Season 24/25 delivered top flight safety with room to spare, a change of manager and a recommitment to fan ownership.
Tony Watt returned on loan from Dundee United to cap a busy ‘Well window. He passed the 100 game mark as the season ended. Cash was splashed for Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and a 21 year old Zimbabwean, Tawanda Maswanhise, was given an initial six month contract. There were 17 new signings.
The League Cup section was successfully negotiated and wins over Kilmarnock and Dundee United sent us to Hampden for a semi-final with Rangers. September arrived to herald the start of a fifteen game run without a win.
A mix of results ended the year with a 2-2 draw against Rangers and a share of fifth place. A thrilling 4-3 win over United was a highlight while a disappointing loss to Dundee following an international break was a low.
Lennon Miller continued to serve at a high level despite his tender years. He captained the side in the absence of Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell including at the Leaguue Cup semi-final. His expected winter departure did not happen and we enjoyed a further few months with the young talent.
The manager was awarded a new rolling contract in August 2024 and ended the year with a red card in a draw with Rangers. In the first phase of the season (33 games) Motherwell were in the top half for 24 of them.
Erik Barmack withdrew his offer of investment in Motherwell FC in July when it became clear the Well Society ballot would kill the deal. New blood was in command at both club and Society boards and the old guard including Jim McMahon resigned.
The Society had delivered a robust campaign to counter the threat to fan control. Motherwell has been owned by its supporters since 2016 and the proposed investment from the former Netflix executive would have reduced the Society’s shareholding and its influence in the boardroom. By the season end the Society was able to celebrate holding more than £1M in its contingency fund.
Following two horrible losses at McDiarmid Park in consecutive Saturdays the manager chose to resign. He cited unacceptable abuse that had affected his family much to the bewilderment of the fans.
The search for his replacement took a couple of weeks but in mid-February Michael Wimmer was revealed as the new boss. He soon endeared himself to the support by delivering a win at Ibrox. The team fell just short and ended the campaign in the bottom half of the table. He often talked of forming a picture of his players as his thoughts turned to the summer rebuild.
The season ended in the Highland sunshine with a 1-1 draw and we finished the season in eighth place with an impressive 49 points.
Bring on 25/26.