NEW BOSS MAKES HIS MARK EARLY

MARK McGHEE describes Scott McDonald as a ‘testing’ player to manage. Breaking the news to the Australian striker and captain Keith Lasley they would not be playing against Celtic was his first examination as Motherwell boss. McDonald emerged eventually to earn a yellow card as a late substitute in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat. Lasley was less fortunate. Trying out defender Louis Laing in Lasley’s midfield berth showed a willingness on the part of McGhee (left) to make big calls on day one. Fans will debate just how successful the changes were on an afternoon when the Fir Park side struggled to muster a shot on target. ‘Everybody knows what Mark McGhee is like,’ said defender Stephen McManus. ‘He is not afraid to make tough decisions and as players we will back him 100 per cent. ‘We don’t want to be in the situation we were in last season and, hopefully, once he has a feel for us and vice

versa we will start scoring goals and winning matches. ‘I wouldn’t necessarily say Las or Scott were dropped. Las has a lot to bring to the table, he’s a terrific captain, one of the most under-rated players I’ve played with. ‘Scott will come back, he’s come on and made an impact. ‘They’ll be pushing to get in and we’ll need them because we’re going to need everybody. ‘We showed a lot of character. There was a lot of effort in the first half but we maybe lacked a wee bit of belief. ‘A lot of them were playing against Celtic for the first time. ‘You need to assert yourself in the game and we did that second half.’ After the break, the match was a curious affair. The home side, who had trained just three times under their new manager, were nothing to write home about. But they did eventually muster a shot at goal via defender Kieran Kennedy — lucky to escape two penalty calls — and might have taken a point with more penetration. ‘We made it difficult for Celtic,’ said McManus. ‘But the manager’s only had three sessions. ‘There are positives to take. The manager has got to know the players and we can only benefit from it. ‘He likes composure on the ball, he wants an intensity to the play and for people to work extremely hard. He is similar to Gordon (Strachan) in that respect. ‘I’ve known Mark for a long time. I had never worked with him personally but I’ve met him on numerous occasions. He’s honest, genuine and demands hard work. ‘I don’t think he’s going to change because it’s his philosophy that’s got him the career he’s had. ‘We’re looking forward to working with him and we’re going to buy into everything he says. I think it’s a shrewd appointment.’ Motherwell face a faltering Aberdeen next weekend and the signs are McGhee will persevere with the experiment of playing Laing in midfield — a role he played in his days as a Sunderland player. ‘I thought Louis did well in the second half especially,’ added McManus. ‘You need to trust your managers and, ultimately, that’s what we’re going to do.’