It has been the Devine intervention that was required. A change of scene and a change of shirt has given a season, and perhaps a career, a new lease of life. Leaving Rangers could help Adam Devine make it at Rangers.
That was the ambition that Devine first held at the age of four. He progressed through the ranks and lived his dream. Come January, after 15 years in the same colours and same surroundings, he knew he had to take a step back, or a step away, if he was to stride forward once again.
That journey has taken him to Motherwell. It has taken Devine away from the club where he has spent most of his life and taken him out of his comfort zone. It was a move designed to test him as well as improve him. In all regards, it has been a case of so far, so good.
In December 2022, Devine found himself as an integral part of Michael Beale’s Ibrox squad. Come January 2024, the right-back could not get a look in under Philippe Clement. The opportunities that were never going to arrive at Rangers have been granted regularly at Motherwell and Devine has quickly established himself with the assistance of Stuart Kettlewell.
As a player and a person, Devine is now in a better place. His solitary appearance for Rangers – coming off the bench for the last nine minutes of the League Cup win over Morton – seems like such a long time ago now. Plenty, of course, has changed at Ibrox since. So have Devine’s fortunes.
“There were a few discussions about me going on loan and that was something that I wanted to do,” Devine tells the Rangers Review. “The first part of the season didn’t go the way I wanted it to in terms of playing minutes so I had to go somewhere to play regular first team football and get my confidence back. I feel like that has happened at Motherwell and it has been going well so far.
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“I knew after the way the first half of the season went that I had to go out and play games. I haven’t played a lot of first team football at all really. I was just training and, to be fair, I wasn’t training my best. My confidence was low and I knew I needed to go on loan to get some game time and put myself out there again to show people what I could do.
“I was low on confidence and I wasn’t training at my best. I knew I wasn’t at my best. About three or four weeks before the window closed, I started to pick up my training and the way I was training and I felt better about myself. I felt it was the right time to go out and play some games.”
That aforementioned December saw Devine come to prominence at Ibrox. He had made his debut for his boyhood club the previous May as he replaced James Tavernier in a victory at home to Dundee United. A fortnight later, he earned his first start as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side beat Hearts on the eve of the Europa League final.
Ross McCausland didn’t get off the bench that day at Tynecastle but Cole McKinnon marked his bow with a goal. The trials and tribulations of the other kids that featured only serve to highlight that the difficult work really starts once the first team shot at glory has been earned. Devine’s opening arrived before McCausland came to the fore and McKinnon worked his way into Clement’s plans. To borrow one of the Belgian’s phrases, it shows how each story can be different.
His first chapters had been written some time previously and Devine started at left-back as Beale’s side edged dramatic encounters against Hibernian and Aberdeen. After catching the eye in a win at Ross County, Beale stated that Tavernier could have to ‘look over his shoulder’ as he backed Devine to ‘jump up 25 per cent’ when he was able to operate on his preferred right flank.
History, of course, tells a very different story than the future that Beale predicted. Appearances against Motherwell and Dundee United followed. After helping Beale’s side beat Aberdeen in the League Cup semi-final, Devine didn’t feature again until the last day of the campaign at St Mirren.
It was a sign of things to come for Devine. He had to establish himself all over again. The demise of Beale didn’t help his cause and Clement’s arrival didn’t prove to be the fresh start that he required. Home life with daughter Darci, who will turn three next month, provided both respite and perspective for Devine. Yet he arrived and left Auchenhowie every day knowing that something wasn’t quite right and that he wasn’t quite at it. It became a question of mentality as much as talent.
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“When I was younger I was probably taking it home with me and stressing about it,” Devine says. “Now with the wee one, it is important when you drive out the gates you try to forget about it and move onto the next day and try and do better the next day than what you have done. In football, if you have a bad session or have a bad game, you can only dwell on it for so long. When you are back home, it is all about family time.
“At any club, you need to have a good mentality, as well as skill, and be mentally strong if you are going to perform. At a club like Rangers, you need to have that mentality and keep going and going even when things aren’t going your way. You need to remember what you have done to get you to that point.”
The support of those around him has always been important for Devine. As a child, he was a regular at Ibrox alongside his mother, Susan, and brother Greig. In an interview last year, he spoke about how it was ‘a bit mad’ that the friends that he grew up with and kicked a ball about with were now watching him from the stands and he detailed the social sacrifices that were made to ensure he gave himself the best chance of living the dream that he and those closest to him shared. He has never lived the high life of a top flight footballer but he still has lofty ambitions in the game.
The words of advice and encouragement would have come in useful during the long weeks and months out of action. Like Devine, their hearts still belong at Ibrox. Fir Park is home from home for now and a trying, testing season could thankfully end with personal positives for Devine.
“They have been amazing for me,” Devine continues. “All they want is for me to be happy and to be playing games. They were happy when I was playing for Rangers and they are happy that I am playing for Motherwell. If they are happy, I am happy and if I am happy they are happy. They go to the games and they want Motherwell to win. It is really important to have that support behind you. When you touch on dwelling on performances, if you have a family behind you they can help you forget about it or deal with different situations. That is really important.”
Devine may be out of sight at Rangers at present but that doesn't mean that he is out of mind. His progress on loan will be continually monitored and his first showings for Kettlewell’s side have been encouraging. He did, though, miss the most headline-grabbing result of the campaign so far for the Steelmen as he watched on while goals from Theo Bair and Dan Casey clinched a historic win at Ibrox earlier this month. The mixed emotions for Devine on that day quickly subsided. His focus is on helping Motherwell secure as prominent a league finish as possible and a place in the top six is still on the cards,
First start, first goal for Adam Devine 👏 pic.twitter.com/9O9Y8fVx3C
— Motherwell FC (@MotherwellFC) February 15, 2024
Back in Govan, the targets are clear. It would have been easy for Devine to sit tight and remain around the club, to hold onto his place within a group that are pushing to add the Premiership title and Scottish Cup to the League Cup that Clement lifted in December. It says much about Devine that such a notion was never part of his thinking.
He found himself on the fringes of Clement’s squad. He would travel with the team and take a seat behind his boss with little hope of pulling on the jersey. At times, he was simply making up the numbers. Yet Clement ensured he still felt wanted, he still did his best to encourage and enlighten the 20-year-old. As the transfer window ticked down, both parties knew what the future held.
“He helped me on and off the training pitch.” Devine adds. “When I didn’t think I was at it in training, he said to me that he thought I was doing well and he urged me to keep going and keep training. He came in and really lifted the mood in there and all the boys love playing under him. He is a really good manager. He knows what he wants to do and how he is going to do it and the performances and results speak for themselves.
“His man-management is very good and I think you can see that with the way the players are playing for him. They are flying just now. That is not just by chance. He has come in and implemented his style and the boys are doing really well. They are enjoying playing under him. He makes everybody feel valued, even when you are not playing regularly he helps you in training, he tells you what you can do better on and off the pitch. Even when I wasn’t playing or thought I wasn’t training as well, he was always trying to help me as much as possible to get me back to where I needed to be.”
The bond with Clement was formed over weeks and months. The one with Kettlewell was started with a phone call and a deal was done without a face-to-face meeting. Motherwell and Kilmarnock were both interested in securing Devine’s services for the second half of the season and the defender had a choice to make as the deadline approached.
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The initial nerves of walking into a new club and a new dressing room quickly faded as Devine was made to feel at home in Lanarkshire. The assistance of the squad and the staff are appreciated in that regard. The ultimate ambition is to pull on that red, white and blue shirt once again. Right now, Devine has personal and collective targets to hit in claret and amber.
“It is obviously a change of scenery and a different club, and it is something I am not used to because I have been at Rangers almost my whole life,” Devine says. “I have enjoyed it so far. I have got some minutes under my belt and want to keep showing what I can do.
“It was a quick turnaround. It was the last few days of the window so it was all about having those conversations, making the decision and then getting it done so I could start with the boys. I have loved every minute being there and working with the manager. Hopefully I can keep playing well and repay the faith he put in me. I want to help the team as much as possible.
“I knew when I went there that the aim was to play as many matches as possible. I have been enjoying my football again. When you are young, that is all you want to do. I just want to play football and I am grateful to Motherwell for giving me the opportunity to do that.”
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