Motherwell boss Stevie Hammell: I got this job on merit, not as an ex-player

Motherwell boss Stevie Hammell says he sold himself to the club and doesn't want to have been given the job just because he's an ex-player and coach.

Hammell, 40, spent 17 years as a player over two spells, from 1999 to 2006 and 2008 to 2018, and was academy director before stepping up to the role as caretaker, after Graham Alexander and Chris Lucketti parted company with the club in the wake of their Europa Conference League exit to Sligo Rovers.

The former defender was yesterday handed a two-year deal as boss, having fended off competition from candidates including Simo Valakari and Paul Lambert.

But Hammell says he got the job on his own merits.

He said: "It feels really good, it feels excellent. I'm really honoured and privileged that the club feel that I'm the best person to take it forward, and I'm ready to go.

"I knew there was a high volume of candidates that applied for the job, and the process they went through was very rigorous and thorough, which I wanted it to be.

"I don't want to just be given this job because I'm an ex-player and have a role at the club.

"Without going into what we spoke about in the meeting, I sold them 'me', what I think I bring to the job, what I think is behind me, and I think I have the full support of the staff here.

"They'll be there for me, I know I can trust them.

"The interview process was a tough one, but I gave them the projections of what I see as the club going forward, and then not long after the meeting the chairman called me up to the office, spoke to me, and I think he said it was a unanimous decision after the interview.

"That's great to hear, and gives me great confidence, and it was an easy decision for me to say 'yes'.

"The vision going forward, short-term, we need