Motherwell have announced that manager Stephen Robinson and his assistant Keith Lasley have signed new deals that will see them stay at Fir Park until 2022.
Amidst all the signings at Fir Park this summer, this deal is by far the best bit of business the Well have conducted.
Robinson and Lasley are staying for the long haul. (Photo by David Young/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Robinson’s been in charge of the club since February 2017. His assistant Lasley has been about the club for years, although he became Robinson’s number two when he hung up his boots at the end of the 2016/17 season.
Its not been plain sailing, but Robinson and Lasley are undoubtedly the men to lead Motherwell into the future.
Robinson had to win over Fir Park doubters
There have been times where the Well boss has came in for a fair bit of stick. Towards Christmas time last year, there was a growing group of fans who wanted him out the club.
Robinson hasn’t had it easy. (photo by Vagelis Georgariou/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Throughout his reign people have questioned how far he could take Motherwell and the style of play at times. Since the turn of this year though things have looked very bright at Fir Park.
Motherwell have picked up plenty of wins in 2019, with a new and exciting 4-3-3 replacing a 3-5-2 that wasn’t working brilliantly last season and towards the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
Dealt with the loss of key players superbly
Robinson has seen brilliant players come and go during his time at Fir Park and he’s done well in the aftermath of their respective departures. He’s brought in suitable replacements, so that when a key player has left, the miss hasn’t been felt too badly.
Robinson has operated the market well. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Declan Gallagher seems to be a good replacement for Tom Aldred, who joined Brisbane Roar this summer. Sherwin Seedorf and Jermaine Hylton are already proving that they can step up and replace the likes of Jake Hastie and Gboly Ariyibi.
Trevor Carson was injured for the most of last season. Robinson was well equipped to deal with this, as he brought in the brilliant Mark Gillespie last summer.
The only player you could say he’s failed to really find a replacement for is Louis Moult. The striker was brilliant for the Well, scoring 50 goals in 98 appearances.
Moult hasn’t been replaced. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Given the sheer quality Moult possessed and displayed in North Lanarkshire, it’s not exactly hard to see why Robinson’s not been able to find a forward of a similar calibre whilst working with a shoestring budget.
The youth academy
He’s made two cup finals with Motherwell yes, but by far and away Robinson’s youth revolution at Fir Park is his biggest success. He’s brought a batch of talented youngsters into the first team squad.
The backbone of his squad last term was made up by Fir Park academy graduates. The likes of David Turnbull, Hastie, Allan Campbell, Chris Cadden and James Scott all featured heavily in the second half of last season especially.
Turnbull was a star last term. (photo by David Young/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Not only has he brought about a wave of fresh homegrown talent, he’s created a potential money spinner for the club. Turnbull was ever so close to leaving the club this summer in a deal that would ‘vastly exceed’ Motherwell’s previous record fee received for a player.
When Campbell eventually leaves he’ll go for a seven figure sum. If it wasn’t for the expiry of Hastie and Cadden’s contracts, they too would have went for a high price.
This season it looks like Jamie Semple and Barry Maguire could be the next academy pair to establish themselves in the Well first-team.
Lasley’s role
Lasley is a Motherwell legend. He spent most of his playing career at the club and has spent his whole coaching career at the club so far.
Lasley is a Well hero. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
For some of the Well youngsters, having someone like Lasley and other former Steelmen like Steven Hammell and David Clarkson around the club is massive. These guys knows what it take to become a great success at Fir Park and will be able to advise young players the best path to achieving that.
In terms of the first-team, there’s a strong argument to be made that no one gets the club quite like Lasley. He loves the club and the fans love him. His passion and desire for Motherwell to succeed is there for all to see.
He’ll be able to install that mentality into the dressing room. His belief when he was captain was that it was the team first before personal achievement. The club went through a golden period when he was captain and his passion and drive for success will be installed into every player.
Motherwell are building for the future under Robinson and Lasley
Robinson has averaged 1.48 points per game as Well boss. It’s a rate that only Craig Brown has bettered since 2000.
A brilliant effort. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Motherwell are in good hands with Robinson and Lasley. One’s tactical knowhow combined with the other’s passion for the club seems to be working a treat.
It’s great for any new signings or players at the club too. They know the manager that brought them to North Lanarkshire will be about for the long haul, giving them a bit of security and freedom to express themselves out on the park.
With Robinson and Lasley at the wheel, Motherwell are in safe hands for the future.