There has been a summer overhaul at Motherwell, but Stuart Kettlewell insists none of his new signings are there to “make up the numbers”.
The club have lost a number of their top players including Theo Bair, Liam Kelly and Blair Spittal, with eleven new players arriving at Fir Park.
Motherwell progressed in the League Cup despite a frustrating group campaign with Kettlewell telling his players it is time to step up.
“We’ve probably got a few more changes than we would’ve wanted, but it should bring a little bit of excitement as fans want to see new players,” he told Sky Sports News.
“Everybody must contribute, we’ve not brought anyone in just to make up the numbers to see out a year or two of a contract.
Blair Spittal and Theo Bair are among Motherwell’s summer departures
“We need a contribution from everybody and we need to try and replace the quality that we’ve lost. That does come with a little bit of pressure, but that’s the type of pressure the players must relish.”
Motherwell finished ninth in the Scottish Premiership last season, narrowly missing out on the top six after finding their form after the winter break.
Kettlewell has one simple aim, but believes they are capable of a much higher place.
“Fundamentally every club wants to be in this division. Some may argue that’s not the lofty heights of ambition but I think that’s where your starting point always has to be,” he added.
“When you’re at a club at the bottom end of the finances in this division then that always has to be the first port of call.
“I do, though, absolutely believe we’ve got the capabilities to be slightly more consistent than we were.
Kofi Balmer has joined Motherwell from Crystal Palace
“We started the league campaign excellent last season, we had a poor run in the middle and then we had some really good form and results from the turn of the year.
“For us, it’s about finding that level of consistency and I think anyone that does that in the league will have a level of opportunity to try and play in the top half split.
“That’s not shouting our mouth off saying exactly where we’ll be, but I genuinely believe if you concentrate on that level of performance and consistency then the league position starts to take care of itself.
“What we’ve proved is we can compete with every single team in this league, in my time we’ve taken points off absolutely everybody. It’s just about not having those real high moments with some big falloffs.”
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