McGhee has no plans to rest key men
MOTHERWELL are building momentum in the SPFL Premiership and Mark McGhee has a Manager of the Month award to prove it.
The domestic cups are a different story. In their last 19 knock- out games, the Lanarkshire team have won just twice.
Form team or otherwise, McGhee dismisses the idea of resting key players for the Scottish Cup tie with Highland League club Cove Rangers.
‘I don’t think we can afford to,’ he admitted. ‘We’re not good enough to risk wholesale changes. It’s not like we have another proven team that has played a couple of times together that we can bring out.
‘If we change, then we will be changing and thinking: “How is this going to work?” and we can’t do that.
‘We have to give Cove total respect and put out, if not the same team, then very close to the same team.’
Unbeaten since November 21, McGhee collected the December Manager of the Month award following wins over Dundee, Celtic and St Johnstone last month.
‘I’m thrilled by it,’ said the Fir Park boss. ‘At the end of last month, having lost to Ross County, if you watched us that day you would have thought we were a team that would never win another game. Instead of that, we’ve not lost a game.
‘It’s been a big turnaround and we’re delighted. I take the positive out of it and think it can only help us by winning this sort of award.’
McGhee was appointed manager at Motherwell after a League Cup exit to Morton precipitated the demise of predecessor Ian Baraclough.
Since reaching the Scottish Cup Final of 2011 under Stuart McCall, the club’s record in the cups has been dismal, with just two wins over East Fife and Livingston.
A cup run is secondary to league safety, but McGhee believes the two can go hand in hand.
‘I think the month we have had shows we are capable of going up against all the teams in the league,’ he continued. ‘We got a draw at Aberdeen, we drew with Hearts, we’ve beaten Celtic, so why can’t we get a run in the cup if we go about our business the same way?
‘That has given me heart that maybe we can have a run in the cup, but I certainly didn’t come in thinking we were going to do that. I don’t believe you can think like that until you see the reality.
‘The reality is we have done well against every team and therefore think we could.
‘But nobody will take Cove for granted, I don’t even have to say that to them.
‘I know everyone says the same thing, but what we have to do is look at how we are approaching games at the moment and how we are coming out. There’s no reason why t hat should change on Saturday.
‘The same players are in the same form and I have no fears there will suddenly be a huge dip or bout of complacency.’
Former Cove chairman Alan McRae is now president of the SFA and, by extension, McGhee’s boss at international level where he serves as assistant to Gordon Strachan.
‘I’ll be having a word with him,’ he said with a smile. ‘I don’t know whether I’m putting my job on the line or not, but what can you do?
‘We’ve just had a couple of trips with Alan as president but we talk about Scotland. But I look forward to seeing him.’
McGhee admits Motherwell’s resurgence has been fuelled by the partnership of Louis Moult and Scott McDonald in attack.
‘I’ve known Scott for a long, long time and have been a fan of his for a long, long time,’ added McGhee.
‘He is the type of player I know we need in my team to play the way we want.
‘ I ’ ve j ust needed t o get it out of him and he’s responded brilliantly, he’s been outstanding.
‘I thought against St Johnstone was as well as I’ve seen him play.
‘But I also saw very early on how good a player Louis Moult is. He is a lovely mover, he’s a finisher. He’s got a bit of a ruthless streak about him and likes to mix it up and do different things.
‘They have become a really strong combination and, in a sense, it’s not a surprise — but a bonus.’