Motherwell

Jens Berthel Askou admits his side’s lack of sharpness is “one of the major reasons” why Motherwell have not tipped results in their favour. Saturday’s defeat at Tynecastle extends the Steelmen’s winless run to five matches, but the Dane is “positive” his side can find their cutting edge in the split. “Earlier in the season, we didn’t need many chances to score goals; now we need a little bit more. And we’re working on that every week, and that’s football. “Sometimes you have spells like that, but I’m really positive that we created these chances in a difficult place to create chances.” Askou labelled the award of Lawrence Shankland’s penalty as “very soft”, and VAR urged Matthew McDiarmid to consult the video monitor. Askou asked what Stephen Welsh was expected to do against a player “dribbling” with his head at ground level. “It’s a shame for the game that it gets decided like that.” “You can argue every time there’s contact that there’s a foul. Then it’s about the amount of contact, the speed of contact, the situation.” Despite the defeat, Askou was encouraged by Motherwell’s display. “But what I want to underline again is that I’m really, really proud of our performance. “We took control of a very difficult game against a very good team who are really, really good at what they do, who have an atmosphere that really drives them and can get you emotionally unstable if you’re not there. We dealt with that extremely well. “Some of the play we set up in the second half, leading to our chances, also the goal, was absolutely outstanding.”

Jens Berthel Askou believes his side were denied a clear penalty during their 3-2 defeat against Falkirk, as Motherwell fell to their third defeat in four league games. Speaking at full-time, Askou was full of praise for his opponent, who secured top six with the victory. “They’re a brilliant football team, and I put them up there among the best. Congratulations to them for the win and what they’ve achieved so far. I think they deserve it. The Dane was pleased with many aspects of the performance, but an inability to capitalise on their positive moments cost them dearly. “In terms of intentions, willpower, and work rate, our performance was good, but there were a lot of moments where we should have been better. Both in attacking moments, leading to attacks. But also, there were moments to score goals we didn’t take, but there were moments we lost the ball in critical places where we have to be better. “When we play against the best, then we need, sometimes, the things we cannot control to also go our way, so far this season, that has not happened. I have been hoping that, eventually, it will go our way.” Askou was left frustrated with an early officiating decision on top goalscorer Tawanda Maswanhise. The striker seemingly collided with Falkirk’s Liam Henderson in the box, but Duncan Nicolson chose not to point to the spot. There’s a clear penalty on Tawanda Maswanhise. It is very clear Liam Henderson wipes him out. That’s a clear penalty and a potential red card. After seven minutes we should have been 1-1. It was a massively decisive moment that, for some reason, they cannot get right. “I think the penalty against Ibrahim Said is very debatable. I have seen situations like that many, many, many times where those situations haven’t been given as a penalty. “We can’t get the penalty back now so there’s no reason to start to ask for one. Hibernian’s 3-0 win over Kilmarnock means Motherwell’s hold on 4th place has reduced to three points. European football remains the priority for the Steelmen, and Askou encouraged his side to focus on improvement across the last six games. “I know there are a lot of other clubs who can and will say the same. Our main focus for us is to try to improve, and we try to not let this stop us. “Many of the performances we’ve had lately have been similar to the performances where we’ve just succeeded in winning. We just haven’t been as sharp in moments.”

Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou saw plenty of positives from his side’s 3-1 defeat against champions Celtic. Elijah Just gave the Fir Park side a priceless lead, but replies from Tomas Cvancara and Yang meant the Steelmen would lose further ground on the top three. Speaking after the match, Askou expressed pride in his team’s performance, as they continue to navigate a stellar season. “Of course it hurts. We hate losing, love winning, and now we have got nothing out of the last two games, even though we have put a lot in. “The tempo was really high at times, some of the quality in the build-up was really good, and our pressing was at times extremely good, and it made them change their strategies. “We got a goal from it, and our bravery gave them some opportunities to punish us, which they were able to do. “It could go both ways, and I would have hoped it would not be that kind of moment or incident that tipped the game to one of the sides. I think it was a shame that [the penalty and red card] decided the game. “It’s a penalty, which is a big chance, and a red card, which makes it difficult to get back into the game and get a result.” Hopes of splitting the Old Firm may slip away after back-to-back defeats leave the Steelmen seven points adrift of third place. They return to Fir Park on Saturday afternoon, facing European-chasing Hibernian.

Jens Berthel Askou insists he was “happy with the effort” after Motherwell’s late defeat against Dundee on Saturday, as the Steelmen failed to close their gap on the top three with their game in hand. Finlay Robertson’s slotted finish in the 84th minute sealed three crucial points for Steven Pressley’s side, after Callum Slattery handed the visitors a lifeline with a stunning free kick. Speaking at full-time, Askou was upbeat with his team’s efforts. “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 to 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 when 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.” Motherwell return to league action at Celtic Park. Saturday was a blow for their top three aspirations, but they will remain confident of delivering a result against the Scottish Champions.

Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou believes his team’s “defensive discipline” was crucial in their dominant victory over Dundee United, as the Steelmen move to within touching distance of Rangers and Celtic. The 2-0 triumph improves their terrific run of form to just 1 defeat in 20 matches, 14 of which have included a clean sheet. Speaking at full-time, Askou was delighted with his side’s latest win. “A very hectic and lively game. It was difficult to play around them because of their man-marking. “It was a lot about changing positions and counter-movements to open up space. When we got the ball down we played some really good football. In terms of work rate and willingness to run for each other I think it was outstanding. “The defensive discipline gave us full control of the game that was, at times, quite lively. Big credit to the boys for going out and being extremely disciplined for one another. “I think it was a good example of us playing against a team that created a lively game and still being able to control it. “Today we really deserved that clean sheet because we gave absolutely nothing away. We were on top of them, controlling the space in behind. It’s great to see the players are just as hungry to keep a clean sheet and defend as they are going forward. “We know that Tawanda Maswanhise is very, very hard to stop in open play. Eventually he’ll break through and find a chance. He might have been a little bit lucky with that one today but he had other opportunities. A top player and a fantastic young man who works very hard. We’re enjoying having him here and happy the transfer window doesn’t open tomorrow. “What we are in the mix for is for you to discuss. We had a game today, we had to attack, we did that well and got a clean sheet and three points. It was a good game for us in terms of playing against man-for-man pressure and it didn’t stop us today.” With a trip to Dens Park up next, the Fir Park side have a chance to cut the gap on league leaders Hearts to just seven points. While Askou’s team are often praised for their expansive, entertaining style of play, they deserve to be viewed as genuine title contenders. They have suffered only one home defeat all season, and with the league’s top scorer, Tawanda Maswanhise, leading the line, it’s time to stop patronising their title credentials. This is a team with the quality and resilience to remain a persistent threat to Hearts, Celtic, and Rangers throughout the campaign.

Motherwell have taken the first step toward a potential stadium upgrade, with chairman Kyrk MacMillan confirming that a feasibility study into the ground’s redevelopment is officially underway. Addressing shareholders at the club’s AGM, MacMillan confirmed the recent launch of the project: “Very recently, we’ve undertaken a feasibility study in regards to the redevelopment of Fir Park or potential other options “Those results were only shared with the board on Tuesday so we’re not in a position right now where we can share the outcome because it’s 200 pages long. “So everything’s on the table right now. For us it’s really important we make the right decision which is why we’ve undertaken a significant feasibility study. “It’s a really, really significant investment so it’s really important we take the right decision and take our time over it.” A Motherwell shareholder raised concerns regarding the condition of the 65-year-old Phil O’Donnell Stand. While the club’s strong form on the pitch continues, supporters may find further encouragement in the board’s proactive approach to infrastructure. Alongside these development plans, the club announced a loss of £263,000 in its annual accounts for the 2024-2025 period. However, the club noted: “This was after depreciation costs of about £550,000 and the £105,000 finance cost for the ‘interest free economic benefit’ arising from the Scottish Government’s Covid recovery loan. “Excluding the impact of the two accounting practices, the club made a profit of £400,000, up more than £70,000 on the previous season.”