Dundee midfielder Nick Ross does not think Motherwell can be taken lightly just because they are managerless.
The Steelmen travel to Dens Park today still without a permanent boss in place following the dismissal of Ian Baraclough a week and a half ago.
Baraclough was sacked after the Lanarkshire side were knocked out of the League Cup by Championship team Morton.
Former Fir Park club captain Stephen Craigan has stepped in to take the team while the search for Baraclough’s replacement goes on and he appears to have the backing of the players to get the job on a permanent basis if last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Partick Thistle is anything to go by.
Taking all that into consideration, Ross argued that it is not necessarily a good thing for Dundee to be facing a set of players with a lot to prove who are led by a caretaker coach who is looking to claim the full-time post for himself.
Ross said: “I am sure a lot of people will be thinking that it’s a good time to get Motherwell because of the manager situation but we won’t be.
“I remember when I was up at Inverness and we lost Terry Butcher.
“It actually brought us together as a group and we ended up playing even better than we had been.
“We went on a really good run and beat a few teams.
“So it could bring the Motherwell players closer together.
“I don’t think it is necessarily an advantage to be the team with a manager playing the side without one because you are facing opposition players determined to do really well.
“That was how it was at Inverness. You want to be in the first team for the new manager coming in so you could impress him.
“You also have players who have maybe been out of favour with the old manager looking to get a place under the new one.
“Also, Motherwell have always been a good team when I have faced them.
“A lot of people could look at the situation and say: ‘They’ve got no manager, they’ve got no leader and they don’t know what they’re doing.’
“However, Steven Craigan has gone in to take the team and appears to be doing well.
“So Motherwell will be up for this game and it will be a difficult one for us.
“We have to be up for it, too, and I know we will we.
“We are at home and want to get those three points.”
The Dark Blues go into this match with momentum, having come back from 3-1 down to draw at home to Ross County last weekend.
The fight they showed to claw themselves back was welcome after the disappointment of Celtic Park the previous Sunday.
Ross hopes the progress can continue.
“We had a really strong start to the season but then lost one or two so it’s been a bit up and down for us,” he added.
“The Celtic game was the big disappointment but we have otherwise been quite solid.
“We are currently in the top six and that’s really our aim to be there at the end of the season.”
The Dark Blues will be without midfielder Paul McGowan because of his foot fracture, while defender James McPake is also set to miss out after damaging his jaw.