How Motherwell's blueprint is defying second-season syndrome

Motherwell secure a place in Europe and serve up the best football their fanbase has ever experienced - but at what cost?

They lose their transformational manager after just a year in charge and have the spine ripped out of their team.

So then arrives an unknown face in the dugout, 35-year-old Alfred Johansson, and 11 new players.

Yet nothing really changes.

Supporters of provincial sides have long been conditioned into fearing second-season syndrome after enjoying a year of fun but Motherwell continue to defy traditional Scottish football thinking.

Now supporters of the fan-owned Fir Park club are dreaming of a campaign that surpasses the highs of 2025-26.

It is difficult to comprehend how one man can influence one club over such a short period of time, but the impact of Jens Berthel Askou, now head coach of Toulouse in Ligue 1, has gone beyond Lanarkshire.

In relation to what can be achieved in Scotland on a modest budget, Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin said the Dane's work in the Scottish Premiership has given "guys like myself a bit of a wake-up call".

Goodwin's 10-man side were pulled apart by Johansson's iteration of Motherwell on Wednesday, extending their unbeaten league start after four games, but a noticeable shift in United's style has clearly been inspired by Askou.

There has been no style shift at Fir Park, though. No matter the coach, no matter the players, the club now have an identity that has been responsible for a huge spike in attendances, as well as the on-field results.

Speaking at an event for the Well Society, Motherwell's 4,000-strong fan-ownership group, vice-captain Stephen O'Donnell detailed how the club's continuity has benefited the squad.

"If the new manager was a 'heid it and kick it' manager, we'd all be in a right pickle," the defender said. "I definitely wouldn't be playing centre-back anymore."

Out of Askou's first-choice XI last term, only four have started a Premiership game this season, whether that is through players departing or injuries.

Goalkeeper Calum Ward and centre-back pairing Stephen Welsh and Paul McGinn were fundamental to the club setting a new clean-sheet milestone and achieving the second-best defensive record in their top-flight history.

Ward left for Queens Park Rangers, McGinn is recovering from long-term injury, and Welsh is now at Championship leaders Swansea with Elijah Just, who became Motherwell's top transfer sale in July, just a year after Udinese's Lennon Miller had set the previous record.

Elliot Watt, arguably the Premiership's standout midfielder last term, also exited for Samsunspor in Turkey, while Callum Slattery left for Sheffield Wednesday after his contract expired.

Motherwell are providing a blueprint for other Scottish sides following an unprecedented period of transfer income totalling more than £10m across the past year.

That seems to have opened the door for the club to shop in a better market this summer but there is also now enough evidence for players joining to know the future rewards that can come with impressing at Fir Park.

Midfielder Joe Hodge, regarded as the Watt replacement, was playing in Portugal's top flight last term and centre-back Martin Moormann was playing in the Austrian Bundesliga, while reported six-figure signing Jardell Kanga will hope to fill the void left by World Cup breakout star Just.

Even the appointment of Johansson was eye-catching given his previous, and only, job in management was a two-and-a-half-year spell at 26-time Norwegian title winners Rosenborg.

And the early indicators are hugely encouraging. The Swede is showing signs he can take last season's fringe players to a new level while finally unlocking the potential of Rangers academy graduate Alex Lowry, who will return to Ibrox on Saturday.

To the eye, not a lot. The former Copenhagen youth coach said he only wanted to tweak the cogs in a well-oiled machine when he was appointed.

Motherwell are more or less still playing with a fluid 4-4-2 formation in and out of possession, with rotations remaining an integral part of their approach.

One difference fans were quick to notice, though, was Johansson's team playing with more width and more intensity on the ball, with crosses from wide areas becoming more frequent as marauding left-back Emmanuel Longelo's influence grows after an excellent debut season in Scotland.

The sample size under the young Swedish manager is still small in comparison to Askou's, but average possession is almost identical, just below the 60% mark.

At this early stage, the data says Johansson's side are scoring, shooting and passing more, but Askou's freakish defensive numbers will take some beating.

Next up for the thriving Lanarkshire club is a short hop to Ibrox on Saturday (15:00 BST), where they have won in three of their past four visits.

That a once-dreaded trip is now relished says it all about the mood around Motherwell.

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