READY or not, here they come is the cry as Motherwell prepare to welcome Welsh Premier League side Llanelli to Lanarkshire tonight.
Yes, the new Scottish football season starts here and a reminder of just how quickly it has come around again is the fact that Motherwell will face their Welsh opponents at Airdrie United's Excelsior Stadium. The recently seeded grass at their own
Fir Park ground still needs time to bed-in and so the first leg of their Europa League first qualifying round tie will be played at the home of their rivals.
It could be worse, agreed Keith Lasley yesterday. Motherwell could have been drawn against a side from Azerbaijan, for example. "It's only Airdrie, so that's not too bad," said the 29 year-old midfielder. "We can manage that, I think."
Should Motherwell progress after next week's second-leg, then the destination will become more logistically challenging than either Airdrie or Llanelli. Flamurtari of Albania await in the next qualifying round.
Lasley admits the quick return to competitive action is hazardous, particularly given the amount of change which has occurred in the few short weeks since Motherwell rounded off their last campaign with a defeat at home to Kilmarnock. Jim Gannon was appointed as manager Mark McGhee's successor earlier this week.
"There's no doubt about it, it has come a lot earlier than you would normally expect to have a competitive game," said Lasley. "In that sense it'll be a bit different. Llanelli are also used to playing in Europe at this time – they have a lot of experience of it, more than we have. But we just have to get on with it. A new manager has come in and we'll be out there trying to impress him and do ourselves justice and get through the tie."
The Fir Park side have their fair play of last season to thank for another European adventure. It might not seen like a reward to players who have been hurried back from holiday, but it provides a quick opportunity to serve the new regime with notice of their worth. Gannon has been charged with the task of putting a team out on the park tonight. It amounts to a first stiff test. As well as McGhee, Motherwell have also lost Motherwell have also lost Graeme Smith, Artur Krysiak, Brian McLean, Maros Klimpl, Stephen Hughes, Bob Malcolm, David Clarkson and Cillian Sheridan from the squad that finished last season. Paul Quinn will also be absent tonight as he seeks to secure a move to Cardiff City. It leaves Motherwell with just 11 experienced players for tonight's clash. The rest of the squad will be made up with recruits from the Under 19 squad, with youngsters Steven Saunders and Jonathan Page vying for the right-back role
These are from ideal circumstances in which to begin the competitive season, but Gannon has made the most of the few days he has enjoyed in the company of his skeleton squad. According to Lasley, he has already out-lined how he wants Motherwell to play.
"He has very clear ideas of how he wants the game to be played and the manner he wants us to play in," he said. "In the couple of days that he's been in he's passed that on to us well and it's up to us to try to take it on board as quickly as we can. Against Llanelli you'll see right away how the manager wants us to perform."
Gannon explained his football philosophy when he was unveiled on Tuesday and it was what the Motherwell fans wanted to hear. He promised them expansive football and full-backs who are encouraged to extend themselves.
Tonight might not be the time to employ such tactics, however. Llanelli, acknowledged Gannon's assistant Peter Ward, are a stuffy outfit, and liable to be difficult to break down.
"Luckily we've got a couple of contacts down there, and we've picked their brains," said Ward. "They've filled us in and we've had a lot of help. It will be a tough game. They're renowned for being resilient and not very adventurous. They're excellent at set plays and so we're going to have to be on the ball on Thursday. We've not got a lot of time to prepare but that's just part of the job. Hopefully we can get them organised and make an impact right away."
Both Gannon and Ward have already made their players well aware of the threat of Llanelli player-manager Andy Legg. The veteran is renowned for having one of the longest throws in football, and show-cased this talent during a long career with the likes of Swansea City, Cardiff City and Peterborough United. "We've come up against him before as players and if you've got somebody with a good long throw you have to use it," said Ward. "Our lads will have to be alert to it."
Legg urges Llanelli to capitalise on any rustiness in hosts' ranksLLANELLI manager Andy Legg believes they are catching Motherwell at the perfect moment as the SPL side adapt to the departures of numerous key players and a change in management.
But the Welshman insists his players have to focus on their own game or risk a "hiding".
Motherwell are going into the home leg of their Europa League first qualifying round clash with just 11 experienced players available to Jim Gannon, who was unveiled as the club's new manager on Tuesday.
But Legg does not want his team, who were runners-up in the Principality Building Society Welsh Premier League last season, to be sidetracked by Motherwell's problems.
He said: "I just feel at the end of the day they are an SPL outfit and with the quality of players they have got, and the quality of players who have left the club – David Clarkson joined Bristol City for £800,000 – we are still the underdogs. It's a great opportunity – it's the best time we can possibly play them and I hope we can take full advantage. But there has been no talk about Motherwell's squad and how many players they have got. All the focus is on how we can play. I think that's how it should be. If we turn up and perform, we'll give Motherwell a game. If we don't, we could be totally outclassed and on the end of a hiding."
Legg hopes to settle the nerves of his younger players before the first leg in Airdrie.
"I'm just trying to make sure they don't freeze on the night," the 42-year-old player-manager said. "We have a lot of young kids, and not a lot have played in big games. I don't know whether there will be 3-4,000 there but for some of my players, the most they have played in front of is 7-800."
