Motherwell FC hope to avoid euro big guns

Aug 27 2008 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

MOTHERWELL manager Mark McGhee is hoping to avoid some of Europe’s big guns – when the draw for the first round of the UEFA Cup is made on Friday.

Six-time European champions AC Milan will join the Fir Parkers in the hat, along with Spanish giants Valencia, Sevilla, Deportivo La Coruna and Atletico Madrid.

And a mouth-watering Battle of Britain maybe on the cards as the Lanarkshire club could be drawn against English Premiership sides Aston Villa, Everton, Tottenham or Manchester City.

But McGhee, who will be managing a side for the first time in European competition is keen to avoid the cream of Europe – at least until the group stages.

“Managing a side in Europe is something I have wanted to do as a manager and it is why I turned down the opportunity to go to Hearts,” he told the Wishaw Press.

“We have been looking forward to it since we secured third spot last season and are looking forward to now knowing who we will be playing.

“We are hoping for a draw that will get us into the group stages so would prefer a draw that would gave us a chance of this as opposed to one against a massive club from Spain, Germany or Italy.”

He continued: “There are teams in the draw that would give us a better chance.

“Don’t get me wrong, we would take on anyone. But we are obviously going to be up against it if we get one of the bigger clubs.”

The Motherwell gaffer’s greatest moment of his playing career came in 1983 when he was in the Aberdeen side which defeated Real Madrid 2-1 to lift the European Cup Winner's Cup.

And the former striker is hoping to put to good use his vast experience on the European stage when Motherwell’s adventure begins next month.

He said: “I would like to think that the fact I played about 10 years consecutively for Aberdeen, Hamburg and Celtic in European competition would help us as a club.

“I played many European games, probably over 70, so I do have plenty of experience of going and playing in Europe and, yes, I propose to put that to good use.”

He added: “I was at Glasgow Airport on Monday morning and there were Queen of the South fans heading off for their match (in Denmark) and it got me excited thinking that our fans could be trooping off to some other clime to support their team.

“I think that will be fabulous.

“The dream for me would be a draw that gives us a chance and then we get Tottenham, Hamburg and AC Milan in the group stages.”

Twenty-four hours after the draw for the UEFA Cup is made, McGhee will be taking his charges to Easter Road as they attempt to pick up their first league win of the season.

And the 51-year-old is confident Motherwell’s impressive early season performances will translate into points sooner rather than later saying: “If we play aswell as we did on Saturday (against Dundee United) then we will be unlucky not to win.

“As far as I’m concerned the second half performance on Saturday was as good as any performance we put in last season.

“We were the better team against Aberdeen, dominating possession and play but just never got the goal and it was the same against Dundee United. We did the same to Hearts and Kilmarnock in the first half dozen games of last year and lost so it will come.”

KIND DRAW: Motherwell manager Mark McGhee, pictured with Craig Brown and Willie McLean before Saturday’s match with Dundee United, is hoping for a kind UEFA Cup draw.