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Craigan trusting Well leadership
Craigan trusting Well leadership
Motherwell defender Stephen Craigan (left) and manager Mark McGhee
Craigan said McGhee would help the players cope
Motherwell defender Stephen Craigan says the players are looking to manager Mark McGhee to help them cope with the death of club captain Phil O'Donnell.

O'Donnell, 35, died on Saturday after collapsing during the SPL match with Dundee United at Fir Park.

Craigan told BBC Scotland that the squad would look to McGhee for guidance during the coming weeks.

"We're looking for some inspiration, direction and we trust him to know what's best," he said.

Motherwell's match against Hibernian on 2 January has been postponed, as has next Sunday's fixture against Celtic.

Craigan said he was unsure how long it would take the Fir Park club to recover from O'Donnell's death.

Mark McGhee is the figurehead of the club and we will follow what he does
Motherwell defender
Stephen Craigan

"We don't know if it will take a week, a month, we've never been in this situation before," said Craigan.

"It's a very testing time for Mark McGhee. He's the figurehead of the club and we will follow what he does and I think we have a very good leader in the camp."

Craigan said the Motherwell squad went to Fir Park on Sunday to pay their respects.

"We went in and we sat and had a chat," he said.

"It was a strange feeling and a strange atmosphere. We don't know what we are going to do.

"I believe the next two games have been called off, which mean absolutely nothing to us just now.

Phil O'Donnell in action against Dundee United
O'Donnell collapsed during the 5-3 win over Dundee United

"If someone would've said we had to play we probably just wouldn't have turned up."

McGhee said the players were deeply upset about O'Donnell's death.

"The match on Wednesday against Hibs has been postponed and we have agreed with Celtic that the game on Sunday will also be postponed," the Motherwell boss added.

"It has been well-documented how few players we have used this season and that is something that brings them together, there is a unity about them.

"And Phil was a figurehead to them, he was not just any player, he was the focal point of the squad, he was the senior member of the squad.

"For any of us to contemplate going on a training ground, never mind a football ground at this moment in time is impossible."

Category: SPL News | Views: 1449 | Added by: itwp | Rating: 0.0/0
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Your article segsugts a co-dependency amongst the Old Firm' (a moniker I, personally, loathe). There is no Old Firm'. Since Murray uttered his for every fiver Celtic spend, we'll spend ten' Scottish football has watched Rangers club buy league titles with money it doesn't have. IT IS THAT SIMPLE.Whilst the mainstream Scottish media, or the Laptop Loyal' as we Celtic fans call them, have lapped up the tales of joy from Ibrox, blind to the finacial tsunami about to crash on the shore, the rest of us have been well aware of the dodgy dealings at Ibrox.We know all about these whispers' of discontent.Lads, these are the facts:1. Rangers borrowed too much, for too long, and Whyte's inheritence was, simply, a shinking ship. By his own admission, Rangers are losing, every season, ten million quid more than they bring in. That's why he pawned the next 4 years season ticket sales to Ticketuis for what, a pittance?2. Rangers have voluntarily undertook administration based on the above only.3. The fact that their spurious employee tax benefit' scheme will, most probably, hit them with a tax bill of +/-a350 million is immaterial. They were going down anyway, thanks to year after year of financial mismanagement.4. If Her Majesty does win the tax case, and Rangers suffer another financial blow, this is again immaterial. They're screwed already. The fact they've cheated heir way to every trophy won in these years is, again, immaterial. The've worked at years to screw the system, and they should be scornedfor it.They have benefitted from year after year of financial skulduggery, cheating, and winning trophiues on the never-never'.Rangers, to put it simply, have been found out'.If the tax-case goes against them, and Rangers are actually liquidated, then Newco' Rangers will be ressurected by the SFA and most probably invited back to the SPL immediately, on the grounds that the SPL need them'.The fact is Scottish football does NOTneed them. They are a cancer, and perhaps now the Scottish media will admit it.Or, as most likely, perhaps they won't.I'm sure I won't miss them at all.

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