ROBINSON REIGNS
Gallagher is in no doubt Motherwell boss is best in Scotland after sealing Europa spot
LAVISH awards dinners may be off the menu for obvious reasons these days, but Declan Gallagher would argue that Stephen Robinson’s feats make him Scotland’s manager of the season regardless.
The Motherwell centre-back was effusive in praising Robinson after yesterday’s SPFL board meeting confirmed the club would finish third in a Premiership campaign curtailed by the coronavirus shutdown.
Gallagher fully credits Robinson with turning him into a Scotland international while continuing to ensure the Fir Park side punched well above its financial weight.
Claiming a Europa League spot behind only the Old Firm is an achievement clearly worthy of recognition. The selfish part of Gallagher hopes, however, that appreciation of Robinson doesn’t stretch too far.
The 45-year-old has been linked with the vacant posts at both Northern Ireland and Luton Town, but Gallagher would be thrilled if he was still in charge in Lanarkshire whenever Scottish football is able to get back to something like normality.
That is for the future. For now, Gallagher is simply happy to laud Robinson’s influence as he looks forward to adding European involvement to a recent surge of career achievements.
‘The manager deserves massive credit,’ said the defender. ‘I have never been shy of saying, regardless of how much the boys give me a hard time, that I think he is the best manager in the league.
‘He probably deserves manager of the season, in my eyes anyway. To do what he has done in the last few years, getting to cup finals and now taking to Motherwell to a European place, is something that deserves appreciation. It has been absolutely outstanding.
‘He has helped my game massively, as everyone can see with my call-ups for Scotland. I can only thank him a huge amount for that.
‘If you take everything into consideration, the budget — finishing third in the league and the seasons before this one, you can see the way he is progressing the team to a place we want to be. When he took over, I think Motherwell were sitting near the relegation spots. Now they are in a European place.
‘It’s probably one of the biggest turnarounds in Scottish football and he deserves all the credit.’
In management, the acclaim for a good job done often comes through an offer to go elsewhere.
‘At the end of the day, no one would grudge him if he ended up taking a bigger move away or managed his country,’ insisted Gallagher.
‘He has done so much for Motherwell. Obviously, though, from the players’ point of view — and my own — I hope he will still be there. He has a lot to think about now in terms of Europe and so on.
‘I hope he is looking forward to that and that he is still there whenever we get back into things. My positional play has improved massively from working with the manager. He has opened my eyes to a whole new kind of game.
‘It almost feels like that you were winging it a wee bit earlier in your career. As I said, I probably wasn’t anywhere near the national team when I went to Motherwell and all of a sudden I’ve had two call-ups.
‘A lot of credit has to go to him for that.’
Gallagher responded positively to all the lessons handed down before the shutdown hit in mid-March.
Building upon an excellent season at Livingston last time around, the Rutherglen-born player’s decision to join Motherwell has been thoroughly vindicated. ‘When you join a new club, you have the question of whether you have made the right decision in the back of your head at times,’ he reflected.
‘You can see how well Livingston did this season and I’m delighted for them as well because they will always hold a place in my heart.
‘But obviously you want to go somewhere to do better. And you can’t do that much better than finish third in the league when you consider the size of the budgets Celtic and Rangers have.
‘It’s obviously a wee bit gutting that we couldn’t go back and finish the season but we have been third for a long time. It’s brilliant that it’s confirmed.
‘I imagine there will be a few boys having a wee drink to toast it with their families in the house and a few pictures will be sent into the WhatsApp group.
‘Obviously, though, it won’t be the same until the boys are all back together.’
Quite when that happens remains to be seen, with the uncertainty created by coronavirus extending into the shape taken by next season’s European competitions.
‘It would be a huge thing to play in a Europe for your club,’ admitted Gallagher.
‘To do it with Motherwell would be even more special because we know how delighted the supporters are about it.
‘Hopefully something will come soon about the plans for Europe and we can take it from there.’