New boss will have some cash to splash

Jun 13 2007 By Judith Tonner, Wishaw Press

MOTHERWELL’S directors insist they will not rush into the appointment of a new manager, but have promised that Maurice Malpas’s replacement will have money to spend on the team.

Club owner John Boyle and secretary Stewart Robertson plan to interview candidates this week, and want to ensure that the new man is in place when the players return for pre-season training on June 28.

They are also aiming to appoint a manager with contacts in England who will be able to sign impact loan players such as Anthony Stokes, who arrived from Arsenal and scored 16 goals in four months at Falkirk, and Liverpool youngster Adam Hammill, who made an impressive contribution at Dunfermline.

Robertson said: “John Boyle and I are hoping to sit down with some potential managers this week to try and move things forward, but it’s difficult to say exactly when we’ll have an appointment made.

“We don’t know if it will be this week or next, but we’d want it done and dusted before pre-season training starts, so in an ideal world we’d probably have someone in place by then.

“I know the fans would like somebody in to start making signings, but it’s too big an appointment to rush it and it’s more important that we get the right person.

“We’re looking at making a change to get some fresh ideas into the club — we have a fair idea of the kind of person we’re looking for and we’ve had a good standard of candidates; we’ve had Scottish, English, Dutch and Irish, and a real spread of experience.

“The board members are in contact every couple of days as there are still applications coming in even now; but the trip to Austria and pre-season friendlies are organised as all that was done before Maurice left.”

Robertson added that “a chunk” of the £700,000 transfer fee received for selling striker Scott McDonald to Celtic will be available to the new man in charge, as well as some of the proceeds of allowing First Division champions Gretna to groundshare at Fir Park.

He said: “We have to sit down with people and see if we can match their ambitions and vice versa — they’ll want to know our financial position and what resources they have to play with.

“Scott McDonald’s transfer fee and the Gretna deal means there’s cash we haven’t had in previous years; a fair bit will go on the stadium as we need to do things including renewing all the floodlights, but a chunk can go on wages or small transfer fees.

“The right person will have contacts to bring players to the club — we need to be a bit more creative and we’ve got to be looking to pick up people like Anthony Stokes and Adam Hammill.

“If the new manager has broad contacts they’ll be able to bring these guys in and it gets us off that merry-go-round for a small number of Scottish players.”

Assistant manager Scott Leitch is currently acting as caretaker manager, and has secured the continued services of defender Paul Quinn, who has signed a two-year contract extension.

He has also been in contact with potential new players and their agents, but says that the final decision on new signings should be left up to the new manager.

Leitch said: “Re-signing Paul Quinn is good news for the club; he’s a decent young player who’s come through the system at the club, and now he just needs to work hard to get a run in the team and make sure he has a purpose for the season.

“I’ve been busy speaking to different players and agents, and there’s a bit of to-ing and fro-ing involved as they come back to us.

“The manager must have a big say in who he wants to bring in, so I’m working on targets and doing the groundwork so that things are put in place for the new man to work on.”

It was confirmed this week that centre-half Mark Reynolds will travel to the under-20 World Cup with the Scotland squad; he will join up with his international team mates next Wednesday and travel to Canada for matches against Japan, Nigeria and Costa Rica.

Leitch said: “We’re all delighted for Mark — he’s come through the youth development system into the first team and has had a fantastic first season.

“We’re delighted he’s got this recognition and playing at a massive tournament like this can only help him and give him confidence.”

l THE fixtures for the new Premierleague season, including ‘Well’s matches will be released tomorrow (Thursday).