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  • Club

    Catch up on our week in Tenerife

  • Club

    Players take crossbar challenge

  • Club

    Grimmy Grills… Cédric Kipré

  • First team

    Robinson: Tenerife trip well worth it

  • First team

    Tenerife trip ends with friendly win

  • Club

    Who will win at Heads Up?

  • First team

    Rose relishing return to action

  • First team

    Injured players gaining from Tenerife trip

  • First team

    Another day of work in Tenerife

  • First team

    Watch day two of training in Tenerife

  • Club

    Catch up on our week in Tenerife

    Motherwell players spent the week enjoying warm weather training and the chance to bond together in Tenerife.

    Manager Stephen Robinson hoped to recapture the spirit the pre-season camp in Ireland instilled in the team, as they prepare for the second half of the Ladbrokes Premiership season.

    Arriving on Tuesday in the south of the island, the squad immediately got to work with some intensive training sessions, both out on the pitch and in the gym.

    We also sat down with the manager to get his thoughts on what the week ahead would entail.

    “In comparison to what we would have had in Motherwell, it’s been very good,” he said.

    “I think we needed it, we did the same before the start of the season when we went to Dublin and I’m getting the same feel good factor coming back again.

    “The boys are training at a high intensity, working really hard again and getting back to what we’re very good at.”

    “I think the perception is that sometimes you come to a warm weather climate and you take it easy, well we’ve done the opposite.

    “We’re having double sessions, we’re in the gym, we’ve got super facilities and you can do a lot of coaching out here.

    “We gave the boys a few days off after the Hamilton game and we’re back on it again. We’re having double sessions, we’re in the gym, we’ve got super facilities and you can do a lot of coaching out here.”

    Defender Richard Tait was similarly keen to use the Tenerife trip as a pick-me-up.

    “The back end to the first half of the season was poor,” conceded Tait. “It wasn’t up to standard, was it? It’s form that is going to get you into trouble.

    “Coming out here and using this week to come together as a team and put some more hard work in on the training ground will hopefully hold us in good stead when we go back.

    “We started off the season well and that was probably due to going to Ireland and really grafting for the time we had there.

    “We are looking to start our first match back with a win and carry on from there like we did in the first half of the season.”


    Wednesday saw the team out on the pitch twice for training, as well as hitting the gym in between.


    On Thursday we spent time with some of the injured players who made the trip to aid their recovery.

    Chris Cadden, Craig Tanner and Peter Hartley spoke as we followed them through the different parts of their rehabilitation, and also got the thoughts of physio David Henderson.

    Oh and did someone mention the hard work the players were putting in?

    Thursday was one of the more gruelling sessions at Tenerife Top Training, as the heat picked up.

    Influential midfielder Andy Rose was also on hand to give his thoughts on the camp and what lies ahead for the team on their return to Scotland.

    “It’s been a really enjoyable trip so far,” the 27-year-old said. “There’s been lots of hard work and obviously the weather has been great and the facilities are fantastic.

    “It was cold when we left but there’s a lot we can focus on over here all together in the heat of Tenerife.

    “Getting away from everything and spending all day, every day together has been great. Bonding-wise it’s been important and tactically it means we can nail down things on the training pitch, so it’s been great.”


    The hard yards were still being put in on Friday, but it also gave us a chance to have some downtime and a bit of fun.

    We got Gael Bigirimana, Charles Dunne and new signing Nadir Çiftçi together for a game of Heads Up, with hilarious consequences.

    Midfielder Liam Grimshaw is also a lively figure in the dressing room with his quick wit and one liners.

    We thought it would be a shame to keep that behind closed doors, so we decided to give him his own chat show Grimmy Grills.

    Watch our for more in the coming weeks but here’s his first episode with Cédric Kipré as he delves into the delicacy of snails with gravy and the towering Frenchman’s popularity with fans. And yes, he even sings his song.


    Last up on Saturday was a friendly against Swedish side Ostersunds FK.

    They are warming up to play Arsenal in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League next month but, in a 70 minute match, the Steelmen were victorious thanks to Allan Campbell’s first half goal.

    It was left then to manager Stephen Robinson to reflect on the success of the trip.

    “I think it’s been a really beneficial trip and it’s brought a lot of people together,” he said.

    “It’s gone really well. We couldn’t have asked for better facilities and we’ve been well looked after.

    “The new boys that have come in have settled in really well. You can start seeing the buzz we had in Dublin starting to come back again.

    “Credit to the board. They backed us to come away and hopefully it benefits us in the coming months.”

    And then, before flying back to the slightly milder temperatures in ML1, the team took on one last task – the Crossbar Challenge.

    Our thanks to Martin Tierney and Soccer Experience for their help in organising the trip.

  • Club

    Players take crossbar challenge

    Motherwell players signed off from their mid-season break in Tenerife with a win over Ostersunds FK on Saturday.

    But before they departed, they also took the time to take part in a crossbar challenge, with the competitive streak in the squad again showing.

    Who hit the bar? Watch our video to find out.

  • Club

    Grimmy Grills… Cédric Kipré

    In the first in a new series, Liam Grimshaw takes up a second career as a chat show host to find out the things you never knew about his fellow Motherwell team-mates.

    In ‘Grimmy Grills’, the Englishman speaks first to French defender Cédric Kipré to find out his favourite team, favourite food, his thoughts on the Irn Bru recipe change… and also encourages him to sing the song the fans have for him.

  • First team

    Robinson: Tenerife trip well worth it

    Stephen Robinson was clear in his message to his Motherwell players before they headed for Tenerife.

    The visit to the Canary Islands was an opportunity for the squad to work hard and rediscover the spirit and form that launched the team high up the Scottish Premiership, and to the Betfred Cup final, in the first half of the season.

    As the team prepare to head home to Scotland, the manager says it is clear that the trip has done the trick.

    “I think it’s been a really beneficial trip and it’s brought a lot of people together,” said the manager.

    “It’s gone really well. We couldn’t have asked for better facilities and we’ve been well looked after.

    “The new boys that have come in have settled in really well. You can start seeing the buzz we had in Dublin starting to come back again.

    “Credit to the board. They backed us to come away and hopefully it benefits us in the coming months.”

  • First team

    Tenerife trip ends with friendly win

    Motherwell ended their trip to Tenerife with a win in a friendly match against Ostersunds FK.

    The Swedish side, who will play in the last 32 of the Europa League against Arsenal in February, were defeated 1-0 thanks to Allan Campbell’s goal.

    The match was played in slightly different conditions from normal. Each half lasted 35 minutes, and there were rolling subs available to both managers as well.

    Motherwell took the lead towards the end of the first half.

    Richard Tait’s switch of play to the left found Adam Livingstone. The wing back’s delivery was deep and, under pressure from Curtis Main, the opposition keeper spilled the ball at the feet of the onrushing Allan Campbell, who steered the ball home from close range.

    There were runouts for new signings Main and Nadir Çiftçi, with most on the trip getting minutes under their belts.

  • Club

    Who will win at Heads Up?

    The trip to Tenerife has been a lot of hard work for the players, but there’s also been the chance for some team bonding and relaxing time.

    With that in mind, we got new signing Nadir Ciftci together with Gael Bigirimana and Charles Dunne to play a fun game of Heads Up, where each player had to guess the word they couldn’t see, relying only on their team-mates’ descriptions to help.

  • First team

    Rose relishing return to action

    Andy Rose is loving his football at the moment. 

    Under the stewardship of Stephen Robinson, the Australian midfielder says he is learning new things every day – and that he cannot wait for domestic football to return in a week.

    “It’s been a really enjoyable trip so far,” the 27-year-old said. “There’s been lots of hard work and obviously the weather has been great and the facilities are fantastic.

    “It was cold when we left but there’s a lot we can focus on over here all together in the heat of Tenerife.

    “Getting away from everything and spending all day, every day together has been great. Bonding-wise it’s been important and tactically it means we can nail down things on the training pitch, so it’s been great.”

    Tactically astute, Rose has particularly enjoyed the preparation and focus that is put in to training and matches.

    He said: “Coming in the the season we had so many new faces that I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t be sure how we’d get on.

    “I think we raised our own expectations quite quickly – we nailed down a system and everyone bought in to it.

    “There’s been a lot of things that have been new to me but it’s been really enjoyable.

    “It’s something I want to get in to later in my career and maybe in my next career, so I just try to soak up as much as I can.

    “One thing that sticks in my mind is when we switched shape leading up to the Aberdeen away league match.

    “We went with a diamond and had only worked on it a few days that week but the manager and all of the coaching staff are so good and bedding things in for us that we went and turned in a great performance in a shape that we weren’t used to.”

    With his attention firmly focused on the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, Rose is relishing a return to action but admits the team can also be proud of their efforts so far.

    “Things dipped a bit towards the end of the year for various reasons,” he admitted. “We’re not going to make excuses but things certainly went against us, but it’s very important to get things back on track.

    “We’ve made a great connection with the fans this season so it’s been enjoyable to play in front of them and we’ve made some long lasting memories.

    “When you look back on the first half of the season as a whole, there are so many things that we can be proud of, as well as focus on things that we can get back to.”

  • First team

    Injured players gaining from Tenerife trip

    There is plenty of hard work underway in Tenerife.

    And for the injured Chris Cadden, Peter Hartley and Craig Tanner, the road to recovery is stepping up a gear in the heat of the Canary Islands.

    “It’s something you don’t want to get used to, being injured,” admitted Cadden. “It’s really hard work to get back fit and you miss being on the pitch, kicking the ball about.

    “Football is the best job in the world and you want to be involved and training.”

    Hartley added: “You just want to be training when you see the boys training in the weather and stuff.

    “It’s a bit frustrating but in a sense it’s a good time to come. I knew I had to get the Christmas games out of the way before getting the injection in my foot and now we’ve got a bit of time before our next game so I’ll be taking that time and making sure I’m ready.”

    Overseeing their recovery is physio David Henderson, who revealed just how hard the group are working.

    He said: “They’re really good, they work hard every day and the main thing is they’re 100% committed to their training and trying to get as fit as they can as soon as they can.”

    ‘Well boss Stephen Robinson is pleased with the progress he has seen and believes the boys could be fit for the first fixture of 2018.

    “We felt the boys that we’ve brought have a good chance for the Hamilton game and it was best for them to come with us,” the manager said.

    “It was important they travelled and it’s not a holiday for them – they’re working four times a day, they’re working hard and they’re buying in to it as well.”

  • First team

    Another day of work in Tenerife

    Day three of Tenerife saw Motherwell players hard at work again out on the training ground.

    Stephen Robinson’s side were put through their paces in an extended morning session, before hitting the gym and taking in other sports, with some players also trying their hand at beach volleyball.

  • First team

    Watch day two of training in Tenerife

    Watch behind-the-scenes footage of the Steelmen being put through their paces during warm-weather training in Tenerife.