Source: FOOTYMAD
Brown Looking Ahead
With his own immediate future assured, Craig Brown wants to get new deals in place for a number of players. Now that he has his feet under the Fir Park table, Motherwell manager Craig Brown has started contract negotiations with several players on new deals. Somehow or other, the club appear to have allowed the vast majority of the team that started Saturday's goalless draw against Hamilton to be out of contract at the same time at the end of the season. The unfortunate list includes established players such as Stephen Craigan and Keith Lasley as well as the likes of Giles Coke and Tom Hateley, who have impressed in their first seasons at Fir Park. One of Brown's main priorities will be securing the future of winger Jim O'Brien, who has already been approached by Aberdeen and Hearts. Brown said: "Today we're talking to three players and their representatives so hopefully we can get some finalisation on their agreements. We would like to know quite soon how many players we've got at the start of next season and what we've got to do to supplement that. The process has started. Archie (Knox) and I have identified the players we want and what we think they are worth and Leeann Dempster, the general manager, it's really her job to make the financial arrangements. We have assured the players concerned that there is no doubt we want them for the future. We would like Motherwell to be the best provincial club in Scotland they could join. To go to any of our competitors, we hope wouldn't be an attractive proposition. If they get an offer from England, well that's the big arena for football but nowhere else in Scotland outside the Old Firm I hope would be better for the players concerned than Motherwell." Motherwell's recent good run under Brown may help in the contract discussions. They are unbeaten in seven league games under Brown which sets them up nicely for a move to third place in the SPL. If they beat Hibs on Saturday, Well will move five points off third place. Hibs lost to 3-0 Rangers last Sunday and capitulated 5-1 to St Johnstone on Wednesday. Brown was at McDairmid Park and saw just how poorly Hibs performed. He said: "It will be, if I can use alliteration, a hurting Hibs that come to Fir Park so we'll have to be very wary because that was not the normal Hibernian performance. Even though they lost at Ibrox on Sunday, I thought they played well against Rangers. But they didn't turn up to play the way Hibernian do at McDiarmid. But it will be a different Hibs for sure, you're not going to tell me that any team of John Hughes will have two performances like that in a row." Editor Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)This is Scottish-Fitba.Net
