WELL HAVE STEEL IN TIME OF CRISIS
McKinnon: Doesn’t matter if it’s Ravenscraig, personal tragedy or the pandemic, my old club is..
MOTHERWELL legend Rob McKinnon reckons his former side are not just called the Steelmen because of the old Ravenscraig works.
It’s because the town and the club who represent them are made of strong stuff.
McKinnon knows Well are facing tough times with the rest of Scottish football and society in general in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
But he’s also well aware the Fir Park outfit and the town have faced brutal challenges in the past and have always rallied together around their club.
McKinnon said: “Motherwell, whether it’s the club, the town or Lanarkshire, have never had it easy. It’s a real working-class area and it has faced hard times.
“It’s funny, before all this happened I was down at Ravenscraig every weekend watching my son, Aaron, playing football. It’s great to see the sports facility there, the new housing developments all over the town and the surroundings.
“But when I went there in the early 90s, Ravenscraig closing cast a huge shadow over the area. It wasn’t just the jobs going in the steelworks, it was the knock-on effects, the supply chains, the corner shops and all of that stuff.
“It impacted everyone and families were left struggling to pay their bills. As players we were aware of it and knew we were playing for people who were going through hard times.
“The football club has always been a great distraction and focal point. Unfortunately we don’t even have that now but we have to hope it comes back. These are really worrying times, particularly for the smaller clubs. Motherwell don’t have a huge support but they have a loyal core.
“They stick by their club through thick and thin. When I was there we were doing well. They’d won the Scottish Cup and we went on to finish second and third in the league under Tommy McLean and Alex McLeish. The town itself had been battered but they came out to support their team.”
The industrial collapse is just one sad chapter in a town used to having to dig deep for its team and each other.
McKinnon said: “The club has had it’s fair share of troubles over the years. We saw it when John Boyle took them into administration.
“But the people have had a lot thrown at them. A lot of the club legends, especially from the cup-winning side, passed away long before their time, and I know the club does a lot of work around mental health as it’s such a problem in Lanarkshire.
“You look at this now and the number of cases are rising while it will have a huge financial effect as well. It’s another thing to deal with.
“In recent times they’ve moved to fan ownership and they have really got
The town had been battered but they came out to support their team
ROB MCKINNON ON THE MOTHERWELL FANS
on board. We don’t know what will happen with this situation but you know they will need the fans more than ever and I’m sure they’ll respond like they always do.” McKinnon is fighting to protect his own business right now and knows clubs are no different.
He reckons sides like Well might be aided by the government’s 80 per cent furlough scheme but he would like to see the real big earners in the game lead from the front.
He said: “People think footballers are all on fortunes but it’s not the case at clubs like Motherwell.
“It was the same when I was there. We’d go into the players’ lounge and talk to sponsors and guests, there would be joiners and brickies on more money than me.
“It won’t be far off that now, unless you are talking about the big two in Glasgow or teams down south in
England. There aren’t many brickies on 30 grand a week!
“The Motherwell players won’t be on huge sums and it might be the government scheme can help them if this goes on much longer.
“It’s going to be a real struggle for a lot of clubs but that might just be a way for them to see it out.
“I must admit I’m a bit bewildered we are not seeing some of the players and staff at the big clubs – like Celtic, Rangers and the English sides – maybe leading by example and taking a pay cut.
“I’m not saying those guys don’t deserve to earn what they do but they are the ones who could handle taking a 50 per cent pay cut. I think it would do a lot for morale at those clubs who have low earners furloughed and fans who are really struggling.
“Sacrifices are having to be made by everyone, it’s not a good look for the ones on £20,000-plus a week exempt from it. Everyone is in the same boat.”