Stevie Hammell hopes the personal touch can help him pull off a “massive coup” by convincing Robert Snodgrass to sign on at Motherwell.
The new Well boss is waiting for an answer from his former Scotland colleague after meeting with the winger and making him an offer for a sensational return north of the border. Hammell was blown away by the leadership qualities of Snodgrass, six years his junior, when he received an international call-up in 2013 and has kept in contact since.
Now he hopes that link can help him lure the veteran, who has options in the Championship and League One down south, to Lanarkshire where he is certain the 34-year-old’s energy off the park would be as valuable as his ability on it. Hammell said: “We aren’t best mates or anything but I know Robert. He’s someone who I worked with and he was a real help to me when I was in Scotland squads with him.
“It was little things, making people welcome and having good positive energy about the place. If you ask any player he has played with they would confirm that about him.
“We have spoken to Robert and we have put an offer to him. It’s with him, we aren’t putting massive pressure on him but if it happens we would be delighted.
“If we get him here it would be a massive coup. He still has a lot to offer. He’s had a great career, he’s a fantastic person as well as a player. We feel he would help the boys we have here. We can’t get away from the fact he would bring plenty of quality to the team.”
Snodgrass has spent the last 14 years in England, making almost 200 Premier League appearances and plenty more in the Championship where he ended last season with Luton Town.
Hammell said: “There’s still a bit to go on it but if it did happen then we would be thrilled, if not that’s fine. He would be a big addition to the team.”
Hammell, who wants to add a wide man, a full-back and a striker before the end of the window, made his first signing as boss this week when he lured former Motherwell academy starlet Stuart McKinstry back to Fir Park on loan from Leeds.
The winger could be in the squad for this afternoon’s Premiership clash with Livingston as Well chase their first home points of the season. And Hammell, who was head of the academy during the 19-year-old’s development, said: “I know the potential Stuart has and he will bring something different to us in the forward areas and we are excited by that.
“I have seen a real maturity about him when we had a chat. He was holding his own in the conversation we were going through tactical scenarios and he was fully aware of what we spoke about.
“We spoke about where he fits in and what his role would be and he was on board and taking everything in. I was really impressed with him and he has grown up since he left.
“He was in our 2002 group and they were a highly regarded group. He wasn’t always the one at the top of it, he was always floating under the radar but he had a great work ethic and mentality. He has slowly progressed and he knows he has to work for everything.”
Meanwhile Blair Spittal insists last week’s 3-2 win at Aberdeen has set the standard as Well look to make it back-to-back wins when Livingston come calling.
Spittal was signed by Graham Alexander only weeks before the former manager’s departure. And he said: “Having a manager who signed me leave before the first league game of the season was a first for me.
“It was unfortunate the way things unravelled. But the new manager is putting his own stamp on it.
“The two wins we have had have been away from home. It’s time now to make Fir Park a tough place for teams to come.
“Last week set the standard. It tells you a lot about the group. The performance was good and to bounce back from 2-1 down as quickly as we did shows the character in the team.”
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