Motherwell

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"Lazy. Think he's Billy big time. Full of himself."

Alex Lowry is well aware of the opinions some people have of him - but is determined to "shift the narrative".

The midfielder, now beginning to flourish with Motherwell, has become accustomed to intense scrutiny after rising through the Rangers ranks as a creative player of promise.

As he bids to fulfil his undoubted potential, Lowry has come off social media and learned to block out distractions.

"I think it was coming through at Rangers and there's a lot of under scrutiny from a young age," the 23-year-old said in a Motherwell club video.

"It maybe affected me at certain points in my life, but as I've got older I've started to realise that as long as I'm happy, the club are happy, my family are happy, it makes my life 10 times easier.

"I try to just not look it. I've come off social media whereas when I was younger I'd maybe look at it and get down about it. Now I just focus on my football, enjoy my football, and live a quiet, nice life.

"I've got a relaxed demeanour which can come across as lazy. But if you speak to any of the boys at the club they'd say I worked really hard.

"Definitely as I've got older I've put more emphasis on working harder, doing more stuff in the gym, being more professional.

"Maybe when I was a bit younger I would rely on my ability, which would get my out of trouble, but now it's a case of head down and prove them wrong. Try to shift the narrative to, no, he does work hard, he is a team player."

Lowry has found happiness on loan at Motherwell from Wycombe, where his struggles mirror his career so far.

Having featured mainly on the periphery at Rangers, Lowry had a loan spell at Hearts before moving south.

"As soon as I heard the interest from Motherwell was there, I said get me up there," he said.

"I watched a lot of Motherwell last season and knew this is where I want to play my football. It's been amazing. I've played a lot of minutes, chipped in with a goal, a few assists and obviously playing in Europe was an experience in itself.

"A big factor in my good performances has been the confidence the manager has put me in. He's given me that trust and responsibility to help the team in whatever way I can. He's given a free role to create and put a lot of confidence in me."

Former Motherwell forward James McFadden assesses the Fir Park side's current predicament.

Alfred Johansson's side have lost three league matches on the spin and have dropped to eighth in the Scottish Premiership.

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Fir Park boss Alfred Johansson still saw positives in his team's display against Dundee as they tried to bounce back strongly from the heavy midweek defeat to Aberdeen.

The 36-year-old said: "I think that Tuesday was a big disappointment.

"That was mainly due to the fact we didn't play the way we wanted to play and we didn't have that energy, togetherness and connection in the team, especially in the second half.

"Today, what we wanted to see was a positive reaction on how we play and I think we got it.

"We played the way we wanted to play. We had attacking threats from low build-up and late build-ups and finding our 10s and getting the ball down the sides.

"There were connections on both sides and we created a couple of chances from that. I think it was very positive."

However, the Fir Park boss insisted his side should have been awarded a penalty.

He said: "When you ask me I am going to say I believe it was a penalty. I saw it on TV but sometimes you get it and sometimes you don't.

"We are maybe not the luckiest in terms of penalty decisions but I am sure we will be in the future."

Johansson also believed the Dundee spot-kick award was contentious.

He added: "I think it is a soft penalty. That is all I want to say about that, it is what it is. Next time maybe we get a soft one."

Motherwell have now lost three league games in a row but Johansson still took positives from the latest defeat.

He added: "I liked the energy in the team fighting for second balls. What was missing was the end product.

"The chances we did create we need to convert more, but I also think from these good build-up plays then the last pass or cross was what meant we didn't win this game.

"If we improve that part, which we will work really hard to do, then it will not only improve our attacking threat and lead to less transitions against us.

"We took a good step from what we have seen lately. The end product was what was missing."

Dundee resist Motherwell's comeback to secure three Scottish Premiership points at Dens Park (UK only).

Motherwell fans, we asked for your opinions on the 2-1 loss to Dundee at Dens Park. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Dman: Another disappointing afternoon, the first goal is an extremely soft penalty on Emmanuel Longelo for handball, when his hand is by his side and there's nowhere else to go there. That's the rule these days sadly.

The second goal is criminal from Alex Paulsen, but he also made a couple of great saves later in the game. We are hugely lacking a clinical, penalty-box, striker. There seems to be a reluctance to shoot in and around the box. Hopefully the break means we can sort ourselves out.

Mark: I don't know why the gaffer is allergic to putting Tawanda Maswanhise on the bench. I think he's only starting because of last season. Yet again he offered very little. Nice to see Seb Palmer-Houlden, an actual striker, starting. We still need to move the ball faster and be more solid in the back. Get Stephen O'Donnell starting again if he can. Alex Lowry is some player though.

Eddie: Looks like a tough season ahead. I'll settle for tenth.

David: To compare last season to this so early would be poor, but this team haven't so far shown the capability, speed, passing or defending that we had. We have pushed the boat out on players we normally couldn't have afforded, and aside from some good goals, it's been a poor start.

Allan: We have a group of players from the United Nations. We have a manager who smiles and is happy confident and comfortable.

We will get it all together. A pizza is round in a square box. It is cut into triangles. It works, so can we.

Ian: Fourth to eighth in the league. It's obviously early in the season but it's also obvious that it's not good enough! Something needs to change and very soon - perhaps putting the ball in the net would be a good start? I hope they don't get themselves into a situation at the bottom end of the league because it's as much a psychological battle as it is a physical battle to find the answer to get out of it.

George: We've not suddenly become a bad team, but we are definitely now much more fearful at the back, and indecisive up front. The issues seem more psychological than skill, and need to be addressed before this becomes a downward trend. Management team needs to adopt Ted Lasso mode!

Motherwell lost their third Scottish Premiership game in a row as Dundee made the most of two goalkeeping mistakes to clinch victory at a blustery Dens Park.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say on the game via this link.

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Motherwell boss Alfred Johansson: "It's a frustrating game to lose, we did many things very well. Our build up is good, we have a lot of final third entries, playing diagonal balls to the fullbacks.

"Our left side created difficulties for Dundee. What was missing today was the end product. The last pass, the decision-making, the quality of the crossing, that's what was missing.

"That makes us not create as many chances as we should have, and gives transitions to Dundee where they look dangerous. We need to clean that up.

"Still, we had chances that we didn't convert. I see a team that shows a positive reaction from Tuesday, where we weren't happy at all with how the second half panned out.

"Even in a difficult moment, where they score two goals, I still saw a team that tried and showed belief, and backed their teammates up. They worked hard for each other, talked much more, they were touching each other, giving high-fives and pats on the back and so on.

"I see a step. There's parts to improve. That's how I see it."

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Dundee striker Joe Westley could feature in a protective mask following his cheekbone fracture.

Ryan Finnigan (ankle) is a major doubt, while Zan Besir is suspended and Finlay Robertson drops out with cruciate ligament damage. Simon Murray and Ashley Hay are also out with knee injuries.

Motherwell remain without Johnny Koutroumbis, Oscar Priestman (calf), Paul McGinn, Callum Hendry (both knee) and Jordan McGhee (hamstring).

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Alfred Johansson remains positive on the potential of his Motherwell team as they look to bounce back from a surprise trouncing at home to Aberdeen.

A run of two wins, two draws and two defeats has the Fir Park side sitting fifth in the Premiership, one point in front of Saturday's opponents Dundee.

The two league losses have come back-to-back, with a 1-0 reverse at Ibrox followed by shipping four goals to the Dons on Tuesday.

"I think we are in a learning process with this group, 10 new players in the door," said Johansson.

"If we were the finished product today, then someone would have to give us a prize and it's not how it works. This is a long-term development with this group, as was the same case last year.

"It's a good start to the season. It's been a couple of weeks where the performances have not been maybe as good but still, we see a group that is progressing, a group that is very committed, a group that trains really, really good.

"The players are super committed. Everyone is very humble and hard-working and I love my job. I love to be on the pitch with these guys. It's the best.

"In sports, when you win, you can't be thinking that you are on top of the world because then you can start to become a little bit complacent and drop your performances.

"Equally, when you lose a game, you can't think that you are now the worst or it's a crisis because then you can also become a little bit scared of doing your best and playing the way that we want to play."

Motherwell started slowly last season under Jens Berthel Askou, going on to finish fourth. However, they took just one point from their two visits to Dens Park under Johansson's predecessor.

"We look forward to Saturday and we have a good feeling, even if probably it was better two weeks ago," added the Swede.

"But we have a really good belief in what we're doing and in this group of players. A lot of potential that we know that we will untap together."

• A Dundee player leads the 2026-27 Scottish Premiership for tackles (Ryan Finnigan, 23), interceptions (Owen Bevan, 12) and possession won (Ethan Hamilton, 38).

• Motherwell have lost their past two league games by an aggregate score of 5-0. The Steelmen could lose three in a row for the first time since February 2025 (5), and could do so without scoring for the first time since December 2018 (3).

• Dundee have scored in their past 11 home league games, last finding the net in more successive top-flight matches at Dens Park between April 2013 and April 2015 (20).

• Motherwell are looking to avoid losing back-to-back league visits to Dundee for the first time since October 2015.

• Since losing four consecutive Premiership home games against Motherwell from 2017 to 2019, Dundee have now lost just two of their latest seven (W3 D2).

We asked for your views after Motherwell were thumped 4-0 at home by Aberdeen.

Here's what some of you said:

Eddie: Poor performance, didn't look like they had a gameplan. Defensively we are very poor and we get overpowered in midfield. Top six is a long way off with that performance.

John: Probably the worst performance at Fir Park in the last couple of years. There was no penetration, no focal point up front, just players running in patterns but creating little or no chances. The defence appeared slow and unorganised, especially when defending long balls. The tippy-tappy system is fine when it works, but playing blind passes in midfield only invites trouble.

Adam: What a shambles the team were against Aberdeen. No structure and no defence. I hope that this is not the future due this season.

Colin: Woeful performance, a repeat of the Ibrox game with a scoreline that should have happened there. Started well with good possession but yet again no cutting edge up front, far too many slack passes and a porous defence. Current starting line-up don't appear able to gel. I feel this could be a relegation fight season after what appeared a promising start.

James: As bad as I've seen. Too many non contributors. Didn't seem up for the fight, whereas Aberdeen were. Some players needing benched, and the break/training week together certainly didn't look like it worked. A vast improvement required, and some players who are missing are needed to steady the ship.

Graeme: So 10 days' rest and that is what we produce? So slow on the ball and far too easy to play against. Very worrying performance.

Watch the pick of the Fir Park action as Aberdeen thrash Motherwell 4-0. (Available to UK users only)

Aberdeen secured their second Scottish Premiership win of the season - and their first at Motherwell since March 2024 - with a terrific four-goal victory at Fir Park.

Read our match report here

Have your say here

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Motherwell boss Alfred Johansson tells BBC Scotland: "It's a mixture of getting punished hard from our opponents, together with the fact we had a lot of good scenarios that we like very much [but didn't make the most of].

"We found our 10s and wingers in behind, but we didn't manage to use those spaces enough. That led to unnecessary ball losses.

"The biggest mistake tonight, we start to stress, we lose our structure, we didn't remember the points we went over at half-time, we didn't look confident in our possession, and that led to ball losses again.

"We learn from it, we look forward. We know we can do so much better than this. It's a speedbump, a bump in the road. We will learn, all of us, and try to do better and make sure we're ready for Saturday."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

Will a weekend off prove a help or hindrance to Motherwell?

We return to action tonight against Aberdeen then make the trip to Dundee on Saturday.

Both games are winnable and I am hopeful the recent rest will enable the team to come out firing.

One player who will be keen to maintain his fine form is Alex Lowry. I'll be honest, at first when he was finding his feet in the team I wasn't impressed.

However, the on-loan Wycombe midfielder has come on leaps and looks a great addition.

After this weekend's fixtures, we don't play again until the middle of October. If we can go into the break with as much confidence as possible, we won't have anything to fear when Celtic come to visit.

Finally, a word of praise for the Women of Steel, who for the eighth time in a row have proved we are the pride of Lanarkshire.

Thanks to a 2-0 win over Hamilton on Sunday, Motherwell are through to the third round of the SWPL Cup.

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Motherwell remain without Johnny Koutroumbis, Oscar Priestman, Paul McGinn, Callum Hendry and Jordan McGhee for Tuesday's Scottish Premiership visit by Aberdeen.

The visitors remain without Brad Lyons, Emmanuel Gyamfi and Kristers Tobers.

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Aberdeen midfielder Alexander Briedl has delayed hooking up with former team-mate Martin Moormann, telling the Motherwell centre-back they will have to meet first on Tuesday "but not as friends".

The Austrian pair played together for Blau-Weiss Linz but left this summer after they were relegated after finishing bottom of their homeland's Bundesliga.

Now the compatriots will be reunited as the Dons visit Fir Park in the Scottish Premiership on Tuesday.

Briedl said of his friend: "Yeah, I still speak to him sometimes. This week, but not about the game.

"Because we were staying in a hotel close to Glasgow, he asked if we could meet up, but it was difficult on Saturday.

"I said to him, 'we'll see each other on Tuesday. But not as friends'."

Meanwhile, Briedl hopes Sunday's Premier Sports Cup quarter-final, when they defeated Kilmarnock on penalties after drawing 1-1 at Rugby Park despite being down to 10 men, will ease the pressure after ending a three-game wait for a victory.

"It will be a tough game, but I think after Saturday we want to stay in the flow and take this to the next games, for the upcoming games before the international break," the 24-year-old added.

"I think there is no pressure for us. We've got a new team with a lot of new players.

"We have to find each other and I think Saturday's win is also a turnaround for all of us, hopefully. It could be very important."

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The "big positive" of a free week has helped align Motherwell's new-look squad with the club's principles, says assistant coach Max Rogers.

An attempt to qualify for the Conference League meant the Fir Park side were playing three games a week for much of the start of their season.

Despite that, Alfred Johansson's men have still been able to collect eight points from their opening five league matches.

After a 1-0 loss at Rangers last time out, Motherwell have had nine days to recover and train before Tuesday's visit of Aberdeen.

"It was obviously such a hectic start, an enjoyable one with the European games and one that we all wanted," Rogers said. "But with that free week, we had plenty of time to rest and train.

"A lot of the new players hadn't even had a chance to fully train with us, so they weren't really aligned to the principles and how we want to play.

"But now we've been able to introduce that to them, so that's obviously a big positive, and we have prepared really well for this game."

Rogers formed a close working relationship with Jens Berthel Askou last season without previously meeting the Dane and is now striking up a bond with Swede Johansson.

He added: "First and foremost, the club obviously recruited the manager because he had the same philosophy and beliefs as the previous manager.

"So that continuation is relatively straightforward. And then in terms of our work, we know what the style of play is, the principles.

"Obviously, the players who remained from last season help massively as well, especially the senior players. So we've obviously all helped with the process.

"And the manager has been really good in terms of not wanting to change too much and not being sort of insecure, in a sense, of coming in and thinking he needed to stamp his own authority.

"He's been really good at trying to learn from what we did last year, while also adding his beliefs and demands to it as well."

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• Only Benjamin Nygren (21) and Djeidi Gassama (13) have created more chances in the Scottish Premiership this season than Motherwell's Emmanuel Longelo (11), who also ranks joint-third for big chances created (four) and third for expected assists (1.5).

• Aberdeen have failed to score in each of their past four league games. Indeed, since the start of 2025-26, the Dons have drawn a blank in a Scottish Premiership-high 20 matches.

• Motherwell, who are yet to concede at home in the Scottish Premiership this season, have kept 14 clean sheets at Fir Park since the start of last season in the competition - the most at home of any side.

• Aberdeen have lost three of their past five Scottish Premiership games against Motherwell and could lose successive league meetings with the Steelmen for the first time since November 2021.

• Motherwell have won each of their past three home league games against Aberdeen, as many as across their previous 16 beforehand.