Inside Motherwell FC’s demise as Premiership perennials face identity crisis amid sweeping boardroom changes

They say third time's the charm but all Motherwell fans have been left wondering why they are enduring a dire finale to a terrible trilogy.

Graham Alexander. Positive start, hit a dip, got the sack. Steven Hammell, positive start, hit a dip, got the sack. That's a terrible first two acts with some fans fearing they're going through stage three with Stuart Kettlewell amid a 14-game winless run. The torrid spell has now brought an identity crisis that has been there all along firmly into the light.

Pressure has been piling on the Well boss for weeks but instead it is chairman Jim McMahon who will depart at the end of the season at the latest, and interim CEO Derek Weir who leaves in March with a permanent successor for Alan Burrows to be brought in during the early parts of 2024. Both have played their roles in the transition to fan ownership from John Boyle and McMahon has been in office for record sales and cup finals.

But the last few seasons have brought with them a simmering murmur for widespread change from growing sections of the fanbase, and it's now come to the boil. And the steps that follow will be among the club's most crucial as it enters its most significant off the pitch change since the Well Society came to power in 2016.

Under Alexander the style was, well, some may say effective. And they'd be right as it got Motherwell to fifth in May 2022, even if it was through the aid of the chasing pack hitting every hurdle behind them. Others might say it was a tough to watch and as soon as the results started sliding away – a run of three wins in 18 followed by a defeat to Sligo Rovers – confidence within the fanbase eroded. A club legend in Hammell stepped up and initially fans were breathing a sigh of relief.