Motherwell

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• Dundee have won just one of their last 13 Scottish Premiership meetings with Motherwell, a 3-0 home win in November 2021 (D4 L8). Each of the last three matchups between the pair in the top-flight have ended level, after only three of the previous 21 were drawn beforehand.

• Motherwell have won four of their last six away games against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership, but have failed to pick up three points in both of their last two league trips to Dens Park (D1 L1).

• Dundee have won three of their last four home Scottish Premiership games (D1), their most wins across a four-game stretch at Dens Park in the top-flight since February 2017 (also three wins in four).

• Motherwell have won both of their last two away league games (3-1 v Livingston, 2-1 v Rangers) and could win three in a row on the road for the first time since a run of four victories ending in January 2020.

• No player has scored (eight) or been directly involved in (10 – eight goals, two assists) more Scottish Premiership goals in 2024 than Motherwell’s Theo Bair.

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Stuart Kettlewell insists Motherwell are working busily in the hope of securing signatures for the raft of players out of contract in the summer.

Seventeen members of the current Fir Park squad are set to leave the club at the end of the season, but the manager says negotiations have been ongoing for months as he plans for the future.

However, "uncertainty" and the extended search for a new chief executive may have caused some issues in these discussions to tie players down.

"It's safe to say that in certain elements we've been preparing well before January for what comes next season," Kettlewell said. "I'm a planner and someone who likes to do that.

"There's also been little bits of change and uncertainty that can have a massive impact on that as well. In terms of trying to plan for for the future, I've done nothing but that for a number of weeks and months.

"I always caveat that with we need all parties to take part. We need that buy in from players, agents, myself, [at] board level. We have a new chief executive at the football club, so there's a lot of moving parts in there.

"But if you want to specify to the football department, we've been all over that [player contract negotiations] for quite some time."

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's trip to Dundee on Saturday.

Here are the key points:

• He hasn't been involved in many conversations regarding the US-based investment proposal, but says it seems to be "one step forward" after the club "entered into an agreement" on Wednesday.

• Talks up the appointment of Brian Caldwell as chief executive, who Kettlewell says has "a list of achievements" rather than just being someone who can "sell themselves on social media".

• Challenges his players to have a "positive mindset" heading into their final two fixtures before the split, though he admits they'll need "a few favours" to finish in the top six.

• But warns against saying they find themselves in a "comfortable position" in regard to the relegation battle. If achieving top-half football is still "mathematically possible", so is dropping down into the dreaded play-off spot.

• Dundee have "obvious threats", particularly in midfield, and Motherwell can expect a "tough game" against Tony Docherty's side.

• Insists he's "planning for the future" with so many players out of contract in the summer. They need "buy in" from agents and players, while adding "little bits of change and uncertainty" can have a "massive impact" on negotiations.

• Stephen O'Donnell is a "slight doubt" after he went off injured against St Mirren last week in the only fresh concern.

Top six is still "mathematically possible" according to Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell, but after a 1-1 draw with St Mirren should he change his team?

Tell us your preferred XI to face Dundee here.

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Motherwell's board have "entered into an agreement" with a US-based family over potential investment in the club.

The Fir Park side will now enter the next stage of talks after a non-binding Heads of Terms was agreed.

Motherwell published a 'tongue-in-cheek' social media video in January aimed at attracting Hollywood investment to Fir Park, and are pressing ahead with plans despite opposition from some supporter groups.

The club say the unnamed investor wishes to work alongside the Well Society as part of any deal, and advise that the process to formalise the Heads of Terms will take around six weeks.

The club statement in full reads: "The Executive Board of the Club would like to confirm that investment discussions with a US-based family have reached the point where both parties wish to move forward to the next stage and have therefore entered into an agreement on a non binding Heads of Terms.

"Both parties will now work on formalising these into a legal framework which can be put to a shareholders vote.

"The investor has expressed his desire to work in partnership with the Well Society.

"The process of formalising the Heads of Terms is likely to take around six weeks and we will keep you updated on progress."

Despite optimism from the club I can no longer see Motherwell finishing in the top six this season. I will happily be proven wrong but with our next games behind against Dundee and Hibs I don’t think it’s likely.

A point was better than nothing against St Mirren, but our performance was poor. Throughout the first half we struggled. It shouldn’t take until the 50th minute for us to finally remember how to play football.

We shouldn't be worrying too much about relegation, with Livingston all but gone and decent cushion between us and Ross County in 11th. However, when you reflect on how we started the season, you can't help but think what might have been.

We should have competed better, but there’s nothing we can do now other than knuckle down and push forwards. With a stroke of luck, we sneak our way into sixth place, but I won’t hold my breath.

We asked for your thoughts after Motherwell's 1-1 draw against St Mirren.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Edward: Another hugely disappointing season with a manager who appears to send the team out not to lose, rather than to win. Our home form is a disgrace. We don't score enough goals. Our defence is weak. As for thinking we're going to make top six? Pure fantasy.

Ronnie: A valuable point for Motherwell. Next two games against Dundee and Hibs are both must-wins.

James: A very poor match but a point that is deserved. A top six finish is not on as Motherwell are a poor side. We need to rebuild for next season, hopefully in the Premiership.

Anon: Blair Spittal needs to be dropped until he goes - he's been anonymous in the last two games. Never good to play someone who is leaving, with the best will in the world can he be trusted to give it all in games?

What did you make of that, Motherwell fans? A deserved point, or two dropped?

Who impressed you today, and who didn't? Tell us your thoughts here.

Andrew Petrie, BBC Sport Scotland

Despite what some may tell you, this was a highly entertaining clash between two equally strong sides.

Both played with attacking intent, enjoyed spells of momentum and showed plenty of fight. What they lacked though, was accuracy in the final third.

Motherwell looked shaky in patches of the second half but Liam Kelly, who has not lived up to his billing this season, looked more like the keeper that earned a Scotland cap.

The players who have dragged them away from bottom spot weren't at their best though - Bair and Spittal - and the loss of Callum Slattery and Harry Paton was keenly felt in the middle of the park.

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell told BBC Scotland: "Probably fair in the end. St Mirren are a team who, if they get their nose in front, are very difficult to play against. I'm pleased at the reaction we got and the quality for the goal, but in general I thought we could have passed the ball better.

"It was just that execution in the end. Our eye was out for a pass today, our touch wasn't quite on it, and it can become difficult to mount attacks.

"We fashioned a few good opportunities but we can be a lot better than what we were over the 90 minutes.

"It wasn't Theo's best day today. We didn't join up with him well and that's been a threat for us. Sometimes it can be telepathic but it was off today. That's not specific to Theo.

"Mathematically we've still got a chance. We're still to play teams above us. I've never said we'll get top six but until it's mathematically impossible, that's our goal."

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Georgie Gent. The marauding left-back was a threat all afternoon, bombing up and down the left to create more chances and send in more crosses than any other player on the pitch.

On a day when Blair Spittal and Theo Bair weren't at their best, Gent's performance gave Motherwell a glimmer of hope that eventually led to an equaliser.

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Motherwell: Kelly, O'Donnell, Casey, McGinn, Devine, Halliday, Zdravkovski, Gent, Spittal, Vale, Bair.

Substitutes: Oxborough, Mugabi, Shaw, Nicholson, Blaney, Moses, Miller, Ross, Butcher.

St Mirren: Hemming, Bolton, Gogic, Fraser, Strain, O'Hara, Boyd-Munce, Tanser, Kiltie, Mandron, Olusanya.

Substitutes: Urminsky, Dunne, Taylor, Bwomono, Baccus, Kwon, McMenamin, Scott, Ayunga.

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Barry Maguire, Adam Montgomery, Jon Obika, Harry Paton and Callum Slattery have missed recent Motherwell games.

St Mirren defender Ryan Strain has been recovering from groin surgery.

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Stephen O'Donnell says he's "running out of bedrooms" after welcoming his third child during the international break.

The sleep-deprived Motherwell full-back didn't have much downtime as his newborn son settled into life at home, but he's finding ways to get his forty winks in as the Fir Park side look to finish the season strong.

"It was a couple of weeks ago now, but my third [child], a wee boy," O'Donnell said. "I was kept busy, my weekend off was pretty much full-throttle.

"I turned up at a christening that my wife organised and realised 'where did we get all this from'. It was bit excessive.

"It was obviously great, the baby is healthy and everything. My wife is still having a wee bit of bother but he's getting there.

"I'm running out of bedrooms to go into, so I find myself kipped in with my wee boy to try and get a good night's sleep. It's part and parcel of it.

"We thought we'd nailed it. The two-year-old was getting to three, she was nearly at nursery. You're thinking, come the summer, 'I'm going to be a new man'. You play with fire, you get burnt."

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• Motherwell's Blair Spittal has been directly involved in nine goals in his last nine home appearances in the Scottish Premiership (five goals and four assists), with six of his seven league goals this season coming at Fir Park.

• St Mirren went unbeaten in their first four away league games of the season (W2 D2) but have lost eight of their 11 games on the road since (W2 D1), failing to score in six of those defeats.

• Motherwell have lost their last two home league games and could lose three in a row at Fir Park in the top-flight for the first time since November 2022; the Steelman have conceded the most home goals (26) and lost the joint-most home games (seven) in the competition this season.

• St Mirren have won two of their last four games against Motherwell in the league (drew one and lost one), as many victories as across their 13 matches prior (drew five and lost six); meanwhile the Buddies could keep three straight clean sheets against the Well in the top-flight for the first time since February 2007.

• Motherwell have lost just one of their last five home league meetings with St Mirren (W3 D1) though it did come earlier this season, losing 1-0 at Fir Park with Scott Tanser scoring the only goal of the game.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has called for talks between match officials and clubs after failing to get the clarity he wanted over their disallowed goal against Aberdeen.

The Fir Park side wrote to the SFA raising concerns about the use of VAR, saying that refereeing inconsistencies are "having a serious impact on fans’ enjoyment of the game".

Lennon Miller had a goal ruled out against the Dons for a handball in the build-up by Theo Bair, and Kettlewell said there has been no contact from the SFA since, and no "clarity" over the points raised in the statement.

"There will be a lot of supporters that still wonder why one or two decisions were given," Kettlewell said. "I think people believe we do that as a football club just to be argumentative and it’s just this quest against match officials. It’s really not.

"We thought long and hard about our actions and it was a football club decision. We felt the statement was measured and transparent and also, it related to the rules of the game.

"There was initial contact [with the SFA] before our statement but there’s not been any further contact off the back of our statement."

Kettlewell believes the same conversations around decisions will happen next year if conversations do not happen.

"I have said all along the clubs have to come together," he added. "There’s an obvious grievance here in how, not so much with VAR, but how some of the rules have been implemented, sometimes what we are seeing, sometimes how many times we are looking at it and checking it, sometimes the communication, not just between officials and clubs but between themselves.

"There is a big thing here. The football clubs, the referees’ association and the SFA, everybody, in my opinion, must look at this and realise there is an obvious issue and the only way to move forward, we have to come together, whether it’s dropping the ego and making sure that we are listening to others. That’s the only way we can move things forward.

"These conversations must pack a punch and bring about some form of change otherwise we will be sitting here at the same time this year having the same sort of chat."

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell says midfielder Blair Spittal is "fully committed to the cause", despite having signed a pre-contract deal with Hearts.

Spittal will play his football at Tynecastle next season, and while Kettlewell refused to confirm the deal, he insists Motherwell did everything in their powers to keep Spittal at Fir Park.

“All I can tell you is we know there has been contact but the level of that contact and where that sits, I can’t confirm that," Kettlewell said.

"That’s quite clearly Hearts’ business. They are not doing anything out of turn if they are speaking to our out-of-contract players.

“But the thing I need to reassure people on is we have offered Blair the absolute best contract we possibly could.

“He has been terrific for us but the fight we have always got, is if a club like Hearts wants to speak to one of our out-of-contract players, they can double, treble what we can offer them. That’s not me pleading poverty, that’s just the honest state of affairs.

“I would love to keep Blair Spittal at the club and the level of contract was indicative of my thoughts, but whatever happens between Blair and, for talking’s sake, Hearts, that’s their business and it’s their place to confirm or deny where that sits.

“But I can 99.9 per cent convince everybody that we have a player who is fully committed to this club and there will be absolutely no change in what everyone has seen over the course of this season.

“I am certain of that because I know the lad so well, because how I watch him train and play. He is fully committed to the cause.”