Motherwell

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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.”

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Motherwell continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 win over Livingston at Fir Park.

Shane Blaney got on the end of an Andy Halliday free-kick to open the scoring for the hosts.

The host's second goal came from a free kick, with Moses Ebiye this time getting on the end of Halliday's delivery. The foul, on Lennon Miller, had initially been given as a penalty but the decision was reversed after the assistant referee said it was outside of the area.

Livingston, preparing for life in the Championship after their relegation, pulled a goal back through Tete Yengi in the second half.

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell spoke to Sportsound this afternoon and gave the lowdown on his squad's pre-season preparations, new signings, and today's friendly with Livingston.

“It’s been going great, really well," he said.

“We feel we got a really good start to last season, topping our group in the league cup and starting of the league campaign very, very well, I think we started with three wins and some draws in there so the reparation and the plans been very, very similar.

"It's been littered with one or two injuries which is common practice now unfortunately in modern football but hopefully, we get over that situation, we’re missing six today for this game against Livingston which will be a good test and a good preparation for moving forward to next week.

On new arrivals, he adds: “I put some of them into different categories, one of them is carrying an injury, Johnny Koutroumbis coming over from Australia. He’s somebody that we identified that would be an athletic player with real quality, probably playing on the right-hand side even though he’s versatile.

“We look at the likes of Ross Callaghan, most people will know he’s had a tough time and everyone in Scottish football knows he’s had a tough time with injury but someone we know and remember performing well for Ross County and Hamilton.

“Then ones that start to come into the equation are the Tom Sparrows, Filip Stuparevic, it’s just a case of integrating some of these guys into the feel of Scottish football.

" It’s a different feeling, sometimes you get players coming from down south thinking this is going to be really easy going to Scotnad and think they’ll cruise it and I think it can be anything but that. So it’s just trying to get them a feel for what this football club’s about.

"I’ve got three or four teenagers, academy graduates, starting in this game today which I’m immensely proud of.

"The reason why they’re playing is that they’ve earned the right over one or two because their levels are high throughout pre-season and I want to see them against a proper side in Livingston."

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Motherwell striker Theo Bair's Canada will face Lionel Messi's Argentina in Tuesday's Copa America semi-final after they continued their surprise run with a penalty shoot-out victory over Venezuela.

The 24-year-old was again an unused substitute as the sides drew 1-1 after extra time in Arlington, Texas, before the competition debutants prevailed at the AT&T Stadium.

Jesse Marsch's team had headed into the tournament as the lowest seeds in their group and again were underdogs against a Venezuela side who had won all three of their group games.

However, Canada won the shoot-out 4-3 despite a missed penalty from substitute Liam Millar, the Preston North End forward who had a spell with Kilmarnock from Liverpool.

In New Jersey, they will have to avenge a 2-0 group-stage defeat by World Cup winners Argentina, who also needed penalties to defeat Ecuador after a 1-1 draw, if they are to reach the final.

We asked who you are backing to be Motherwell's breakout star in the new season.

Here's what some of you had to say:

D: Dylan Wells, who was in and around the squads, I think will be the breakout star this year. He is very highly thought of at Fir Park and could possibly form a partnership with Lennon Miller.

Anna: I think this is the season we started seeing the best from Ewan Wilson and Dylan Wells. Wilson did really well when called upon last season and the hype around Wells suggests he is ready.

Frazer: Dylan Wells.

Gilbert: Lennon Miller to shine - what a prospect.

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Motherwell will face Lowland League side Linlithgow Rose in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday, 9 July.

The game is a testimonial for former Rose defender Gary Thom; Motherwell say their side will feature a mix of first team and academy players.

Stuart Kettlewell's side have already faced FC Twente and DSVD Deurningen as they prepare for the new season.

Who do you think will be Motherwell's breakout star in the coming season?

Is there one particular youngster you are backing to impress or perhaps a fringe player who will come to the fore?

Have your say here, external.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell describes new defender Liam Gordon, 28, as "a leader" and "a fantastic acquisition". (Record), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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Theo Bair's Canada will face Venezuela in their first ever Copa America quarter-final on Saturday (02:00 BST).

After finishing second in Group A behind Argentina in their maiden foray in the tournament, they will now take on the undefeated Group B winners.

The Motherwell striker was an unused substitute in all three group games for Jesse Marsch's side.

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Under Roberto Martinez, Belgium celebrated three straight years as Fifa's top-ranked nation, but he was unable to guide a star-studded team to a major honour.

He did, however, lead them to a World Cup semi-final in 2018 and the last eight of Euro 2020. He lost to the eventual tournament winners on both occasions - France and Italy.

Those six years with Belgium came after guiding Swansea back to the second tier of English football, winning the FA Cup with Wigan and securing a fifth-placed finish at Everton.

Now Portugal boss, he is again overseeing another crop of world-class talent with huge expectancy.

But it was nine months in Motherwell as a player that shaped Martinez. It was where he met his future wife, with whom he has raised two children.

There was no romance on the pitch, though. The former midfielder failed to live up to the hype after arriving from Wigan in 2001.

Sixteen appearances, just eight of which were starts, then redundancy - along with 18 other players - when the Fir Park club went into administration.

"Motherwell was a very good experience because it wasn't a good experience," he recalled.

"As a manager it has helped me immensely. Being able to understand a dressing room undergoing administration was at the time very hurtful, but it has made me the manager I am now.

"As a whole I really enjoyed Scottish football. It wasn't a success from a personal point of view at the time, but it has become one of the biggest footballing lessons in my development as a manager."

Read Nick McPheat's article in full here.

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Motherwell continued their preparations for next season with a comfortable 8-0 win over Dutch side DSVD Deurningen.

Moses Ebiye and Sam Nicholson both scored twice for Stuart Kettlewell's side, Zach Robinson bagged a hat-trick and Filip Stuparevic netted his first goal in Motherwell colours.

The Fir Park side drew 2-2 earlier this week against FC Twente in their first friendly of their trip to the Netherlands.

Motherwell kick off their season on 13 July against Edinburgh City in the League Cup.

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Motherwell striker Theo Bair was an unused substitute as Canada qualified for the knockout stages of the Copa America for the first time after a nervy 0-0 draw against 10-man Chile.

Chile, the two-time Copa America winners, needed to beat Canada to progress to the last eight.

But their task was made more difficult in the 28th minute when Toulouse defender Gabriel Suazo was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Richie Laryea.

Despite their numerical advantage, Canada lacked creativity in attack and instead focused on keeping a clean sheet after Argentina ended any hopes that they could finish as Group A winners.

The result means Canada, who are competing in their first ever Copa America, have qualified for the knockout stages at the first time of asking.

Chile, back-to-back winners of the tournament in 2015 and 2016, failed to qualify for the last eight for the first time in 24 years.

Canada will face the winner of Group B in their quarter-final clash on Saturday at 02:00 BST.

We asked for your views on where Motherwell will be 10 games into the new season after the fixtures were announced.

Here’s what some of you said:

David: Hopefully we can finish close to the top half of the table but with the signings and players retained, we are more likely to be trying to avoid the relegation battle. Last season the defence was awful and I don’t see much reason to think it will improve.

Stuart: It’s always hard to predict but the signings are definitely in the right area and if they click, we should be mid-table.

Andrew: We need to see how the new signings bed in, but I suspect we will be between sixth and eighth. No doubt points will be dropped where we expected to gain.

Christopher: Motherwell are facing their toughest season for over 20 years. With the issues over ownership I worry if we have enough finances for the team. I hope that all the new players are fit and ready to go. I always fear every year this is the year Motherwell will be relegated. However, there are always two worse than us. I hope so this time.

Anon: We should hopefully get a minimum of seven points from 12 out of the first four games. The Christmas period is a killer for us, so hopefully we have plenty of points on the board by then. We can’t afford another run of 15 games without a win as we did at one stage last season.

Col: It very much depends on whether we keep Theo Bair and Lennon Miller. Perhaps with a couple of shrewd loan signings we could be around 10th.

Motherwell team-mates would be happy to see Theo Bair sold this summer as they think the 24-year-old Canada striker deserves a big move for the hard work he has put into the remarkable turnaround in his career, suggests right-back Stephen O'Donnell. (The Herald), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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An audacious goal from the halfway line by second-half substitute Moses Ebiye was not enough to secure victory for Motherwell in their pre-season opener against Eredvisie side FC Twente.

Lennon Miller had given Well a half-time lead thanks to a free-kick on the 26th minute.

Dutch winter Daan Rots fired the hosts - who fielded the son of former Celtic star Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink among their players - level barely a minute after the restart.

Ebiye's goal shot from just inside the Twente half beat the keeper with 13 minutes to go, but Rots went straight up the park to level the scores once more.

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Stuart Kettlewell expects a battle for the number one jersey at Motherwell after signing West Ham goalkeeper Krisztian Hegyi on loan for the upcoming season.

The 21-year-old, who has yet to make his West Ham debut, spent time with Stevenage and Dutch second-tier side Den Bosch last term, keeping six clean sheets in 17 appearances for the latter.

Hegyi also featured in his first senior Hungary squad in March 2023 and will vie with Aston Oxborough for the Fir Park starting spot.

"It can be tricky to recruit new keepers for a number of reasons but Krisztian brings quality and lots of potential," manager Kettlewell said.

"We now have two strong keepers at the club that can fight it out for that spot on the pitch come the start of the season.

"Krisztian has shown he has ability and with him only being 21, it’s clear he can still grow and this is the perfect environment for him to do that."

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell says there have been a couple of concrete bids for striker Theo Bair from clubs in two of Europe’s top five leagues, but not from Scotland, and neither has met the Scottish Premiership club's valuation of the 24-year-old. (The National), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Liam Kelly says he could not have comprehended his return to Rangers after a six-year spell away from the Ibrox club.

The 28-year-old Rangers academy graduate departed in 2018 before permanent stints at Livingston, Queens Park Rangers and Motherwell.

Kelly, who has now signed a two-year deal at Ibrox after leaving Motherwell, said: "It is unbelievable to be back at Rangers.

"When I left, I probably never thought I would be back, but I am so delighted to be here. I know the size of the club, I spent 14 years here, so it is a great feeling, and I am looking forward to the new challenge.

“You always have faith in your own ability that you can play at the top level and this club is the highest level.

"I am joining a really talented group of players and a really talented group of goalkeepers, so I am excited.”

Manager Philippe Clement believes the Scotland international will bolster Rangers' squad as they look to go one better in the title race next term.

“I am delighted we have been able to secure the signing of Liam," the Belgian said.

"We have had some really positive conversations, and he is a goalkeeper with experience in Scotland and in the Scottish Premiership which will be valuable for our squad."