There may have been more than a few Motherwell supporters who were sceptical of the club’s decision to appoint Stephen Robinson as the permanent replacement for Mark McGhee in the dugout earlier this year.

Having been assistant at the club during two spells where they largely struggled, and having been sacked as Oldham boss in his one managerial appointment to date, the jury was out on the 42-year-old.

But after keeping the then struggling Steelmen in the Premiership, and with a hugely impressive start to this season that sees Motherwell in fifth place and in the quarter-finals of the Betfred Cup, any lingering doubts must be steadily being worn away.

And there was one man who had no doubts that Robinson had all the attributes required to flourish in the Fir Park dugout – long-time admirer and former colleague Jimmy Nicholl.

The pair worked together under Michael O’Neill with their native Northern Ireland, but it was long ago that Nicholl earmarked Robinson as someone who would succeed in the game.

“Going back years ago, when I was the manager of Raith Rovers, I tried to sign him,” said Nicholl.

“He played for Northern Ireland schoolboys against Scotland at Stark’s Park, and right away you could see he was a really clever player.

“Unfortunately, other clubs like Manchester United and Spurs were chasing him too, so we missed out!

“Once you lose out on someone, you like to see how they get on, and whenever Michael asked me to come into the Northern Ireland set-up I saw him on the other side of the game too.

“I was really impressed by the way he goes about things, he’s really meticulous in what he does.

“Him and Michael would sort out the training in the mornings, with Robbo setting things up before the players arrive, and he didn’t like you touching the cones and the poles. He didn’t like me interfering. 

“I knew right away that this is a man who does his own thing, is a bit OCD, but is very meticulous in his preparations.

“He’s great with the lads. He has a great sense of humour, and you see that on the training pitch. All of the things he was doing were very well thought out.”

Nicholl says that Motherwell seem to be rediscovering their identity under Robinson as a team who are hard to beat, but who have players at the other end who can hurt the opposition.

And that’s why he thinks that not only his players, but the Motherwell fans, are buying into the ethos he is instilling at the club.

“He’s got a good blend,” he said. “If you’ve got pace in your team then you can counter-attack, and it doesn’t matter if it’s home or away. You play to your strengths, and he’s got that right.

“Possession-wise, if you look at his games, then the opposition might have a lot more possession at times than Motherwell, but they are 
effective at what they do. He’s got it right defensively and everybody knows their jobs.

“He had that determination as a player and that’s what he wants in his team. You can’t play pretty football all the time. They’ve got the attacking flair, but they have to be hard to beat.

“I saw Motherwell last year, and they didn’t really have that, so I love the way he goes about his job.”

Another impressive feature of Robinson’s side for Nicholl is the reserves of courage they seem to be able to draw upon when things aren’t going well.

The comeback at Easter Road at the weekend was the latest example of the side digging deep to come up with a result, and he feels Robinson’s character is mirrored in his players.

“They’ve responded well since the St Johnstone away game where they got beat 4-1,” he said.

“I saw that game and you might think it was a doing, but it wasn’t really like that. They actually played well apart from the red cards. Since then, they’ve really shut up shop and they are scoring goals as well. They’ve got Louis Moult, a real goalscorer, and that always gives them a chance.

“If you get a wee setback, which they have at times, then how do they react to that? They’ve got players in their team who don’t let these things affect them.

“Sometimes, you can train all week and then get a wee setback, go behind or what-ever, and everything goes to pot.

“You can see that Motherwell aren’t reacting like that. They’ve got those big physical players, but they’ve also got guys who keep them organised no matter what, and always believe they can get back into it.

“They are going well, and the reason supporters will engage with it is because they are watching their team trying hard to win a game of football.

“Fans are going to Fir Park now knowing what they will see from their team.

“They will be hard to beat, and they’ve got an attacking side to their game that is enjoyable to watch.”