Motherwell in dire need of boost on & off the pitch to avoid the drop

In a move which seemed to catch manager Stuart Kettlewell completely off guard, Arsenal decided to recall Mika Biereth a few months early from his season-long loan deal in the January window. The Gunners quickly shipped him off to Sturm Graz as they look to see if the Danish hitman can continue thriving as he moves up the levels, level, loan by loan, until he shows himself worthy enough of a place in the first-team squad at the Emirates, or more likely a small seven-figure move to another club.

Sitting in ninth place, two points above the relegation spots having played two games more than Ross County and one more than tenth-pace St Johnstone, they were already in a precarious situation before losing easily the club's most valuable player this term.

The 20-year-old netted six times after missing two months of the season through injury, but this was enough to have a huge impact on results. He was mobile, strong, could occupy defenders and had a real eye for goal. His debut against Hibs saw him turn the game around after being introduced around the hour-mark, scoring one and setting up another, including some fine ragdolling of the away backline in the process.

Following a knee injury sustained in a challenge by former Fir Park defender Charles Dunne, he returned to make another huge impact off the bench against Ross County, scoring a penalty and playing a key role in Motherwell hauling back a 2-0 and 3-1 deficit in the latter stages. He twice netted equalisers in a pair of draws against St Johnstone and scored the opener in a 3-3 draw with Dundee.

Without those additional seven points that he's almost single-handedly responsible for, Motherwell would be sitting just a point above Livingston, who currently look like they're going to drift out of the top flight without making things interesting in the battle to avoid automatic relegation. It's easy to feel like 'what's the point?' when a summer signing is hauled away halfway through his reported loan deal, but Kettlewell's men would be in huge trouble if Biereth hadn't pitched up in the summer.

Sure, they could have signed someone else to play up front instead who would have stuck around for the duration, but looking at the rest of the forwards they brought in, there's not a lot of evidence to suggest another target would've had the same impact.

Conor Wilkinson is already away; shipped off to Colchester United having been proven to be not very good. The decision to sign Jonathan Obika permanently from Morecambe was a curious one, seeing as he netted once in ten games and didn't overly impress. He's been injured most of this campaign.

And it was a bit of a leap of faith that Oli Shaw, brought on loan in the summer from Barnsley, was going to defy the trend he's displayed at three other top-flight clubs by not quitting cutting at it Premiership level.

A pleasant surprise has been the form of Theo Bair. He was a disaster of a signing for St Johnstone and his move to ML1 was openly mocked by his former supporters. But he's managed to make a positive impact across this term, netting five times and three in his last two league games. However, the Canadian is still clearly a raw talent, and it was evident earlier in the campaign when he was consistently forced into the starting XI in the midst of an injury crisis that he doesn't yet have the ability to become the team's leading focal point.

The summer window also saw the arrival of three left wing-backs, who've performed to varying degrees of competency. Pape Souare's latter-career injury issues continued and he wasn't seen again after suffering an ankle injury in late September.

Brodie Spencer's form was up and down, which, to be fair to him, was partially being down to his comfort in playing on the opposite wing when he was predominantly left-footed. And Georgie Gent was rarely trusted up to December due to his defensive liabilities which were presented again in the dying seconds of the 2-2 draw at Easter Road when his poor clearance led to the equailser.

Both Adam Montgomery and Andy Halliday have arrived in January to try and shore up the problem area.

Add in the fact Motherwell have picked up only ten points since beating Hearts at Tynecastle on September third, with their only victory coming against Livingston in that time, and you've got a team which now appears deep in trouble.

It's not just matters on the park which are a cause for concern at the moment, either. Motherwell lost roughly £1 million over the 2021-22 campaign and similar losses are projected when the next set of results are released next month.

Until recently they were paying for three separate managers and assistant managers, while there are members of the Fir Park squad who are on generous wages for a club of Motherwell's size and not returning value for money.

Losing Max Johnston for just £350,000 in compensation was a blow after his contract was allowed to run down to its final six months before he burst onto the scene, and they've not had a permanent CEO in place since boyhood supporter Alan Burrows left to take the reins at Aberdeen last year.

Interim chief Derek Weir recently addressed supporter concerns in a lengthy video available on the club's YouTube channel, where he brought some reassurance that Motherwell aren't in any dire financial situation, but the need is there for investment to get them going again.

That was the motivation behind a viral marketing campaign aimed at recruiting interest from abroad amid the trend of American investment in the UK football market. The advert played very much with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, but it was still a riddy for Motherwell fans to see their club with a proverbial empty bowl in hand, begging for some more.

Weir spoke of the need for investment to stop the club standing still, a phrase that perfectly encapsulates Motherwell since the decision to sell Tony Watt to Dundee United following his pre-contract agreement in the 2022 January window. That quickly tanked their form and ended any hope of them catching Hearts in the battle for third and group-stage European football.

When you stand still in football, you soon find your opponents racing ahead.
It really feels like the malaise has set in at Motherwell and, having witnessed it at my own team, I know how destructive that can be.

Motherwell haven't dropped out of Scottish football's elite since winning the old Division One back in 1985, but unless some investment can be sought or they can find another talisman, anything to give them a shake out of the current gloom, then it feels like that's the only direction they're headed in.