Motherwell boss tells fans he doesn't anticipate making any summer signings

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall at Somerset Park.SNS Group

Stuart McCall doesn’t expect to make any signings this summer after a newco Rangers were admitted to the Third Division.

The Steelmen have yet to bring in anyone to compensate for the loss of Steve Jennings, Tim Clancy and Stephen Craigan during the close season.

Motherwell will play in the Champions League qualifiers later this month ahead of the start of the SPL campaign in August.

And McCall feels he will have to stick with what he has at his disposal.

"I think we have lost 10 players and we have brought five kids up from the under-19s and now with that decision yesterday it's going to prove almost impossible to bring anybody into the club," McCall told BBC Scotland.

"That's the financial aspect, I'm not saying it is right or wrong, but that's the reality."

SPL broadcasters Sky and ESPN have yet to make definitive statements over their position following Friday’s vote with league chief executive Neil Doncaster suggesting £16m could be lost to the game.

And McCall admits television revenue will dictate how his club operate.

"It's going to mean a huge deficit," he said. "Yesterday's vote has made it even worse.

"The main thing is the TV, that's the bottom line. There is a lot of, I say scaremongering, but it might be true.

"It would be good if someone could come out and say 'this is the facts'.

"Are Sky and ESPN going to walk away if Rangers are in Division Three?

"If that's the case, then our revenue gets cut hugely as does every SPL club and a lot of clubs are not going to be able to function as they are doing at the moment.

"A lot of people talk about if two or three clubs do go into administration in the next couple of months then that's because they have been living outwith their means. But that's not the case.

"At Motherwell we have no debt. A lot of clubs who are in debt have been trying to reduce it and paying for their errors five or 10 years ago.

"We're not living outwith our means, we have contractual income to put out and money we expect to come in.

"Obviously there is going to be a shortfall and that's where the problem lies."

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