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  • First team

    Opposition report: A look at Celtic

  • Club

    Gambling? Gamble responsibly

  • First team

    Liam Grimshaw is Tullibardine player of the month

  • First team

    Buy your Celtic tickets in advance

  • First team

    Stephen Robinson previews Celtic trip

  • Club

    National Stress Awareness Day

  • First team

    Carson and Donnelly in Northern Ireland squad

  • Club

    George Stevenson inducted to Hall of Fame

  • First team

    Declan Gallagher called into Scotland squad

  • Reserves & Under 18s

    Reserves win at Kilmarnock

  • First team

    Opposition report: A look at Celtic

    Opposition report: A look at Celtic

    Celtic lie in wait on Sunday, as Motherwell travel to the east end of Glasgow on Ladbrokes Premiership business.

    The champions are in formidable form, arriving at the match off of a huge victory away to Lazio in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

    The story so far

    Having won the last nine domestic trophies, Neil Lennon’s side booked their place for a shot at a 10th with a win over Hibernian in the Betfred Cup semi-final last weekend.

    Against Motherwell, they fell behind early at Fir Park earlier in the season, before coming back to win 5-2.

    Form guide

    Celtic have won 21 out of the 26 matches they have played in all competitions so far this season.

    Of the other five, they’ve drawn three – against Hibernian, CFR Cluj and Rennes all away from home – while losing at Livingston and at home to CFR Cluj in UEFA Champions League qualifying.

    Three to watch

    Mohamed Elyounoussi

    Mohamed Elyounoussi’s spectacular recent performances have led to Celtic fans campaigning to make the Norwegian international’s stay at the club a permanent one.

    The 25-year-old has been in superb form in recent weeks. Last weekend he notched a brace in the 5-2 Betfred Cup semi-final victory over Hibernian, starting off November on the same note as he ended the previous month in which he netted four times in four league matches.

    A quite brilliant assist for James Forrest’s equaliser against Lazio was an excellent demonstration of Elyounoussi’s ability to create chances as well as putting them away and he is sure to pose a real threat to the ‘Well defence on Sunday.

    Callum McGregor

    Victory for Celtic over Lazio capped a memorable few days for Callum McGregor, who only 48 hours earlier had put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with the champions.

    His new contract Celtic Park is just reward for the midfielder who over the years has established himself as an integral figure in the green and white hoops. In the absence of Scott Brown, it is McGregor who wears the captains armband, and manager Neil Lennon has said that he believes he will take over from Brown in the role in the future.

    McGregor graduated from the Celtic youth academy and has now been with the club for 18 years. Since breaking into the first-team squad, he has won five league titles, three Scottish Cups and three League Cups.

    Odsonne Edouard

    After failing to score in his last three appearances, Odsonne Edouard will be desperate to end his wait for a goal when the Steelmen visit the east end of Glasgow.

    The French striker has already beaten Mark Gillespie once this season, when he came off the bench to score the fourth goal in Celtic’s 5-2 success at Fir Park back in August.

    Since that game Edouard has added a further six Scottish Premiership goals and sits second behind Jermaine Defoe in the top scorer chart.

    It’s not just in domestic action that the 21-year-old is thriving either. Last month he scored a hat-trick for France U21s as they defeated Slovakia 5-3 – taking his goal tally to nine in four appearances.

    Get your tickets in advance

    Tickets are available online now until Friday for collection from the Fir Park ticket office, or from the club shop on Saturday. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

    Tickets can also be purchased at the ticket office. We’re open until 4pm on Friday. The club shop will sell tickets from 10am to 12pm on Saturday. There will be no sales after this time.

    Adult £30 / £27
    Over 65s / 13-15s £20 / £17
    Under 13s £12 / £9

    The cheaper price is for restricted view tickets. These will not be available until our full view tickets are sold out.

    Fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Andy Sim on 07428 225254 or email tickets@mfcdsa.com.

    Can’t make it? Watch or listen live

    If you’re outside the UK/Ireland, you can watch Celtic v Motherwell and the majority of our Ladbrokes Premiership games this season on our live streaming service.

    Priced at £12 a month, just head to tv.motherwellfc.co.uk to subscribe.

    Wherever you are, there’s also live audio commentary available on our streaming service for £5.99 a month.

  • Club

    Gambling? Gamble responsibly

    Gambling? Gamble responsibly

    If you gamble, it is vital you do so responsibly.

    Gambling is a form of entertainment that you pay for. The difference between gambling and any other form of entertainment is that you are playing games of chance for money.

    But if you start with that as a goal, you will likely be disappointed time and again. If you were assured of a prize every time, you wouldn’t be gambling, you’d simply be purchasing a product or service. Chance is what makes gambling fun, but it is also what makes it a risk.

    This week is Responsible Gambling Week. When we talk about responsible gambling, we’re talking about being able to gamble without putting yourself or others at risk of harm.

    Part of gambling more safely and responsibly is understanding the odds of the game you are playing, what the rules are, and accepting that losing is just as much a part of gambling as winning.

    There is information and help available to help you stay in control, or quit completely, if that is what you would prefer.

    If you would like information or need to talk through what’s on offer, you can contact GamCare for free and confidential information, advice and support by visiting  gamcare.org.uk, by calling the freeNational Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

  • First team

    Liam Grimshaw is Tullibardine player of the month

    Liam Grimshaw is Tullibardine player of the month

    Liam Grimshaw is your Tullibardine Motherwell FC player of the month for October.

    The right back has been as consistent as ever for Stephen Robinson’s side, playing a key part throughout the month.

    Grimshaw was up against Peter Hartley, Devante Cole and Christopher Long for the fans to decide.

  • First team

    Buy your Celtic tickets in advance

    Buy your Celtic tickets in advance

    There’s still time to get your tickets for Sunday’s trip to take on Celtic.

    Tickets are available from the club shop at Fir Park on Saturday between 10am and 12pm.

    Tickets must be purchased in advance. There will be no sales on the day of the match.

    Adult £30 / £27
    Over 65s / 13-15s £20 / £17
    Under 13s £12 / £9

    The cheaper price is for restricted view tickets. These will not be available until our full view tickets are sold out.

    Fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Andy Sim on 07428 225254 or email tickets@mfcdsa.com.

    Can’t make it? Watch or listen live

    If you’re outside the UK/Ireland, you can watch Celtic v Motherwell and the majority of our Ladbrokes Premiership games this season on our live streaming service.

    Priced at £12 a month, just head to tv.motherwellfc.co.uk to subscribe.

    Wherever you are, there’s also live audio commentary available on our streaming service for £5.99 a month.

  • First team

    Stephen Robinson previews Celtic trip

    Stephen Robinson spoke of the task in hand against Celtic this weekend, as well as the form of Declan Gallagher and developing players on Thursday.

    Here’s what he had to say to the broadcast media ahead of the match.

    On Declan Gallagher’s Scotland call-up

    “Delighted with him. He’s been a revelation since he came in. We went to watch Livingston play maybe two years ago and we earmarked him then. We constantly monitored him and he’s grown as a player and as a person.

    “I think his recognition for Scotland’s been thoroughly deserved and hopefully it continues.

    “He’s full of fun. He’s a big character in the dressing room. The boys love him. Win, lose or draw he is the same. He keeps the dressing room alive on the pitch, we’ve got him to drive himself.

    “His training standards were something that we tried to get up when he first came in and now he is setting standards for other people, as opposed to us trying to set them for him.”

    On developing players

    “I have a pretty good relationship with all the players. You can only start 11 of them.

    “It’s important that the boys that aren’t playing you try and keep on board as well, as frustrated as they are, which is is understandable.

    “But I try to be honest with people. We try and treat them well and in the end of the day if I’m linked with something, it’s down to the players.

    “And if the players are linked with something, or representing their country, it’s because of Motherwell Football Club.

    “We appreciate each other. I think there’s a good bond and relationship between all the staff and all the players.”

    On the task in facing Celtic

    “[The performance at Ibrox] certainly gave the players confidence. Sometimes I wish they believed in themselves as much as I believed in them.

    “The hard bit is convincing people. You know that you can go to these places, put on a performance and get results.

    “They’ve started to believe in our league position and in our style of play, where we’ve been attractive on the eye, played a lot of good football, scored a lot of goals and there’s no reason why we can’t [go there and get a result].

    “Of course the realism is that Celtic on their day are a very, very good side. As are Rangers. So we have to be at the top of our game but giving them that belief.

    “I believe after the Rangers game, they believe in what we did. They believe in each other.

    “So why not? If you go with a negative mindset, you might as well beat before you start.”

  • Club

    National Stress Awareness Day

    National Stress Awareness Day

    It’s National Stress Awareness Day.

    We’ve turned to our official health and wellbeing partner, Paycare, for insight on what stress is, how you can identify when stress becomes too much, and what to do if it’s playing a bigger role in life than it should.

    Kevin Rogers, CEO of Paycare, explains.


    Stress is essentially our body’s response to pressures from a certain situation or life event and is needed to trigger the flight or fight response.

    Many of us experience completely healthy levels of stress everyday. For example, quickly moving out of the way from a ball heading towards your face at full speed is down to the stress hormones kicking in and protecting us from harm.

    But experiencing too much stress can lead to people feeling overwhelmed, which in turn can lead to mental health problems or make existing problems even worse. Unlike physical injuries or illnesses, stress is faceless, and can impact everyday life and how we act, from confidence and self-esteem, to concentration and motivation.

    Prolonged periods of stress can have its mark on us physically too, causing or worsening cardiovascular disease including heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke, as well as increasing our risk of diseases such as cancer and weakening our immune systems. Too much is not good.

    Despite the wide-ranging health risks, it’s still a huge problem nationally, with 74% of Scottish adults having felt so stressed at some point over the last year that they felt overwhelmed and unable to cope.

    National Stress Awareness Day continues to raise awareness of the impact of stress on our minds and bodies, and break down barriers so that people experiencing pressure can talk openly and without stigma.

    As the health and wellbeing partner of the fantastic Steelmen, we’re passionate about ensuring fans take care of their health and wellbeing, and in terms of stress, providing resources to help you deal and manage it effectively.


    The Signs of Stress

    You may notice physical, emotional, and mental signs that you’re experiencing high levels of stress — understanding your own response will help you to recognise it and put measures in place to manage it. These signs might include fast heartbeats, trouble sleeping, eating too much or too little, finding decisions difficult, being irritable, having headaches, and sweating.

    Deep Breathing

    Luckily, we breathe on autopilot, but when we’re stressed we can forget to breathe meaningfully and deeply, which can actually lower our heart rate and help us to feel calmer.

    One tactic that we learned from our lifestyle intervention consultant, Laura Butler, was to breathe in for seven seconds, hold for five seconds, and breathe out for seven seconds. It’s simple, but hugely effective.

    Meditation

    Studies have found that mindfulness can help reduce stress and improve your mood, so it’s worth giving this a try if you’ve never done it before. There are loads of free meditation apps to choose from out there.

    Time Management

    Feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list and taking on more than you can handle can cause you to feel stressed. Take some time to prioritise your workload or schedule, and split out your time to work through things one by one. Try to keep distractions to a minimum too. Remember, if you can’t do it all, you can always ask for help.

    Nutrition

    Some stress can be attributed to our diets, so it’s important to review what we’re consuming and make sure that we’re getting all the basics we need, including plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fruit and veg.

    Talk About It

    Talking to others about how you’re feeling can also be useful and help to ease the weight on your shoulders. If you don’t have anyone you feel comfortable talking to, there are many organisations that can help.

    If you’re a Paycare Policyholder, please remember that our confidential counselling service is designed specifically to provide support.

    It can be used for a wide range of things —whether it be financial worry, physical pain or discomfort, or grief, depression and anxiety — just visit your Paycare log in area to find out more.


    For more help and advice

    Mental Health Foundation

    Improving the lives of those with mental health problems or learning difficulties.
    020 7803 1101

    Anxiety UK

    Works to relieve and support those living with anxiety disorders by providing information, support and understanding via an extensive range of services, including one-to-one therapy.
    08444 775 774

    Together

    Supports people through mental health services.
    020 7780 7300

    The Centre for Mental Health

    Working to improve the quality of life for people with mental health problems.
    020 7827 8300

    PANDAS Foundation

    PANDAS Foundation vision is to support every individual with pre (antenatal), postnatal depression or postnatal psychosis in England, Wales and Scotland. They campaign to raise awareness and remove the stigma. We provide our PANDAS Help Line, Support Groups offer online advice to all and much more.
    0843 28 98 401 (every day from 9am-8pm)

    If you liked this post and think someone you know would appreciate it, please do share. Don’t forget to follow the Paycare team on Twitter @MyPaycare, on Facebook, or visit paycare.org for further information.

  • First team

    Carson and Donnelly in Northern Ireland squad

    Carson and Donnelly in Northern Ireland squad

    Trevor Carson and Liam Donnelly are again in the Northern Ireland squad for their final games of 2019.

    Michael O’Neill’s side are in UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying action against Netherlands and Germany.

    They take on the Dutch in Belfast on 16 November, before travelling to take on the Germans three days later in Frankfurt.

  • Club

    George Stevenson inducted to Hall of Fame

    George Stevenson inducted to Hall of Fame

    Legendary player and manager George Stevenson is the third inductee into the Motherwell FC Hall of Fame.

    Stevenson was signed by John Hunter from local Junior side Kilbirnie Ladeside in May 1923 with the then Steelmen boss having seen something in “the young man’s ability to pick and pass and link play.”

    Although he was signed with an eye to the future, Stevenson quickly broke into the first-team squad and made his debut against Third Lanark at Cathkin Park in December of the same year.

    The 4,000 punters in attendance on that misty, dank afternoon could not have envisaged the part this young man would play in shaping Motherwell Football Club over the coming thirty years.

    His introduction to the team would coincide with a period of unparalleled league success for the claret and amber men, who would not finish outside the top five for the next 13 years, which of course included the famous 1932 league winning exploits.

    Such was Stevenson’s influence, that only six years into his Motherwell career and at the age of just 24, he was awarded the first ever official benefit game by the club against Huddersfield Town in September 1929.

    To the Motherwell fans that idolised him, George became known as “The Prince of Inside Forwards.” The press admired his abilities too, with one famous hack gushing “George Stevenson is a magnificent close dribbler, a perceptive finisher and, above all, a man totally integrated with his wing partner Bob Ferrier”.

    ‘Stevie’ played his final game for the club 16 years after arriving in Lanarkshire, on 26 August 1939 in a 3-2 defeat away to Alloa, a week before the outbreak of World War II.

    In total, he played 511 league games for Motherwell, scoring 170 goals from midfield. In his cabinet, he won three Scottish Cup runners-up medals and a Scottish league winners badge. He’d also earned 10 Scottish League caps and made 12 Scottish international appearances, which still stand as a record for Scots at the club to this day.

    The reintroduction of league football after the war kicked off in season 1946/47. Like most clubs at the time, Motherwell began with a completely new playing squad and bossed by a new manager – George Stevenson.

    Stevie’s nine-year stint in charge at Fir Park, although fairly mixed in league terms, would be defined by terrific performances in domestic cups. Season 1950/51 saw Motherwell face Hibernian at Hampden in the final of the League Cup and goals from Kelly, Forrest and Watters secured Motherwell the trophy for the first and only time.

    Stevenson’s Motherwell would also reach the Scottish Cup final that same season, when 132,000 fans saw the Steelmen unluckily edged out by Celtic 1-0 in the final.

    However, Motherwell’s time in the Hampden sun would only be 12 months away. Forfar, St Mirren, Dunfermline, Rangers and Hearts were all dispatched before Dundee were thrashed 4-0 in the final, taking the Scottish Cup back to Fir Park for the first time.

    Despite reaching the League Cup final once again, the run-of-the-mill league games, although entertaining, didn’t bring the rewards they should have, and he resigned as manager in 1955.

    George reign as Motherwell manager saw the club reach three cup semi-finals and four finals, winning twice, and a Division Two title in his nine years in charge. Coupling his managerial efforts with his achievements as a player, Stevenson, who sadly passed away in 1990 aged 80, is without doubt one of the most decorated Steelmen of all time.

    He will be posthumously inducted by his members of his family at a dinner at the Bothwell Bridge Hotel on Saturday, 23 November, along with Willie Pettigrew, Ally Maxwell and two others.

    Hosted by Tam Cowan, our event is now sold out. You can still choose who you want to see in the Hall of Fame through our public vote. Click here to cast your vote.

  • First team

    Declan Gallagher called into Scotland squad

    Declan Gallagher called into Scotland squad

    Declan Gallagher is in the Scotland squad for the forthcoming matches with Cyprus and Kazakhstan.

    The Motherwell defender, a standout performer for the Steelmen this campaign, was a call-up to Steve Clarke’s squad for their last double header with Russia and San Marino.

    The 28-year-old didn’t win his first cap on that occasion, but that chance could now come in the coming games.

    Scotland travel to take on Cyprus on Saturday, 16 November, before taking on Kazakhstan at Hampden Park on Tuesday, 19 November.

  • Reserves & Under 18s

    Reserves win at Kilmarnock

    Reserves win at Kilmarnock

    Motherwell came from behind to claim victory in the SPFL Reserve League at Kilmarnock on Monday.

    Goals from Jamie Semple and James Scott, cancelling out Rory McDonald’s early free kick, gave all three points to the visitors.

    Several first-team squad members featured at Rugby Park, with Richard Tait, Barry Maguire, Christian Ilic and Christy Manzinga joining the goal scorers.

    But it would be the hosts who would take the early advantage, after Scott was ruled to have fouled his man 20 yards from goal.

    McDonald stepped up and curled home to give Kilmarnock the lead.

    Kilmarnock were to be thwarted by PJ Morrison and Jack Brown as they pushed close to extending their lead, but had to settle for a 1-0 half-time advantage.

    Motherwell came out the stronger and, shortly after Scott hit the crossbar with a header, Semple restored parity.

    His quick free-kick was out to Manzinga on the left-hand side. The forward then returned the pass to Semple on the edge of the box, who curled his shot past the dive of the Kilmarnock ‘keeper and into the net with 62 minutes played.

    Four minutes later, Motherwell were ahead.

    Morrison’s long ball forward wasn’t dealt with by the defender, allowing Scott to nick in and chip the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper. He then collected the ball on the other side, before knocking the ball in.

    Kilmarnock then went close late on as they chased an equaliser, but Motherwell held on to get a win under their belt.

    Motherwell: Morrison, Tait, Hussain, Devine, Brown, Maguire, Cornelius, Semple, Ilic, Scott, Manzinga.

    Subs: Hemfrey, MacIver, Hale, Muir, Kettings, Trialist.