Motherwell striker bagged glory double but doesn't know where his future lies
Luke Armstrong netted twice in the 3-0 midweek win over Kilmarnock
Luke Armstrong played a major role in Motherwell's 3-0 midweek win over 10-man Kilmarnock, but admits he has no idea where his future lies.
The on-loan Carlisle United striker took his tally to four for the season with a double either side of Callum Slattery's strike, putting the Lanarkshire side in with a chance of clinching seventh place when they visit Ross County in their finale on Sunday.
That was Armstrong's first goals since netting in a 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox on March 1, and he says conversations need to be had over the coming days.
Carlisle boss Mike Williamson was sacked in February, and Armstrong was brought to Fir Park by former gaffer Stuart Kettlewell, leaving an uncertainty at both clubs.
But the 28-year-old has made no secret of his desire to stay at Motherwell.
He said: 'I'm not any clearer about what the future holds. There hasn't been any discussions as of yet.
'It could happen over the next few days, it might happen after the last game.
'All I've got to do is focus on the next game and see what's going on.
'From a Carlisle perspective, we still don't have a manager officially appointed.
'I don't know what they want to do with me. So there is discussions that need to be had.
'I've thoroughly enjoyed it here and would definitely be open to something happening next year.
'Recently I haven't played as many minutes as I would've liked. That's obviously a discussion that you've got to have with the gaffer and what his plans are for next season, because I want to play as many minutes as I can.
'That's life as a footballer. The down side is the uncertainty – where you are going to be, what level you're going to be at, if you're going to play under a certain manager.
'There are loads of things that are uncertain – but it's still one of the best job in the world.
'Hopefully coming on and scoring a couple of goals gives him something else to think about.'
Armstrong has enjoyed playing under new boss Michael Wimmer, and says his style of play suits him.
He said: 'The team looks a bit more like what he wants now; it does take time.
'There is a lot of detail that goes into what he wants to do. He likes his video analysis and he likes to give us as much clarity as possible.
'I just want to be playing and scoring goals at a team that suits me.
'There are discussions to be had. Carlisle are going to be in the National League.
'I'm not saying that I am not going to play National League. You want to play as high a level as possible, but I've just got to go have discussions and see what the future holds.'
On breaking his goals drought, Armstrong said: 'I am delighted to get the goals and the win. We were banging on the door for the whole of the second half.
'Some great balls came into the box and I finally got on the end of one.
'It was comfortable after that. We played some good stuff and created loads of chances.
'It's always a feeling of relief for a striker if you haven't scored for a while.
'I've been in and out of the team recently. I haven't played too many minutes of late.
'So to come on and get a goal, I'm delighted. The second one is probably the furthest out I've scored!
'Normally it's in the six-yard box. I can't kick it further out from there! So I'm happy with that.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
A campaign intended to make football a little less silly
With a reduced slate of action and few transfers of note this week in the men's or women's game (unless you count Mainz signing forward and renowned Gwen Stefani fan Benedict Hollerbach), and still no word on Arne Slot's new residency in Ibiza, Football Daily was fast running out of content for Tuesday's missive. So thank goodness for the open letter from York City owner Julie-Anne Uggla addressed to the National League and the Football League, regarding the 'structurally unjust' promotion system in the fifth tier of English football, which sees just the regular season winners (this season: Barnet) and one playoff winner go up from six teams, who finished second to seventh. Hurray! Uggla is a supporter of the 3UP campaign, which proposes that there should be three (not two) teams promoted from the National League, adopting a similar system to the rest of the Football League. In the Championship, League One and League Two, at least two teams are promoted automatically (three in League Two!), with an additional team going up via the playoffs. It might surprise you to learn that York finished second in the National League, and failed to make the playoff final. Instead, Oldham Athletic, the feeder club of Football Daily's five-a-side team Old and Unathletic, returned to the EFL after beating Southend in the playoff final. For reference, Oldham and Southend finished 23 and 28 points behind York in the regular season, respectively. 'Such a glaring imbalance not only undermines sporting merit but erodes the very foundations of fair competition,' fumed Uggla. 'To dominate a league campaign so comprehensively (Barnet the only exception), only to be forced into a playoff lottery, is structurally unjust. It penalises excellence and rewards clubs with fewer points in a way no professional league system should condone. I urge both governing bodies to urgently consider transitional reform, whether via immediate review, temporary relief measures, or an accelerated implementation of the '3UP' model,' she continued. 'At the very least, this season's outcome should provoke an honest re-evaluation of what fairness in football truly means.' Uggla certainly has a valid point and the principle of fighting for 'fairness' on behalf of all football teams in the National League is a noble one, even if it is slightly soured by the fact that York, having finished second, would have been the key beneficiaries of a change. It might have been stronger for someone without a vested interest to lead the charge here, seeing as York started this season knowing full well what the format and rules were and only initially signed up to the '3UP' model in February, when they were unexpectedly in a three-horse race for the title. Uggla, who bought York in 2023, might also be unaware that the club have benefited from odd football rules of the past: City escaped dropping out of the Football League (the old Third Division) in 1977-78 season when relegation back then was decided not by league placing but by a vote where existing member clubs would just decide which one of the bottom teams would keep their place. Automatic relegation/promotion to/from the fifth tier did not exist at all until 1987, and the second playoff place was only introduced in 2003. All of that aside, Uggla is speaking sense. It is a little silly that York, who finished second on 96 points, were not promoted. But football is a bit silly, and had City instead finished seventh, would Uggla have been so vocal in fighting the good fight? I guess we'll never know. Join Yara El-Shaboury from 6pm BST for minute-by-minute coverage of Spain 3-1 England in the Women's Nations League. 'Of course that reaches you, but we don't care … actually, in fact, I would say thanks to them because it can be extra motivation, petrol to fuel you. And we won. Let them talk and do all the memes they want now' – Pedro Porro gets his chat on with Sid Lowe about Tottenham's Bigger Vase triumph, the 'Spursy' tag and Ange Postecoglou's future in N17. Re: yesterday's Football Daily. At least Inter didn't experience what the Italian team did when they returned home from England in 1966 after a dreadful World Cup. They had tomatoes thrown at them when they landed at the airport in Italy' – John Jones. In the past four years, I have gone from procrastinating at work, in exactly the same job, by endlessly writing to The Fiver to endlessly writing to Football Daily, whereas Vitinha has gone from his only goal at on loan at Wolves (one that wasn't even taken up by Wolves) to this. But, being a high achiever is vastly overrated, probably …' – Noble Francis. While searching for a receipt for a large donut order, I stumbled across an old tea-timely newsletter titled: 'Performing donuts in the centre circle in a car with square wheels.' I was struck by this particular quote: 'So Leicester City's dream of joining Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa in the pantheon of unlikely European champions is over. A terrible shame but on the flip side they don't look like becoming irrelevant second-tier mediocrities any time soon, so it's swings and roundabouts.' While some things do change, it's reassuring to know that your curse of the commentator will always come true eventually' – Ian James. If you do have any, please send letters to Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day is … John Jones. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here. It's a Football Weekly end-of-season mailbag special. Here's David Squires on … the PSG fairytale. With the climate crisis causing our fine planet to heat up at an alarming rate, next year's World Cup³ in Mexico, USA USA USA and Canada, could be one of the toastiest in history. So, naturally, Thomas Tuchel wants his England players to earn it in the pursuit of global success. 'Suffering is one of the headlines for this World Cup,' he growled, while putting up tents in Girona for his players to train in. Yep, like a giant moth in a tracksuit, the England boss appears fascinated by flamin' hot heat. 'It is important to see matches now in [the USA USA USA], and in Miami at three in the afternoon,' he added. 'I will see that. How it looks, and we need to understand how to cool the players down, to drink. What our options are.' Sixteen stadiums will be used at World Cup³ with predictions of extreme temperatures. Water, please! Caoimhín Kelleher has joined Brentford from Liverpool, with Mark Flekken taking his gloves to Bayer Leverkusen to make way for the Republic of Ireland keeper. Manchester United are hoping to bring Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo and his epic beard to Old Trafford after missing out on Liam Delap. Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes, whose five o'clock shadow needs a bit of work, has turned his nose up at a big-money deal to play in Saudi Arabia. In a stunning bit of business, Chelsea will pay a £5m penalty to send Jadon Sancho back to United when his loan ends. Lucy Bronze believes Arsenal's Women's Big Cup success against Barcelona can help England to win more shiny pots on the international stage. 'It exposes you to that feeling of playing in big finals, and to what it takes to win,' trilled the defender. 'When I first went to Lyon, that was what I wanted to do: test myself against the best.' West Brom have appointed Ryan Mason, still only 33, as their new boss. 'I will bring with me a huge amount of enthusiasm, dedication and ambition,' he boinged. ' I look forward to a positive future together.' In more red-hot managerial news, Rangers are reportedly close to installing chilled vibesman Russell Martin in the Ibrox dugout. And plane issues mean Scotland arrived with barely any time to prepare for their Women's Nations League match against the Netherlands in Tilburg. The Scottish FA said it made 'all efforts' to find a replacement flight but the charter company came up blank. In the latest edition of our sister email, Blackburn defender Rachel Dugdale takes us inside the plight of her club, forced to withdraw from WSL 2 last month. Who's in the running for the Ballon d'Or Ballon d'Or Ballon d'Or this year? Will Unwin sifts through the contenders, from Lamine Yamal to Ousmane Dembélé. Rashford and Højlund to Inter? Jobe Bellingham to Dortmund? Wednesday's Mill churns out the latest. And Michael Butler sticks the boot into post-season tours such as Manchester United's recent Asian jaunt, an environmentally ruinous strain on player wellbeing. We're lingering a bit on Milan Malpensa airport, admittedly, but here's a young Inter fan in August 2002, waiting to see Ronaldo – fresh from winning the World Cup with Brazil – return from international duty and a 1-0 defeat against Paraguay. Sadly for them, the player was keeping a low profile, slipping off the plane away from the public's gaze, amid controversy about his future, before moving to Real Madrid the following month.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Is Neilson a 'safe as houses' option for Well?
Would a move for Robbie Neilson be a safe but sensible decision from Motherwell?The Fir Park side are still on the search for a new manager following the shock exit of Michael Wimmer, who left for family reasons and joined German third-tier side Jahn Regensburg almost a fortnight Hearts and Dundee United boss Neilson, who departed Tampa Bay Rowdies earlier this year, has said the vacant job at Motherwell would interest 44-year-old got Hearts promoted twice and led them to two third-placed top-flight finishes across two spells, as well as making two Scottish Cup finals. He also guided United to promotion in record is why former Premiership striker Rory Loy feels Neilson would be a risk-averse appointment as Motherwell, who are looking for a fourth manager in three years, search for some much-needed stability."You look at Hearts, appointing Derek McInnes is probably as safe as houses in terms of the risk involved," Loy told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "I think Neilson is pretty similar for Motherwell. I don't like the cliches of 'he knows the league' and 'he knows the players', but it is relevant to an extent. And one thing he has had is success. "Whether Hearts fans enjoyed how he played or his personality or how he came across, he had a level of success where they were consistently finishing in good positions in the league. "The difference is, and it's quite rare, Wimmer wasn't actually sacked. Motherwell maybe like what they did and could see where it was going, so they might not be too concerned about going a bit more leftfield again."
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
'I noticed...': Scotland starlet reveals dream move as he addresses transfer links and Liverpool inspiration
The Scotland international has linked to a summer transfer, with several clubs rumoured to have interest in the defender. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland full-back Max Johnston has revealed which club he dreams of playing for as he addressed his immediate future following strong rumours of transfer interest in him this summer. The 21-year-old defender has been in excellent form for Sturm Graz this year, winning his second successive Austrian Bundesliga title, and is said to have courted interest from Champions League outfit Atalanta, as well as Southampton, Augsburg and Hamburg, though reports says Die Schwoazn would be looking for a fee of £3million in order to allow him to leave. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The ex-Motherwell ace debuted for the Scotland senior team in the Nations League play-off clash first-leg win over Greece in March, with Steve Clarke handing him his international bow as a late substitute for Billy Gilmour in a 1-0 victory in Piraeus, though it was at Fir Park where the youngster first gained recognition, winning the SFWA Young Player of the Year after a breakout season in 2023. Opting to move to Sturm Graz that summer, the Austrian champions forked out a compensation fee of around £300,000 when the youngster rejected a new deal with Motherwell, signing a five-year deal at Merkur Arena. Two years on, Johnston believes the move has worked out perfectly. Scotland's Max Johnston and George Hirst pre-match during a UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A/B Play-Off Second Leg match between Scotland and Greece at Hampden Park. | SNS Group "To be honest, I think all the teams in the league try to push the young players and give them a platform to play and express themselves,' Johnston told Sky Sports. 'That is something that is really important, and it is a huge attraction as a young player to go over there. I noticed such an improvement in myself. Sturm Graz have really pushed me on areas I didn't think I needed work on but giving me the platform to get minutes on the pitch, and learning every minute by getting minutes on the pitch.' Linked to Queens Park Rangers, Stoke and Stade Reims last summer, the Scotland international played five times in the UEFA Champions League last season, and revealed which fellow right-back he is taking inspiration from as he continues his journey in European football, citing Liverpool's Real Madrid-bound defender Trent Alexander-Arnold as a player he hopes to emulate in the year's to come. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He's a huge player and someone I look up to,' said Johnston. 'To see that he can change his game, and adapt to different playing styles, is something I try to do myself.' Asked which club would he would be unable to turn down should they come calling this summer, Johnston admitted: 'it would be Real Madrid' before joking that he would first need to try and dislodge England full-back Alexander-Arnold.
