Kettlewell full of praise for Bair after rise at Motherwell
Fir Park manager expresses pride at striker earning place in team of year
MOTHERWELL manager Stuart Kettlewell has described Theo Bair’s improvement as one of Scottish football’s biggest stories of the season after his striker was named in the PFA Scotland Premiership team of the year.
Bair was included in a threepronged strikeforce alongside Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland and Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski in a team that also included Dundee left-back Owen Beck and players from Celtic and Rangers.
Canada international Bair arrived at Fir Park last summer on the back of a one-goal return in 18 months with St Johnstone but the 24-year-old has scored 13 times for Motherwell.
The improvement within the season has also been marked. A welltaken double against Livingston on December 30 heralded the start of a run which has seen Bair net 11 times in his last 14 cinch Premiership games.
Kettlewell said of Bair’s recognition from his fellow professionals: “I am delighted for him. I’m just a huge believer in those success stories, not for my ego, not for anybody to pat me on the back, but for the individual.
“When you have to ride out such difficult moments as Theo has done, not only here but at St Johnstone, trying to find his way in Scottish football, then it’s testament to the man and his character.
“He is a student of the game who really buys into the information and detail, and the work ethic in trying to improve.
“If you look at my history, a lot of the time those are the players I gravitate to, players who start from a lower rung on the ladder and that there has been real doubt.
“There was plenty of abuse probably towards him and to myself. It’s never a ‘prove you wrong’, it’s just when you have a belief that someone can reach the levels he has done.
“But I need to stress he hasn’t achieved anything. What he has done
is possibly change a lot of people’s perception of what he is as a player but I think there’s lots and lots of quality and development still to come from him. For me, that’s the exciting thing.
“It is arguably one of the biggest stories in Scottish football.”
Bair has another year left on his contract and Kettlewell hinted that moves have already begun to persuade the former Vancouver Whitecaps player to sign an extension.
“We are actively looking to finish the season as strongly as we can
but I’m a massive believer in trying to make sure that we can go into the new season with a set group,” he said.
“That’s challenging when you have a lot of players out of contract. Quite clearly there will be bits of interest in some of our players.
“But if I can get as set a group for that first day of pre-season, people to understand the message, then that’s what can really get that tactical DNA.
“I would assure people we are working away at that as best we possibly can. But we need to keep our eye on this season and make
sure we finish as strong as we possibly can. There are obvious pitfalls of going on bad runs at this stage of the season.”
Motherwell are seven points above second-bottom Ross County but face away games at Dingwall and Easter Road as well as tomorrow’s trip to Aberdeen.
Kettlewell said: “The top six is gone so the next part becomes can we strive to finish top of the bottom six? That was what we did last year and I think we sat on the exact same points tally as we have at this minute in time.”
There was plenty of abuse probably towards him and to myself. It’s never a ‘prove you wrong’, it’s just when you have a belief that someone can reach the levels he has done