The runners and riders as Motherwell search for Stephen Robinson's successor

Motherwell search for new manager following Stephen Robinson's departure with the pressure of an upcoming January transfer window.

Northern Irish manager Stephen Robinson resigned from his role at Motherwell after nine successive league games without a win.

After leading the Steelmen to a third place finish the previous season, Robinson admitted he had taken Motherwell "as far as he can."

Following full time against Kilmarnock, Robinson approached the Motherwell board to offer his resignation.

"After Wednesday night's match with Kilmarnock, Stephen approached the board, giving an honest assessment of the current situation. It is with regret that the board accepted his resignation." Motherwell said in a statement.

There is now growing speculation over who will replace Robinson with Motherwell hoping to "work at pace" to find his replacement.

Tommy Wright

The leading front runner for the role is former St Johnstone Manager Tommy Wright. The 57-year-old is an experienced figure within the league after managing the Perth outfit for seven years. During this period, Wright guided St Johnstone to Scottish Cup triumph in 2014 and four consecutive Europa League qualifications from 2013 and 2016. Tommy Wright would be a sensible appointment as he has experience within the league and understands how to find results when in dire situations, after guiding St Johnstone away from relegation in recent seasons.

Graham Alexander

The former Scottish right back, who most recently managed English League Two side Salford City could be an ambitious appointment for Motherwell. Alexander guided Salford to promotion into the Football League and led the Ammies to an 11th place finish before the season was curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He was relieved of his duties five games into the following season despite being unbeaten. He has vast experience working in England's lower leagues with both Scunthorpe and Fleetwood Town, which suits Motherwell's mould of utilising the lower league transfer market. However, Alexander has never managed north of the border and could be a risky nomination with the position Motherwell currently find themselves in.

Keith Lasley

The Motherwell legend may be given the promotion after three years working as Assistant Manager. Lasley captained the club and accumulated 413 appearances as a player. Following his retirement, Lasley filled the vacant assistant manager role and then became the interim Motherwell manager following Stephen Robinson's departure. He has experience playing and assisting managers in the league but he is arguably the most inexperienced of the listed candidates.

Simo Valakari

There would not be a list of candidates without Simo Valakari. The Finnish manager has been linked with the position for several years. Valakari played for Motherwell between 1996 and 2000 before leaving to join Derby County in the English Premier League. Since his retirement from playing football, Valakari has managed four clubs in Finland and one in Norway. While managing SJK in 2013, Valakari guided the club to promotion to the Veikkausliiga. In the following season Valakari won the Finnish League Cup before winning the Finnish championship in 2015. He has clearly been successful in guiding teams to silverware but his inexperience in Scotland may be a severe issue if Motherwell are to survive relegation.

Mitchell Van Der Gaag

Like Valakari, Mitchell Van Der Gaag has been linked to the role for several years. The former PSV and Motherwell Centre Back started in management following his retirement in 2007. He has worked for several clubs in both Portugal and the Netherlands. He is currently the manager of Ajax's youth team 'Jong Ajax' who currently sit 11th in the Eerste Divisie. Likewise, with Valakari. Van Der Gaag is the rank outsider for the role despite his close connection to the club.