Motherwell have a huge challenge ahead with matches against Rangers, Celtic and Aberdeen in a seven day spell.
It will be some comfort to Stephen Hammell that all three clashes will be at Fir Park but there’s no escaping that this will be a tough week for the Steelmen.
The trial begins with a noon kick off against Rangers on Sunday. The early start comes thanks to Sky Sports as they choose to feature Motherwell for the first time this season. We have a woeful record in this fixture and recent years have seen some horrible defeats. The last meeting, in April, delivered a 3-1 loss despite the visitors playing with ten men for an hour. They arrive fresh from a 7-1 drubbing that saw them kicked out of the Champions League.
After a couple of days recovery, Celtic visit on Wednesday for the League Cup quarter final tie. The bizarre 6.15pm start time is thanks to Premier Sports who elected to disrupt attending fans’ day for the convenience of their TV schedule. Extra time and penalties will be needed if the scores are level after 90 minutes. The teams met at Parkhead at the start of the month and a 2-1 home win followed. That result may give some hope to Motherwell but the odds of them reaching Hampden for the semi-final in mid-January will be long.
The tough week will end with the arrival of Jim Goodwin (in the stand) and his Aberdeen team on Saturday. They also have a Sunday (Hearts h), Wednesday (Partick Thistle h), Saturday week and for the last of the triple managers may be exploring the full range of their playing squads. Motherwell upset the Dons with a win at Pittodrie in August and a repeat will be the target.
Hammell will not shrink from the task and he will be keen to demonstrate commitment to his football philosophy. He will need his players to be at their best for the testing week and the outcome may offer a hint of the prospects for the rest of the campaign.
Let's start with a 2-2 share on Sunday.