Motherwell

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Motherwell Manager Alfred Johansson tells BBC Scotland: "I think we competed really, really well for 60 minutes and after that obviously it becomes much more difficult.

"Once again and there it's about trying to protect as much as you can. Could we have done that a little bit better? Maybe in some decisive actions in our own box but I think the guys they tried everything that they had so all in all it was good for 60 minutes and then it was tough.

"Congratulations to Freiburg, they were the better team over the two legs and congratulations to my players because I think they've done really, really well.

"I don't know if it's a sore night. I bring so much good stuff from this game going forward. I think it was tough at the end that's for sure.

"Alex Paulsen's performance is really, really strong and I can point many others. I think Alex Lowry was really, really strong once again today. I think Joe Hodge, the amount of sprint metres he put in for the team defensively was impressive.

"I think Jamie Knight-Lebel has been growing a lot during those two games, both defensively but also on the ball. So I could mention many others."

Motherwell's Conference League journey is over after a rampant Freiburg side overwhelmed them 4-1 in Germany in their play-off second leg.

Trailing last season's Europa League finalists 3-1 on aggregate, Alfred Johansson's men had an almighty task to qualify for the league phase, after coming through two rounds of qualifiers to reach this stage.

Read the match report here.

Have your say on the game here.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Defender Jamie Knight-Lebel thinks the Motherwell squad are "well equipped for the challenge" of trying to stage a remarkable comeback against Freiburg, but knows the scale of the task that awaits.

Alfred Johansson's side trail 3-1 on aggregate in their Conference League play-off, before tonight's return leg in Germany.

The Steelmen took the lead at Fir Park, before the German giants' quality told. Still, Knight-Lebel is ready to give it his all.

"It's a hard task, but we've been working hard and we know what our strengths are, what we can work on," he said.

"We've got a real good group that want to learn, take on the manager's information and focus on the small details.

"We're definitely in the right environment to take on these challenges. You could see last week, there were some really good moments in the game and we've obviously had a week to train, so we've got better.

"We'll be ready to give it our best shot."

The 21-year-old is on loan at Motherwell from English Championship side Bristol City, and despite three Canada caps, he says playing on the European stage is a "massive and new experience" for him.

"It is a bit of a surreal moment for me, being my first season in Europe," Knight-Lebel said.

"It's amazing. We're ready for the challenge and I'm confident that we've got the right people around me to introduce myself to this competition."

Jane Lewis
BBC Scotland in Germany

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Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Conference League play-off second leg with Freiburg in Germany, with the hosts leading 3-1.

Here are the key points:

• On the mindset going into this game given Motherwell trail by two goals, Johansson says they will try to "do our best to perform with our style of play at the top of our mind" and "to do as good as we can".

• The manager's message this week has been "we're going to try to do our thing", adding when they do that "they're at their best".

• Johansson admits he has "learned things" from the first leg and will try "to improve some bits and pieces".

• Motherwell can use Celtic's Champions League play-off defeat and a "million" similar stories as inspiration, but Johansson thinks "we're better off focusing on what we have to do".

• The players "believe we have a lot of quality and we believe that we have the capacity to do well".

• Johansson says Motherwell's weekend off could be beneficial and it was "much needed" while he is not overly worried by Freiburg's convincing win in their weekend cup match.

• Regan Charles-Cook, Stephen O'Donnell, Tom Sparrow, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Dylan Williams have travelled and are in contention, though the Swede says they all have to be "managed".

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Motherwell have issued a plea over supporter behaviour after revealing fan-related incidents have cost the club almost £80,000 this season.

The Fir Park side are to pay £63,000 to repair HJK Helsinki's LED advertising boards, which were damaged when some visiting fans climbed over them to enter the pitch in the Conference League third-round qualifier.

That incident also brought a £12,800 fine from Uefa, who had earlier imposed a £3,400 sanction for the blocking of passageways in the John Hunter Stand at Fir Park against Havnar Boltfelag.

As Motherwell prepare for their play-off second leg against Freiburg in Germany on Thursday, the club said: "We are not targeting a specific group of supporters or anyone in particular for these matters, but if you know you jumped over the barrier, or even worse, entered the field of play, you know who you are.

"And we're asking you to please restrain yourself should another celebratory moment arise. This moment created a lot of uncertainty, and the safety of the fans was compromised, as anyone could have been injured.

"Last week during our home match at Fir Park against Freiburg, despite our calls for everyone to remain in the stands, Uefa flagged supporters jumping over the wall from the John Hunter Stand.

"Even one supporter entering the field of play is regarded by Uefa as a pitch incursion, and this is subject to an ongoing disciplinary decision. A second offence results in a minimum penalty of a further €24,000.

"We fully appreciate how big these moments are, and we can all get a bit carried away. But such behaviour is taking things too far, and it's causing a financial strain on the football club, as well as the further risk of harsher punishments growing."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

Scoring against the Europa League finalists a couple of minutes into the game was wonderfully unexpected.

From the first minute Fir Park was twisting, shouting and singing. It would have been easy to take a page out of Steve Clarke's book and park the bus against Freiburg.

Thankfully, we didn't. We showed no fear and we put on a noble show. Our display brings more than just pride to the fans; it brings pride to the town and Scottish football as a whole.

We may not have won but to be defeated after a questionable red card, I can live with that when you consider the calibre of team we were playing against.

I had no hope of us winning and was blase about the result as long as it didn't become a cricket score.

There is no way we will keep a clean sheet in Thursday's second leg but it is still a trip to savour for the players and the fans.

I have never been prouder than in the past 12 months to say I am a 'Well fan. Jens Berthel Askou started it all, but it is Alfred Johansson now creating fresh memories.

Motherwell have agreed a £350,000 fee with Finnish club Ives for 20-year-old midfielder Jardell Kanga, while substantial add-ons could take the price as high as £900,000. (Daily Record, external)

Read the rest of Tuesday's Scottish gossip.

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Freiburg warmed up for Thursday's Conference League play-off second leg against Motherwell with a comprehensive German Cup victory over Dusseldorf.

Last season's Europa League finalists won 3-1 at Fir Park last week and built on that result as they put five past their cup hosts, with head coach Julian Schuster making five changes to the side that started against the Steelmen.

Lucas Holer gave Freiburg the lead on 18 minutes before two goals in four second-half minutes from Igor Matanovic and Lukas Kubler put them in total control.

Dusseldorf pulled one back through Fabian Schleusener, but Jordy Makengo and Matanovic added further gloss to the scoreline for Freiburg late on.

Motherwell did not play over the weekend, with their scheduled Premiership match against Aberdeen suspended to allow them further time to prepare for the second leg.

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Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson wants his players to take learnings from their Conference League play-off against Freiburg.

Johansson's side scored inside 90 seconds in Thursday's first leg at Fir Park before falling to a 3-1 defeat.

It leaves Motherwell with a sizeable task in Germany next week, but after aggregate wins against Torshavn and HJK, Johansson believes their European campaign has been a productive one.

"They can learn so much because when you train something, whatever it is, and then at some point you face a new level, you have to do everything a little bit better," he said.

"Whether you play the guitar or chess or football, you have to do everything just a little bit better. You need to think a little bit faster, you need to decide faster, you need to execute technically with more quality, you need to move faster.

"And when you put the body into that, you will adapt. And that intensity and that level of difficulty and all of the actions that the players have done, if you go out and you do nothing and you just don't evolve yourself, you learn nothing.

"But if you go on and you try to do what we did, then that intensity and quality and everything, it sticks in your body, in your nervous system, and it's going to stay there.

"As long as you realise that that's how it works, then you will keep it and we will profit from it in the coming months, 100 per cent."

Motherwell revealed before the game they had been fined more than €20,000 so far in their European campaign.

Uefa has now issued some of the decisions relating to those fines. Motherwell were fined €4,000 (about £3,425) over blocked passageways in their home leg against HB and €15,000 (about £12,850) following a pitch invasion after they took the lead in Helsinki.

We asked for your views after 10-man Motherwell lost 3-1 at home to Freiburg in the Conference League play-off first leg.

Here are some of your comments:

Matt: Nights like this are so rare for a club like Motherwell. And the team didn't let us down. Well done to everyone involved. To take the Europa League finalists all the way is an incredible achievement. Pretty soft penalty and ridiculous red card killed the game. But to play with 10 men for half an hour and only concede with the last kick of the ball, there's a reason they're the pride of Lanarkshire.

Alan: This was always going to be a tall order against last year's Europa League finalists. A wonderful start which must have rocked the German team. We could not have asked for more! Maybe the next game will free us up to play our expansive style in Germany and continue the development of this squad with their exciting approach to football.

Jim: Best team won but the referee was shocking, not booking a number of the Germans for holding and diving. Still thought Motherwell did okay with a much depleted squad.

Craig: Cant really grumble after the game to be honest when you look at the vast difference in team stats/value. Super proud of the team. One of Europe's best playing at Fir Park, such a great atmosphere.

James: A great effort from the team but the penalty and red card changes everything. Next game will be really hard to watch but we can't give up.

Iain: Great performance. Red card was tough to take, after a soft penalty. But we didn't roll over. We'll go to Germany with some swagger and see what happens.

Ten-man Motherwell gave last season's Europa League runners-up Freiburg a real fright at Fir Park before the Bundesliga side ultimately won by a two-goal margin in this Conference League play-off tie.

Read the match report here.

Have your say on the game here.

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Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson: "It's a mixture of disappointment and being proud.

"I think we spoke before the game that we wanted to see a team with a certain strong mentality, a certain bravery to play our game, and I think we saw that today.

"I think the start to the first half was brilliant.

"Then we have a period where we are a little bit too protective, which then ends with us actually turning it around again for the end of the first half, which I think was impressive from the players.

"I think the start to the second half is good.

"Then obviously some things happen throughout the game, which makes the result not so good for us.

"That's where the disappointment comes from, obviously.

"I think that's me talking to you now straight after the game, and I'm pretty sure that when I watch the game back, the sense of pride will take over.

"Martin Moorman is touching the striker, and he falls.

"The referee is assessing that as being a penalty, and then the VAR is stepping in, saying that they believe he should have a look at it, that it could be a red card, and that's what happened.

"That's what's possible with these players, because that goal is an incredibly high-level goal. High level, so high level.

"I think we show other moments during this game with such a high level, such a high quality, and the players, I mean, many of them haven't played a team like this in a competitive game like that before.

"And we learned so much because we understand that, okay, we can actually play really, really well against an opponent like this, and I think that was so good to see how some players, how high level they perform, and I'm super proud of that.

"And then we also learned the hard way some things, right? So if you're not spot on in the defensive set pieces like we were not today, then you get punished so hard at this level."

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Freiburg are fitting European opponents - and an inspiration - for Motherwell as the Fir Park club reach 10 years of fan ownership.

Well Society director Derek Watson regards the Conference League play-off with the German side as the "pinnacle" of Motherwell's fan-owned journey so far.

"It's such a special occasion," Watson told BBC Radio Scotland.

"When you talk about fan ownership, the German model and probably Argentina are the two you look at as the best examples of that.

"Freiburg are a 100% fan-owned club, they operate as a democratically registered member association, so they've got about 35,000 members rather than the external investors that is often the model in the UK.

"And beyond that, Germany also has the 50+1 rule that requires club members to hold the majority of voting rights against commercial investors.

"So when we're looking at that, and seeing how successful these clubs are, not just domestically but also in European competition, we have to be striving to be just as good as that.

"At the moment we have over a 70% stake in the club but looking at the way Freiburg do it, there's a lot of lessons we can learn from them."

Watson says more Scottish clubs should be looking to become fan owned.

"Not just at Motherwell, you need to look at the success of fan-owned clubs across Scotland," he said.

"Last season you had Falkirk finishing top six after back-to-back promotions, St Mirren winning the League Cup, Hearts almost winning the league.

"It's a really good time to be a fan-owned club. Other clubs across Scotland should be looking at our model and asking, can we do that?"

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Andy Halliday feels former club Motherwell made too many changes in their League Cup defeat by second-tier Stenhousemuir.

Alfred Johansson's side bid to bounce back from that shock exit when they welcome Freiburg to a sold-out Fir Park for their Conference League play-off first leg.

"It's disappointing to make that many changes," Halliday told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "Eight's too many for me.

"Five young academy players started but for four of them, it was their first game of the season.

"It's very, very difficult to try and get a blend together when there's that many players making their first appearance."

Halliday considers last season's beaten Europa League finalists Freiburg "a really top opponent".

"It's just going to be more about the occasion and enjoying it at Fir Park," Halliday said.

"Motherwell will try to test themselves against the very best and try to play a similar style to what they normally do."

Former Motherwell forward Ross McCormack, 40, has joined Giffnock North AAC. (Sun, external)

Thursday's Scottish gossip

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Manager Alfred Johansson has been speaking to the media before Motherwell host Freiburg in the first leg of their Conference League play-off on Thursday.

Here are the key lines:

• Johansson and his squad are excited for another "huge" night at "buzzing" Fir Park which is set for a sellout.

• Motherwell's players will feed off the atmosphere: "That's the energy that transmits down to us in the pitch and in the dugout. It's massive and just a pure joy to be involved in."

• On what his players have learned in this season's European campaign so far, Johansson says: "They've realised how good they are and that, yeah, I can do this. That's a very important feeling in terms of self-confidence, motivation. I think they've also seen it as a huge opportunity to become better."

• His tactical approach to this game isn't "black and white" because Motherwell can't expect to dominate the ball against such a good team, but won't "park the bus".

• The latest additions to a lengthy casualty list, Oscar Priestman and Johnny Koutroumbis - who suffered a freak hand injury by getting his thumb stuck in his shirt - will both be out for at least four weeks.

• Johansson defends his decision to make eight changes for the League Cup exit to Stenhousemuir last weekend, saying it was a bid to ease the "vicious cycle" over overuse injuries amid a hectic schedule of playing every three to four days.

• He adds: "Just some of the numbers we did is 12 games in 44 days, so that paints you the picture a little bit. And if I didn't let Martin Moormann have a rest, if I didn't let Lukas Fadinger have a rest, then maybe we were here speaking about them not being able to play the next two months. We have a lot of tracking, we have a lot of monitoring of load, we have a lot of data. And in the end, we're left with some decisions and priorities."

• The Well boss doesn't "buy at all" suggestions the team he fielded wasn't good enough or experienced enough to beat Stenny.

• Johansson expects new signing Seb Palmer-Houlden to have international clearance in time to be available on Thursday and backs him to be a "really important striker for Motherwell". He adds: "Sometimes you have to wait a little bit to get the right one. I'm super happy that we ended up with Seb on a permanent, because he is a young, exciting striker that has a lot of attributes that you're looking for in a number nine."

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Motherwell have made the "perfect addition" with the signing of striker Seb Palmer-Houlden from Gillingham for an undisclosed fee.

Palmer-Houlden, 22, has committed to Fir Park until summer 2028, with the club holding the option of a further year.

He brings previous Premiership experience, having scored nine goals in 39 appearances on loan at Dundee in the the 2024-25 campaign.

Motherwell hope to have the striker available for Thursday's Conference League play-off first leg at home to Freiburg.

"We've been looking to strengthen in the forward areas and Seb is a perfect addition," manager Alfred Johansson said.

"With experience here in Scotland, Seb has been playing and scoring at his previous clubs and offers pace, strength and versatility in the forward line."

Palmer-Houlden joined Gillingham on a three-year deal from Bristol City last summer and departs after playing 37 games, scoring five times.

"I'm so happy to be back in Scotland and, most importantly, at Motherwell," he said.

"It's no secret how well this club is doing right now. Speaking to the manager, he's made it clear what he wants me to do and that clarity is so important.

"I think every footballer would want to play in a team like this, so I feel really privileged to be given this opportunity."

Dundee are closing in on a loan deal for Swansea City striker Bobby Wales, but Motherwell, Reading, Cambridge and Stevenage are also in for the 21-year-old former Kilmarnock player. (Daily Record, external)

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Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

Crashing out of the cup to a Championship side is not new for Motherwell. Stenhousemuir have now emulated Morton and Raith Rovers from recent years in sending us packing.

But what makes the latest loss unbearable is the fact we deliberately fielded a weakened team.

We have far too many injuries just now and while I'm not against having academy players getting a chance in cup games, making eight changes when we are already playing half of our B team in Europe was a huge risk that didn't pay off.

Now full focus turns to Thursday's massive game with Freiburg. I can't see us getting past the Germans - scraping a draw at Fir Park so it is all to play for in the second leg would be the best-case scenario.

Whatever happens, I have no doubt the fans will do the boys proud and bring the atmosphere needed to inspire hope in the players.

The attendances for the past two European games rival our Hampden allocations and while it does grind my gears that some of these fans only show up for these types of games, beggars can't be choosers when it comes to our revenue increasing.

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Lukas Fadinger can't wait for the biggest game of his career on Thursday and is confident Motherwell can bounce back from domestic disappointment as they eye a major European shock against Freiburg.

After Alfred Johansson suffered his first defeat in charge when much-changed Motherwell crashed out of the Premier Sports Cup to second-tier Stenhousemuir on Sunday, his side must now rouse themselves for the Conference League play-off.

"In football, everything is possible," said Austrian midfielder Fadinger.

"You see it in one game. If you're fighting, if you give everything in the duels, there's always a chance to win those games.

"We know if we have a good day, we can compete against a lot of teams in Europe and that gives us a push. Even though it's a very tough opponent on Thursday, we think we have a chance if we stick to our principles."

Motherwell struggled to create chances at Ochilview but hope to bounce back in style after overcoming seeded teams HB Torshavn and HJK Helsinki to reach the play-offs.

"They fully deserved to win," Fadinger said. "We need to take it. It's a hard blow, but we go on Thursday again.

"Of course it's a big loss but we keep on looking forward and I think we have still had a good start so far and we keep on going.

"I'd never played in Europe before so it will be the biggest game of my career.

"You can't take it for granted. I mean, that's always the dream to play in those competitions but I wouldn't have expected it.

"It was unbelievable last Thursday. The atmosphere was the best one I've had so far since I arrived in Motherwell, and we hope we can have another big night on Thursday."

Motherwell fans, we asked for your views after Sunday's Premier Sports Cup defeat by Stenhousemuir.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Sinky: Absolute torture. I understand the need to rotate the squad ahead of a massive European game on Thursday but this game highlighted the lack of depth in our squad. Given the increasing injury list I do fear for our next two games. Well done Stenny, thoroughly deserved the win and wish them all the best in the next round.

James: As poor as I have seen since last season's semi-final against St Mirren. No cohesion, poor passing, poor pitch, players did not seem up for it, and Stenny did. Major improvement required for Thursday, and again, squad does not look strong enough.

Matt: This is the big test now. How will the squad respond from a big setback? Yes, it's a bad result. No question. However, mitigating circumstances can be cited in playing Thursday/Saturday three weeks in a row. Time for calm heads and a few new faces. Roll on Freiburg!

William: Obviously our makeshift players weren't up to the task. Fair play to Stenny, they deserved to win.