news-engine

Heedy days at Motherwell as 'Netflix man' a distant memory amid millions banked and wonderful irony Motherwell are one of Scottish football’s feel-good stories at present. It was only two years ago that US-based Wild Sheep Sports put a £1.95m offer on the table that would grant them a 47% stake in Motherwell. That’s the type of money club chiefs could find behind the couches at Fir Park these days, or in unknown teams across Europe, as Thursday’s 2-0 Conference League third round qualifier second leg win over HJK Helsinki at home became the current peak of what has been a remarkable 25 months since talk of investment subsided. Fronted by former Netflix vice-president Erik Barmack, ‘significant divisions’ caused by his proposals have proven the catalyst for Motherwell to install themselves as arguably Scotland’s best-run club. With majority fan-led shareholders The Well Society rejuvenated behind them, there’s a wonderful irony in Motherwell landing supporter-owned Freiburg in the Conference League play-offs, two years on from outside investment potential that was widely panned. Both the club and Well Society boards have had revamps since with attendances soaring at Fir Park thanks in part to matchday experience work like Mrs Baillie’s Bar, while CEO Brian Caldwell and head of football Nick Daw have helped orchestrate millions in player sales through a data-led approach. A training facility at Dalziel Park will only further the club’s long-term prospects. What players have Motherwell sold for profit? Academy graduate Lennon Miller and Elijah Just have both been sold for record-fees and substantial deals have also been banked for Calum Ward and Elliot Watt this summer. A run to the play-offs in Europe will clinch more cash for the club, and with stars like Ibrahim Said, Tawanda Maswanhise and Lukas Fadinger all shining over the last 12 months, Motherwell still have a core of profit-making assets on their books. Perhaps most impressively, they have replaced revolutionary manager Jens Berthel Askou almost like-for-like with Alfred Johansson, the ex-Rosenborg gaffer maintaining the possession orientated brand of play Chris Sutton labelled ‘the best football team I've seen this season north or south of the border’ during February this year. Former midfielder Andy Halliday’s mention of ‘Netflix man’ when assessing the HJK win on Thursday was probably the first time Barmack had sprung to mind for ‘Well fans in some time, but as the club got stuck in lower mid-table mediocrity, his criticised investment plan lit a renewed spark under the fan movement in North Lanarkshire. Now there’s no telling where the potential of this club owned by its community may cease as they provide a template for success that will no doubt be the envy of many rivals. “The atmosphere at the club, it’s better than what I thought,” said Johansson of his time at Motherwell starting with four wins and two draws. “People are more nice than what I thought. Winning probably helps but I genuinely feel that there's a lot of good people here at the club. What we see right now, it's a consequence of a good work being done for a couple of years. That togetherness and alignment throughout the club is massive. I don't feel the same in Scandinavia. I don't feel that the people are that humble, and I feel that when we are doing well and people are coming to see us play, it's a sense of gratitude that I haven't maybe felt before. So in that way, it's definitely special, they really don't take this for granted.” Comments Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.