Speaking to the club website he thanked all and sundry for the way he had been treated during his four year spell and expressed his sadness at leaving. He felt confident that Motherwell is in a position to do well next season. He said that "It is time for me to move forward and for someone else to come in and take on what is a decent job at a decent club.
But there was no clue to the cause of his leaving. Was he sacked or did he resign? Was he placed in a situation which he felt undermined his authority or was there an acceptance that things were unlikely to get better?
John Boyle's earlier statement included the line, "Maurice's departure was not planned so we have just got round to looking at candidates." Are we supposed to assume that the invitation to Scott Leitch to join the back room staff was not calculated to prompt the manager's departure? Did our new second in command know whether Malpas had approved his appointment?
Questions, questions….