Stuart Kettlewell reveals blunt Motherwell dressing room message to as he looks to 'stop the bleeding'

Stuart Kettlewell might only have been in office for two days and even then on an interim basis.

But he’s already laid it on the line to Motherwell’s stumbling stars that anybody who isn’t on board with his Fir Park rescue mission will banished from his plans. There’s no time for soft introductions or honeymoon periods when a run of 11 league games without a win sees the Steelmen sitting level bottom of the Premiership table.

Kettlewell held his first team meeting on Monday and looked every player in the eye asking them to raise an arm if they’re not up for the fight. Not so much as a twitch was enough to tell the caretaker boss he can hands down trust the players at his disposal to at least give their all. That’s the easy part. Turning that into precious points to climb away from the drop zone is what’s proved problematic and eventually cost Steven Hammell his job after Saturday’s Scottish Cup exit to Championship Raith.

Kettlewell has been handed the reigns after agreeing to step up from his job in the Well academy. He has rubbished talk of needing the supporters to get behind the players - instead turning that cliche on its head and insisting the players need to produce to get the supporters onside.

And it all starts this evening against St Mirren in a game Kettlewell admits will be judgement day for his players. The 38-year-old hopes a new voice in the dressing room can be a turning point.

He said: “It can be but you can also have false dawns and what I didn’t want was the players coming in and pretending everything’s all right now, high-fiving each other and saying this is where everything’s going to change because talk is cheap. I want my sessions to be bright and players to be receptive but they need to show that