6.30pm

Mark McGhee has been appointed the new manager of Motherwell FC.  The 50-year-old former Reading, Leicester, Wolves, Millwall and Brighton boss has signed a three-year contract and will have Scott Leitch as his assistant, with Chris McCart as head of youth development.

At this morning's press conference, the new manager said:
"I’m delighted to return to Scotland as manager of Motherwell. I am determined that from next season the team will give its absolute best to deliver the kind of results the supporters rightly expect.

"Motherwell has shown it is a team that is quite capable of punching above its weight and anyone who knows me will know that no effort will be spared in making sure that we perform at our best on a regular basis.

"I have had good times down south.  But, at no time when jobs have become available, have Scottish clubs been banging my door down. Sometimes, I've wondered why that was.

"I spoke to everyone and their brother.  I spoke to big Alex (McLeish), who knows the club, and Gordon (Strachan), who has been here for a couple of years now and who has played against Motherwell often enough.  But, ultimately, it was an easy decision.  I had become a little bit tired of doing the promotion and relegation thing in the First Division and the Championship. I was looking for a fresh challenge.

"I'm going to have to box clever.  We're going to have to look at loans, we're going to have to look at frees, we're going to have to look at peoples' reserve teams and we need to find players who are going to be good enough.  There are players down south, and overseas, that are good enough, but you have to look hard for them and you have to know where they are.  I have one or two people in mind who I think would improve us. But, first and foremost, I have to see the team.  At least one striker is a priority. I'm a believer that any team is only as good as its strikers."

Newspaper reports have suggested that the role was only offered to McGhee after Gary McAllister turned it down, but majority shareholder John Boyle insisted:
"Without a shadow of a doubt, he was the only person we offered the job to.  When we interviewed him, his enthusiasm, his experience, his knowledge of football and his passion all stood head and shoulders above everyone else we spoke to.

"We undertook an exhaustive search for a new manager and believe that Mark’s excellent combination of skill, experience and motivation made him an outstanding candidate for the job. We are delighted to welcome him to Fir Park.  We think this appointment gives us a great foundation for the future and our supporters can look to next season with renewed confidence and optimism."

A good summary of McGhee's track record as a player and manager is available here.

Seems like a decent appointment to me, and it makes a pleasant change to have someone with considerable experience in charge, unlike messers McLeish and Davies for example.  And let's face it, he doesn't exactly have a hard act to follow.

Best of luck, Mark!

With McGhee in place, it wasn't long before news of our first summer signing was confirmed.  The Official St Johnstone website reports that midfielder Simon Mensing will be arriving at Fir Park.

Given McGhee's comments today about strikers being a priority, could Craig Dargo be set to follow?