Motherwell

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It will come as little surprise to anyone that the latest attempt at reconstruction of the Scottish Premiership has failed to get off the ground.

A change from the current 12-team set-up to one of 10, 14 or 16 were the options being discussed but the SPFL said "there was no reasonable prospect of achieving consensus".

Maintaining the status quo is a consequence of there being "no perfect option" for change, according to The Herald football writer Stephen McGowan.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish football podcast, McGowan said: "If you look at the options for expanding the Premiership, for 14 you would have to have probably a top six and a bottom eight and a different number of fixtures. So that's less than ideal.

"Look at the 16, which is the one that supporters really want. But Neil Doncaster has been saying consistently that you would then have to find a way to still preserve your four Celtic v Rangers games because Sky sports are not a charity. They're a subscription network who want to get the biggest numbers for games. So they want more Celtic and Rangers games.

"So it's how you square that circle with the 16 that's the problem. So it's not so much I don't think there's no great desire for expansions. There's no such thing as a perfect option and one that they can all vote for. That's the problem basically."

Former Scotland defender Maurice Ross, meanwhile, has accused Premiership clubs of "self-preservation".

"If they're going to remain the same, okay, let's put two clubs [automatically] down then and have a third-place play-off," said Ross.

"And we'll see what the reaction is of the clubs in four or five years' time. Then they'll want reconstruction."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Young player of the year nominee Lennon Miller says he's learned a lot from the "mistake" he made with his terminology that left him feeling like the world was against him.

The Motherwell midfielder's first international call-up last month was most notable for the headlines he caused by revealing he wanted to be Scotland's best player "in a few months".

What he meant to say was that in striving to be the best player he can possibly be, he hoped one day to overtake the likes of Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Billy Gilmour in the international pecking order. It's a long-term ambition, rather than a quick fix.

"That's how it was supposed to come across. I've obviously added the 'few months' bit which is a mistake on my part but I want to be the best player," said Miller.

"Whether that's with Motherwell or with Scotland, I want to be the best. The 'in a few months' was a mistake on my part but that is what I want to be.

"At the time I didn't really think anything of it and then you get the few news bulletins who've picked it up wrongly. That's different for me, I've never really had that side of things before. I just try to focus on the football side."

Thankfully for the Motherwell captain, the whole episode hasn't left a sour taste in his mouth. He now knows just how careful you have to be with your every word.

"When I found out [about the call-up], I didn't really know what to think, what to do. It was a pretty surreal moment. And then you say a few wrong words and it feels like the world's against you, basically," said Miller.

"I feel like everybody that was involved backed me and it was nice to hear a few words from people who've played and the manager as well which helped. It was a surreal moment to be involved in and hopefully I'll be back there soon."

If Miller keeps up his club form, a return to the international fold is a certainty. Despite an injury-hit campaign, there have still been flashes of the talent that propelled him into the Motherwell first team six days after his 16th birthday. Still only 18, Miller already feels more mature.

"I feel like I've come on as a player and a person in the last year," he added.

"The captain's armband has probably helped that. Getting that at such a young age, more responsibility.

"You've senior guys in there that have played a lot more games than me that probably felt they could have been the captain and it was me who was chosen, so that was a nice moment that has helped me."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

It was a bittersweet weekend for Motherwell. Three points for the men's team but defeat at Hampden for the women's side in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

I want to say a massive well done to the women of steel for showing so much determination and giving it their all. A semi-final is rare for our club and their feat should not be understated.

Paul Brownlie has taken the women's team to new heights every season and I am immensely proud of them.

As for the men's team beating St Johnstone, it wasn't pretty but we got the job done. There were periods of the game where I was longing for the end of the season, but two goals in a minute helped lift my spirits.

If St Johnstone hadn't missed their header with seconds to go the game would have changed entirely. However, at the business end of the season, three points is all that matters regardless of how we got them.

Tony Watt, for the first time in a long while, looked as though he was playing for the club and not just himself. His performance was reminiscent of his original spell with us, however it is a little too late.

If he is choosing now to play in the hope of a permanent contract, he should have started that back in January rather than at the end of April.

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Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller has been nominated for this season's PFA Scotland young player of the season award.

The 18-year-old has scored twice and set up six goals in the Premiership so far this term and received a call-up to Steve Clarke's Scotland squad in March.

He is nominated alongside fellow teenager and Hearts striker James Wilson, Rangers forward Hamza Igamane and Celtic midfielder Arne Engels.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Tony Watt has been a peripheral figure at times this season, but he was hugely influential on Saturday as Motherwell allayed their relegation fears with an important win over St Johnstone.

He duly earns a spot in my team of the week.

Watch highlights as Motherwell dent St Johnstone's survival bid.

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We asked for your views on Motherwell's 3-2 win against St Johnstone.

Here's what some of you said:

Matthew: Tony Watt can be very lazy at times but credit where credit is due, he worked hard and deserves the credit for his assists. Clearly still not 100% fit as you're not going to get 90 minutes out of him. I know they are all fighting for contracts but playing now isn't good enough when it should be the same effort every week. Happy to get the three points and hopefully another step closer to safety.

James: Great result but I always feel Motherwell need to be more ruthless in attack and defence. A better standard of player required for next season.

Alan: Callum Slattery has played exceptionally well since coming back from injury and he has been our main scorer. It was good to see a fightback having been 1-0 down. We still require at least one winger and a centre forward to enable proper penetration of opposing defences. This was a vast improvement on the last match against Hearts and a few more wins would boost team and supporter morale for next season. Let's see some of our younger academy players in the next games along with some foreign imports from Michael Wimmer's knowledge of the European leagues. A formal link-up with a team from Germany, the Netherlands or Belgium can only be of benefit to our development.

Colin: Best performance in some time but there is a fragility in defence that needs to be addressed, hanging on in the end. Slattery was our best player yet again, just as well he has returned from injury at this point of the season to drag us through. We should avoid the play-off now but complete overhaul of the team is needed.

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• Motherwell have won after conceding the opening goal in the Premiership for the first time since 28 September 2024 against St Mirren (13 games without a win).

• St Johnstone have lost after scoring the opening goal in the Premiership for the first time since 26 December 2024 against Dundee United (five games without defeat).

• Motherwell attempted 360 passes in this match, higher than their season average of 310.1 in the Premiership.

• St Johnstone have lost 20 points from winning positions in the Premiership this season, only Dundee (23) have lost more.

Were you at Fir Park or following the match elsewhere?

Either way, we want your views on the game - have your say here.

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Motherwell manager Michael Wimmer: "I feel good, it was a big win, a very important win.

"Very good to get the feeling back to celebrate after the whistle. More important was that we came back from going 1-0 down very well.

"The game from minute 20 to minute 45 was how I want to see us play, to think forward and to play forward. We stayed calm and we deserved the two goals.

"We also have to speak about the goals we conceded because it was too easy.

"I spoke a lot with Tony Watt and told him he has to keep going and he'll get his chance. This was the Tony I want to see. Hopefully he keeps working, but I'm not scared that he'll stop working.

"I'm also very happy because I know how tough and tight the other games were."

Calum MacDonald
BBC Sport Scotland

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Motherwell came into the match without a win since the 1st of March, and there was concern they could become embroiled in a relegation battle, but a small change to Michael Wimmer's preferred system paid rewards today.

Tony Watt was crucial to everything that Motherwell did, St Johnstone found his movement difficult to deal with and he was involved in both of his side's goals in the first half and was close to adding a goal of his own to make the game safe in the second half.

That all adds up to an important three points, which leaves them 13 points ahead of bottom-placed St Johnstone with just four games to play.

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Motherwell have Steve Seddon back in contention, but Kofi Balmer (hamstring) joins fellow centre-backs Shane Blaney (knee), Paul McGinn (thigh) and Liam Gordon (concussion) on the sidelines.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (wrist), Sam Nicholson (knee), Jack Vale, Zach Robinson (both Achilles), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Archie Mair (hand) remain sidelined.

St Johnstone could hand Uche Ikpeazu a league debut while Zach Mitchell (hamstring), Drey Wright (ankle) and long-term absentees Bozo Mikulic (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) remain out.

BBC Sport Scotland's Nick McPheat has been answering some of your Motherwell questions.

Ronnie asked: We are very light on the striker front, which brings me to my question. When will Zach Robinson and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos be fit as they are very much missed?

Nick answered: Not until next season, I assume. Stamatelopoulos was ruled out for at least two months with a fractured wrist in mid-March and Robinson ruptured his Achilles in December, which is unfortunate as they are probably the first and second-choice picks for the number nine spot.

There's obviously been a lot of back luck in there, but the injury situation across the whole of this season is something the club need to get to the bottom of over the summer.

William asked: Where on earth are the goals coming from in this team? Our goal threat is appalling just now.

Nick answered: Motherwell would have hoped Stamatelopoulos was going to be the guy to provide that goal threat when they spent a reported six-figure fee on him last summer. It isn't often they spend that kind of money on one player.

The Australia striker has looked pretty good when on the pitch, scoring five goals from 13 league starts, but he has sadly been plagued by injury. Tawanda Maswanhise has chipped in but has been in and out of the team under Michael Wimmer.

Callum Slattery has probably looked the team's most dangerous attacking player since he came back from injury, but that isn't ideal given he's a midfielder and there are eight (yes, eight) strikers on the books.

Motherwell will take goals from anywhere just to get themselves over the line, though, then the attack can be properly addressed over the summer.

BBC Sport Scotland's Nick McPheat has been answering some of your Motherwell questions.

Eddie: Why after three games in charge have we given up on the high-press tactics?

Nick answered: It's an interesting one. In the wins against Dundee and Rangers, particularly the first halves, the high-pressing style and "proactive football" Michael Wimmer is keen to implement was there to see.

But for some reason the performance level seems to have dipped, even after the manager has had extra time on the training pitch. Maybe the team has just lost momentum with the spare weekends they have had throughout the past couple of months?

Another wee thing to note is that before Wimmer's arrival, Motherwell averaged the lowest possession in the league and were statistically the division's most passive team in terms of intensity.

Wimmer's approach is almost the complete opposite of that, so fans will need to be patient. Securing survival is the priority, then pre-season will be crucial for the German to implement his high-octane style.

James asked: How many of the current huge squad will be let go? Many of them have not contributed anywhere near enough this season. Time for a huge clearout?

Nick answered: Eh, my guess is a lot. Just taking into consideration the loan players who are set to leave, you are already into double figures.

Although it will be a huge turnover of players, the manager has said it's a positive thing. He will be relishing essentially having a blank canvas and the wages that will be freed up will allow him to bring in players more suited to his style.

It will be a really busy summer for him, though, and it will be interesting to see what happens with captain Paul McGinn, Andy Halliday and Dan Casey in particular, given they are all out of contract.

Callum Slattery, Tom Sparrow and Stephen O'Donnell recently signed new deals, plus Dundee's Jordan McGhee is set to arrive after penning a pre-contract in the winter.

His versatility to play anywhere across the defence and in central midfield could make him an excellent signing. Wimmer has also expressed an interest in keeping Luke Armstrong when his loan from Carlisle United expires in the summer.

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Sister club Chelsea are backing Strasbourg's £4m bid for Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller, 18. (Sun), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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• Motherwell won their first home league game against St Johnstone this season 2-1 in November, but haven't beaten the Perth side twice on home soil within a single league campaign since 2013-14.

• After their 2-1 win in January, St Johnstone could win back-to-back league meetings with Motherwell for the first time since August 2022, and first time within a single season since May 2016.

• Since the start of 2025, no side has picked up fewer points in the Scottish Premiership than Motherwell (12, level with Dundee).

• St Johnstone have won just one of their past 11 away league outings (D2 L8), a 1-0 victory at St Mirren in February.

• St Johnstone's Nicky Clark has been directly involved in five goals in his past seven league appearances against Motherwell (three goals, two assists), despite only starting five of those seven games. Clark has scored in both of his past two Scottish Premiership games at Fir Park.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland at Fir Park

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Motherwell face going into their first post-split Scottish Premiership match against bottom side St Johnstone with only one recognised centre-back, manager Michael Wimmer has revealed.

Kofi Balmer has been ruled out with a hamstring issue and Liam Gordon is still missing with concussion, while Shane Blaney and Paul McGinn remain sidelined with long-term injuries.

That means Dan Casey is Wimmer's only recognised centre-half, with full-backs Stephen O'Donnell and Johnny Koutroumbis expected to join the Irishman in the back three.

"I don't want to speak about how long [Balmer is out for], but hopefully we will see him again this season," Wimmer said prior to Saturday's match at Fir Park.

"It's not good for us because we don't have so many centre-backs. Liam is out, Kofi is out, but Johnny did well in the last game against Hearts, so I'm very happy that Johnny is the solution."

The Fir Park side are boosted by the return of left-sided defender Steve Seddon, who is available to play after a lengthy spell out.

Injuries have severely hampered Motherwell this season, and Wimmer says that is one of the reasons why he has had to "compromise" his playing style since being appointed two months ago.

The German demands "proactive football" with a high-octane approach, which was evident in wins against Dundee and Rangers in the manager's first three games.

But Wimmer's side are now without a win in four matches and go into Saturday's fixture just five points above the relegation play-off spot in a congested bottom six.

"It's very challenging [to find a balance between results and implementing style]," the Fir Park boss added. "As I said before, I'm not the important one. Important is always the club, important are the fans, the players, and this must fit.

"You have to collect points because you need points to stay in the league. Also, I want to implement my style a little bit because I'm here to implement a new style. If not, then I can stay at home.

"So you have to find the right balance and this is not so easy. But as a manager, you can't complain. I'm very happy to work with the guys, they make it easy for me because they have a great work ethic, great attitudes and brilliant togetherness."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland at Fir Park

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Manager Michael Wimmer has been speaking to the media before Motherwell face St Johnstone in their first post-split Premiership match on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• With Kofi Balmer out with a hamstring injury and Liam Gordon still missing with concussion, Dan Casey is Wimmer's only recognised centre-back option, but left-back Steve Seddon is ready to be involved.

• The German is braced for "very tough" and "very tight" post-split games, with "no team safe" from relegation.

• Despite St Johnstone being bottom of the table, Wimmer expects a challenging game given the Perth side have beaten Well twice this season.

• The manager says his team "have to fight for each duel and each ball" as they "also need the points".

• Wimmer says he's had to "compromise" his playing style but hopes he doesn't have to do that next season after a summer of his own recruitment.

• He feels it is "extremely challenging" to find the balance between getting immediate results and implementing a new style, but the players "make it easy" for him.

• Wimmer says the bottom-six games will "show him everything" about his squad: "For me it's perfect to see their character. If we have the right character, we will achieve our aims as soon as possible. If not... it could be a tough situation."

• He adds: "I'm not here to motivate the players now we're in the bottom six. The motivation has to come from the guys."

• On Aston Oxborough, who has been shortlisted for the club's player of the year but is yet to feature under Wimmer, the manager said the goalkeeper is "ready" to play despite not being selected.

• "It's a perfect situation to have three brilliant keepers," he says. "[Oxborough] shows me in each training session that he's ready. He's a perfect guy and brilliant player."

What would you like to ask about Motherwell?

BBC Sport Scotland's Nick McPheat is in the hotseat ready to answer your questions and offer his insight and opinion on your club.

Answers will be provided on this page later in the week.

Put your questions to Nick here.