THE job description could scarcely be more demanding.
Wanted: manager who can lead team to regular second-place finishes on shoestring budget. Must be able to replace departing talent at a fraction of the cost. European football essential, cup runs a bonus. Must have wide range of contacts and knowledge of English lower leagues. Charisma, honesty and a willingness to deal with media and local community also a plus.
These are all the aspects that Stuart McCall brought to the Motherwell job. There will likely be no shortage of candidates, but emulating what McCall achieved will be a nigh impossible task for whoever gets the job.
Third, second, then second again in the top fight over the past three years. A Scottish Cup final appearance. Champions League qualifiers and a regular in the Europa League. A remarkable ability to rebuild the playing squad every summer with seemingly no detrimental effect to the quality of the group. And all done on a budget that seemed to shrink every year.
Only this season did the magic finally run out, with Motherwell 11th in the table and on a run of five successive defeats. The successful candidate's most pressing objective, then, will be to guide the team away from trouble. He will need to do so to a background of increasing financial concerns. The club has posted losses of around £800,000 for the past two years. Plans for fan ownership are receding after the Well Society were given until the end of this month to raise £1m.
This is not the sort of job likely to interest those used to the comfort of having money to play with. Suggestions among supporters that this is a vacancy that could draw an application from the likes of Malky Mackay or David Moyes can be dismissed as wishful thinking. Here we look at more credible candidates.
THOSE WITH PREVIOUS TIES
Derek Adams - It was little surprise that Adams was installed as the bookmakers' early favourite given he ticks so many boxes. A former midfielder who spent six years at Fir Park, Adams has experience of operating at the bottom end of the table and, perhaps most significantly, is also available having left Ross County earlier this season, thus negating the need to pay any compensation. He was coy when asked on Sunday night if he would be interested in the post but his ability to source players from unlikely locations - as he regularly did for County - would seem to make him a good fit.
Terry Butcher - Like Adams, Butcher has a previous Motherwell connection and is also out of work. Getting the Englishman in as manager a year ago would have been a major coup. The disaster he oversaw at Hibernian, however, means his reputation has since taken a bit of a dunt. Still, if that can be dismissed as a one-off, then Butcher is an enticing prospect, especially as his previous stint as manager at Fir Park is largely considered to have been a success. If he can replicate the joy he had in Inverness - and bring scout Steve Marsella along - few will grumble.
KEEPING IT IN-HOUSE
Kenny Black - McCall's assistant will take charge on an interim basis until a successor is appointed but there is little reason why Black should not be a viable candidate on a permanent basis. Having also fulfilled other coaching roles with Scotland, Leicester City, and Raith Rovers, Black has experience of taking the team whenever McCall was away on international duty. He may also be seen as the cost-effective option.
Scott Leitch The former Motherwell captain and assistant manager returned to the club for a third time last November when he was appointed academy director. He would be a popular choice with the supporters to follow McCall, although there is also a school of thought that he may be better staying with the youth department in a role as important as manager. His son, Jack, is on the playing staff.
BEEN THERE, DONE IT
Danny Lennon - Given Motherwell's predicament, Lennon may be the best man to try to get them out of it. He had four years at St Mirren until he was let go in the summer. Each was spent - successfully - trying to avoid relegation, while he added the League Cup in 2013. Lennon's tenure in Paisley unfolded to a backdrop of shrinking player budgets, proving he did not need vast sums of money to make a decent fist of things.
Gary Locke - Another who spent last season at the grubby end of the table before being rewarded for his endeavours by being released by Hearts in the summer. Locke, now Kilmarnock assistant manager, demonstrated an ability to work in the most trying of circumstances last season, with administration and a 15-point deduction. Fir Park would seem a breeze in comparison.
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