Motherwell: Steven Hammell named permanent manager on two-year deal
Steven Hammell is the new Motherwell manager after signing a two-year deal; Hammell had been in interim charge following Graham Alexander's departure; the 40-year-old's first match in charge is at Aberdeen on Saturday; Brian Kerr will assist Hammell at Fir Park
Friday 12 August 2022 23:42, UK
New Motherwell manager Steven Hammell is vowing to give youth a chance after taking charge at the club he made almost 600 appearances for.
The 40-year-old had been in interim charge following Graham Alexander's departure on the eve of the new season and will be assisted by Brian Kerr.
Hammell led the Fir Park side to a 1-0 victory over St Mirren on the opening day before losing 2-1 in injury time to St Johnstone.
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His first match as permanent manager is on Saturday at Aberdeen and after giving two academy players their debuts while in temporary charge, he is hoping to look to youth more often.
"We've got some short-term goals that we have to hit, but medium to long term we need to recruit a couple of players and then develop and promote the younger players we've got in the academy over the next few years," he told Sky Sports News.
"We won't just throw young boys in for the sake of it, it will be because we believe they are the ones that are ready.
"I believe, as a club, that's what we're going to be about going forward. It gives good confidence to the rest of the boys in the club and also the rest of the academy players."
Graham Alexander signed two players before leaving the Fir Park club and Hammell knows he will have to work quickly to bring in any new additions.
"It's no secret that we do need a couple of players in," he said after full-back Jake Carroll was ruled out long-term with a knee injury.
"If it's a staff member or a player, they need to fit in with what we're doing here.
"I'd rather bring a seven or eight out of 10 player in that's going to fit into what we're trying to do rather than bringing in a big player, a nine or 10, but he's going to cause us problems in the group and not fit into what we see going forward.
"We're late in the window, which is always a problem, but it's key to what we want to do."
Chairman Jim McMahon added: "We ran a very robust process that started with over 70 applicants. We met last weekend to narrow that down to a final three and we spent time interviewing them over the last few days.
"All three candidates were impressive, and each brought their own positives, but Steven was the unanimous pick of the directors and Well Society board members who sat on the panel.
"He inspired us with not only his short-term plans to reshape the squad and adapt the style, but his medium to long-term vision around a fully integrated club and we felt this matched how we see the future of the club.
"We think he will bring many qualities to the job that he has demonstrated running the biggest department at the club for almost five years and it's abundantly clear to us that he has the support and buy-in of the current squad and staff.
"We are going to have a busy few weeks and months ahead, but the board will give Steven all the support we can to be successful."
Is Hammell the right choice for Motherwell?
Former Motherwell defender Mark Reynolds told Sky Sports News the club were right to appoint his former Fir Park team-mate.
"They've got a guy who is best placed to lead Motherwell, rejuvenate them and get them playing better football and back to where they feel they need to be," he said.
"There are obviously advantages of coming into a team that's doing well, but it's been a hard watch. He's going into a job where the fans aren't just expecting results, they're expecting performances.
"Having been a player at Motherwell and knowing what the fans expect, he's going in at the right time to change the way they play and change their fortunes.
"Motherwell's always been a team that's produced young players and brought them through and I think that's something that's been missing in the last 12 months.
"Who is better placed than the head of the youth academy to go and bring that next generation of youngsters through to go and get performances.
"Although Motherwell are a small team they've always competed at the top end of the table and it's no easy task for a manager to come into a club with those expectations and take that on, but they're lucky they've got a manager who was a bedrock of that success previously."
