Wednesday, July 21
9.30pm
We defeated Stenhousemuir 3-0 in this evening’s friendly at Ochilview, with the goals coming from Scott McDonald (2) and Paterson. The team was:
Marshall, Corrigan, Craigan, Kinniburgh, Fitzpatrick, Burns, Leitch, O’Donnell, Paterson, McDonald, Clarkson.
The club have confirmed that both Terry Butcher and Maurice Malpas have signed new deals tying them to Fir Park until 2006. TB is quoted as saying:
“I’ve agreed an extension. I already have this season to go, but another year has been added to that. Maurice will be here with me as well for the next two years. It’s good news for me and Maurice, although the players might not like it!”
There’s a decent article on Brian Kerr in today’s Scotsman which contains the following quotes:
“It would be good to think that moving here will help my international prospects because I’ll hopefully be playing every week. And if the national manager is coming along to watch games then I’d like to think I could put in performances that will make him think I’ve got to be chosen. That was one of the things that made me come to Motherwell, the fact that I’d maybe have a better chance of getting into the Scotland side if I was here. Internationals would be great but they are a bonus and all I’m looking for just now is to play as many first-team games as possible and enjoy my season. Towards the end of my time at Newcastle I wasn’t getting to play as much as I’d have liked and hopefully that’s something I can get to do at Motherwell.”
TB goes on to say:
“I’m sure our fans will like Brian because he’s an exciting player and he keeps the ball moving about well. It’s nice to think that his international prospects will be enhanced by coming here and I certainly think that that will be the case. It’s incredible really that we have managed to sign somebody like Brian – he played in the last two games for Scotland and he definitely is an international class player. He did very well in those matches and he’s a bright, bubbly, bouncy player – he gives and goes and gets forward really well too. It’s not a gamble by any stretch of the imagination bringing him here and I think it’s a good move both for him and for us – Brian is an excellent signing for this club.”
Meanwhile, the Daily Record ran a piece on Jim Paterson containing the following quotes:
“Everything got sorted out with Dundee United thankfully and this is a great move for me. There are a few players who still do not have clubs and to know that Motherwell wanted me has really boosted my confidence. I cannot wait for the season to get started.I was out of the game for two long seasons and I have missed a lot of football. They were two serious injuries and I earned the tag ‘injury-prone’, which upset me a bit. I broke my left leg twice – against Aberdeen at Tannadice in November 1999 and against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in September 2000. That was a nightmare and definitely stalled my career. I played more than 30 games for Ian McCall in his first season in charge and that was the first time that I had played a whole season. I spent two years recovering from leg breaks and another year trying to get back into the way of football life again. I am due a huge slice of luck and hopefully I will get it at Motherwell. I need to play first-team football and Terry Butcher has given me that assurance. Ian McCall brought in his own players last season and I found myself sidelined so we agreed that it was best if I moved on. I got a fair crack of the whip at Dundee United and there are no hard feelings. I know Terry and Maurice Malpas from my time at Tannadice and I am absolutely delighted to be back working with two top-drawer coaches.
“Motherwell will go to Celtic Park on the opening day and try to win the match. It might be the ideal day to catch them actually but they are a formidable side at the best of times. I have played Celtic about four times with Dundee United at Parkhead and only once came close to winning there. My first game at Parkhead for United when we went down2-1 is the closest I have ever come to winning at Celtic Park. We were 1-0 up with less than 10 minutes to play but Craig Burley and Henrik Larsson hit us with a late, late show.”
TB added:
“I wanted to get Jim Paterson on board here earlier but hadno funds to do it. Jim can play left-back or as a left–sided midfielder and we know his character. He is a quick and solid player and now has the perfect platform to relaunch his career. He reminds me of Pearson, who has the ability to get past people and get crosses into the box. I know Jim does not want to be compared to Pearo but we are looking for him to fill that void.”