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Chairman Kyrk Macmillan sits down to discuss the process of recruiting new manager Michael Wimmer, initiatives that are ongoing behind the scenes at Board level and what the future could look like at Motherwell.

Stephen O’Donnell believes the expectations from new manager Michael Wimmer are reasonable and he is looking forward to trying to impress his new boss. 

O’Donnell reiterates that they have only spent a short time together thus far however thinks an upturn in form can really put a different perspective on their league campaign.

Michael Wimmer faced the media for the first time as Motherwell boss, as the 44-year-old laid out his plans and ambitions for this team. 

Wimmer talks about how he sees the game and what he wants to achieve for the rest of the season.

Michael Wimmer will take charge of his first Motherwell game on Saturday 22 February. 

Kick off is 3pm at Tannadice.

How to follow the game

Tickets are available on here.

Any wheelchair Users requiring tickets please contact the Ticket Office directly on tickets@dundeeunitedfc.co.uk  or 01382 833 166.

If you are outside the UK, you can watch the game via Motherwell TV.

Should you be in the UK, it will be live commentary only.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our away kit for this match.

Squad Update

There are currently no new injury concerns ahead of this match.

Tony Watt is ineligible to play against his parent team.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

It’s a new era for Motherwell with Michael Wimmer becoming the new manager of the club earlier this week.

There have been three meetings between these two sides this season, with Motherwell edging all three games by a one-goal margin. Two 2-1 wins, including one at Tannadice, and a frantic 4-3 win at Fir Park in December have shown this could be another tight game.

Six points separate the sides, with Dundee United sitting fourth in the table and the Steelmen eighth.

Opposition Report

Dundee United have faced a tricky run of games and currently have one win in their last seven matches. In that run they have played Celtic twice and Rangers once.

Sam Dalby has been an excellent addition to Jim Goodwin’s side. United were further boosted in January when they managed to hold onto their 11-goal man.

Michael Wimmer speaks for the first time as Motherwell manager.

• Desire to develop youth players
• Laying the groundwork
• Passion from supporters

Stevie Frail has departed the club. 

The club can confirm that Assistant Manager Stevie Frail, following the arrival of the new management team, has left Motherwell FC.

“I have loved my time here,” Stevie Frail added.

“It’s been a brilliant two years. I wasn’t looking to get back into coaching until I got the call, but I’m so glad I came in.

“It’s been an honour and a privilege to work with brilliant people at this club. It’s sad it came to the end it has, as I would have liked to have signed off with a win. It was on me to get a result for these players but it wasn’t to be.

“I also want to thank and say goodbye to the fans, we have had some brilliant moments together that will live with me forever.

“Finally, I wish Michael and his staff every success in the future, and I hope they can enhance and take forward the good work that has been done here in the last two years. I’m leaving behind good people who I now consider my friends, everyone is pulling the same direction and I hope everything works out well for the players and staff.”

Michael Wimmer is officially the new manager of Motherwell Football Club. 

The 44-year-old German will begin working when his work permit has been issued.

Wimmer brings with him Ahmet Koc as his assistant manager. The pair have worked closely since 2013 at Nuremberg and Austria Vienna.

“This is a really exciting appointment for the club,” Chairman Kyrk Macmillan said.

“There was a robust and strenuous recruitment process that has been ongoing for the last three weeks that has demanded a lot from those involved and I would like to thank them for their hard work.

“Having received hundreds of applications from managers across the world, Michael was the standout candidate.

“We conducted strenuous due diligence to ensure this appointment would push the club in the correct direction.

“We used a series of measurable values that indicate how effectively potential managerial candidates benchmarked in achieving specific objectives; which we believe went to the core ethos of Motherwell Football Club.

“This, combined with speaking with a number of references and our interviews, made it very clear that not only are Michael and Ahmet driven to deliver success on the pitch, but are also individuals that share our ethos of ambition, innovation and transparency.

“We are delighted as a football club to welcome Michael and Ahmet onboard and look forward to working together.”

Wimmer began his coaching career in the academy setup at Nuremberg in 2010. He progressed through the youth ranks at the club, which included being assistant manager for the Nuremberg II side, before moving to Bundesliga side Augsburg as assistant manager in 2018.

Having helped Augsburg remain in the top flight for another season, he moved to fellow German side Stuttgart in 2019. Spending just over two years as the number two, Wimmer took the reins on an interim basis in October 2022.

Managing seven games in his caretaker spell, his first taste of first-team management would be a successful one, winning four of his seven games in charge.

During this stint as boss, he caught the eye of clubs across Europe, and in January 2023, he moved to Austria Vienna in his first permanent managerial role in senior football.

In his 16 months in charge of the Austrian outfit, he managed 57 matches, with Ahmet Koc by his side. In his first six months in charge, Wimmer guided his team to a top-six finish, ending up fifth in the standings.

They would miss out on a top-six finish by goal difference in the 23/24 season, but he would be commended for his continued improvement of young players within the side.

Departing Austria Vienna in May 2024, Wimmer has since been linked with moves to clubs in the Bundesliga and English Championship, but this move to North Lanarkshire will mark his return to the fold.

Ahmet Koc’s journey began primarily in Germany, where he developed a deep understanding of player development through his extensive experience in football academies. Notably, Koc dedicated six years of his career to the youth setup at Nuremberg, a prestigious academy in German football, where he played a pivotal role in nurturing young talent.

After his impactful stint at Nuremberg, Koc transitioned to Austria Vienna, serving as assistant manager for 57 matches, spanning a season and a half.

“The Executive Board feel like Michael Wimmer and Ahmet Koc will be excellent additions to the football club,” chief executive Brian Caldwell said.

“It has been a long road to get to this point, but we felt taking our time and ensuring the data all matches up with what we wanted was crucial.

“They have a history of nurturing young players, which stems from their work in a top academy setup in Germany. They have known each other for 13 years, so they are really connected and have a strong working relationship.

“Coming from Germany, they are well acquainted with fan culture and fan ownership. We also feel this is a major positive, as it’s a significant factor around this football club. We’re proud to be fan-owned and community-driven; Michael and Ahmet will have a complete understanding of this.”

“I’m ecstatic to be joining this football club,” manager Michael Wimmer added.

“This is a hugely exciting club whose core values align with mine. Speaking to the board was insightful, and it was interesting to hear their vision.

“It’s not a club standing still, and I feel Ahmet and I can really help the football club move forward. We’re at a crucial segment of the season, with opportunities all around us.

“There will be no settling-in period. We will commit 100% of our efforts to producing an exciting football team that can achieve targets.

“I can’t wait to meet the supporters. The passion and enthusiasm are admirable, and it will be a huge contributing factor in our success going forward.”

The women of steel coasted to their fifth successive victory, defeating Aberdeen by four-goals to two, securing an historic top-six finish in the SWPL table for the first time. 

Rachel Todd earned her place on the scoresheet, bulleting home Katie Rice’s whipped corner-kick to give the women of steel a one-goal advantage before a quickfire double had the visitors ahead shortly before the half-time break. Former Motherwell midfielder, Niamh Noble was soon given her marching orders following a late tackle on Lucy Ronald, allowing the women of steel to threaten the visiting goal.

Bailley Collins levelled the game from the resulting free-kick, with Eilidh Austin then netting her first competitive goal for the club to restore Motherwell’s advantage. Louisa Boyes struck the back of the net moments from full-time to seal Motherwell’s first-ever top-six finish in the SWPL table.

Head Coach Paul Brownlie made three changes to the starting XI from the side that defeated Spartans one-week ago. Rangers loanee Eilidh Austin made her first competitive start alongside Mason Clark in the Motherwell frontline, as Laura McCartney and Amy Sharkey both settled for a place on the bench. Sophie Black also made way for defender Shannon Leishman who returned to the starting XI.

Knowing a victory would seal a long-awaited top-six finish, Motherwell started firmly on the front foot, with a real statement of attacking intent. Katie Rice’s whipped corner-kick sailed invitingly into the Aberdeen six-yard-box, and Todd was on-hand to power home from close-range.

Toni Leigh pulled the Dons level in similar circumstances, placing her headed effort beyond the reach of Emily Mutch before repeating her equaliser soon after to give the visitors an unforeseen advantage at the half-time break.

A cagey opening to the second-half was soon overcome, as former Motherwell midfielder Niamh Noble was sent off following a rash challenge on Lucy Ronald, a challenge which left the 22-year-old requiring treatment on the K-Park turf. Rice’s floated delivery from the resulting free-kick fell kindly into the path of Collins, who rifled home into the top-right corner.

January addition, Eilidh Austin etched her name onto the scoresheet late into the second-half, drilling home from within the Dons 18-yard-box to restore the women of steel’s advantage. Louisa Boyes rounded off a closely-fought afternoon in East Kilbride, skilfully working her way through several Aberdeen jerseys before dispatching a cool finish low into the bottom-left corner. Motherwell held out in the final moments of the game to record their first-ever top-six finish in the SWPL.

Motherwell will now face a fortnight-long break before visiting title-chasers Glasgow City in the final pre-split fixture of the 2024/24 campaign.

Motherwell were defeated by three goals to nil in a performance to forget for the Steelmen at Fir Park.

County’s top-scorer Ronan Hale found the target across both halves, with Connor Randall etching his name onto the scoresheet late on to ensure all three points return to the Highlands.

Interim boss Stephen Frail made four changes from the side which faced league leaders Celtic a fortnight ago. Northern Irish centre-half Kofi Balmer replaced Shane Blaney at the heart of the defence, with Lennon Miller and Callum Slattery partnering in midfield. Experienced striker Tony Watt was recalled to partner Luke Armstrong up front.

After defending their penalty area for much of the opening phases of play, ‘Well came within inches of opening the scoring after only five minutes.

Liam Gordon’s long ball found Tony Watt lurking at the edge of the penalty area, before expertly cutting inside Jon Tomkinson. The strikers left-footed drive darted across the face of goal until the ball rebounded from inside of the keeper’s left hand post.

With play largely confined to the middle of the park, neither side truly established themselves in the game until the 32nd-minute, when County found the breakthrough.

Amongst a pack of players at the edge of the box, the ball ricocheted through into the path of Hale, who lashed the ball past Balcombe.

Motherwell looked to respond with Armstrong coming close soon after. Armstrong wriggled himself free of his marker in the six yard box before looking to apply the finishing touches, but the forward could only scoop his effort over the County crossbar.

The prospect of an equaliser was given a severe blow shortly into the second-half when the Staggies doubled their lead.

Another swift counter-attack found Hale getting in-behind Gordon before calmly sliding the ball past the outstretched Balcombe to claim his second goal of the game.

That forced a double substitution for the Steelmen with Ewan Wilson and Luke Plange looking to make an impact with the final half-hour to play.

And within a couple of minutes, Plange was denied his first Motherwell goal after an exceptional one-handed stop from Amissah pushed Plange’s headed effort around the near post.

Watt came close to reducing the deficit moments later, as Sparrow’s deep dross from the right found Watt racing towards goal, and his controlled volley looked certain to hit the back of the net until the County stopper somehow re-adjusted his body position to parry wide of the target.

With time coming to a close, Slattery curled a hopeful 25-yard free kick around the defensive wall, only to see it ripple through the roof of the net on the opposing side of the crossbar.

County sealed the game two minutes from time, as Randall steered his low drive into Balcombe’s right handed corner to complete a frustrating afternoon.