There does not appear to be much lingering love between Maurice Malpas and John Boyle.

Maurice Malpas is not happy with the words used by Motherwell majority shareholder John Boyle in his criticism of his time in charge of team affairs describing them as "out of order". Boyle announced new manager Mark McGhee on Monday, with comments on the previous season as being a "torrid" time and claimed there was a lack of "motivation, passion and forethought". The need to replace Malpas occurred when he quit earlier this month in protest at plans to replace his assistant Paul Hegarty with Scott Leitch. Malpas plans to have a word with Boyle and said: "I'm really upset with the things he said. I think the whole thing is out of order. We signed a confidentiality agreement. He seems to have forgotten about that. That's John Boyle for you, mind you. I thought I still had a good relationship with the club and the people there. Clearly I got that one wrong." With a compensation package still to be agreed, Malpas will have to be careful with his words at any meeting with Boyle.

Former Motherwell manager Terry Butcher is trying to stay on the right side of both men by saying that Malpas would have done a lot better in his second season in charge at Fir Park. Butcher and Malpas led Motherwell to two top-six finishes in the SPL but the former Dundee United player was the subject of protests after a run of one win in 13 games saw Well flirting with relegation in May. Butcher - now manager of Brentford - went on. He said: "It's regrettable that the situation has not been handled with more dignity. Maurice Malpas is a colourful character and he would have done better for Motherwell in his second season. But he was beset by injury problems and the pre-contractual situation regarding Scott McDonald and Brian Kerr. Maurice took a lot of flak for leaving Scott McDonald out after he had signed for Celtic but I would have done exactly the same. I have a good relationship with John Boyle. I just wish what was said had been kept in private but it shows how passionately John Boyle feels about Motherwell."
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