HAD you taken a peek at the Aberdeen fan reaction underneath the club’s announcement that they had appointed Alan Burrows as their new chief executive, you might have thought Dave Cormack had just persuaded Lionel Messi to swap the City of Light for the granite version.

Almost universally, the move by chairman Cormack was praised to the heavens, telling you everything you need to know about the job Burrows did at his beloved Motherwell over the previous 15 years or so, the last nine of which as Fir Park CEO.

The delight of the Aberdeen faithful is as understandable as the grave concern the news has sparked among Motherwell supporters, who now see their club as rudderless both on and off the pitch.

READ MORE: Aberdeen appoint Motherwell chief Alan Burrows as new CEO

Ever since Burrows announced his intention to step down from his role with the Steelmen just under a month ago, there has been a feeling of unease among many Motherwell fans. That was only exacerbated by the annual accounts showing a loss of £1m in the year ending May 2022 just a few days later, though cash assets in the bank remained strong at around £4m.

Still, the timing of Burrows’ departure could hardly be worse, with Steven Hammell’s floundering team only being kept off the bottom of the Premiership table by Dundee United’s inferior goal difference.

Upon the announcement of his intention to step down, Motherwell had moved to ease worries among fans by assuring them that Burrows would remain in post until a replacement was found, saying: “The Board is reviewing our recruitment options as we consider the sort of person we need to take the club through a new chapter. Alan will continue in post until that replacement is ready to be appointed.”

That statement seems at odds with the gratitude expressed by Pittodrie chairman Cormack as Aberdeen – not Motherwell – announced that Burrows would start his new post on February 27th.

“I’d particularly like to thank Motherwell chairman, Jim McMahon, for his co-operation in ensuring we have been able to agree a smooth transition,” Cormack said.

Which logically must mean that the club has not only identified a successor for Burrows, but that said person is ready to start their new gig by the end of the month. Only, we wouldn’t know. There has been no statement from Motherwell or even a public acknowledgement that their CEO has accepted another position at all.

READ MORE: Motherwell fans display banner voicing anger outside Fir Park

It seems a curious way for a fan-owned club act, keeping supporters in the dark at a moment when there are serious concerns among them about the direction their club is taking - or its lack of direction, as the case may be – and it will be interesting to see how they move to reassure those fans in the coming days.

As it is, when you factor in the marked decline on the park over the past year or so, the loss of such a passionate and talented CEO who had been considered ‘in with the bricks’ as a lifelong fan himself, and the lack of clarity from the boardroom, then it is easy to see why so many feel something is amiss behind the scenes at Fir Park.

If there is no replacement ready to immediately step into Burrows’ shoes, then it also raises questions about the period between his time at Motherwell ending and his start date with Aberdeen. Surely, he cannot now be contributing to decisions that may need to be made imminently on the managerial situation at Fir Park, while being responsible for the next appointment at Pittodrie?

From an Aberdeen perspective, there is justified excitement among their fans at what they see as a recruitment coup. Cormack’s appointments in the dugout may not have been successful so far, but this one seems a safe bet to reap dividends off the field at least.

During his time at Fir Park, Burrows oversaw the transition to fan ownership, registered Motherwell’s highest ever season ticket sales and generally moved the club forward in any area you care to mention. The most common phrase you will hear about him, particularly when it comes to fan engagement, is that ‘he gets it’.

He is highly respected within the game, and perhaps most importantly, he will allow Cormack to take a step back and leave the day-to-day running of the club to someone who has been dug in like a tick in Scottish football for a decade and a half.

There have been mistakes too, of course, and not every managerial appointment has worked out. Sadly, his last appears to be heading that way too. But his successes far outweigh any missteps, and he will hope his move north goes rather better than it did for those who have trodden that path before, such as Craig Brown and Mark McGhee.

And not to worry supporters of St Mirren at all, but with the Pittodrie dugout still vacant following the departure of Jim Goodwin, I can think of one manager who fared particularly well under Burrows at Fir Park who may now just come onto Cormack’s radar.

Come to think of it, their new Chief Operating Officer – a Motherwell legend, no less - seems to be doing a decent job at the Saints too, with a vacancy at Fir Park now needing filled…

Well, it isn’t sport to have the Motherwell supporters suffering alone. For now, they are left to ponder just what lies ahead for their club, and their worries have to be addressed by chairman McMahon post-haste.