Andy Halliday admits he’s still in shock over Stuart Kettlewell’s departure as Motherwell boss.
The Fir Park midfielder was delivered the news on Monday that Kettlewell had resigned from his position as manager due to personal abuse affecting him and his family.
Many Steelmen fans have been left saddened by Kettlewell’s exit and it’s no different for the players who he has left behind in the dressing room.
Halliday was signed by Kettlewell in January 2024 and went on to make 46 appearances under him, scoring five goals and assisting four.
And Halliday told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on Tuesday evening that – like everyone else – he was not expecting the news at all.
‘Shocked’ Halliday on Kettlewell’s Motherwell exit
Halliday admits the Motherwell dressing room was taken aback before going on to defend the majority of Motherwell fans.
He said: “I’m genuinely in shock. Quite glad I switched my usual Monday shift (on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard) to tonight to give myself 24 hours to gather my thoughts.
“I certainly wasn’t expecting it and my teammates weren’t expecting it either. Listen, I can only say my thoughts on Stuart Kettlewell as a man and as a manager, someone who I got on with really well.
“I’m obviously gutted and disappointed he’s left. And obviously the sad nature of football is that you go in in the morning and try and get on with your job but obviously extremely difficult and something that took us aback.
“It’s obviously unacceptable for anyone to receive any type of personal abuse. I think being in this environment in football, you’ve got to expect it in some capacity.
“But if it’s affecting your kids or whatnot – look, I can’t put myself in the manager’s shoes to say exactly what he’s went through but it’s extremely difficult and we’re disappointed.
“What I can say is, I think the Motherwell fans towards the team have been great for the most part. But you know what it’s like, sometimes that minority is the loudest and ultimately he’s took the decision that it’s affecting his family life too much and he’s chosen to leave the job.”
What now for Motherwell?
Of course, quite simply, a new manager. Stephen Frail is currently in interim charge of the club as he prepares the squad for Celtic on Sunday.
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Not The Old Firm drafted a list of potential next manager candidates for Motherwell as the club could seek out the likes of Neil Lennon or Ayr United’s Scott Brown among many others.
Outspoken pundit Michael Stewart thinks Motherwell should cast their net in the Championship with John McGlynn and Callum Davidson impressing at Falkirk and Queen’s Park respectively.
Whoever it may be, they’ll have the task of halting the slide of declining results with Motherwell winning just one of their last nine games.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 32 | 27 | 5 | 37 |
| 4 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 32 | 36 | -4 | 35 |
| 5 | MotherwellMotherwell | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 29 | 39 | -10 | 31 |
| 6 |  HibernianHibernian | 24 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 35 | 37 | -2 | 30 |
However, the position is an attractive one in the sense that the club are still 5th in the league and still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe next season.