Motherwell manager Graham Alexander played over 1,000 games as a player - and that tells former Fir Park captain Peter Hartley all he needs to know about the boss in ML1.
Alexander's side face Hibs in Scottish Cup quarter-final action this afternoon as they look to return to Hampden for the first time since 2018.
Hartley formed part of the dressing room which reached the 2017/18 League Cup and Scottish Cup finals, losing both to Celtic.
The Steelmen haven't won a league game in 2022 and it has brought scrutiny upon Alexander and his squad. But Hartley reckons Motherwell are still having a successful season.
Fully in the hunt for European football and with a potential trip to Hampden awaiting, the Jamshedpur centre-back believes Alexander has to be backed for success, and that league form is irrelevant today.
Speaking on the Lanarkshire Live Sport Podcast , Hartley said: "The league form doesn't matter when you are going into cup games. The league form hasn't been good as of late but I think they've had a successful season.
"I just hope they get past Hibs as the Motherwell fans deserve something to dream about.
"I think they've got a fantastic manager and it's somebody I respect a lot because of the age he played up to as a player.
"When you have a manager like that, you know he lives his life in the right way and he's a thorough professional. So I really hope they do well.
"It's for everyone, for the manager, for the group of players he has got. I think they will go from strength to strength over the next couple of years if he gets the backing."
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.
