Stuart McCall expects a dangerous, fully focused Hearts side to arrive at Fir Park on Sunday, despite the events of an utterly tumultuous week in Gorgie.
To the surprise of many, Vladimir Romanov decided to dispense with the services of Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown, replacing them with Sporting Lisbon boss Paulo Sergio, and his assistants Alberto Cabral and Sergio Cruz.
And while there was initial anger regarding the decision from many quarters, much of the outrage has subsided after a fine 4-1 victory in the Europa League third qualifying round and subsequent draw with Tottenham Hotspur – factors which the ‘Well boss is wary of and Sergio makes his SPL bow in North Lanarkshire this weekend.
“It happens in football [the dismissal of coaches] l and I’m sure Jim and Billy understand it and accept it – especially working at Hearts,” the 47-year old said. “I was at the game the other night and from the first whistle the crowd got behind the team and behind the new manager. They got the win and – I’m not saying Jim and Billy will be forgotten – it’s a new era.
“They’ve certainly got strength in depth there; a lot of players, so we’re under no allusions how difficult Sunday will be.”
While McCall’s regard for Hearts’ squad is clear, the former Bradford gaffer is somewhat skeptical regarding the claims of Marius Zaliukas that Vladimir Romanov is looking for Paulo Sergio to deliver the SPL title.
“I still think it’s difficult for any team to split the Old Firm and I think most people would say that, but Hearts had a terrific run last season,” the Motherwell boss acknowledged. “I think they won ten out of eleven before fading away. But they’ve got the strength in depth which most clubs are envious of; two players for each position. The strength is there and the quality is there, but it’s a big ask [to split the Old Firm]. It will be expected to be between them and Dundee United to finish third.
[pullquote]I was at the game the other night and from the first whistle the crowd got behind the team and behind the new manager.[/pullquote]
“Who knows? If they can consistently hit the form that they hit for a spell last season and Mr Romanov earmarks some more players. They’re a good side; that much is for sure.”
The former Bradford boss had admitted a degree of frustration regarding missing out on transfer target Gavin Gunning in the last week.
The Irish under-21 international looks set to complete a move to Dundee United, with the Arabs using some of the finances afforded to them by the departure of David Goodwillie to make a lucrative offer for Gunning – something ‘Well could not cope with.
“We can’t get near the package Dundee United will be offering him [Gunning],” a candid McCall admitted. “He’s one that we would’ve liked to bring in but it’s outwith out wage structure and we will move on. It’s not a problem; we understand it.
“If he’d came back on loan then we could have offered him something, but it’s a permanent deal and his wages at Blackburn are quite high and we couldn’t pay anywhere near that last year and we can’t pay anywhere near it this year.”
Missing out on Gunning means that the search for new talent to add to the arrivals of Michael Higdon and Nicky Law continues.
The gaffer has acknowledged that he would like to add an attacker and a defender to the ranks, as he looks to add depth to what is a talented, but shallow, pool.
He continued: “We haven’t got much left in the budget so we’ve got to spend it wisely. Nobody can pinpoint where you are going to get an injury so we possibly could need a forward player that can play out wide or up front – like Steve Jones last year.”
“But we also know we’re short at the back if we get a couple of injuries to our centre-halves. It’s a balancing act but it’s what managers get paid for. We’ve got what we’ve got to spend, and that’s football; we get on with it.
“It’s difficult, and we’ll be looking at the younger end of the market – boys who are going out on loan for the first time. But I’ve also said we have to give our own young players a chance. Bob McHugh played last week, was unlucky not to score and had a decent full 90 minutes.
“We’ll need to see how these young players progress in the next few weeks and hopefully they can improve and keep learning.”