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Stephen Robinson was clear in his message to his Motherwell players before they headed for Tenerife.

The visit to the Canary Islands was an opportunity for the squad to work hard and rediscover the spirit and form that launched the team high up the Scottish Premiership, and to the Betfred Cup final, in the first half of the season.

As the team prepare to head home to Scotland, the manager says it is clear that the trip has done the trick.

“I think it’s been a really beneficial trip and it’s brought a lot of people together,” said the manager.

“It’s gone really well. We couldn’t have asked for better facilities and we’ve been well looked after.

“The new boys that have come in have settled in really well. You can start seeing the buzz we had in Dublin starting to come back again.

“Credit to the board. They backed us to come away and hopefully it benefits us in the coming months.”

Motherwell ended their trip to Tenerife with a win in a friendly match against Ostersunds FK.

The Swedish side, who will play in the last 32 of the Europa League against Arsenal in February, were defeated 1-0 thanks to Allan Campbell’s goal.

The match was played in slightly different conditions from normal. Each half lasted 35 minutes, and there were rolling subs available to both managers as well.

Motherwell took the lead towards the end of the first half.

Richard Tait’s switch of play to the left found Adam Livingstone. The wing back’s delivery was deep and, under pressure from Curtis Main, the opposition keeper spilled the ball at the feet of the onrushing Allan Campbell, who steered the ball home from close range.

There were runouts for new signings Main and Nadir Çiftçi, with most on the trip getting minutes under their belts.

Andy Rose is loving his football at the moment. 

Under the stewardship of Stephen Robinson, the Australian midfielder says he is learning new things every day – and that he cannot wait for domestic football to return in a week.

“It’s been a really enjoyable trip so far,” the 27-year-old said. “There’s been lots of hard work and obviously the weather has been great and the facilities are fantastic.

“It was cold when we left but there’s a lot we can focus on over here all together in the heat of Tenerife.

“Getting away from everything and spending all day, every day together has been great. Bonding-wise it’s been important and tactically it means we can nail down things on the training pitch, so it’s been great.”

Tactically astute, Rose has particularly enjoyed the preparation and focus that is put in to training and matches.

He said: “Coming in the the season we had so many new faces that I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t be sure how we’d get on.

“I think we raised our own expectations quite quickly – we nailed down a system and everyone bought in to it.

“There’s been a lot of things that have been new to me but it’s been really enjoyable.

“It’s something I want to get in to later in my career and maybe in my next career, so I just try to soak up as much as I can.

“One thing that sticks in my mind is when we switched shape leading up to the Aberdeen away league match.

“We went with a diamond and had only worked on it a few days that week but the manager and all of the coaching staff are so good and bedding things in for us that we went and turned in a great performance in a shape that we weren’t used to.”

With his attention firmly focused on the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, Rose is relishing a return to action but admits the team can also be proud of their efforts so far.

“Things dipped a bit towards the end of the year for various reasons,” he admitted. “We’re not going to make excuses but things certainly went against us, but it’s very important to get things back on track.

“We’ve made a great connection with the fans this season so it’s been enjoyable to play in front of them and we’ve made some long lasting memories.

“When you look back on the first half of the season as a whole, there are so many things that we can be proud of, as well as focus on things that we can get back to.”

There is plenty of hard work underway in Tenerife.

And for the injured Chris Cadden, Peter Hartley and Craig Tanner, the road to recovery is stepping up a gear in the heat of the Canary Islands.

“It’s something you don’t want to get used to, being injured,” admitted Cadden. “It’s really hard work to get back fit and you miss being on the pitch, kicking the ball about.

“Football is the best job in the world and you want to be involved and training.”

Hartley added: “You just want to be training when you see the boys training in the weather and stuff.

“It’s a bit frustrating but in a sense it’s a good time to come. I knew I had to get the Christmas games out of the way before getting the injection in my foot and now we’ve got a bit of time before our next game so I’ll be taking that time and making sure I’m ready.”

Overseeing their recovery is physio David Henderson, who revealed just how hard the group are working.

He said: “They’re really good, they work hard every day and the main thing is they’re 100% committed to their training and trying to get as fit as they can as soon as they can.”

‘Well boss Stephen Robinson is pleased with the progress he has seen and believes the boys could be fit for the first fixture of 2018.

“We felt the boys that we’ve brought have a good chance for the Hamilton game and it was best for them to come with us,” the manager said.

“It was important they travelled and it’s not a holiday for them – they’re working four times a day, they’re working hard and they’re buying in to it as well.”

Day three of Tenerife saw Motherwell players hard at work again out on the training ground.

Stephen Robinson’s side were put through their paces in an extended morning session, before hitting the gym and taking in other sports, with some players also trying their hand at beach volleyball.

Watch behind-the-scenes footage of the Steelmen being put through their paces during warm-weather training in Tenerife.

When he spoke after the defeat to Hamilton Academical at the close of 2017, Richard Tait cut a despondent figure as the year ended on a low.

After the highs of a strong start to the season and a place in the Betfred Cup final, the team’s form took a dip as the season wound down to the winter break.

After a short time away, the playing squad are now in Tenerife for an intensive mid-season training camp.

And having spent time abroad with his team-mates, and seeing the arrivals of Curtis Main and Nadir Ciftci, the defender is in a much more positive frame in mind going into the second half of the season.

“The back end to the first half of the season was poor,” conceded Tait. “It wasn’t up to standard, was it? It’s form that is going to get you into trouble.

“Coming out here and using this week to come together as a team and put some more hard work in on the training ground will hopefully hold us in good stead when we go back.

“We started off the season well and that was probably due to going to Ireland and really grafting for the time we had there.

[pullquote]We are looking to start our first match back with a win and carry on from there like we did in the first half of the season.[/pullquote]

“To use this experience here in Tenerife, it is time to go back to work. We’ve had a little break. It was nice to get away but we are here to work. We aren’t here to have a jolly up.”

Joining the squad out in the Canary Islands are new signings Curtis Main and Nadir Ciftci.

Both have integrated with the squad quickly and Tait puts that down to the attitudes of both the new boys and the ethics already in place.

“We went down to the front earlier after training to have a coffee with most of the team and you don’t usually get to do that,” he said. “It’s nice to be together.

“For the new lads, to come down and be thrown straight into this environment is great from them to get to know the boys.

“Attitude is massive for us. I think a lot of the boys pride themselves on how their attitudes are. No-one will be frightened to tell anyone if they’re attitude isn’t right.

“They will get told straight away by not just the manager, but the lads won’t have it either. I think it’s a good thing. Everyone has a standard they know they’ve got to reach.”

Stephen Robinson is well aware of what a week away can do for his team.

During the summer, the ‘Well boss took his side to Ireland to prepare for the campaign ahead, allowing a whole host of new faces to settle in the process.

The results were evident. The Steelmen stormed to the Betfred Cup final and enjoyed one of their strongest starts to a league campaign in recent years.

However, injuries hit and results tailed off towards the end of the calendar year.

Now, there is a need for recuperation, as well as a further injection of energy and drive.

Armed with two new recruits, Robinson’s side are under-going warm-weather training in Tenerife, and the manager is encouraged by what he has seen so far.

“It’s been good,” the Northern Irishman said. “In comparison to what we would have had in Motherwell, it’s been very good.

[pullquote]”I think we needed it, we did the same before the start of the season when we went to Dublin and I’m getting the same feel good factor coming back again.[/pullquote]

“The boys are training at a high intensity, working really hard again and getting back to what we’re very good at.”

It’s not all fun and games for the Fir Parkers, as Robinson himself insisted.

“I think the perception is that sometimes you come to a warm weather climate and you take it easy, well we’ve done the opposite.

[pullquote]We’re having double sessions, we’re in the gym, we’ve got super facilities and you can do a lot of coaching out here.[/pullquote]

“We gave the boys a few days off after the Hamilton game and we’re back on it again. We’re having double sessions, we’re in the gym, we’ve got super facilities and you can do a lot of coaching out here.”

There is more to it than hard work too, as the trip offers the squad some all-important time for team building.

“Obviously you get to know each other and the boys are all together all the time,” the manager said, “they eat together, they train together and they mix together.”

Two players who will benefit in particular from the close-knit working environment is Nadir Çiftçi and Curtis Main.

And for Robinson, the two new recruits have settled in well.

“We lost Louis and it was paramount that we had to bring people in.

“I felt that we had to bring a couple of people in and the reality is that we’ve brought boys in with top ability.

[pullquote]We’ve brought both of those boys in, I’m confident they’ll do well and it’s up to me to get the best out of them.[/pullquote]

“Nadir has went for over a million pounds and we know that his last couple of seasons haven’t been what his ability should be.

“But Motherwell don’t sign players if they’re worth a million pounds and at the top of their game, what I need to do is get him back to his best.

“He’s a boy who’s bought in to what we’re trying to do, he’s got undoubted talent, and we just have to make sure we get him in and back fit and ready to go again.”

“With Curtis, if he’d played 30 games for Portsmouth and scored 20 goals, we don’t get anywhere near him.

“What we’ve brought in is the potential for him to go on and do that and I firmly believe that is the case – he’s a strong boy and holds the ball up well and I firmly believe he’ll get us goals.

“We’ve brought both of those boys in, I’m confident they’ll do well and it’s up to me to get the best out of them.”

Motherwell players and staff arrived in Tenerife late in the afternoon on Tuesday, and immediately got to work during their mid-season break.

The trip to Canary Islands will give the team a chance to train in consistent conditions, and in better weather, as they gear up the second half of the Ladbrokes Premiership season.

The coaching staff put the players through their paces with some light training on Tuesday night, before a planned double session on Wednesday.

| Day one in Tenerife and the team are already being put through their paces.

A post shared by Motherwell FC (@officialmotherwellfc) on Jan 9, 2018 at 12:31pm PST

Stephen Robinson’s side, who have now been joined on the trip by new loan signing Nadir Çiftçi, will train in Tenerife until Saturday.

You can follow more from the team throughout the week across Motherwell FC’s various digital media channels.

As well as updates and interviews here on the website, you can also get more behind-the-scenes access by following us on Instagram.

Nadir Çiftçi has set himself the target of being the man to take Motherwell on another memorable cup run.

The Turkish forward has signed on loan from Celtic for the remainder of the 2017/18 campaign, boosting a squad which has already reached the Betfred Cup final this term.

Having made it to the Scottish Cup final during his successful spell with Dundee United, Çiftçi wants the same from his time at Fir Park.

“I watched the final and hopefully I can get us to another final,” he said. “Outside of that, I want to achieve what we can as a team, try to play as many games as I can and bring as much as I can to the club and the fans.

[pullquote]My first impressions have been really good. It feels like home already. It gives me a good feeling already.[/pullquote]

“I obviously know the league and the teams. I’ve played a lot of times against Motherwell as well so it will be a good place to kick on. Hopefully I can get going again.”

Çiftçi was a prolific scorer during his two years with Dundee United, before moving to Celtic in the summer of 2015.

Loan spells in Turkey, Poland and latterly in England with Plymouth Argyle proved challenging experiences for the 25-year-old but he says it has made him stronger.

“It’s been difficult. A bit hard. But a great lesson at the same time as well.

“You can look at it in a bad way but you can’t just hang about and think everything that goes against you is bad. Just take it on your chest and take it as a lesson.

“I’ve learned a lot in those two years. I went back to Turkey for half a season and played and really enjoyed it. But then I started getting a bit lost. But I learned a lot in this period by trying to stay strong, staying focused and when the opportunity comes, take it again. Hopefully it will be here.”