Never mind Hearts, 'feared' Motherwell can gatecrash top three - but it may cost them in the long run

Currently in fourth position, just four points behind champions Celtic after a 5-0 thumping of St Mirren last weekend, the club have underwent a remarkable transformation since the appointment of Danish boss Jens Berthel Askou in the summer, losing just one of their last 19 league games.

After confounding pre-season expectations, some pundits have tipped them to enter the title race themselves as the split appears on the horizon. Former Hearts and Scotland frontman Lee Miller believes Motherwell have everything it takes to crack the top three.

“They will have a definite say in what happens in the title race,” said Miller. “If they win their game in hand, they're seven points behind Hearts. That's a long way to go. But having said that, they go into the split and anything can happen. I don't think any of the teams want to play Motherwell. I think they'll leapfrog Celtic. I think it'll be Hearts, Rangers, Motherwell, Celtic. I do. I think they're just so consistent and they're scoring freely as well. Motherwell keep plodding away and they keep playing the same way. They don't change the way they play.

“From a neutral point of view, from my perspective, it's brilliant for the league. I’ve a soft spot for Hearts having played there and Motherwell, obviously with Lennon [his son and former Motherwell captain] having been there. There's so many different teams that can do something about the title – Motherwell especially. I think going into that top six, nobody wants to play Motherwell. Nobody.

“Hearts are strong favourites, but that kind of changes every week. The way that they bounced back from the Rangers defeat with, not an ugly win, but a toe-poke 1-0 at Tynecastle against Falkirk, who are very difficult opponents, was impressive. It's exciting times for Scottish football.”

Praised for his free-flowing, possession-based brand of football and the transformation he has overseen at Fir Park, it is only natural that 43-year-old boss Askou has had admiring glances sent his way. Speculation that he could be on the Celtic managerial shortlist in the summer grew last week when he was spotted in the Parkhead stands during the Europa League playoff clash with Stuttgart. He was also strongly linked to Aberdeen in the aftermath of Jimmy Thelin’s sacking earlier this year.

“It'll be very difficult to hold on to him,” conceded Miller. “I think if there's not a top club outside Motherwell looking at him, with what he's done with that club. No disrespect to the Motherwell players, but he’s made average players really good. Yes, they've got loads of stars within that, but they all play as a team. They all play as a structure.

“Everybody knows exactly what he wants from them as a footballer. And they're just a joy to watch. The fact that they're up there and they've got a chance to kind of put down a marker, nobody wants to play them. You can see Rangers and Celtic changing the way they play because Motherwell play such a free-flowing football and possession-based. I've never seen the likes of it. When I went to watch Motherwell last couple of seasons, they were hard-watching things, and they were hanging on.

“If they've [Celtic] not looked at him, they're very naïve. But I'm not sure Jens will stay here [in Scotland]. I think there'll be a club abroad that'll look at that and think ‘do you know what...? Because it's always kind of stats-based and stuff, isn't it? It depends. I don't know his family situation or anything like that, but I think he'll be striving for, no disrespect, but to go somewhere and apply his trade in a top league. I think he'd be brilliant.”

Lee Miller was speaking on behalf of William Hill, the SPFL’s title partner. Check out the weekly preview show here.