Stephen O'Donnell has warned Scottish football is on a “slippery slope” after revealing Stuart Kettlewell was the third Motherwell boss to stand down after receiving abuse.

The Fir Park vice captain admits the manager's departure has rocked the entire dressing room and says it has made a tough season even tougher. Kettlewell’s bombshell decision on Monday came after a second consecutive defeat at St Johnstone last weekend led to abuse heading his way which reduced members of his family to tears and saw others leaving the game early.

O’Donnell says that should never be the case - and revealed previous managers Graham Alexander and Stephen Robinson had also suffered similar unacceptable levels of flak. He said: “It’s right to bring attention to it. I think it's been going on for a long time. Graham Alexander had similar abuse. And I think a wee bit of Stephen Robinson as well when I first came in. I think it's sad. In football, we don't want to be thought of as that sort of environment. We want to be an environment that welcomes. Whenever managers think they maybe shouldn't bring their family to games that's a real sad state of affairs.

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“I understand frustration, I understand some abuse. But there is a line, and for Scottish football, for football as a whole, it's disappointing. We're trying to be inclusive. Without respecting our own manager and our own players, I think it becomes a slippery slope.”

Motherwell fans targeted Kettlewell after a run of one win in nine games for his injury-hit side. The style of football has also been questioned. Former Scotland international O’Donnell accepts fans have a right to boo - but says anything beyond that oversteps the mark.

He said: “The boos resonate enough. When boos come, you know what's coming as a player, as a manager, you know this is not a good position, we need to get our finger out. And to go personal towards managers, towards players, becomes, as I said, a slippery slope.

“As players, we're used to it, you kind of need to deal with that. Managers will as well, but what's just sad is that your family don't necessarily sign up for that. You then need to question, are you being selfish being in the role? That's obviously what the manager’s thought. I totally get that. I love my family, and if that was my children and my wife, I can only imagine.

“Family needs to come first, and I hope everyone in the stand expects that. And maybe, as I said, it's certainly something that would be nice if we could maybe change to the point that it's a more understanding environment.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, O’Donnell added: “We know that the results haven't been good enough, or the performances haven't been good enough, and I think collectively we've all taken responsibility for that. But maybe we just didn't realise the kind of strain that was getting put on the manager. I'm just really shocked and disappointed that it was to the level that it was, that has made him think that it's best for him to step away.

“I totally respect his decision. I’ve been there, where a manager leaving has been a sigh of relief, and that certainly isn't the case. The club was in a far better place now than what it was when he came in, and just shocked, personally disappointed, I enjoyed working with him. It’s been a real tough season, and it's certainly been made tougher now with what's happened.”