NO CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

McGhee’s outbursts did not disguise the leakiest backline in the Premiership

AT LEAST Mark McGhee could never be accused of lacking passion. As his second Motherwell tenure began to fall apart, the 59-year-old’s heart was emblazoned on his sleeve.

Sent to the stand during their 7-2 thrashing at Pittodrie in mid-February, McGhee’s anger at being filmed by a taunting Aberdeen fan became a social media sensation (below).

His verbal attack on fourth official John McKendrick in the post-match press conference was no less notable. Another SFA touchline ban loomed. In the wider public imagination, these aspects almost overshadowed what had been a truly woeful exhibition of defending.

It could not happen twice. Not in the same month. When Dundee went 5-1 up at half-time on Saturday, there was no way the focus was shifting from the team’s pitiful performance. A group of youthful Motherwell fans gathered outside the main entrance of Fir Park to protest against McGhee.

Few managers come back from such a scenario. Especially not at a club now effectively under supporter ownership.

A run of two wins in 13 league games, coupled with Hamilton’s defeat of Aberdeen last night, has left Motherwell in the relegation play-off place. Against that backdrop, anger against McGhee’s management was always likely to end in his dismissal.

The statement confirming it came a year and a day after a 3-1 home victory over Partick Thistle. The significance? That result began a six-match winning streak which carried Motherwell into the top six.

McGhee was named Manager of the Month for March 2016. Having taken over a squad that looked bereft in the last days of Ian Baraclough’s tenure, the final league placing was a vindication of his return to Fir Park.

He may well argue that history might have repeated itself. That with goalscorers of the calibre of Scott McDonald and Louis Moult, Motherwell could cast off their dire recent form to attain a sequence similar to 12 months ago. At the top of the club, however, faith in such an outcome had evaporated.

Reasons for that are obviously found at the other end of the pitch. Motherwell’s defence was hardly watertight last term. Only two teams in the Premiership conceded more over the course of the campaign. But this time around, they are out on their own.

Fifty-three goals in 26 top-flight fixtures means an average of just over two a game. And the flow was accelerating. Leaking a staggering 17 concessions in their past four matches left the unshakeable impression of a team in freefall.

Stemming that tide is now the clear priority for the interim management team of Stephen Robinson, James McFadden and Stephen Craigan.

Robinson, who only returned to the Fir Park coaching staff last week after being sacked by Oldham in January, called for a passionate reaction from the players to McGhee’s exit.

‘There’s obviously a lot of love for Mark at the club,’ said Robinson. ‘He was here a long time but the players get another chance when sometimes managers don’t. They have to pick themselves up.

‘We’ve conceded a lot of goals and we have to try to stop that. If you don’t do the basics right, which we didn’t do on Saturday and possibly haven’t done in weeks, then it doesn’t matter who sits in the hotseat. You have to win headers, tackles and show a desire to play for the football club.

‘It’s a situation that we can most definitely get out of. We’re a couple of wins away from being a top-six side.

‘What has happened is obviously a huge disappointment. Mark brought a lot of these players to the club and a lot of the staff. The mood is very sombre.

‘We just have to pick ourselves up and get on with it. It’s a massive game for the club on Saturday and their attitudes have been great — Mark said that all along. Now the players have to start producing as well.’

Former Motherwell defender Craig Paterson, part of the club’s 1991 Scottish Cup-winning side, admitted some surprise at McGhee being sacked before the weekend meeting with Kilmarnock.

Like Robinson, he now feels a huge burden lands upon key players within the squad to ensure relegation is avoided.

‘The club must have felt the decision had to be made sooner rather than later if things were to change,’ said Paterson.

‘I feel for Mark. He will have come through this before and pulled clubs through. I’m sure he would have been looking forward to the weekend and turning things round.

‘He has been denied some of his experienced players recently. And because of the budget, Motherwell don’t have the strength in depth. If you lose Stephen McManus, you can’t just replace him.

‘Leaders on the park are what

you need in a situation like this and Mark has been denied some of them.

‘When I was at Motherwell, the Cup final was the highlight. But there were seasons before then when we were too close to that bottom end and needed results.

‘It was always nice to look around the dressing room and see the Bobby Russells and the Davie Coopers because you knew these guys could produce when it came to the crunch.

‘Motherwell need that now. They need the Scott McDonalds, the Louis Moults, the Keith Lasleys — players whose leadership on the park is going to be absolutely vital.

‘Yes, you want someone in charge who is going to get the players fired up and instil some kind of confidence in the squad. But it is down to players to go out there and do whatever it takes to get results. They are the ones who are going to have to turn it around.’