Motherwell

Is Hearts boss Derek McInnes a more deserving candidate for manager of the year than Motherwell's Jens Berthel Askou?

Both were appointed last summer and both have their teams achieving far beyond expectations.

McInnes has Hearts on course for their first top-flight crown in 66 years while Askou's fourth-place Motherwell have an outside chance of the title and have won plaudits for their bold style of play and rock-solid defence.

The Dane has a win rate of over 48% and a points per game of 1.2 while his Motherwell side have scored 48 goals and conceded 20 (the fewest in the division). The Steelmen have won 14 league games, 10 of those victories have come at Fir Park.

Hearts are five points clear at the top with a win rate of over 65% and a points per game of 2.2. His Hearts side have scored 52 goals, conceded 24 and won 19 games - 11 at home, where they remain unbeaten.

And former Hearts midfielder Ryan Stevenson feels suggestions of anyone other than McInnes as manager of the year are well wide of the mark.

"It really annoys me the fact that people even just now will talk about the Motherwell manager as being manager of the season," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I think it's absolutely outrageous.

"Jamestown's been brilliant, I get that. But if you've not got a guy there that can lead players, that can coach them, that can put an arm round them when they need it, or know when they need a kick up the backside, it's pretty pointless. And that's what Derek is.

"He's a tremendous man-manager. He's a tremendous tactical manager as well. People just don't give him credit where it's due.

"And don't be kidded, one of the main reasons that Hearts are where they are so early in this Tony Bloom era is 100% down to Derek McInnes."

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• Celtic have only lost one of their past 31 home games against Motherwell in all competitions (W26 D4), going unbeaten in their last 17 (W15 D2) since a 2-1 league defeat in December 2015.

• After their 2-0 win in December, Motherwell are looking for back-to-back league victories over Celtic for the first time since April 2013 under Stuart McCall.

• After their 2-1 defeat at Dundee last time out, Motherwell could suffer back-to-back league defeats for just a second time this season; the previous occasion in October included a 3-2 defeat away to Celtic (also 2-1 v Falkirk).

• Celtic have both scored (10 goals) and conceded (eight) in their past five league games (W3 D1 L1); they last did so in six successive Scottish Premiership matches in April/May 2017.

• Celtic's Kieran Tierney has five goals in 26 Scottish Premiership games this season (including two in his last two), as many as his previous 102 appearances in the competition prior to 2025-26. Tierney also has seven assists in the competition this term, his joint-most in a league campaign in his career (also seven in 2017-18).

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Former Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller hopes the Fir Park side can "keep it going" after an "impressive" Scottish Premiership campaign so far.

Jens Berthel Askou's side are fourth after 29 games, four points below Rangers.

Scotland cap Miller, 19, left Fir Park for Udinese in Serie A last summer but maintains a keen interest in football in his homeland.

"I've got close friends still at the club," Miller told BBC Scotland.

"I was there for so long so I know a good few of them.

"They've done amazingly. I've been trying to watch as many as I can and it's been really impressive to see and hopefully they can keep it going for the last few games."

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Motherwell will "aim ambitiously for a strong finish to the season", says Jens Berthel Askou, after the Dane picked up his second Scottish Premiership manager of the month award.

The 43-year-old becomes the first Fir Park boss to claim the accolade twice in one campaign since Graham Alexander in 2021.

Despite suffering a Scottish Cup exit at Aberdeen halfway through the month, Motherwell picked up 10 points from a possible 12 in the league in February.

A late draw with 10 men at home to Rangers was followed by a trio of wins against the Dons, St Mirren and Dundee United, scoring nine goals without conceding.

Askou's fourth-place side started March with a 2-1 defeat at Dundee, their first loss in 10 league games, but will be aiming to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to Celtic, who sit two places and five points above.

"The pride of the first-team staff, as well as the rest of the club, fills me with joy as I share this award with all my colleagues at the club," Askou said.

"While we are receiving praise and recognition on our journey, we strive to continue to develop and aim ambitiously for a strong finish to the season."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

As the dust settles on an ugly weekend in Scottish football Motherwell remain fourth in the league following an unexpected loss at Dens Park.

Our game away to Celtic on Saturday now takes on cup final importance.

Celtic are a weakened side and we won't have many better opportunities to beat them at Parkhead.

The Dundee game was only our fourth loss this league season and we are in March. Over the years we have been lucky to get four wins between January and March never mind only four defeats all season.

I did panic slightly after the cup loss to Aberdeen but we bounced back with a 5-0 thrashing of St Mirren. Similarly, if we slip up again this weekend, I am confident we can respond strongly.

The closer we get to the split the more nervous and excited I get for what is to come. I am still waiting for the bubble to burst and so far it is yet to happen.

Hopefully this new golden era of the 'Well continues and we will be able to undo the painful Sligo Rovers memories from the last time we played in Europe.

Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou insists he has no plans to leave Fir Park any time soon and is planning for the future with the Scottish Premiership high-flyers. (Sun), external

Former Scotland forward Kenny Miller believes Aberdeen could find their own version of Askou in Eirik Horneland, who has been linked with the Dons. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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Motherwell have recalled goalkeeper Aston Oxborough from his loan to Dunfermline Athletic following a training injury to Matty Connelly.

But the Scottish Premiership club say: "We anticipate this recall to only be temporary and, should Connelly's recovery go according to plan, Oxborough will be able to rejoin Dunfermline on loan at some stage."

Motherwell exercised the option in the loan agreement to emergency recall the 27-year-old Englishman.

Oxborough, who joined Well from Norwich City in 2022, has kept three clean sheets in his four appearances for Championship side Dunfermline.

He helped Neil Lennon's side to a three-match unbeaten run in the league that lifted the Pars back up to fourth in the table - and in the promotion play-off spots - before Saturday's 3-0 defeat of top-flight Aberdeen secured a Scottish Cup semi-final against Falkirk.

Connelly has played twice since the 23-year-old Scot returned to Well in January from his loan to Airdrieonians but has otherwise been second choice behind Calum Ward.

Fourth-placed Motherwell next visit second-top reigning champions Celtic on Saturday as Dunfermline host Fife rivals Raith Rovers.

Dundee pick up all three points in an entertaining Scottish Premiership encounter with Motherwell (UK only).

A selection of views from Motherwell supporters following the 2-1 Scottish Premiership defeat by Dundee...

John: I know we lost today, which on another day we could have won, but I am still proud of everything that we have done this season. Wherever we finish in the league it's a season I'll never forget.

Alan: The performances over the last 20 games has been very impressive. This defeat may result in a wake-up call to help galvanise this team to even greater heights than previously thought possible.

Colin: Unfortunately, not one of our best performances today. Had all of the first half but failure to score cost us. Didn't really look like scoring from open play as game wore on and defence didn't look as solid as previous games. Really hope this is not the beginning of a downward spiral to take shine of a great season.

Andy: It's not how you start but how you finish. Old Firm are nowhere near us and Hearts are stumbling towards the finish line. Going to be a bloodbath after the split and Falkirk will have a big say in where the title ends up. Lot of big games to come. In Jens we trust.

Fraser: The Well were in control for the entirety. Dundee were chasing spaces for the majority of the game. The fans are coming back and there is a real buzz and enthusiasm amongst fans and the team. A strong starting line-up and strength off the bench. This is a surreal season and one where we as Well fans can only keep dreaming. In JBA we trust.

Alistair: A below-par performance, combined with stout Dundee defending, blunted our flowing football. Several of our players were not up to their usual high standard (although Tom Sparrow showed up well when he came on at half-time) and it became a frustrating afternoon for 'Well fans. Dundee profited from our defensive errors and took their chances to score, while we huffed and puffed but failed to do likewise when opportunities came our way. Must do better at Parkhead!

Dundee leapfrog Aberdeen to move up to eighth in the Scottish Premiership after inflicting title-chasing Motherwell's first league defeat since December.

Read the full match report here

Have your say on the game via this link

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou: "Disappointed about the result, happy with the effort.

"We played against a team that has caused us trouble this season, it's no coincidence they are a well coached team who work hard, defend the box with their lives and have an attacking threat.

"I think we really tried to up the tempo, had some really good moments in the first half we didn't take.

"Eventually we got the goal and chased the win, it became a very open game, there were moments at both ends but Dundee were the better team at being able to take those moments. But the effort was there although the quality was not quite there.

"We switched off in a single moment which they took advantage of because we'd spent a lot of energy really chasing. That can happen at times, unfortunately it happened today and gave us a mountain to climb in the last 10 minutes. We tried but didn't quite reach the top.

"We need to make sure when we get the opportunities next week we need to take them.

"We're here to try and win football games and get as high in the table as possible. We have not, and never will be, no matter how good a season we have, be favourites to win the title so it's not something we address. We will try and climb as high as possible in the table.

"Even though we have been almost invincible over a large period of time, we knew that there would come a day where the opposition just outplayed us and we didn't get the result - that was today.

"I know the players and staff will do their best to make sure that never happens again and we get back to our best on Saturday and then time will tell where that's going to take us."

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Emmanuel Longelo's determination to aim for the top meant a title challenge was in his thoughts when he arrived at Motherwell last summer.

Few others would have considered that a possibility but Motherwell can go seven points off the top of the Scottish Premiership when they take on Dundee in their game in hand at Dens Park on Saturday.

Longelo's optimism is coupled with the awareness that he must focus on the task in hand rather than getting carried away with what might be possible come May.

"I thought I was coming into a good team, a good club with good morals, wonderful people," he said.

"Fighting for the league is something I had at the back of my mind. Obviously, you play to win. So I came up and set my targets.

"Expectations are just expectations. You've got to rise above it and reach for the ultimate goal."

Winning on Saturday would give Motherwell the chance to move second when they travel to Celtic Park seven days later.

"It's a massive opportunity," Longelo said. "We want to be amongst the top. So we'll definitely go in there with full fight.

"We've got to be 100% focused on the game and get the job done because we know that we can't afford to drop any points."

Celtic are interested in Motherwell winger Elijah Just and Hibernian midfielder Miguel Chaiwa as they prepare a squad overhaul in the summer. (The Herald, subscription required), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Scott Mullen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Jens Berthel Askou says his Motherwell team have been "moved" by the praise from supporters who have flocked to Fir Park to watch his team.

While Well's league position has surged, so to have home attendances with 7,300 home tickets sold for their win over Dundee United last Saturday.

Watching a winning team helps, but it's the particular brand of football instilled in the team by Askou that has captured the imagination of fans young and old.

"Of course it moves us that people come up to us and say that they have followed the club for 60 years and it's the best they've seen us play ever, or that they are really thankful that they get to experience this," said the Dane.

"We have kids coming up who are extremely excited, a new generation of fans who will be the foundation for the future.

"We make sure that in 10, 20, 30, 40 years from now we also have a new generation of fans, because obviously it gets easier and easier as time goes to get access to football on TV, but also to travel around the world and watch football.

"We really need to get hold of the next generation of fans and it seems as if the club are doing some really, really good things, not just us on the pitch but also around us to support that.

"The more the older fans are excited about that, the more that excitement can also rub off to the next generation."

Askou takes his team to Dundee on Saturday in the Premiership, knowing if they win their game in hand it takes them within a point of Celtic, two of Rangers and seven of Hearts as the split looms.

"I think a very cool thing for us as players and as a group and as a football club is that we know that we're going to compete in the top six here after the split," he said.

"We know that it's one game at a time, now we're playing Dundee here, so it's a very important game for us and an opportunity to get three more points.

"The main thing for us in that aspect [playing top-six teams] is that it's going to push us to our limits as a football club and as a team and keep developing us to the maximum of our potential this season, and that's what we want.

"Then time will tell whether you will say one week that we are in the title race and the next week we are out and then we are in again. We are not too fussed about that."

Scott Mullen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Manager Jens Berthel Askou has been speaking to the media to preview Motherwell's Premiership match at Dundee this weekend.

Here's the best of what he said:

• Askou does not know if Motherwell's form has peaked, but he is "striving for more".

• He and his team want to excite people, which has happened with crowds increasing at Fir Park. The Motherwell boss now wants to excite the broader community.

• Askou is not concerned about talk of the club being in a title race, but acknowledges the challenge of facing top-six teams after this weekend until the season's conclusion.

• The Dane says securing a top-six spot already has allowed for financial planning and will help make the club more attractive to players.

• He says Motherwell will face a Dundee team who have built and improved as the season has gone on.

• No new injury concerns with Johnny Koutroumbis, Callum Hendry and long-term absentee Zach Robinson the only players out.

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• Motherwell's Tawanda Maswanhise has 16 goals in the Scottish Premiership this season; since the competition rebranded in 2013-14, the only African to net more in a single campaign is Cyriel Dessers in 2024-25 (18) with Rangers.

• Dundee have only won one of their past seven league games (D3 L3), a 3-2 victory at Aberdeen in February.

• Motherwell have won their past three league outings; the Steelmen last won more in a row in February 2019 under Stephen Robinson (run of six wins).

• Dundee have only won two of their past 10 Scottish Premiership home games against Motherwell (D2 L6), although both were by a three-goal margin: 3-0 in November 2021 and 4-1 in December 2024.

• Motherwell have won three of their past four league games against Dundee (D1), after only winning one of their previous seven beforehand (D3 L3).

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Motherwell chairman Kyrk Macmillan says the club have three options as they explore whether to remain at "ageing" Fir Park.

In a club interview, Macmillan said: "In September of last year, we partnered with an architectural and civil engineering firm to assess Fir Park, the kind of longevity of it.

"Obviously, it's an ageing stadium, ageing facilities. That feasibility study came back to us last week and it's quite a significant bit of work.

"Effectively, what that looks at is three options for the future of the football club.

"One of those is redevelopment of the Phil O'Donnell Stand in terms of building a new stand here that has new conferencing events facilities that allows us to effectively make sure that this is a stand that's in use seven days a week and allows us to generate income from that, and from there carrying out other remediation works in and around the stadium.

"The second option is a wider redevelopment of Fir Park. So that is, how do we look at the other stands? The idea actually is to fill in the corners in the stadium, make sure we've got a bit more of an enclosed space, so it's a bigger development.

"And obviously upgrading facilities in the other stands in and around the stadium.

"And the last option is looking at a new facility custom-built for the football club and for moving things forward."

Macmillan stressed any such developments are for the longer term and "nothing is on the imminent agenda".

He added: "There's a lot of legacy here, there's a lot of memories in and around (Fir Park) for myself and thousands of other people as well, so we won't take that decision without consulting people."

Fourth-place Motherwell are in contention for the club's first title since 1932 and Macmillan praised manager Jens Berthel Askou and the team for an incredible campaign.

"Performances have probably been the best in my lifetime this season," he said.

"Probably the thing I'm personally happiest about that we've managed to achieve is bringing those crowds and that excitement back to the club.

"Hopefully for the football club in general, this is the start of something."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

It's a strange situation where we are doing so well but there is an anxiety looming over us.

I have always said no one is truly irreplaceable at the club, but Jens Berthel Askou is making me think otherwise. With every week that passes I grow more concerned about who will be at the wheel next season.

The noise around the manager's future - specifically a move to Celtic - continues to get louder. However, I think it would be a dangerous gamble for him to jump ship too soon.

The pressure and expectation at Motherwell and Celtic are entirely different. A good season for us includes reaching the quarter-finals of both cups and finishing top six in the league, whereas at Celtic even a draw is seen as a disaster.

With European football looking likely, I hope that will keep help Askou in Lanarkshire, although the prospect of joining Celtic would be a head-turner for most managers.

The Askou effect at Motherwell is shown by the rise in attendances and we remain in the title conversation after beating Dundee United last weekend while the Old Firm dropped points in a derby draw.

While it is great to be in the title mix, realistically it is a push to finish third now for us.

Motherwell put out the call for fans to return home and with a crowd of over 7,000 it's safe to say we listened.

I can only think of a handful of games at Fir Park where that many home fans were in attendance and almost all of them have been this season.

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Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt has every faith he can play at a "higher standard in terms of European and international football", while revealing the important role in his career played by a former Team GB nutritionist. (Scottish Sun), external

Watch former Motherwell coach Richard Foster analyse why the Fir Park side are so hard to score against.

Following their comfortable 2-0 victory at home to Dundee United, they have lost just once in their past 20 league matches.

They have kept 14 clean sheets in that run, all while playing the most expansive football in the country.

Motherwell have already set a new club milestone for clean sheets in a single season and are on track to smash their record for goals conceded in a 38-game top-flight campaign.

Read more: How one of Europe's best defences has Motherwell in title mix

A trio of Motherwell stars, duos from Hearts and Falkirk, and one each from Rangers, Celtic, Hibs and Dundee.

Jonathan Sutherland has picked his team of the week, so let's take a look and see who impressed...

Calum Ward - Motherwell

A key part of the Motherwell success story at the back. Yet another clean sheet.

Harry Milne - Hearts

Mr Versatile and Mr Reliable all rolled into one. Another team of the week appearance for Milne. Taking the liberty of forcing this auxiliary dynamo into right-back here.

Luke Graham - Dundee

A goal and an assist from the highly promising Dundee defender. His finish for the Dark Blues was like that of a striker.

Kieran Tierney - Celtic

Huge goal at a huge time in the Old Firm Derby. The Scotland international has quietly been a big player for Celtic over the past few weeks and will no doubt be a big leader for this side in the finale of this incredible season.

Nicky Cadden - Hibernian

There is almost laser precision to his deliveries from the left-hand side. His assist for Owen Elding's header was a perfect example, knowing exactly where to put the ball to elude the defence and allow the striker the best chance to finish.

Elliott Watt - Motherwell

The Motherwell orchestrator has been a key part of the Fir Park ensemble, which continues to hit all the right notes.

The ominous thing for Hearts, Rangers and Celtic is there appears to be no reason why Motherwell cannot keep on winning.

Watt is a central cog in that winning machine. An assist for Tawanda Maswanhise's second.

Dylan Tait - Falkirk

Two goals and so much to enjoy from the Falkirk midfielder. Part of a group completely in sync with each other, and loving life under John McGlynn in the top flight.

Claudio Braga - Hearts

Has led from the front in the absence of Lawrence Shankland and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

The personification of Hearts this season, plucked by analytics from the relative obscurity of the Norwegian second division to spearheading a title charge threatening to destroy 40 years of Old Firm dominance.

Barney Stewart - Falkirk

Another barnstorming weekend for young Barney Stewart. The Grangemouth Harry Kane was on fire against Kilmarnock and was unlucky not to claim another hat-trick.

The story of the university lad now playing Premiership football has been well told, but it's now moved on to just how quickly he has developed into one of the most exciting strikers in the league.

The only thing missing from the McGlynn Falkirk success story was a goal-getting number nine. They have certainly found him.

Youssef Chermiti - Rangers

Talk about a big game player.

Looks decidedly pedestrian at times in more run-of-the-mill fixtures, but when it slams to the big matches against the big teams the 21-year-old has been the man to deliver. And in spectacular style.

His first goal was Scott McTominay-esque, an iconic Old Firm moment. His second was pure gallus opportunism full of ingenuity and initiative.

Tawanda Maswanhise - Motherwell

Another two goals for the jewel in the crown of the Motherwell story. The top scorer in the Premiership, if Maswanhise can stay fit and keep this form going the Steelmen really do have a shot at glory.

Their combination of goals and clean sheets is quite incredible. What an extra dimension Motherwell and Maswanhise have brought to this quite sensational season.