From Taylor Swift to football nirvana – Motherwell’s long road to Celtic demolition

Taylor Swift being asked for money. a tycoon from Netflix who wants to purchase the property. A club manager leaving because of abuse. After only 12 games, his homesick successor left to return to Germany.

You have Motherwell playing their best football since 1928 when they defeated Argentina, humbling the defending champions, a few months later.

In the past two years, life has been anything but dull for a Motherwell fan.

Jens Berthel Askou’s footballing vision took a new direction with a 2-0 victory over a clueless Celtic. The Motherwell boss remarked that they have played them to be the best they have ever done.

Since 2024’s debut, a message to the biggest superstar in the music industry has since taken a toll on the industry.

Motherwell posted a video two years ago. It wasn’t just a video, either.

A child to Miss Swift asked her to pay off the money and invest in the Fir Park club while a Scotland goalie dressed as a lollipop man was seen posing against a glass door.

As the fan-owned club attempted to lure in a significant financial fish, the video caused a fair whack of Motherwell supporters to cringe.

But that was the beginning of the club’s development to the current state, without any realizing it.

Although it wasn’t everyone’s taste, it served as a reminder that the board of Lanarkshire County did not want to just do the right thing. Be brave.

Fashion industry executive Kyrk Macmillan took over as club chair in November, bringing youth and fresh ideas to the organization along with a refreshed Well Society board, those chosen by fans to serve them.

After Stuart Kettlewell left in January 2025, citing fan abuse as a major factor in his decision, one of their first tasks was finding a new manager.

Fans were upset and irate more as a result of how everything turned out. A new manager had to be sought in the middle of it all.

With the former Austria-Viking head coach joining the scene, Michael Wimmer provided the solution, at least in the near future. Right after the season’s final game, he left immediately.

Another important decision was looming, but would the board return to the tried-and-true after failing to think outside the box?

It was a little hairy at first, under former Gothenburg boss Askou.

Motherwell faced FC Twente during a summer training camp in his first game. The new style was terrifying even at the beginning stages.

Well lost 3-0, and the opposition looked horrifyingly anxious at the back as they attempted to dominate Barca in their own box while turning the goalie into a ball-playing centre-half.

Goalkeeper Calum Ward was lobbed by Clyde’s James Hilton while about four miles outside his box in Askou’s first competitive game. It involved a heart attack.

But each game grew more and more compelling. As many fans didn’t choke on their pies as many did when Ward appeared to be standing halfway.

Five months later, Motherwell’s scintillating, complex, and almost instinctive football arguably reached its highest level against Celtic on Tuesday.

A high press that pounced on Celtic’s haplessness scored the first goal, which was an unusual deep cross and header.

However, what transpired nearby is what made it so unique. Make no mistake: Fir Park fans have never seen the best football in the park.

Their approach elicited a ferocity and an unquenchable desire to pursue Celtic. Motherwell were in charge throughout despite a late flurry of possession and pressure from the reigning champions.

Former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan described it as an “absolute football lesson, both inside and out of possession.”

“Motherwell’s play was composed and composed,” she said.

One team had connections, and the other had total disconnect. A manager who is actually implementing something and a manager who is doing the opposite.

“Motherwell played better football than Celtic, which was more exciting.” However, they also had a real structure behind the ball, which caused issues for Celtic.

Hampden left the only negative impact on Askou’s name.

Motherwell lost 4-1 to St Mirren in the League Cup semi-final with former manager Stephen Robinson. On the Paisley side, they never really sat down.

As St Mirren defeated Celtic in this month’s final, Askou would have felt more than a tinge of regret from a distance.

Motherwell will now be prosperous in 2026. Your place in the league will firstly depend on the fan-owned team, whose goal is to first. One can safely say that one is ticked off, in my opinion.

Well, we are currently fourth. Eight points clear of Hearts, Rangers, Celtic, and Celtic.

Any fan will cite at least fifty games in which they’ve conceded points from dominating positions when speaking to them. To name just three, Tynecastle, Kilmarnock, and Falkirk at Fir Park.

Both the hiring of an instinctive striker and the retention of Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh would be huge advantages. Perhaps the Askou puzzle’s only missing member is a cold-blooded goalscorer.

The best football the Motherwell fans have ever seen could come off as even more exceptional if that happens.

We’ll try to forget it, Assafrah, a member of Motherwell’s first home victory over Celtic in 12 years, said Askou. “It’s an impressive win and it’s a day that our supporters and everyone in the club will remember for a long time.

We’re not going to let this stop us, and we’re not going to think we’ve done everything because we have this signature win that everyone is talking about in the dressing room, I believe.