'Well Tip McCall To Do Well

Rumours are rife that Stuart McCall has signed a one year rolling contract to take over as Motherwell manager.

Another left field choice for Motherwell, although John Boyle's judgement in such matters has been reasonably shrewd in recent years. It's not really Boyle's fault that he has to go through the recruitment process so often.

Eyebrows will be raised but McCall seems to tick the required boxes. He's affordable, he'll have shown a willingness to accept Motherwell's budget constraints and he has a working knowledge of the game down south.

His coaching experience includes promotion and a stint in the English Premier League with Sheffield United as assistant to Neil Warnock.

As a manager he had an iffy spell at Bradford City although it was a turbulent time for a club that had been relegated to League Two and were suffering a major financial breakdown. McCall couldn't lead them to promotion but it was never going to be an easy job for a managerial novice. Passion and hometown loyalty are rarely enough in football.

His record at Bradford disappointed - and he clearly felt the pain of not being able to secure a return up the leagues - but he also steadied the ship. A new manager taking over a club that has only a dozen players in the squad is not only being thrown in at the deep end but having their head held under the water.

So Motherwell offer McCall a fresh start. And he offers them something of the unknown. We don't know a huge amount about McCall the manager.

He'll not lack spirit. But he's got a hard act to follow in a league that remains competitively bunched together.

Like all managers he will need time. In his favour he's not inheriting a mess. He's got something to build on. It's going to be interesting to watch the latest Fir Park gamble.

* As I write Chick Young reports that Stuart McCall has actually signed a two and a half year deal with Tommy Craig joining him as assistant manager. The appointment of Craig immediately answers any questions over McCall's experience.

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