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Motherwell FC News
May 2000
Wednesday, May 31
Stevie Nicholas was indeed included in the most recent Scotland under-21 squad, but didn't feature in the 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland on Monday night. The under-21's next game is against Wales tonight.
Tuesday, May 30
The venue for the friendly against Livingston on Tuesday, July 25 has been confirmed as Fir Park. Kick-off is at 7.30pm.
Saturday, May 27
A posting to the Mailing List reports that Stevie Nicholas has been called into the Scotland under-21 squad.
The folk in charge of the Official MFC Site have set-up a Mailing List specifically for younger supporters. Click here for details.
Friday, May 26
Today's Daily Record confirms that we are facing competition from Grimsby for Greg Strong. Billy Davies is keen to sign the Bolton defender on a permanent deal after he impressed during his three-month loan spell, and it is believed he would cost in the region of £200,000. Grimsby are expected to make a move for Strong if centre-half Mark Lever decides to quit the Blundell Park side.
The dates of our two friendlies have been confirmed, and we will face Huddersfield at Fir Park on Saturday, July 22 and then Livingston on Tuesday, July 25, presumably also at Fir Park.
Motherwell are being linked with Raith Rovers pair Craig Dargo and Marvin Andrews.
Thursday, May 25
The Motherwell players will return for pre-season training on June 28, which will be followed by a two-match trip to Sweden. The club also hope to arrange friendlies against Huddersfield and Livingston at Fir Park, and rumours suggest they are also trying to line-up a game against Albion Rovers.
Wednesday, May 24
Stevie Woods is off to Singapore this summer for some extra coaching work to
keep him earning extra cash. At the request of former Preston team-mate
Paul Masefield, Woodsie has been asked to help out the Little League soccer
clubs in the Far East and has asked former 'Well goalkeeper Gary Gow to help him
out. Woods has been suffering with a groin strain which he thought might
require surgery, but he's been told injections will ease his problems and he can
travel.
Former 'Well striker Tommy Coyne has been freed by Dundee.
A worrying posting to the Mailing List reports that Greg Strong could be on his way to Grimsby.
The new home strip goes on sale on July 1st and orders are currently being taken at the 'Well Shop in the Davie Cooper stand.
Tuesday, May 23
Pat Nevin has agreed to stay on as chief executive after finally deciding to
hang up his boots. The 36-year-old was released as a player two weeks ago
and was reported to be considering leaving Fir Park to continue his playing
career elsewhere. But following a meeting with John Boyle yesterday, Nevin
signed a one-year rolling contract to stay on. He said:
"We hadn't spoken for weeks and I was a bit apprehensive
before we met. I was concerned how it might turn out but every question I had
was answered. I'm convinced that within reason John
is as ambitious as I am for Motherwell. It was the response I was hoping for.
I thought I might be leaving and looking for a new club to play
for next season but now I'll be hanging up my boots. My
15 minutes in our 2-0 win over Rangers, although I didn't realise it at the
time, will now be my final appearance but I'm not complaining - I've had a good
innings."
Reports suggest that Billy Davies is poised for a "summer
spending spree" and hopes to hold talks with John Boyle and Pat Nevin
within the next couple of days to find out exactly what his budget is going to
be. However, Davies admitted that he is still a long way off agreeing a
fee with Bolton for Greg Strong:
"We will again take a look at the Greg Strong situation.
We have spoken to Bolton who are trying to tie up one or two
moves of their own before we will be able to finalise our
position, but it looks as though that is still a
good bit away."
The club have attempted to play down the Euro rivalry with Hearts after Don Goodman's comments last week were misinterpreted by several tabloids. Don claimed, quite rightly, that Hearts should have had third place tied up long ago, but then the word "bottlers" appeared in a lot of the papers which seemed to upset the Hearts players and management.
The Motherwell players are currently on a club holiday to Lanzarote.
A posting to the Mailing List claims that there will be no increase in Season Ticket prices for the new campaign, although gate prices will increase by £1 across the board.
Shaun Teale is still hopeful of being appointed the new manager of Carlisle United.
Ricky's report of the Rangers game is now available.
Fancy entering a Euro 2000 Sweepstake?
Keep the votes coming in the Player of the Year poll!
Monday, May 22
Billy Davies was rightly full of praise for his team following
their victory over Rangers yesterday. He said:
"There was a lot of commitment and effort,
but we created a lot as well. We gave a really good side a
difficult match and gave a fine account of ourselves. The Hearts
result was not in our hands. We heard it was 1-1 then got told it was 2-1,
but it wasn't to be. I'm still very proud and very happy with everyone at
the club. It has all been about improving on last season's league position
and we've done that. Now we have to work on our consistency for next
season - but fourth place in the SPL is a real achievement."
Sunday, May 21
Alas, the Euro dream is over! Despite a fantastic 2-0 victory over Rangers this afternoon, Hearts clinched the final UEFA Cup place after winning the Edinburgh derby 2-1. On the day, Motherwell could do nothing more and produced one of their finest performances of the season to inflict only Rangers' second defeat of the campaign. Billy Davies made two changes to last week's team, with Stephen Hammel replacing the injured Stevie McMillan and the outgoing Simo Valakari surprisingly selected in place of Kevin Twaddle. Right from the start you could sense the Motherwell players were up for it, and Greg Strong was unlucky early on to have a goal disallowed when he was penalised for pushing. Further chances were passed up by Ged Brannan and Don Goodman as the home side completely dominated the first half. However, we didn't have long to wait for the opener, and sub Twaddle deservedly gave Motherwell the lead when he ran clear of the Rangers defence and slotted the ball past Klos. The second goal came soon after, when John Spencer clipped the ball over the advancing goalkeeper after finding himself with a clear run in on goal. It was a brilliant way to end the season and the players deservedly took a bow in front of the fans after the final whistle, but unfortunately it wasn't enough for the European place. Maybe next year!
I heard a rumour at the game today that Jamie McGowan has become the latest Motherwell reject to sign for Dunfermline.
The prestigious Player of the Year opinion poll is now up and running!
Saturday, May 20
Team news ahead of tomorrow's game: Stevie McMillan is doubtful with a groin strain, while Lee McCulloch is still suspended and John Davies misses out with a hamstring problem.
Hearts' Colin Cameron has hit back at Don Goodman's comments earlier in the week by saying that Motherwell are the bottlers after throwing away a 10 point advantage over the Edinburgh side.
Billy Davies has confirmed that signing talks are underway to secure the
services of Andy Goram. He said:
"Andy has a year to go on his contract but I believe that he can go on
for a number of years. He has been excellent this season and is certainly
in my plans to stay here for a long, long time to come."
Billy Davies says he is not at all surprised that his side have taken the
fight for Europe to the last game of the season, despite being tipped as
relegation favourites by many pundits at the start of the campaign:
"I looked around the dressing room and I said to the players from day
one that they had the quality. I've not been surprised by our progress
this season because of the calibre of player we have. We spoke about the
fact that we were made relegation certs at the start of the season during our
pre-season tour of Sweden. We believed in the game that we were playing
and what we were trying to achieve here. It is all credit to the players
and everybody here that we have something to play for in the last game of the
season."
Stephen Halliday was sacked by Carlisle after club officials discovered he had been drinking in a nightclub just hours before the last game of the season.
Friday, May 19
A Daily Record article on Andy Goram is available here. The Goalie has one year left on his contract and says he would like to finish his career at Fir Park. He is currently in negotiations to extend this deal. In the article, Goram also talks about his desire to captain Motherwell in Europe, having already captained Hibs and Rangers in European competition earlier in his career.
Greig Denham has completed his move to Falkirk. The 23-year-old
defender, who has signed a two-year contract, said:
"I had the chance to go on loan to Falkirk earlier in the season but
Motherwell told me that I was about to get back into the first team so I decided
to stay. I did get back into the team and then I was out again and that's
the way it was for me throughout my career at Motherwell. I was never
given a consistent run."
A rumour on the mailing list (which I've also heard from a different source) is that John Spencer will be offloaded during the summer as he isn't doing enough to earn his inflated salary.
The official Motherwell site will carry a real audio webcast of Sunday's game against Rangers.
Motherwell are reported to have lined up a friendly against either Huddersfield or Leicester City at Fir Park on July 22.
Thursday, May 18
Rob Matthaei has signed for Dunfermline after being freed by Motherwell. The 33-year-old Dutch midfielder fell out with Billy Davies and was demoted to training with the youth team, but he impressed Pars manager Jimmy Calderwood after a short trial period at East End Park.
Hearts manager Jim Jeffries has hit back at Don Goodman's
comments that his side are bottlers. He said:
"Goodman has done us a favour by saying these things as it's
something else to pin up in the Hearts dressing room. He's trying
to use mind games but we're not falling for that. The only
thing he's right about is we are still favourites to win
that UEFA place next season. They can beat Rangers and
still not qualify - and it's not as if that's an easy thing to do.
All we need is one point. And anyway, it's not as if we have lost four or
five in a row, is it? We're not bothered in the least about what anyone else
is saying. If he wants to play psychological games with us that's up to him
but I think he's done us a turn."
Our old friend Stephen Halliday will not be having his contract renewed at Carlisle following "a gross breach of club discipline."
Supposed Motherwell target Quentin Jacobs has been offered trials with clubs in Belgium and South Africa.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's Euro decided against Rangers, Billy Davies
said:
"We will try to demand everything we can get from the players in the
final game. They all know what's at stake and are looking forward to the
match. We need all our supporters to get right behind us. It's vital
this week that we get the support. We need the fans to come out in their
droves and really get behind us and try to stick with us throughout the
game. We're playing a very good side and the fans have got to understand
that throughout the game they just have to give the players backing and get
right behind them with encouragement. Hopefully the players will respond
by giving them a good performance."
Wednesday, May 17
Don Goodman has raised the stakes for Sunday's battle for
UEFA Cup qualification by accusing Hearts of bottling a European place. He reckons the Edinburgh side will have only themselves to blame if they miss out, and said:Don also revealed one of manager Billy Davies' tactics in
recent weeks has been distributing misinformation during
half-time at matches that Hearts are losing to inspire his
players:
"The gaffer tells us at half-time regardless that Hearts are
getting pummelled, so we expect the same kind of news on Sunday
afternoon at 3.45pm."
When questioned about Rangers unbeaten away record in the league this
season, Billy Davies replied by saying:
"In my 2nd game in charge at Motherwell, Rangers had been
on a tremendous unbeaten run and we managed to beat them
1-0, on the other hand Aberdeen came
to Fir Park not winning a match and we were their
first victory !"
A rumour posted to the Motherwell mailing list suggests that Tony Thomas has had an insurance payout and is finished as a professional footballer due to his recurring knee problem.
Tuesday, May 16
Pat Nevin has distanced himself from reports suggesting that his time at the club is coming to an end. Speaking on Clan FM, he explained that John Boyle was keen to offer him a permanent non-playing role at Fir Park, although no details were given of what exactly this would involve.
Sky TV have decided not to screen the game against Rangers live on Sunday. They will instead broadcast the Edinburgh derby from Tynecastle.
Brentford are reported to be interested in Motherwell free Sasa Curcic.
Meanwhile, Dunfermline manager Jimmy Calderwood has confirmed that he is keen to
sign Rob Matthaei. Speaking today, he said:
"Rob would be a good addition to our squad. I know him from my
time in Holland and he has many strengths. He's good on the ball, a strong
tackler and passes with quality."
Monday, May 15
A rather worrying report was broadcast on Radio Clyde on Saturday. Apparently John Boyle is paying £50,000 a week (roughly £2.5m per year) to keep the club ticking over, and there is a possibility of him selling up.
The full list of players released is as follows: Michael Brown, Craig Callachan, Steven Craigan, Greig Denham, David Doherty, Rob Matthaei, Jamie McGowan, Sasa Curcic, Pat Nevin and Kevin McLaughlin. Billy Davies will no longer be registered as a player.
Ricky's report of the Dundee Utd game is now available.
Saturday, May 13
We won 2-1 at Tannadice this afternoon thanks to two goals from Don Goodman. It certainly wasn't the best performance of the season against a United side who played most of the match with only 10 men, but the win means we are still in with a chance of qualifying for Europe. Andy Goram returned to the starting line-up, with Kevin Twaddle favoured instead of Derek Townsley. After a dull opening, the game suddenly came to life when the referee sent off United's McCracken for a wild tackle on John Spencer, and then shortly afterwards we took the lead when a Kevin Twaddle cross was side footed home by Don Goodman. The sending-off appeared a bit harsh, and the ref duly evened things up when he awarded the home side a soft penalty. Corrigan tackled Hamilton in the box and appeared to win the ball, but the ref pointed the spot and the aforementioned Hamilton sent Goram the wrong way to make the score 1-1 at the interval. Billy Davies made two changes at half-time when the injured Steve McMillan was replaced by the impressive Stephen Hammell and Derek Townsley came on for Paul Harvey, who was in danger of being sent-off. There was little between the sides in the second-half, but we snatched a winner when a shot from Townsley landed at the feet of Goodman, and he made no mistake from a few yards out. We survived a few late scares near the end and held on to secure the three points and keep the Euro dream alive. Bring on the Rangers!
My insider informs me that Rob Matthaei is set to join the ever growing contingent of ex-'Well players at Dunfermline.
Today's Sun claims that Pat Nevin could walk out on Motherwell after
being told that his playing contract will not be renewed. Nevin, who will
be 37 in September, was freed along with Jamie McGowan, Greig Denham, Stephen
Craigan and Michael Brown. The Fir Park chief executive is quoted as
saying:
"I have been released, but I have not retired. I will wait until
the end of the season before deciding what to do. At the moment I don't
know what's going to happen. I'll have to sit down with John Boyle over
the next few weeks and discuss my position. I don't have a contract as
chief executive, but we do have a gentleman's agreement. All I can say is
watch this space."
Friday, May 12
Sasa Curcic will NOT be at Fir Park next season after he couldn't agree terms with the club for a new contract. Pat Nevin has been freed as a player, and now looks certain to become a club director.
Depending on what newspaper you read, the fee Bolton are demanding for Greg Strong varies from £100,000 to £250,000. He is apparently very keen to stay, even if Bolton reach the Premiership via the play-offs.
A Daily Record article on Paul Harvey is available here. The 31-year-old had planned to quit football and move into the building trade before being signed by Billy Davies.
Greig Denham has been offered a three-year deal with Falkirk. The out-of-contract defender turned down a move to Brockville earlier in the season.
Andy Goram returns to the squad for tomorrow's trip to Tannadice after recovering from an ankle injury, but Lee McCulloch is still suspended.
Shaun Teale looks likely to become the new manager of Carlisle. Current boss Martin Wilkinson was sacked after the club only narrowly avoided relegation to the conference.
Rumour has it that we will be playing Livingston in a pre-season friendly. Another unconfirmed report suggests that Simo stormed out of Fir Park last week after discovering he wasn't in the team.
Tuesday, May 9
Billy Davies has called on the SPL to increase the league to 16 teams.
He feels there are enough quality sides currently in the 1st Division to justify
such a move, and also believes that next season's 12-team league, which splits
into two mini-leagues after 33 games to decide the championship and relegation,
will increase the pressure on his side:
"With the Premier League splitting into two after 33 games, it will be
even more essential than ever before to get off to a good start and tuck away
points early - that's going to bring an additional pressure."
Davies, who has drawn up a hit-list of Bosman players he wants to sign, also
hopes to tie up Greg Strong on a permanent deal. He said:
"I will sit down with Greg on Wednesday or Thursday, discuss the
situation with him, talk with Bolton to see what sort of deal they are talking
about, and hope to get something sorted out."
I'm going away on business for a couple of days, next update will be on Thursday night.
Monday, May 8
Yesterday's Sunday Mail reported that Billy Davies is considering a move for St Johnstone's John O'Neill as a replacement for Simo.
Billy Davies has tipped Kevin Twaddle for a Scotland call-up, once the winger regains full fitness. Kev insists it will be next season before 'Well fans see the best of him, as he has yet to fully recover from the bout of glandular which ruled him out for several months at the start of the season.
Ricky's report of the Hibs game is now available.
I'm going away on business for a few days, next update will be on Thursday night.
Sunday, May 7
Motherwell defeated Hibs 2-0 yesterday, and by all accounts the victory was far more emphatic than the scoreline suggests. Indeed, having watched the highlights on the TV we could easily have won 5 or 6-0 given the number of clear cut chances we created. As it was, we had to settle for two second half goals from substitute Kevin Twaddle to secure the points. Hibs apparently were a very ordinary looking side and only forced Stevie Woods into action once throughout the entire 90 mins. The win moves us to within 5 points of Hearts, but with only two games left our chances of qualifying for Europe remain slim.
Ged Brannan has hit out at the UEFA ruling which could allow second-bottom placed Kilmarnock into Europe, while Motherwell would miss out despite finishing fourth. Similar to last year, Killie could qualify for a UEFA Cup spot by winning the fair play league.
Friday, May 5
Simo Valakari has spoken of his decision to quit Fir Park to
play for Derby County next season. He said:
"Motherwell made me a very good offer, but I wanted a
change. The chance to go to Derby is a once in a lifetime
opportunity, it wasn't a hard decision to make.
I spoke to Sami Hyypia at Liverpool and he made my mind up. He
told me the Premiership is unbelievable, every game is so
tough. He also teams play such good football. There
wasn't interest from any other Scottish clubs, but I told
Motherwell if I stayed in this country it would be for
them. There's no point in moving away unless it's to
Rangers or Celtic, and I think Motherwell will
become the third best side in Scotland."
Pat
Nevin added:
"We put pressure on Simo to re-sign for us and
made him an offer a long time ago. We've
been talking to him for about a year now but there's no bad feeling about
letting him go. I'm just happy he has let us know so we can plan for the
future."
Alas, I'm missing tomorrow's game against Hibs as I'm off on a stag weekend! Next update will be on Sunday night (assuming I make it back in one piece).
Thursday, May 4
After months of speculation, Simo Valakari has finally
confirmed he will be leaving Motherwell at the end of the season to join Derby
County. The Finnish internationalist has signed a pre-contract agreement
for a for year deal with the Pride Park side under the Bosman ruling. Simo
joined Motherwell three years ago and settled well in Scotland, but has now been
given opportunity to fulfill a
long-standing ambition to play in the Premiership.
Speaking today, Billy Davies said:
"I'm disappointed to lose him because he has been a fantastic
player for this club over the last three years. Yet
there comes a time in every player's career when they outgrow a certain club
and we feel Simo has outgrown this club. He has
played at international level and feels ready for another challenge and
we recognise this is a great opportunity for him to go into the Premiership
and show what he can do. I hope he goes down to
Derby and does very well. He will be difficult to replace
but that is the situation with the Bosman ruling. Now we have to make
it work for us this summer."
Ricky reports that Motherwell are interested in Quinton Jacobs, the Namibian internationalist currently with Partick Thistle.
Wednesday, May 3
Derby County have denied that they have signed Simo Valakari, after this morning's Sun confirmed Ricky's story that he has signed a pre-contract agreement with the Pride Park club. However, it is almost certain that Simo will be on his way, as it is reported that he has turned down Motherwell's offer of a two-year contract.
Rumour has it that Andy Goram was excused from action on Saturday so he could be best man at his mate's wedding. Apparently he tried to get into the Kirkintilloch RSC dance later in the evening and was thrown out for being too drunk.
Another rumour is that Motherwell are interested in signing Gordon Durie, who looks likely to be given a free transfer from Rangers at the end of the season.
Tuesday, May 2
The normally-reliable Mr Mullen informs us that Simo Valakari today signed a pre-contract agreement for four years with Derby County. The deal is believed to be worth £300,000 per year.
Teamtalk reports that several SPL clubs could be interested in signing Steve Woods, with Aberdeen and Rangers mentioned as potential buyers!
Ricky's report of the Celtic game is now available.
Monday, May 1
Lee McCulloch
was beaten to the Young Player of the Year award by Hibs' Kenny Miller.