Motherwell caretaker boss Stephen Frail says Stuart Kettlewell was brave to quit as manager, and has urged abusive fans to take a step back and look at where he has left the club.

The Fir Park club are fifth in the Premiership, as they prepare to host Celtic on Sunday, but a run of three straight defeats – two in a row against St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup and league – had vocal fans voicing their disapproval.

It was a run of four games without a win, and one in nine, before Kettlewell announced on Monday that he was stepping down.

In an interview with Sky Sports Scotland, Frail says he’s disappointed in the decision.

He said: “We know what we’re involved in with football. Any manager that’s involved anywhere in the world knows this is part of the game, and we accept it.

“If we lose a game on a Saturday the players go home and they’re disappointed, I’m disappointed and gutted.

“But they [fans] are the guys who are standing out there and they carry everything for the whole club.

“I’ve watched him, I know how much he has tried to carry it and deal with it. I thought he dealt with it brilliantly, but as soon as it starts affecting the people closest to you, I think you’ve got a decision to make.

“The decision he came to, I think, is an incredibly brave one, because he’s still a young man with a young family, and he has to work.

“His record at this club has been fantastic, in my opinion, with his 41 per cent win rate, but it’s unfortunate that he’s not here and from a personal point of view I’m really gutted.”

Frail added: “It has been very flat, there was a lot of shock around the club when Stuart announced his decision.

“From a personal point of view I’m really gutted and disappointed – he was the man who brought me to this club and I’m really sorry to see him go.

“I know I can speak for the rest of the staff and the players, they were really disappointed.

“We had a training session this morning [Tuesday] they were really flat. We managed to get a decent enough session out of them because we need to focus on Sunday’s game.

“But from a personal point of view it’s really disappointing to see a really exciting, young, vibrant manager have to come to that decision.

“We were close and we’re very tight, but the last couple of results have maybe moved him towards that decision.

“It’s easy to look back in hindsight, but I could see it in his face that it was taking its toll.

“But we know how football works, fans pay hard-earned money to come and watch games.

“There will be frustrations, and Stuart will be the first to think and say there will be fans who will boo the team, we know that.

“But when the level of abuse that he received from some quarters of the stands becomes personal, it’s really tough to take.

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“I met him last night, we had a couple of hours together. It’s hard to watch someone who’s so passionate about the job and the club to be where he is just now.”

Frail says fans need to be realistic about where Motherwell are, with the budget they control.

He said: “As players, coaches and managers, we know what football is, but I have to be honest – I’ve not seen a player get any better with an isolated shout or a boo from the stands, because they’re human beings at the end of the day.

“When things are going well and the fans are happy, it’s a great place to play, especially at home.

“I remember one game at the start of the really poor run last season, we lost to St Mirren out here and the players got a standing ovation, they actually walked round the stadium.

“The level of performance, the fans could see that. The result didn’t go our way, but that’s what you want from your fans – and I would say the majority of the fans at this club are like that.

“But I heard isolated shouts, and it’s not nice. I can go home and put it to bed, but as the manager you need to carry that, and I thought he carried it with a lot of dignity.

“The fans pay their money. They come in the door and they support the team. Yeah, they’ve got a right to question things.

“We didn’t come in after a defeat or a poor performance at the weekend saying ‘that was great’, we were striving every day as a staff, led by the manager.

“The performances, recently, we know weren’t good enough, but in the last home game here we got a result against Aberdeen.

“Aberdeen are on a poor run, but they still have players that we can only dream about, in terms of budget-size, so the players still had to go out and perform.

“Fifth, where we are with the budget, I think is fantastic. We have a fantastic dressing room, in terms of a unity. They’re so tight, and they’re an honest bunch who are trying their best.

“Results and performances sometimes don’t go your way but I would urge the fans to really look at it.

“The manager’s win rate, the money that he has brought to the club with guys like Kevin van Veen leaving, Theo Bair, who came to the club for nothing, Mika Biereth who gets a loan from Arsenal, who comes here and does really well.

“I think that’s all in his favour, and his win rate has been really good.

“I hope the fans look at that and take a wee step back and think. I know there has been a lot of abuse, and I’ve read one or two things since, and he has a lot of backing.

“Rightly so, because I think it’s a brave decision from a man who has real passion for this club.”

Frail will take the team for Sunday’s clash against Celtic, having been asked by chief executive Brian Caldwell to do so.

He said: “Brian has asked me to prepare the team and take it into Sunday, which will be a massive game for the players. I will do that to the best of my ability, with the rest of the staff. All the focus for myself and the staff is on the Celtic game.”