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Stephen Robinson described the past week as “difficult” following the departure of Mark McGhee on Tuesday.

But the caretaker boss admitted the entire squad must pick themselves up quickly as they head in to a crucial encounter with Kilmarnock on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking to the press this morning, the Northern Irishman said: “It’s been difficult. As I said when I spoke to the press on Tuesday, Mark was a popular person around here and he brought a lot of the players and staff to this club.

“There’s a lot of disappointment, but footballers get another chance, they always get another chance to go and prove themselves and that’s what they need to do now.”

[pullquote]They’ve been good and they’ve reacted to it because there was a lot of disappointment, there was a sombre mood around the place on Tuesday, but now they have to pick themselves up and go again.[/pullquote]

He added: “As Mark has said himself, their attitude was not something that was in question, it was more individual errors and mistakes that were costing us.

“They’ve been good and they’ve reacted to it because there was a lot of disappointment, there was a sombre mood around the place on Tuesday, but now they have to pick themselves up and go again.”

Robinson admitted that one of the crucial things the Steelmen need to rediscover is a way of becoming hard to beat.

He said: “We’ve conceded 27 goals in 10 games so we have to stop conceding goals. We’ve worked a lot on shape this week and being organised.”

You can watch the full interview on MFC TV’s YouTube channel.

‘Well defender Richard Tait believes that the focus must now be on Saturday afternoon following the departure of Mark McGhee.

The 27-year-old admitted that the players let their manager down in recent weeks, but made sure to keep his attentions on Kilmarnock.

Speaking to the press this morning, the full-back said: “It’s been hard seeing the gaffer go, but everyone knows that’s football.

“We have to make, as horrible as it sounds, a quick turnaround and focus on Saturday now and that’s mainly what we’ve been doing.”

Tait, who was signed by McGhee in the summer window, expressed his gratitude to the ex-Well boss.

[pullquote]We have to make, as horrible as it sounds, a quick turnaround and focus on Saturday now and that’s mainly what we’ve been doing.[/pullquote]

He said: “All the boys would agree that we’ve let the gaffer down in that sense and he’s ultimately paid the price for it.

“I just wish him all the best in the future and I’m just really grateful that he brought me to the club.”

He added: “We’ve had a focussing week ahead of Saturday’s game and like I said before, it has to be a quick turnaround.

“We’ve got to turn our attentions to Saturday and that’s mainly what we’ve done this week.”

You can watch Richard’s full interview on MFC TV’s official YouTube channel.

Motherwell FC are pleased to launch the recruitment opportunity for Supporter Liaison Officers (SLO’s) at the football club.

We are looking for four SLO’s to service the club and supporters in the build up to, on and after matchdays, to help improve the supporter experience at home and away games.

The four SLO’s will need to represent each stand, with one SLO also having a heavy focus on the ‘Well Bois and away fans section of the stadium.

Marketing and Fan Engagement Manager Ryan Murrant said: “This club have always been proactive on improving the supporter experience for those that come here, and for our own supporters when they travel to away games.

“This SLO recruitment forms part of our strategy moving forwards and allows us to take our fan interaction to the next level. The board, the Well Society, Alan Burrows and Alan Marshall want us to have the best SLO’s out there and we will work towards that and continually look to improve how we operate.”

He added: “We have invested a lot of time meeting amongst ourselves and with our contacts at other clubs to allow a role where the SLO’s in place have a free and positive impact on the matchday experience and we thank all those friends of the club for their help with this.

[pullquote]”We hope to have the SLO’s in place for next season at the absolute latest however we won’t rush things through as we want the best people possible in place for those roles.”[/pullquote]

Craig Hughes of the ‘Well Society added: “As a fan owned club it is vital that we do all we can to improve the experience for our supporters.

“After researching the SLO role and the impact they have across Europe we felt it was vital that we introduced them here at Fir Park.

“A number of months have been spent working to ensure this is done effectively and we are very much looking forward to beginning the recruitment process.”

If you are interested in becoming an SLO or understanding more about the role please see the attached Job Description PDF.

To apply for one of the positions, please send your CV to us at supporter.services@motherwellfc.co.uk and tell us more about yourself, why you should be suited to the volunteer role of an SLO and what stand you would best represent.

Ahead of Motherwell’s trip to Rugby Park on Saturday, we look back on one of the ‘Well’s impressive victories at the home of Kilmarnock.

On January 16, 2010, the Steelmen faced up against strugglers Killie and managed to secure three points for the first time under Craig Brown.

It dealt Jimmy Calderwood a painful defeat in his first game in charge of Kilmarnock, but meant that Motherwell remained in the top half of the table, narrowly ahead of Aberdeen.

Jim O’Brien opened the scoring with a left-footed shot into the bottom corner in the 55th minute and he then doubled his tally 20 minutes from time with another close-range drive past keeper Cammy Bell.

Eight minutes later, Lukas Jutkiewicz completed the win for Motherwell from inside the box with good finish.

The match was nearly called off due to burst pipes forcing the closure of the stands behind both goals at Rugby Park.

But it went ahead and two of Brown’s changes to his sides last outing combined for the first effort on goal in the fourth minute when John Sutton headed Keith Lasley’s cross narrowly over the bar.

Lukas Jutkiewicz scuffed a shot wide from 18 yards before Frazer Wright intercepted Sutton from point-blank range.

On-loan Everton striker Jutkiewicz was inches from opening the scoring in the 14th minute with a left-footed strike from 10 yards as Motherwell continued to dominate the match.

Motherwell broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the break though when O’Brien fired a left-footed shot in to the bottom corner.

Mark Burchill could easily have levelled moments later, but he headed Mehdi Taouil’s cross over the bar.

O’Brien made it two in the 70th minute before Jutkiewicz wrapped up the points for the visiting Steelmen just eight minutes later, when he found the corner of the net on the rebound after Sutton’s initial shot was blocked.

The referee for Saturday’s Ladbrokes Premiership clash with Kilmarnock is Bobby Madden.

The match will be Bobby’s third in charge of the Steelmen this campaign – after the 38-year-old took charge of the 3-0 loss away to Hearts and the 3-1 home loss to Aberdeen.

The official took charge on five occasions last term too.

The first was the second game of the season and the first at Fir Park which ended in a disappointing 2-0 loss to Dundee United.

The official then took charge of a further four matches in the 2015/16 season – all away from home.

The second match Madden oversaw was a 1-0 win against Kilmarnock, when a late strike from Louis Moult secured all three points for the Fir Parkers.

The ‘Well met Madden next at Celtic Park, on a memorable day for Mark McGhee’s men. Nir Bitton gave Celtic the lead before Moult equalised and then fired Motherwell in to the lead from the penalty spot.

The English striker enjoys scoring when Madden is in charge, as he bagged another goal the next time the Scot was in charge. His strike away to St Johnstone wasn’t enough for the Steelmen though, as the hosts won 2-1.

The last time Madden officiated a ‘Well match though ended with a disappointing 4-1 loss against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

His overall record in charge of the Steelmen reads six wins; thirteen defeats and one draw from nineteen games. The Fir Parkers have netted 26 times, and conceded 42. In those nineteen games, he has booked 54 players, 26 of those cautions flashed at players wearing Claret and Amber.

Three players have been sent for an early shower, Anthony Stokes for a lunging tackle on Keith Lasley at Celtic Park last season, Stuart Carswell – who came off the bench against Partick and picked up two yellows – and Keith Lasley in the last match Madden was in charge for, after the skipper picked up a late red card for a late challenge on Kenny McLean.

Bobby will be ably assisted by David McGeachie and Dougie Potter, with Barry Cook on Fourth Official duties.

Tom Boyd is a player whose place in Motherwell folklore is assured. The images of him high in the old Main Stand at Hampden Park in May 1991, Scottish Cup aloft, head shaking in near disbelief, will never be forgotten. 

What a way to bring down the curtain on your Motherwell career after eight years.

Boyd achieved notoriety in his youth for becoming one of the first players to earn a professional contract through the government supported YOP/YTS training programmes. He made his Motherwell bow soon after earning that contract during the ill-fated 1983’84 season.

He played regularly under Bobby Watson and then Tommy McLean during the First Division title winning year of 1984’85 and impressed the latter so much he was soon rewarded with the club captaincy.

Tom won the Motherwell fans Player of the Year award as recognition of his performances and growing promise during season 1985’86 and again in 1989’90. By this stage both Motherwell and Boyd had been transformed.

Having settled into a left-back role, Boyd flourished on the left hand side of the pitch playing alongside the great Davie Cooper who helped take his game to previously unseen heights.

Having progressed through the Scotland youth ranks, a B international cap followed before finally a full international cap came his away against Romania in September 1990. In time, he would go on to represent his country 72 times.

1991, one of the finest years in the clubs history, culminated with Boyd captaining ‘Well to Scottish Cup glory on his final appearance for the Fir Parkers.

Having been coveted by several sides, Tom elected to join Chelsea within days of the Hampden win for a reported £800,000 fee. His time at Stamford Bridge however, failed to go as well as he might have hoped and he returned to Scotland to join Celtic in a swap deal with Tony Cascarino in 1992.

There, the defender would see out the rest of his career making more than 300 league appearances for the Parkhead club adding another 3 League titles, 3 League Cups and 2 Scottish Cups to the honours he gained whilst at Fir Park.

In 2002, Tom received an MBE for his services to football.

Motherwell Football Club has today (Tuesday) parted company with manager Mark McGhee.

The decision, taken by the Board following consultation with the ‘Well Society, comes after a disappointing run of results, culminating in Saturday’s loss at home to Dundee.

Stephen Robinson, flanked by assistant James McFadden and Under 20s boss Stephen Craigan, has agreed to take temporary charge whilst a new permanent manager is recruited as swiftly as possible.

The club wishes to thank Mark for his work during his second spell at Fir Park, particularly getting the club into the top-six during the 2015/16 season and wish him every success in the future.

The best of the action from Excelsior Stadium where Ryan Bowman’s second half penalty was enough to give the Under 20s three points over Celtic.

Striker Ryan Bowman said he feels “up to speed” after scoring the winning goal as Motherwell beat Celtic 1-0 in the Development League tonight.

And MFC TV caught up with the Englishman, who bagged his first goal for McGhee’s side earlier this month.

Bowman said: “I feel really good considering I haven’t played for a while. Fitness wise I felt up to speed and it’s always nice to get a goal.

[pullquote]I feel really good considering I haven’t played for a while. Fitness wise I felt up to speed and it’s always nice to get a goal.[/pullquote]

“I got my first goal for the first team away to Aberdeen, it wasn’t nice getting beat but a goal’s a goal and I’m just happy to get more minutes and more game time and obviously the goal too.”

He added: “As a striker, obviously if you score goals it’s going to give you confidence and it was good for James McFadden the assistant manager and Stephen Robinson to be here.

“The main thing is getting the minutes and the three points too.”

U20s boss Stephen Craigan hailed his sides work ethic as they beat Celtic under 20s 1-0 in the Development League tonight.

A penalty from Ryan Bowman secured the points for the Steelmen, but Craigan admitted that the hard work of the team impressed him.

Speaking to MFC TV at full time, the Northern Irishman said: “When you play against good sides you know it’s going to be tough work, they deal with the ball very well, they move the ball and they’re good in one-on-one situations.

“Coming in to tonight’s game the message was ‘you’ll have to look after your own performance’.

[pullquote]It was more about the work ethic first and foremost and because we only played Celtic three of four weeks ago it was fresh in our minds about how to go about it.[/pullquote]

“It was more about the work ethic first and foremost and because we only played Celtic three of four weeks ago it was fresh in our minds about how to go about it.”

He added: “The intensity was better, we squeezed the game better, particularly in the first half.

“It also sets a little marker down that when you play against good sides you have to close the gap and it’s a little taster before the cup game in April too.”