Summer 2022 close season arrived with the hope of a return to entertaining football. The new season came with a bumpy start.
The transfer action got off to an early start when Ricki Lamie choose to opt out of the agreed move to relegated Dundee and to remain at Fir Park. Stephen O'Donnell and Liam Kelly were included in the Scotland squad for the June Nations League fixtures.
There were thirteen departures including Liam Donnelly, Mark O'Hara and Liam Grimshaw and eight imports including Paul McGinn and Blair Spittal. Joining on loan were Matt Penney, Stuart McKinstry and much to the fans' delight Louis Moult.
The draw for the European Conference League matched Motherwell with Sligo Rovers or Bala Town. The Irish team progressed and plans were laid for a trip across the water. 
The Fir Park pitch was lifted, excavated and replaced with new drainage, under soil heating and a hybrid surface. Preparations for the introduction of VAR began. The new home strip, an echo of the Willie Irvine era, was revealed in June.
The team had a week in Austria as the pre-season training intensified and after a friendly at Firhill Sligo Rovers came to Motherwell. The loss in both legs of the tie was a bitter blow and led to the “mutual agreement” that ended Graham Alexander’s year and a half term as manager.
The league season started in sunny Paisley with Stevie Hammell in place as interim manager. A Kevin van Veen penalty was enough to secure the 1-0 win but what impressed was the attempt at free flowing football from the players that had been constrained under Alexander's system.
A silly loss to St Johnstone followed before the newly installed manager saw his team win away in Aberdeen and at Fir Park against Livingston. There was to be no further league success at home for the rest of the calendar year.
Motherwell joined the League Cup at the knockout stage and Inverness CT were beaten 4-0. The campaign ended with the same score when Celtic visited Lanarkshire for the quarter final.
Autumn and winter were bleak. Wins in Dingwall (5-0) and at Tannadice (1-0) were isolated flashes of cheer as the team struggled. Injuries to Jake Carroll, Nathan McGinley, Bevis Mugabi, Sondre Solholm, Joe Efford and Louis Moult limited the manager's options but there appeared to be something lacking in the heart of the team. Two points were tossed aside in December when the ten men of Kilmarnock forced a draw despite Motherwell holding a two goal lead halfway through the second half.
The five week break to accommodate the World Cup was extended as the brutal freeze wreaked havoc with the old stadium's plumbing. The thaw brought flooding to all four stands and the scheduled restart with St Mirren had to be postponed.
Hogmany arrived with Motherwell tenth in the table and in desperate need of an injection of talent in the winter transfer window. Shane Blaney, ex-Sligo, was introduced as the first addition to the squad. There is room for several more.
The calendar year 2022 has delivered only three home league wins. Let's hope for more in 2023.