Stephen O'Donnell has warned Scottish football is on a “slippery slope” after revealing Stuart Kettlewell was the third Motherwell boss to stand down after receiving abuse.
The Fir Park vice captain admits the manager's departure has rocked the entire dressing room and says it has made a tough season even tougher. Kettlewell’s bombshell decision on Monday came after a second consecutive defeat at St Johnstone last weekend led to abuse heading his way which reduced members of his family to tears and saw others leaving the game early.
O’Donnell says that should never be the case - and revealed previous managers Graham Alexander and Stephen Robinson had also suffered similar unacceptable levels of flak. He said: “It’s right to bring attention to it. I think it's been going on for a long time. Graham Alexander had similar abuse. And I think a wee bit of Stephen Robinson as well when I first came in. I think it's sad. In football, we don't want to be thought of as that sort of environment. We want to be an environment that welcomes. Whenever managers think they maybe shouldn't bring their family to games that's a real sad state of affairs.
“I understand frustration, I understand some abuse. But there is a line, and for Scottish football, for football as a whole, it's disappointing. We're trying to be inclusive. Without respecting our own manager and our own players, I think it becomes a slippery slope.”
Motherwell fans targeted Kettlewell after a run of one win in nine games for his injury-hit side. The style of football has also been questioned. Former Scotland international O’Donnell accepts fans have a right to boo - but says anything beyond that oversteps the mark.
He said: “The boos resonate enough. When boos come, you
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