Following Butcher’s departure for Sydney in May 2006 we had the services of Malpas for a season. McGhee followed him for a couple of years before last season’s shared season when Gannon and Brown were in charge.
The appointment was to deliver a wonderful season for Motherwell fans and the team finished comfortably in third place. Many still believe that the quality of entertaining football on show during the July till December months of McGhee’s first season is the best to be seen in claret and amber since the Ancell Babes in the late 1950s.
That period, beginning with McGarry’s third minute goal in the opening league game at Love Street right through until the five goals scored against Dundee United on the horrible day when Uncle Phil died at the end of December, was characterised by fast, free flowing football that attracted praise from all quarters.
The third place (a healthy seven points clear of Aberdeen) led to the trip to Nancy and thousands of Motherwell fans will have great memories of the day – unfortunately we learned that McGhee’s bubble had burst and a poor season followed. We finished seventh.
McGhee moved on to Aberdeen believing that a ‘bigger’ club might serve his ambitions better. He’s not finding life easy up north!