Stephen O’Donnell hoping Michael Wimmer brings life to Motherwell

Stephen O’Donnell expects the arrival of new manager Michael Wimmer to bring “a spring of life” to Motherwell as they bid to snap out of their recent malaise.

The Steelmen have slipped from fourth in the William Hill Premiership to eighth amid a dire run of five consecutive defeats and just one win in their last 11 matches in all competitions.

O’Donnell believes the appointment of Wimmer, named as Stuart Kettlewell’s successor on Monday, represents “a clean slate” and the former Scotland international hopes the challenge of impressing the 44-year-old German will ensure maximum motivation in the Well squad as they prepare to face Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday.

“I think there’s always that pressure and there’s always that enthusiasm around a new manager,” said 32-year-old defender O’Donnell. “You need to impress him, and I just hope over the coming weeks I’m able to do that.

“Obviously, he’s not had too much time to get to know us all well, and you get to know people the best when you see them on a Saturday, so I hope I’m involved in that first game.

“If I’m not, it’s about working hard in the background as I’ve done my full career. Hopefully, when I get a chance to play for him, I show him what I’m capable of and that I can be an asset to Motherwell Football Club.

“I have real mixed emotions when a new manager comes in. You talk about that excitement and enthusiasm, but I’m assuming each individual as well maybe has that air of uncertainty about there being a new manager and not really being sure about how they will view each player.

“Everyone reacts differently to it. The manager hasn’t been over in Scotland before with a team, so hopefully that just comes a real spring of life for the full squad and hopefully the only beneficiaries of that is Motherwell.”

Motherwell spent most of the season to date in the top six and although they are only currently in the bottom six by virtue of goal difference, they are just four points clear of the relegation play-off spot.

While European qualification remains realistic if they can rediscover their form under Wimmer, O’Donnell has told his team-mates to accept that their main focus for now is to pull away from the drop zone.

“I hope I’m wrong and we go on and win the next five games and there’s no scrap, but I think we’ve been aware for the past couple of months that we are in a scrap,” he said.

“The boys coming in (in January) should have been aware that we need to get safe first. And you can say that’s a negative attitude, but that’s for me a realistic attitude.

“We haven’t been consistent enough, nor has the rest of the league, really. We just need to make sure we bounce back from what’s been a tough run with the new manager and start his reign off with a good performance, a performance where you start to see the things he’s expecting from us, and hopefully that’s topped off with three points.”