TAKENOTHING FOR GRANTED
Motherwell boss wary ahead of UECL draw
Boss Graham Alexander doesn’t need reminding of the difficult challenges Motherwell could face in Europe as he only needs to look to his Scotland career as a warning.
The Steelmen will discover their Europa Conference League second round qualifier opponents today when the draw is made for the ties taking place across July 21 and July 28.
Trips to sunny shores like Gibraltar are on the cards as well as potential excursions closer to home in Wales and Ireland.
‘Well will be seeded for this draw but Alexander isn’t taking that as a given they will reach the third round, where more glamorous ties await.
Capped 40 times by Scotland, playing away to teams against unknown players to the UK proves to Alexander how difficult a challenge his team could face.
He said: “I’m really excited about the European campaign. I know people are talking about it and I know how excited the supporters are getting about it.
“That’s great to see. We just wanted to give it to them. We will enjoy the build-up, but when it comes down to it, we want to win.
“I know how competitive football is. There’s five or six teams in the National League (England’s fifth tier) that have bigger budgets than us right now.
“They have players on three times the amount of our best paid player. Just because we might not have heard of a club or player, it doesn’t mean they aren’t good.
“I learned that by playing for Scotland, playing teams like Estonia and Lithuania. You didn’t know much about them but they were very difficult to play against.
“Other clubs will look at us thinking the same thing - ‘it’s only Motherwell.’ We have to respect everyone.”
It was only three years ago that Alexander was managing in the Conference League with Salford
City, and a first trip into European football is exciting for him.
But he will always try to step back and make decisions in the best interests of Motherwell.
He added: “I want my team to win and I want to win. I have my own professional ambition and pride. I share the joy in our wins. I am not detached from them.
“If my club wins, gets to Europe, don’t worry, I will celebrate it. I am in there! But I am also aware of my responsibility as a manager to become detached from it a little bit to make logical decisions.
“I get as excited by football as I did when I was eight. That was my strength as a player - that I loved playing the game.”