Motherwell boss verdict on Norwich City loanee in frantic transfer dash + most challenging days in management
The Motherwell boss made the move for the Norwich City loanee after a keeper nightmare.
Stuart Kettlewell has admitted to some of the most challenging days during his time in management, as Archie Mair proved a fix for his goalkeeping crisis.
The former Aberdeen prospect has arrived on loan from Norwich City for the rest of the season. Number one Aston Oxborough has dislocated his thumb and deputy Krisztián Hegyi has been recalled by West Ham United after no Premiership matches on loan from the Premier League side.
Mair was thrown in for a quickfire debut as Hibs beat the Steelmen 3-1 on Saturday, amid a relentless run of games for Motherwell. Kettlewell says there wasn’t much the Norwich City talent could have done to prevent the goals on his Motherwell bow after a frantic transfer dash and opened up on the circumstances that prompted the move.
He said: “I'm not lying. The last couple of days have been as challenging as any in several years of management for me. You've got two good goalkeepers, one in Aston who had played unbelievably well against Kilmarnock in midweek. And then you find yourself at a stage Friday afternoon where you don't have a goalkeeper to play the game. It's not really a scenario that I envisaged.
"Fortunately, we managed to bring in Archie. I don't think he was overly tested in the game. Archie Mair has come to Easter Road and not had a save to make but conceded three goals. I expect when you come here you’ll need your goalkeeper at some stage in the game,
“That's my biggest frustration, game management. The kind of mental fatigue that possibly starts to set in as much as physical fatigue. You can see the energy levels are low. I made six changes to try and keep a freshness to our group. But we've had six games in the last 17 days.
“It's been a real toll on us. If you're playing every 2.8 days, as some of our guys told me yesterday, then it's going to have that bearing. We need to give the players a day off. We need to get them away from the place and get them off their feet."