Michael Wimmer admits first Motherwell task is finding fan 'connection' after horror end to Kettlewell era

New Motherwell boss Michael Wimmer says his first job at Fir Park is to patch up relations with the fans who turned on Stuart Kettlewell.

The German gaffer has been brought into replace Kettlewell, who stunned club chiefs last month with his decision to quit. The former Ross County coach opted to walk away after a two-year stint in charge when the abuse he was taking from a small but furious section of the Well support became too much for his family to stand. Wimmer wasn’t keen to delve too far into the reasons behind his predecessor’s departure as he was officially unveiled as Well’s new manager on Tuesday morning.

But the former Stuttgart and Austria Vienna boss knows he’ll stand a far better chance of surviving in his new gig if he can get the punters on side quick. The 44-year-old said: “I'm not in a position to talk about this. This is the past, and it's not my topic.

“No, I'm looking forward, and I like to have good connections to the fans. I think if I work 24/7 for the club and give everything for the club, then yes, I think it could work.”

“I can't say [too much about relations with the fans] just because I don't know what it was like before I came to the club. But I can say that I think it's very important that the relationship between the team, the club and the fans has to be tight.”

Wimmer took his first training session on Tuesday after having his UK work permit approved. And he’s confident he’ll be able to get a team that have slid down to eighth after a run of five Premiership games without a win back looking up soon.

“Yes, I'm convinced that I can implement my style because I saw the players yesterday only in a meeting, and today in a meeting, in the training session, and I think the players are