Hughes: Well in false position
Inverness manager John Hughes believes Motherwell will be at their most dangerous on Saturday despite their managerial vacancy and league position.
Caretaker boss Kenny Black has been given the nod to continue for the time being as the club try to finalise a new majority shareholder ahead of the anticipated final exit of John Boyle from Fir Park.
Motherwell sit 10th in the Scottish Premiership, but Black led them to a 1-0 win over Dundee United days after the resignation of Stuart McCall - the players fighting every inch for the victory - and Hughes realises they will be looking to prove a point in the Highlands.
"Motherwell are in a false position," Hughes said. "They have lost their manager, a great guy. He is a real miss to Scottish football, but he is doing a wonderful job with the national team and he had great success with Motherwell.
"You know when your time is up and you just have to go away and reflect and recharge your batteries, and it will not be too long before he is back in.
"But they are in right good hands with Kenny Black and Gordon Marshall. I played with Gordon and he is a good mate of mine, and Kenny Black is a good lad as well and knows the game.
"They beat us twice up here last season. We are unbeaten at home and we want to keep that record going.
"But we are going to face a team with a siege mentality. I look in their dressing room and see great experience and with that comes know-how and pride.
"When you have these guys who want to prove they are better than their league position suggests, that's when they are at their most dangerous. That's what we are going to be up against."
Hughes has an unchanged squad and must decide whether to start Ryan Christie after his midweek exertions with Scotland Under-21s in Switzerland.
Motherwell have a host of selection problems.
Craig Moore's first-team return from cruciate ligament damage has been delayed by illness while Bob McHugh, Stuart Carswell and Paul Lawson have been ruled out by knocks picked up in reserve games.
Steven Hammell and Jack Leitch remain on the sidelines.
Captain Keith Lasley has told his team-mates that they must focus on providing stability on the pitch amid a time of great uncertainty off it.
With two groups in the frame to assume Boyle's majority shareholding, Black is likely to be in charge beyond Saturday's clash.
It is understood that a South American consortium and a local option - which involves backing from the Well Society fan group - have both been in discussions about taking over the club, which has lost the best part of B#1million in the past three seasons.
But the players put the resignation of McCall to one side to beat then league leaders Dundee United in their most recent match and Lasley is determined to maintain the focus.
Lasley said: "As players we can't affect anything behind the scenes, a takeover and the management situation. What we can do is go out there and put on a performance like we did against Dundee United.
"We spoke about it as players, all we can control is out on that park at three o'clock on a Saturday.
"There is a little bit of uncertainty around the club but we will try to provide a bit of certainty on the park at least to try to get as many good results (as we can) until things are resolved.
"Initially the week Stuart left was a difficult week, it was an unexpected turn of events.
"We made a point of speaking as players and saying that it's football - bad people come and go for different reasons, but good people come and go as well.
"But it's what inside the dressing room that counts. All we can do is stick together and do what we can on the pitch.
"The performance against Dundee United hopefully showed that we are all behind Kenny."
Source: PA
