Clarkson departure adds to new Motherwell manager’s woes

Jul 1 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

NEW Motherwell manager Jim Gannon will have to build a side without fans’ favourite David Clarkson after the striker signed for Bristol City on Monday.

Clarkson secured a three-year deal with the Championship side that is believed to have pocketed the Steelmen a fee of around £600,000.

The Scotland international had less than 12 months remaining on his contract and with the SPL’s multi-million pound broadcasting deal with Setanta now dead in the water, chairman John Boyle has admitted it was an offer the club could not ignore.

Boyle said: “We were most reluctant sellers in this case but a player like David Clarkson, a current international, has a value and with less than a year left on his current deal, we may have ended up getting very little in January or nothing at the end of the season.

“We are striving to avoid a situation like Ross McCormack, who we lost to Cardiff for next to nothing, or Scott McDonald, who moved on for a fraction of his worth because he was coming to the end of his deal.”

Clarkson (23) made his debut at the tender age of 16 just days after the club plunged into administration back in April 2002. He went on to score 56 goals in 253 appearances in claret and amber.

Clarkson scored a goal on his international debut in May 2008 against the Czech Republic and has two caps to his name so far.

Boyle added: “David has been an extremely loyal and effective player at Motherwell for a number of years and whilst we are sad about him moving on, we wish him every success with a new club. We have watched with some satisfaction his progress into a fine player and man and he goes with all our best wishes.”

The departure of Clarkson will further exacerbate an increasingly anxious ’Well support who have been dealt a serious of hammer blows in the close season, leading to the break-up of the side which has led Motherwell into Europe in successive seasons.

Last month, Mark McGhee left the club to take up the vacant managerial vacancy at Aberdeen. He was joined at Pittodrie by assistant Scott Leitch, who rejected Boyle’s offer to take the reins at Fir Park

This followed the loss of star striker Chris Porter, who signed for Derby in the January transfer window.

Mainstays in the Motherwell first team, Graeme Smith and Stephen Hughes, have left under freedom of contract, as has Bob Malcolm.

Cillian Sheridan has re-joined Celtic after his loan spell and Maros Klimpl has also left after his successful spell on loan from Danish side FC Midtjylland.

A further blow could be dealt before tomorrow’s Europa Cup first leg tie against Welsh minnows Llanelli, with former skipper Paul Quinn linked to a move to English Championship side Cardiff.

It leaves new manager Gannon struggling to pick a side for his first game in charge in just 24 hours’ time.

The former Stockport County manager will have to draft a number of youth team players into his squad for the game at New Broomfield.