Baraclough: Plans Rest On Survival

Photo by Jeff Holmes Motherwell boss Ian Baraclough admits hiring a new scouting boss will have been a waste of time if the Steelmen lose their fight for Premiership survival. The Fir Park outfit announced this week they had appointed former Sunderland midfielder Gary Owers as their new head of recruitment. He replaces former head scout Bobby Jenks and will be tasked with leading a network of spies based around the UK and even Europe as Well try to sniff out the best emerging talent. But Baraclough admits those plans may all fall through if the club ends up dropping down to the Championship. Motherwell currently sit just a point above basement boys St Mirren and three behind 10th-placed Ross County with just 10 games left to scrap their way to safety. Baraclough said: "We've been doing a lot of work over the last 10 or 12 weeks and it's been a really busy period for the football club. "The recruitment side was something we knew was really important so that we can spread our net a little bit wider. I looked at it and decided we could improve on what we had. It's all about moving forward. "We want to make sure that within the finances we have available, we do it properly and hopefully we will reap the rewards of that for years to come. "However, the immediate future is the most important thing. Being in the Premiership is the be-all and end-all for us. "If we can stay up it would allow us to go on and do the next phase of that new recruitment work." The next battle Baraclough's men must overcome is a daunting one, however. They travel to Pittodrie to take on Derek McInnes' high-flying Aberdeen on Friday night. Well have been beaten three times by the Dons this season already without scoring a single goal. But having toppled Inverness two weeks ago before managing a decent draw with Kilmarnock last Saturday, the Fir Park boss believes his men will fancy their chances of doing much better against the Reds. "We will approach this game the same way we have the last couple," said Baraclough. "We will go to Pittodrie with the belief we can get a result and keep our run going. "It might only be two games - a win and a draw - but it does wonders for the confidence. "Aberdeen are doing really well. Derek has spent two years building and he will have seen this year as a breakthrough season with them challenging at the top. "He will still have a belief that they can challenge for the title right to the death. For us, we have got to go there with no fear. We've shown we can beat a top three team with the win over Inverness a couple of weeks back and we will travel up there believing we can do it again."