SHOW SOME RESPECT
Angry Robinson brings in O’Donnell to bolster Steelmen after slating his players for going through the motions
STEPHEN Robinson last night launched his first attempt at turning around Motherwell’s stuttering start to the season by bringing in Scotland international full-back Stephen O’Donnell on a short-term deal.
And the arrival of such an experienced campaigner in the Steelmen’s ranks was perhaps no surprise after the verbal lashing the Northern Irishman gave his players on Wednesday night.
The message could not have been clearer had he chosen to brandish it across the Fir Park scoreboard.
Too many simply going through the motions. Heads filled with promises of moves to the big time. A lack of respect for the shirt. Heaven knows what Robinson’s take on it all would have been had his side actually lost to Livingston.
Although on the wrong end of single-goal defeats by Ross County and Dundee United in their opening two games, the Motherwell boss saw enough in those performances to take heart.
Having twice taken the lead over Gary Holt’s side however, his players collectively didn’t do nearly enough to get the job done. Livvy ran and tackled harder. They demanded the ball in tighter situations. Damningly, they appeared to want it more.
O’Donnell won’t be able to remedy Motherwell’s current malaise on his own. But Robinson clearly sees the former Kilmarnock star as someone who will help instil more of a never-say-die attitude in his new team-mates.
‘I saw some things tonight I simply won’t settle for,’ Robinson seethed after the 2-2 draw.
‘This club has been good to people. It’s rescued careers and given them a platform. I don’t know if they are listening to agents, getting their heads filled with rubbish. But they need to do it here before anyone leaves this club.’
How his players respond to such a public flaying will be discovered at Easter Road tomorrow. One of only three exempted from savage criticism on the night, David Turnbull is adamant the manager’s words were justified.
‘He had a pop at some of the boys and he was probably right enough,’ said the scorer of the game’s opening goal. ‘The results have been bad but that will just spur the boys on to work harder.’
Asked if there was a degree of complacency after last season’s third-place finish, the midfielder replied: ‘Definitely not. The gaffer tells us every day that we need to be on it and the first couple of games we played really well. We’ve just struggled to get the results.
‘On Wednesday, the goals came but we lost two sloppy ones, although I still feel we are creating chances and playing well. We battled well and just need to keep doing that and the results will come.’
It probably goes without saying that they will need to improve immeasurably in order to take anything at the home of Hibs — a club that last won its first three games of a season in the days of Turnbull’s Tornadoes.
With a Lanarkshire derby then preceding a trip to Celtic Park, the importance of chalking up that first victory from a psychological perspective cannot be overstated.
‘Yeah, it is,’ added Turnbull. ‘Although that’s us now off the mark and I’m sure it won’t take too long to get a win. We will continue to push and we will get there in the end.
‘Hibs have done well in their first few games, but if we can go there and play the way we have been playing and create chances and score goals, then I am sure we will be fine.’
Robinson clearly hopes the signing of O’Donnell will go some way to having that desired effect. The 28-year-old was a free agent having left Kilmarnock, where he played 122 times and was further recognised with 11 national team caps. After signing him on a short-term contract until the next transfer window, with an option to extend the deal until the end of the season, Robinson said: ‘We’re delighted to add a player of Stephen’s experience. ‘He will give us greater options in both full-back areas, especially at a time where we are lighter on numbers due to injuries.’ A youth player with Aberdeen and Celtic, O’Donnell’s professional breakthrough came at Partick Thistle, before he moved to Luton Town and then Rugby Park.
‘I’m delighted to sign a deal with Motherwell,’ he said last night. ‘Obviously there’s a few injuries and so the manager was looking for someone.
‘When he came to me, I was delighted to sign up. I am a local boy, so it’s a great fit for me. And obviously, the chance to have another crack at Europe was a big factor.
‘I feel I’ve a lot to prove at that level and to get that chance is important, especially with Scotland games on the horizon too.
‘But first, I want to get playing games and to help the team.’