Where are Motherwell in manager hunt? And is Neilson a contender?

BBC News

a day ago

Michael Wimmer's final game as Motherwell manager was on Sunday, 18 May. He then headed home to Germany before surprisingly informing officials at the Scottish Premiership club a few days later that he wouldn't be returning after just a dozen matches in charge.Several weeks have passed and we are now well into June. There is still no sign of an appointment and the players are due back from their holidays to start pre-season training on or around 18 June. So what is happening at the Fir Park club?
What's the process & who is making decisions?
A three-man sub-committee of Motherwell's executive board will draw up a shortlist, conduct interviews and make their managerial recommendation. That is much the same process that brought in Wimmer after Stuart Kettlewell's departure earlier in the year.The main man at the helm, and the driving force behind the scenes at Fir Park, is chairman Kyrk Macmillan. The fashion businessman, whose father-in-law is on the board of Hertha Berlin, is originally from East Kilbride and has watched games at Fir Park with his own father and grandfather for the past 30 years.He will be assisted in the hunt by chief executive Brian Caldwell and digital marketing chief executive Greg Anderson, who is also one of the key figures in the Well Society, the majority shareholding group who own the club.
What are they looking for?
The board sub-committee will follow the same procedure that led them to Wimmer, using data and metrics to judge how candidates align with the club's values, such as youth development.And there is no reason for them not to do that. After all, Wimmer's shock exit was not down to results or performances.Things were looking promising under the ex-Austria Vienna boss, who spent eight years working in Nurnberg's academy and three years working at Bundesliga level with Stuttgart, including an impressive interim spell in charge of the first team.If the board land on a manager with a similar CV, they will be doing well. But they badly need some stability, given this is their fourth search for a manager in just three years.
So who is in the running?
Former Hearts and Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson's CV is among those to have dropped on Macmillan's desk.Neilson's last job was with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL, America's second tier, and it is understood a return to the Scottish game would be very much appeal following successful spells at Tynecastle and Tannadice. After guiding Hearts to third place in the top flight in 2015-16, Neilson moved to MK Dons before being appointed United manager. He guided them to promotion in the Covid-curtailed 2019-20 season, before leading Hearts to another top-flight promotion and third-placed Premiership finish in a second spell at Tynecastle. But there are a number of candidates who could stand out to the Fir Park club. Some are currently in employment and would potentially cost a compensation fee. Others, such as Neilson, are between clubs.
Take Tony Docherty. Until very, very recently, he was the Dundee manager. After steering them to a top-six finish, he was sacked at the end of his second season after only securing their Premiership status on the final day of the campaign.His side were very good going forward, but very porous defensively. Consistency was a problem, but their attacking flair, allied to Docherty's fine first season, may tempt Motherwell to consider him.Another familiar face is Scott Brown - but could Motherwell tempt the Ayr United boss into his first crack at the Premiership as a manager? Seen as upwardly mobile in coaching circles, Brown made his disappointment at failing to get Ayr promoted from the second tier clear. His experience as a player, added to his contacts, plus his coaching credentials with Fleetwood and in the Championship, might fit if Motherwell are looking for a young, Scottish manager.Or what about Temur Ketsbaia?The Georgian impressed when interviewed after Kettlewell's departure but was ultimately passed over in favour of Wimmer. Most recently coach of the Cypriot national team, Ketsbaia also coached his own national side and has led both AEK Athens and Olympiacos. His wide experience of the European game and his contacts book would make him an attractive proposition, as would his knowledge of the British game, having played for Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Dundee.
Have your say
Motherwell fans, what do you think?Is the delay in naming a replacement for Wimmer a concern? And who would you like to see take charge?Let us know here