IAN BARACLOUGH could never be accused of lacking ambition.
In his inaugural address to the club's supporters at the weekend, the new Motherwell manager spoke of setting his sights on one day winning the Scottish Premiership. He was given the chance yesterday to revisit that revelation in case he had accidentally blurted it out in all the excitement of being announced as Stuart McCall's successor but, at his first formal press conference, he showed little inclination to backtrack. Motherwell may be struggling towards the foot of the table but they have clearly hired a manager who believes they are capable of achieving so much more.
Before this season that was routinely the case under McCall. Third, then second, then second again in the league. Annual involvement in European competition, and a Scottish Cup final place three years ago. Those were the sort of highlights that Motherwell became accustomed to enjoying until this season's slump that eventually led to McCall handing in his resignation. It will take some going to beat that but Baraclough, who won the Irish league title and two cups with Sligo Rovers, believes it is not beyond him.
"I challenged myself by going to Ireland when I only knew one or two of the players out there," he said. "I didn't know any of the clubs either, although I'd heard of Shamrock Rovers. Yet I still managed to have an impact. I know a little bit more about Scottish football than I did the League of Ireland but I believe in my ways and in how I was coached myself.
"The contacts I've made in football are vast and I just feel that I can come here and take them a step further than Stuart did. It's a tough act to follow because the staff here put a really good team together, got good results and came second. When Stuart first took the job, did he expect to be able to break into the top two? Maybe he didn't but he would've had the belief and I'm no different.
"I don't want players here settling for second best. I don't want to settle for second best. If you don't believe you can reach the top, why are you doing it in the first place? There was a group of people assembled at the Sports Personality of the Year awards the other night. If they had that mindset, they wouldn't have been on stage. It takes hard work, for sure. It takes a bit of talent. It takes nurturing that talent. Put those ingredients in the pot and you never know where it'll get you."
All in good time, of course. Baraclough's most immediate target is simply to ensure top-flight football at Fir Park for a 29th successive season. Motherwell are one of three teams who have become detached at the foot of the table, one of whom will likely be relegated while another will probably need to take its chances in the play-offs. Baraclough hopes the one who survives will be Motherwell.
"Our first priority is to stay in the league. For this not to be a Premiership football club would be detrimental to everything I want to do. So this season our minds are focused on that. We can regroup at the end of the season.
"The position we're in at the moment is a challenge. But it's well within our capabilities, it's in our hands - and I'm sure we can do it. You have to roll your sleeves up at times. The fundamentals of football don't change. If you don't work harder than the opposition then you'll probably get turned over. You want your defenders to battle, your midfielders to get up and down the park - that goes without saying.
"But it's finding the right style of play and I think we can go and play a passing type game full of energy to go and get ourselves out of the position we find ourselves in."
Baraclough worked as first-team coach under Nigel Adkins when the pair were together at Scunthorpe United and cites the Reading manager as someone he could call upon as he settles in to life in Scottish football.
"Working closely with Nigel was a real inspiration," he added. "I'm in touch with him regularly and he's always on the end of a phone. I could ask him to come up no problem and he'd help me in any way he could."
Baraclough has no plans to bring his own people to Motherwell meaning there could yet be a role for Kenny Black, McCall's assistant who had been holding the fort over the past month.
"I've said to Kenny that he's the type of character I want around. His knowledge of Scottish football is second to none."
ends
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