveals "many supporters" have questioned "why we would progress such a deal".

The statement adds: "The club board has a different opinion [on the valuation] and it is important to record that a number of investors withdrew from preliminary negotiations because having undertaken their own valuations they believed the club board was significantly over-valuing MFC.

"The club board, which contains directors with experience of valuing businesses along with their network of contacts in the field of sports finance, undertook an extensive valuation exercise before negotiating terms with investors.

"There are several different commonly used methodologies in valuing a business where the shares are not publicly traded.

"The value of the equity of the club, i.e. the shares in the club, in this transaction is £4m."

Image source, SNS

Motherwell striker Theo Bair has been included in Canada's final squad for Copa America 2024.

Bair could share the pitch with Argentina's eight-time Ballon d'Or winning captain Lionel Messi when they meet in the opening fixture of the tournament on Friday (01:00 BST).

As well reigning world and Copa America champions Argentina, Canada have been drawn in Group A alongside Chile and Peru.

Bair's Canadian team-mates include Celtic defender Alistair Johnston and Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies.

Bair, who netted 15 times in the Scottish Premiership last season, returned to the national team set-up in March but has not been capped since 2020.

He currently has two caps and one international goal to his name.

Image source, SNS

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has revealed he is close to replacing goalkeeper and captain Liam Kelly.

Scotland international Kelly, 28, is leaving the club this summer having signed a short-term extension to allow Motherwell to earn a six-figure windfall from this Euro 2024 participation.

"We're going to have to find a quality goalkeeper," Kettlewell told BBC Scotland Sportsound.

"We're well down the road in trying to do so. We're working really hard to try and make sure we can fill that obvious void.

"I've made no secret about it, the working relationship I had with Liam was excellent.

"The dressing room has been tremendous and Liam as the captain has been pivotal to that. He leads every social event, every event towards the game, team meetings.

"I don't set foot in a dressing room during the week, it's the way I've always managed. But in order to do that I need leaders and big characters in that dressing room.

"I believe the captaincy role is bigger than it used to be and having four or five big voices in your dressing room you put trust into is important to be.

"So it's big shoes to fill."

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell told BBC Scotland's Sportsound he hopes the club can announce some more signings in the next week.

The club have already brought in defenders Johnny Koutroumbis and Kofi Balmer, as well as Wales under-21 midfielder Tom Sparrow.

"I've been working away since January trying to sign Johnny," Kettlewell said. "He'll bring real quality, and really good athleticism.

"You'll see young Tom Sparrow come in as a midfielder. Kofi Balmer has come in as another face in the backline who was subject to a transfer fee for Crystal Palace a few years ago and has had decent loan experience.

"Re-signings can be as important as anything else. Paul McGinn has been one of the most consistent performers.

"Guys like Sam Nicholson and Stephen O'Donnell will be really important to me moving forward.

"I'm glad we've got that business done early. I'm hopeful over the next week there will be another couple of announcements for the Motherwell fans to look forward to."

Image source, SNS

Image source, Getty Images

Motherwell have added another defender to their ranks this week after signing Australian stopper Johnny Koutroumbis on a two-year deal.

The 26-year-old - capped at under-23 level by Australia - moves to Fir Park from A-League side Perth Glory.

The move comes after former Crystal Palace defender Kofi Balmer joined on a free transfer earlier this week.

“There has been a lot of work to get Johnny here,” manager Stuart Kettlewell told the official Motherwell website.

“Johnny is a good player who has a wealth of experience in a good league. I’ve spoken with him and he is very ambitious.

“We both feel this is an excellent opportunity for him to develop and push into that next chapter of his career.

“He’s now got plenty time to adjust and settle before the competitive season begins.”

If you could only buy one, sell one, and loan out one player at Motherwell, who would you pick?

That was the question we asked you to answer, with the transfer window now open.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Jim: Buy Simon Murray, sell Theo Bair, reluctantly. Happy to see two signings already, but only if they are going to get the chance to have an impact on the team. I would rather have quality over quantity.

Stuart: Sell Bair, I can't believe his stock will get higher after doing a great job this year. Loan out Mark Ferrie, think he needs game time. Buy a goalscorer, team always needs one to survive.

David: We really need a decent keeper and centre-backs who can defend properly. If I was forced to pick one player I’d go for Shamal George from Livingston. The signings so far don’t inspire much hope or quality.

Lee: Motherwell badly need to sign a winger, a flair player that can run with the ball and take on defenders. For the last couple of seasons we have lacked this pace and width in the team. Most of our midfielders are cut from the same cloth (CM).

The transfer window opens on Friday and we want to know what matters to you most this summer.

If you could only buy one, sell one and loan out one player at Motherwell, who would you pick?

Click here, external to let us know.

Image source, Getty Images

Motherwell have signed Wales Under-21 midfielder Tom Sparrow on a two-year deal.

Sparrow, a former Wolves youth product, joins having departed Stoke City after making four appearances for their senior side.

The 21-year-old had a loan spell at Motherwell's Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Academical in 2023, plus stints at Telford United and most recently Chester, where he played nine times last season.

"Tom has had a taste of Scottish football and Stoke thought highly of him," manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

"It's great to get the move done early in the window," Sparrow added. "It means I can get a full pre-season under my belt and get to know everyone.

"I'm really excited about the prospect of next season having spoken to the manager. He's full of optimism and it's hard not to get excited for what he's trying to build."

Image source, SNS

Barry Maguire has joined Championship newcomers Hamilton following his Motherwell exit.

The 26-year-old spent time with Accies' youth academy before switching to Fir Park.

The midfielder made 78 appearances for Motherwell during his nine-year stint, scoring two goals.

We asked for your views on the Barmack family's proposed investment into Motherwell.

The Well Society are against it, but are you? Here's what some of you had to say:

Jim: The Barmack's offer is derisory and an insult to everyone who holds this proud old club so dear. Their proposal should be kicked out the park.

Matthew: Staying with what we currently have is really moving backwards, the investment, fresh knowledge and direction is positive with further opportunities if the team and the joint owners deliver the results.

Edward: I’m stunned the board support this. On what measure is the club worth so little? Barmack and his wife are trying to 'sell' their Netflix connections as the vehicle with which to steal our club. No way!

Liam: We should not accept the offer as I feel we are selling the club too cheaply. I don't feel that they have the club's interest at heart, purely a business deal.

Ian: As I see it with these valuations, all the risk is being taken by the Well Society for little return and Erik Barmack could control the club with ease and undervalue the role of the society.

Anon: The Well Society are a bunch of amateurs who don't have a clue on how to run a business never mind a football club. It's a popularity contest to see who gets voted on to the board. Motherwell need an owner with a bit of vision otherwise we'd be as well closing up shop.

William: Fan ownership is a lovely idea, but it has failed to generate enough money. Compromises need to be made if the club is to survive in the top flight.