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Motherwell are now half-way through their pre-season camp on the boiling Spanish coast.

The third day started with the players getting a little bit of a morning’s rest (Wednesday is normally the day the players have off during the week. However, as it is pre-season, the lads only got the luxury of a few hours before noon).

The day started off with lunch – another plentiful helping with something for everyone. Chicken, beef, pork, fish (although, not quite as exotic as the swordfish that was on the menu last night).

Around about the same time, skipper Keith Lasley and new goalie Gunnar Nielsen took time out to speak to Kenny MacDonald (Scottish Sun) and Gary Ralston (Daily Record).

You will no doubt read all about their experiences in both titles tomorrow. Both lads will be back to speak to more of the squad as the week progresses.

The first session of the day got underway in the gym at the complex right on 2.30pm (local time). The gym isn’t a big room by any matter of means – actually, it’s very small… A rough estimate would be about 10m x 15m. Add in eighteen players, five coaching staff, two media staff and a 83 degree ‘midday’ heat, it was a shift.

Undeterred, the players worked extremely hard, all under the watchful eye of the phenomenally talented and knowledgeable physiotherapist John Porteous.

Stretches, weights, cardio; it all looked very demanding indeed.

The next session is due at 6pm where the players will, for the third night running, have an evening session. There’s probably a little trepidation amongst the lads as to how hard it is going to be given they had a little longer in their beds this morning! Beware of Kenny!

In truth though, the session was mainly about ball work. Loads of drills, small-sided stuff with the standard really, really high. The players were glad of the cooler temperatures. Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon and thirty minutes in, it was certainly much more comfortable for football. The backdrop of the players training hard with approaching thunder and lightening was quite spectacular.

The brief rain made the pitch slick (although the humidity was through the roof). That made for an excellent game at the end of training. The quality was notable for sure with every player looking good and sharp on the ball. There are certainly a lot of very good footballers amongst the group.

Dinner was again enjoyed by most – some more than others! Can you guess which player had a plate this full? We will leave you to ponder for a while but if you would like to know the answer (you probably won’t be surprised) then click here.

After dinner the players had a chilled night in preparation for tomorrow – the last full day in Spain. Some played poker and other card games (with complicated rules), whilst most grabbed an early night.

Keep up to date with additional information via Twitter and some behind-the-scenes pictures on Instagram. Action shots from training can also be found on our official Facebook page.

We’ll also send daily summaries view our e-newsletter. Make sure you don’t miss out by signing up here.

Simon Ramsden says he is feeling fitter than ever as ‘Well work towards European action in little over three weeks.

The defender, who joined last summer from Bradford City, enjoyed an excellent debut season for the Steelmen, forming a solid partnership with Shaun Hutchinson at the heart of the ‘Well rearguard.

The 31-year old has really stood out since ‘Well returned for pre-season training in late June and reckons he is much better placed this summer to build on his 31 appearances so far.

[pullquote]I wanted to repay the manager for showing faith in me (by awarding a two-year contract) by being as fit as I possibly can be.[/pullquote]

Speaking exclusively to MFC TV at the clubs’ Spanish training base twenty miles north of Benidorm , he said: “I feel a lot fitter than I did at the same point last season.

“My partner had just given birth before pre-season was due to start so you can imagine what it was like with sleepless nights.

“I didn’t feel as if I got a proper run at it but this year has been much better. I’ve been doing quite well in the running and I am hoping to carry that on now into the season.

“I wanted to repay the manager for showing faith in me (by awarding a two-year contract) by being as fit as I possibly can be.

“As a senior pro, we need to set an example to the younger players and that’s even as small as being at the front of the line when we’re running.”

-WATCH THE INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

Motherwell continued their preparations for the forthcoming season with their second day on the east coast of Spain.

It was an early rise after what seemed like a much-needed sleep. Not only had the players worked exceptionally hard during their first session last night, it was a long day with many up as early as 4am.

The breakfast was everything you would imagine, being on the continent and for footballers. Healthy cereals and fruit everywhere you looked. The milk was an acquired taste though, Goat’s milk according to the in-the-know East Anglian John Sutton.

That was the calm before the early-morning storm with another intense session. Although it kicked off at 9am (local time), it was scorching hot with temperatures at that point tipped the 30 degrees Celsius mark. The pitches are actually about an eight to ten minute walk for the players, which served as a part of their warm-up.

After the traditional John Porteous / Kenny Black starter, the players were glad to see the footballs coming up. A number of drills focused on possession, passing and dribbling were interspersed with little neat games to keep the players interested. A fascinating aside is thst most of training is done in competition, with Stuart McCall always keen on small-sided team trials with players going head to head… The loser, inevitably, is on ten press-ups.

The real test was yet to come with another gruelling running session. Marked out with cones round what looked like a 400m track, it was about fifteen to twenty minutes of constant running with movement variations you would expect to see in a football match i.e. on a whistle, players checking in to specifically position cones then back again to continue their marathon.

If any of the lads had anything left in the tank after the first part of the session; that was enough to zap it.

The cool-down after training was a little different to last night; instead of utilising the pool facilities at the base, JP had the lads up to their chests in the Mediterranean Sea. It wasn’t quite Baywatch, but some of the locals were certainly taking an interest.

Lunch was nice – the Couscous proving particular popular, apparently.

The afternoon shall be spent in the gym (to try and let the sun cool down just a little bit) for 60 minutes then back out onto the pitch again at 6pm.

The session was based around a game with three 20-minute thirds. Stuart McCall took part himself, showing the touch and passing ability, if not the pace, that made him a 40-times capped Scottish International. There was a lot for ‘Well fans to be excited with – Paul Lawson and Gunnar Nielsen in particularly excellent form.

The games were close but a late, late Bob McHugh goal made sure the non-bibs were victorious.

The evening was for the players to have some vital downtime ahead of a more tough training session tomorrow.

Keep up to date with additional information via Twitter and some behind-the-scenes pictures on Instagram. Action shots from training can also be found on our official Facebook page.

We’ll also send daily summaries view our e-newsletter. Make sure you don’t miss out by signing up here.

Motherwell captain Keith Lasley hopes ‘Well’s week in Spain can help build momentum both on and off the park.

With news faces like Iain Vigurs, Paul Lawson, John Sutton and Gunnar Nielsen new to the group, the Steelmen will hope the side can gel as quickly as possible.

A great deal of the success in recent years has been based on a strong, close and hard-working dressing room.

And the veteran midfielder hopes five days on the Spanish coast will help create bonds to take into the forthcoming SPFL and European campaign.

[pullquote]It’s important we get to know these lads off the park as much as on it when we are doing our training. It’s valuable, it really is.[/pullquote]

Speaking exclusively to MFC TV, Lasley said: “We are starting to build-up some of that spirit that served us so well last year.

“These camps are great for fitness, but also for bringing the squad closer together. There are obviously new faces, and old new faces, and trips like this are perfect for those guys.

“Coming into a group on a pre-season trip, you are in an intense environment with your teammates; you do everything together literally down to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner as a squad.

“That can only be a good thing. It’s important we get to know these lads off the park as much as on it when we are doing our training. It’s valuable, it really is.

“If you remember back to last year, we went to Portugal and that really helped kick us on. The hope is this camp will do the same for this squad.”

-WATCH THE INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

The first round of qualifying for the Europa League kicked off last week and ‘Well will join in the third round with our matches on 1 and 8 August.

The Well Society is offering a fantastic prize of a pair of tickets for both legs of our Euro qualifier.

For the away leg, your prize would include the opportunity to travel for free with the management staff and players.

For your chance to win, all you need to do is join the Well Society before 3pm on Friday 26 July and you will be entered into the draw.

If you are already an  existing members of the Well Society, then get your friends and family to join.  For every new member you recruit before you will get one ticket in the draw.  The more members you recruit, the greater your chance of winning.

For more information on the ‘Well Society, including details on how to join, CLICK HERE.

Stuart McCall’s Steelmen arrived on the boiling Spanish coast for the first day of a week-long pre-season programme ahead of the 2013/14 season.

It was an early start – 5am to be exact – for the players as they pitched up for the short journey along the M8 to Glasgow airport. A few new faces were amongst the party – a trialist and a certain Mr James McFadden.

There was a slight delay in the plane taking off, nothing major though, and the 7.15am flight from Glasgow to Alicante was up and away about 7.45am. It was a comfortable flight – not much doing although a fairly competitive game of ‘switch’ between Fraser Kerr, Keith Lasley, Bob McHugh and Faddy provided some entertainment, particularly some of the bizarre rules big Fraser was trying to implement.

The airport at Alicante was pretty uneventful too, thankfully. Although, there was a brief moment of panic when it looked as if the camera tri-pod stands had been lost. Seconds before heading to the ‘Lost and Found’ desk, a very helpful passer by noticed the predicament and pointed out they had been put on the wrong carousel. Phew!

The bus journey from Alicante to the resort was just over an hour. Most of the lads grabbed some sleep. The beautiful view of the Spanish coastline greeted anyone who managed to stay awake.

The squad arrived at the training facility just after 2pm (local time) and were greeted with a fulsome lunch. Some of the staff, namely in the media department, looked aghast at the healthiness of it all. There will be a Burger King close by, surely?

The players took to the training pitch, which wouldn’t have looked out of place in a luxury golf course, for their first session of the tour at exactly 6pm.

Kenny Black’s warm-up was gruelling to say the least, particularly in the 29 degree searing heat and the high humidity. Fair play to some of the lads just joining up with the squad for the first time – they were right at the very front of queue.

The players then worked through a series of drills ranging from possession to passing. The tempo was very high and the players look to be in good shape.

At the end of the session, after walking back to the hotel, the players were put through their cool down in the pool; John Porteous and Adam Stokes working their magic.

After dinner, it is quiet time now for the players as they prepare for another busy day tomorrow – a triple session no less.

Keep up to date with additional information via Twitter and some behind-the-scenes pictures on Instagram. Action shots from training can also be found on our official Facebook page.

We’ll also send daily summaries view our e-newsletter. Make sure you don’t miss out by signing up here.

Motherwell can confirm another pre-season friendly match when Billy Davies’ Nottingham Forest travel to Fir Park on Friday 26 July.

The English Championship side missed out on a Play-off spot by a single point last season after a great run of form following Davies’ appointment for a second time.

It is likely to be Motherwell’s last outing before the Europa League Third Qualifying Round, First Leg, due to take place on Thursday 1 August.

The match with Forest will kick-off at 7pm, with ticketing information to follow shortly.

CONFIRMED PRE-SEASON INFORMATION SO FAR:

8th – 12th July: Pre-Season Training Camp in Spain
13th July: Doncaster Rovers (a): 3pm KO
16th July: Newcastle Utd (h): 7pm KO
20th July: Morecambe (a): 2pm KO
26th July: Nottingham Forest (h): 7pm KO

A meeting was held at Fir Park on Tuesday night (2nd July 2013) to vote through four changes to the ‘Well Society rules. Here are the details of the rule changes and a report of the meeting.

Four proposed rule changes were;

(a) By inserting a new Rule 4.1(a) as follows:

“contract to lend monies (up to a maximum of £500,000) to the Club or any company owning or controlling the Club (the “Borrower”) on such terms and conditions that are approved by the Society Board from time to time provided always that the loan is necessary or expedient to achieve the objects of the Society;”; and the remainder of Rule 4.1 s renumbered accordingly; and

(b) By amending Rule 4.2 by deleting the words “contract loans or” from that Rule.

(c) By deleting Rule 20 (a) “A member shall cease to be a member if they fail after written demand to pay their annual subscription.

(d) By amending Rule 74 by deleting the words “5 April” and inserting the words “30 September”.

After an open and candid debate between the members present, a vote was taken. The votes cast were as follows:

a – 91 for, 0 against
b – 91 for, 0 against
c – 88 for, 3 against
d – 91 for, 0 against.

Therefore all four resolutions were carried.

‘Well Society board members and Motherwell directors Derek Weir and Leeann Dempster helped further explain the rationale behind the rule changes, which can be summarised below:

LOANS

Since the Society rules were established, Scottish football has experienced significant and completely unprecedented change – mainly the financial collapse of Rangers but also other difficulties including an inability to attract league sponsorship.

The society bought £150,000 of shares in March to allow the club to meet a temporary cashflow shortage while also facilitating the appointment of two ‘Well Society members to the club board. The club needed the money and a loan was impossible under Financial Services Authority rules.

This money will now be ring-fenced in a separate bank account. But creating the option to loan funds is a sensible means of further protecting society funds should the club suffer the worst-case scenario of administration before Motherwell fans raise enough money to both secure a majority shareholding and provide a sufficient financial safety net to move forward with complete confidence.

RENEWAL FEES

The rule that stated members could be thrown out for non-payment of renewal fees was deleted as this was viewed as overly harsh. It was clarified that members are under no obligation to pay their renewal fees.

Those who do not pay are still valued and active members with the right to vote. Fees are needed to help the club provide the benefits to members – those who do not or cannot pay forego the benefits but are otherwise full members.

They can pay the subscriptions in future years and regain the benefits. The choice is entirely with each individual member. The change of date in the rules does not affect members.

Following the vote a number of other topics were discussed and points raised for action. These included:

1 ‘Well Society board members Graham Barnstaple and Brian McCafferty, who were appointed Motherwell directors in April, were asked to provide feedback to members from club board meetings. It was agreed that this was a good idea and that the pair would seek to inform members of discussion points without breaching club confidentiality.

2 There was a call for the introduction of student memberships and for members to be able to gradually upgrade their membership (eg from £300 to £1000) over a longer period. Both these points have been discussed by the society board and club among other membership issues and will continue to be looked at.

3 One member asked if the club could sell John Boyle’s shares to another interested party while the ‘Well Society are raising funds. It was stated that there was no chance of this happening. John Boyle does not personally benefit from the sale of shares. It was agreed that the “frequently answered questions” section on the website would be updated to reflect this and other common questions.

4 The point was made that overseas members may feel isolated from the ‘Well Society and do not have the means to enjoy the vast majority of benefits. As above, overseas members are under no obligation to pay their renewal fees and can therefore forego the benefits. But it was agreed that we should look to find ways to involve and include overseas members more closely.

5 One member stressed that he was very eager to assist the society reach its goals but found little avenue to help. It was stressed that the society needs volunteers and is on the lookout for any member to help. A list of willing volunteers was taken and they will be contacted in the coming days and weeks. Anyone else who was not present is urged to get in touch via the society email and offer to help. The ‘Well Society is a broad team and the more people who help achieve its goals, the better chance of success.

6 Several members asked about the recruitment process – it was explained that a “kick-start project” is in operation which will increasingly focus on a direct approach to potential new members.

7 Several members asked whether there could be credit facilities available for those unable to afford the one-off fee up front or over the limited timeframe allowed under external finance rules. It was explained that the legal opinion was agreed that the Well Society could not advertise facilities to spread payments any further under consumer credit legislation.

8 Board member Sandy Kilpatrick updated members on the Business Club membership drive, which has got under way in the past six weeks following months of planning and research. Companies are being approached to take up new membership packages. Anyone who knows a business which might be interested was urged to take the literature and pass it on.

Motherwell Football Club is today delighted to confirm the signing of Faroese International goalkeeper Gunnar Neilsen.

Nielsen makes his return to Fir Park after a brief spell in 2008 when, aged just 22, he spent six months as backup under the tutorship of boss Mark McGhee.

Now 26, Nielsen, who has spent 2013 at Danish outfit Silkeborg, has signed a two-year deal and will battle Lee Hollis for a starting spot.

The 6ft 3-inch stopper started his career at Havnar Bóltfelag before switching to Boldklubben Frem. He cemented his reputation there before securing a move to then Premiership side Blackburn Rovers. It was whilst with the Ewood Park side that Nielsen spent time in Scotland with ‘Well.

Mark Hughes and goalkeeping coach Kevin Hitchcock, who signed him at Rovers, signed him again for Manchester City where he battled the likes of Joe Hart, Costel Pantilimon, Shay Given, Richard Wright and Eirik Holmen Johansen for a first-team berth.

[pullquote]I’m really pleased to get this sorted and am looking to establish myself as number one and do really well.We finished second last season and if we can do that again it would be a great achievement.[/pullquote]

He eventually got his Premiership debut on 24 April 2010 as a substitute for the injured Given during City’s stalemate against Arsenal. As a result he became the first Faroese footballer to play in the English Premier League.

Whilst at the Eithad, he also made his International debut and has been capped by his country on fourteen occasions and is their current number one.

He was most recently in action for his country in the World Cup Qualifiers against Ireland in the Aviva Stadium and Sweden in the Friends Arena, Stockholm.

Speaking exclusively to MFC TV, Nielsen said: “I’m delighted to be back and having been at some big clubs where it was hard to get a game, I can’t wait to get playing again.

“I know Motherwell well from my six months here before and I know it’s a great club to be at.

“I’m really pleased to get this sorted and am looking to establish myself as number one and do really well.We finished second last season and if we can do that again it would be a great achievement.

-WATCH HIS FIRST INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON MFC TV–

‘Well fans who are subscribed to our e-newsletter got this information first. Click Here to join to ensure you don’t miss out on the breaking news from Fir Park.

The club can confirm another pre-season friendly match away to newly promoted Championship side Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium.

it’s another stern test for Stuart McCall’s men against English opposition.

Donny were promoted from League One last season as Champions, their side containing former Steelmen skipper Paul Quinn, who joined last summer from Cardiff City.

Other familiar faces included the likes of former Scotland International Neil Sullivan and ex-Hibs centre back Rob Jones.

The match will be played at the impressive Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday 13 July 2013 with a 3pm kick-off.

Admission prices for the match are:

Adults: £10
Concessions: £5
Under 12s: £1

CONFIRMED PRE-SEASON INFORMATION SO FAR:

8th – 12th July: Pre-Season Training Camp in Spain
13th July: Doncaster Rovers (a): 3pm KO
16th July: Newcastle Utd (h): 7pm KO
20th July: Morecambe (a): 2pm KO