Stevie Hammell is the new manager of Motherwell FC. His elevation to the top job comes after a 25 year relationship with the club.
He steps into the position vacated by Graham Alexander a fortnight ago and he will lead the team to face Aberdeen on Saturday. By coincidence it was at Pittodrie that he made his ‘Well debut as an 18 year old.
The former left back wore the claret and amber almost 600 times in a playing career that ended in 2013. Apart from a short spell with Southend United he has been a Motherwell player.
He has captained the team, collected a player of the year award, won international honours and been inducted into the Motherwell Hall of Fame but fans’ main recollection will be of the endless patrols he made up and down the left flank of countless games. A two year contract has been agreed.
Stevie has spent the last three and a half years in charge of the club academy and took charge of the team for the first two league matches of the season.
Motherwell fans will regard him as the obvious popular choice and he will embark on this latest enterprise intent of developing a different style of play from his predecessor. We can expect less of the long ball game and more dependence on possession and passing. Those aspects were evident in the games against St Mirren and St Johnstone.
The transfer window remains open until the end of the month and with weaknesses already identified we hope for the arrival of fresh talent.
Congratulations Stevie!