Alexander: Dons just searching for excuses because we showed steel
MOTHERWELL manager Graham Alexander reckons Stephen Glass’ gripe over Kevin van Veen was a smokescreen for their defeat at Fir Park.
Alexander hit back at Aberdeen boss Glass over his claim that Well striker van Veen should have been sent off in the Steelmen’s 2-0 win.
Glass, who was booked by referee John Beaton for his protests, was adamant van Veen should have picked up a second booking for a second-half challenge on Ross McCrorie.
Alexander, however, insists that was just an excuse and reckons even the Dutchman’s first-half booking on Saturday was harsh.
And the Well boss claims opposing managers are quick to claim foul play when they lose out to the Steelmen.
Alexander said: “I didn’t see anything bad from Kevin at all.
“I think what happens is when an opponent beats you that you look for reasons.
“Because we’re Motherwell, it can’t be through quality or skill.
“It has to be something outside of the rulebook.
“I didn’t see anything that either team did differently last week.
“I saw them making good tackles on us, I saw us making good tackles on them.
“I think it was a bit of a smokescreen trying to say Kevin did this, that or the other.
“I didn’t see it all. Even his booking was a little bit harsh, which the ref said to him.
“He thought the whole game was getting a bit frantic and tried to set an example.
“We ask our players to be competitive. Scottish fans demand their team is competitive.”
Alexander insists van Veen is a special talent and is putting in the hard graft to match his ability.
He said: “He was popular at Scunthorpe, where I managed him before, because he can do things that other players can’t.
“He loves that response from a crowd during games. It helps him and inspires him.
“He is a player of immense quality but British football is more damaging out of possession than it is in Holland.
“He knows that I trust him and appreciate him as a player. He’s a matchwinner but we have spoken about him reaching the levels he should have.
“In the first game of the season against Hibs here at Fir Park, he was exceptional.
“Unfortunately, he missed a couple of games in between but him coming back into the first team again last week saw him rise to the occasion.
“He showed great ability on the ball but the biggest thing was the work he did off the ball.
“The front three set the tone and defended exceptionally well from the front. If you analyse the defensive side, he was exceptional.” Alexander is taking his team to Ibrox for the first time on Sunday to face Rangers and knows they need to be fully focused against the champions. He said: “I’ve not played or managed at Ibrox so it’s a new one for me. “I’m looking forward to seeing my team go there and play. That’s where I get enjoyment from. “In my second game at Motherwell, we played Rangers here and were 1-0 up with 15 minutes to go. “We were unfortunate to concede a goal which was slightly offside. “That’s what the big teams do. They can build pressure and momentum – and it’s about how you stand up to that as a team. “We had an example of that last week against Aberdeen. We did really well and scored two good goals to win the match. “It will be a similar type of game but away from home we have to be fully focused.”
I didn’t see anything bad from Kevin at all. Even his booking was a little bit harsh GRAHAM ALEXANDER DEFENDS VAN VEEN FROM WRONGDOING