Fir Park board insist they will move quickly to find new manager

MOTHERWELL vowed to move quickly to replace Stephen Robinson after their manager declared he had taken them as far as he could and resigned.

Robinson quit after a 2-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock left Motherwell without a win in nine matches and in 10th place, two points above Scottish Premiership bottom club Hamilton – their opponents on today.

Keith Lasley will be in charge for the Lanarkshire derby and the long-serving former skipper is a strong contender to succeed Robinson, while former St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright was quickly installed as bookmakers’ favourite.

Motherwell revealed Robinson had approached the board after Wednesday’s defeat, giving an “honest assessment” of their situation and “stated his desire to leave”.

A club statement added: “It is with regret that the board accepted his resignation, having carefully considered his reasons for wanting to leave his post.

“Despite the current restrictions, the board will now run a thorough process to identify the right person to take the manager’s post.

“This will move at pace, mindful of the busy fixture list and the January transfer window’s impending opening.”

Robinson will be a hard act to follow. A former assistant to Ian Baraclough and Mark McGhee, he steered the club away from relegation danger after taking over for the final 12 games of the 2016-17 season.

The former Oldham boss then led Motherwell to two cup finals, two comfortable mid-table finishes followed by a third-place position and a return to Europe.

His record at developing players was highly impressive with the likes of David Turnbull, Louis Moult, Cedric Kipre, James Scott and Jake Hastie bringing in more than £6 million in transfer income.”

Stephen Robinson quit as Motherwell boss.