This time last year fans favourite Keith Lasley admits he had grown sick of the club he loves.
The Motherwell midfielder’s relationship with boss Jim Gannon was damaged beyond repair and Lasley was on the verge of quitting the club he loved.
Then Gannon left and Craig Brown was put in charge of the Steelmen.
Overnight, Lasley’s luck changed for the better.
The 31-year-old found himself back in a team that was winning again. Weeks later he signed a new long-term deal and the rest is history.
Lasley recalled: “A year ago I’d had enough. Honestly, I had become so disillusioned with what was happening at the club that I was looking for a move.
“I wasn’t in the manager’s plans and for the sake of my career I had to get out. It would have been a massive wrench to leave Motherwell but I felt I had to.
“It was really getting to me and I felt I had no choice. Luckily for me the management team left and Craig and Archie joined.
“Almost overnight everything changed for the better. Within a wee while I had even signed a new contract. It’s amazing looking back when you realise how quickly things changed for me.”
It’s almost 12 months since Well chairman John Boyle handed the reins to Brown and his No2 Archie Knox.
Seen as a gamble at the time, Lasley reckons there is no reason why the veteran management duo can’t go on for another few years at least.
He added: “I got a feeling straight away with the manager. This time last year this wasn’t a nice place to be.
“The fun had gone out of it and no one was enjoying their football. Craig and Archie changed all that and brought with them so much experience. They got us playing as a team together. It was a shock I suppose that they got the job because Craig had been out of football for a while.
“But when you look at it now it made perfect sense.
“They both have so much experience and it was exactly what we needed. They turned the whole place around. There was a lack of morale around the place and they galvanised the whole club. They got our instant respect. There’s no doubt in my mind they can go on for a few years yet. I certainly hope they do as they’ve been brilliant for me and the club.”
Lasley has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since October, now the weather is stopping him making his first-team return.
He said: “I’m beginning to wonder when it’s going to happen for me. I almost made it back for the Hibs game but I tweaked my hamstring again, as sometimes can happen, and that set me back another couple of weeks.
“Being out injured is not a great feeling at the best of times but I’m fit now and can’t get games.
“There’s nothing that can be done and what it does give me is another couple of weeks to get this sorted. I always try and look at the positives and hopefully long term it will be good for me.”
Lasley’s influence has been hugely missed in Motherwell’s midfield. He’d been playing arguably the best football of his career when injury struck against Dundee United.
“This injury was especially tough to take as I was enjoying my football and the team was playing well,” he said.
“It’s frustrating because I don’t like missing games. When you can’t play your part it does get to you but again I look at the positives. There are a lot of games coming up and I want to make sure I’m back fit and able to do my bit.”
