Butcher aims to uncork his vintage claret and amber

Whether the wine has aged well or not, Terry Butcher has no desire to discover. For the Motherwell manager, who still prefers to conduct most of his business from the assistant’s office he occupied as number two to Eric Black, the conspicuously placed bottle is a permanent reminder of the tribulations which are part and parcel of his profession.

"There’s a story behind that," Butcher informs you, almost solemnly.

The wine, it transpires, was opened by his predecessor Black following that Motherwell victory over a Hibs side in free-fall under the hapless command of Franck Sauzee. The Frenchman doubtless appreciated the fine produce of his homeland but, as he sipped from his glass that Saturday evening, little did he know his reign as Easter Road manager was about to be terminated.

The extenuating circumstances which surround Motherwell’s current position at the foot of the Premierleague, and the continuing doubt over whether there will be relegation in May, happily spare Butcher from fears of any such circumstances befalling him.

This afternoon he can momentarily forget league worries as he seeks to halt Rangers, one of the clubs with which he will forever be associated, in their pursuit of the domestic treble.

As he dreams of upsetting the Scottish Cup odds in today’s semi-final at Hampden, which pits his relatively underprivileged kids against the trophy holders’ lavishly adorned squad, Butcher is all too aware of the vagaries of management and their consequences.

He has done, it is widely recognised, a remarkable job in the most daunting of conditions with a tender group of players who have had to be fast-tracked into regular first team football regardless of their readiness for it.

If the former England captain can guide Motherwell into next month’s Scottish Cup final, it would surely be as stellar an achievement as any he enjoyed during his marvellous playing career. It would also provide him with an opportunity to finally taste success in a tournament which has tortured him for many years, both in its English and Scottish guises.

Since travelling to Wembley in 1978 as a teenage non-playing member of the Ipswich Town party when the Suffolk club shocked Arsenal to win the FA Cup for the first and only time in their history, Butcher has encountered only misery and frustration in football’s oldest domestic knock-out competitions.

"Ipswich were the team I supported as a boy, so it was a dream come true for me anyway to go and see them play in the FA Cup final at Wembley," he says, recalling the occasion with obvious fondness.

"I had played a couple of games for the first team that season in the April, at Everton and Liverpool, but I wasn’t part of the cup squad. A lot of the players were still my heroes anyway and it was just a joy to be part of it all."

Butcher pauses to recite the David Coleman commentary which accompanies Roger Osborne’s winning goal that day, a moment you suspect he has relived on video a thousand times.

"Cross comes in from Geddes, Young clears, straight to Osborne, 1-0 Ipswich!", he exclaims with a huge grin. "Brilliant. Watching that, I hoped and prayed I would be going back to Wembley myself in the seasons ahead to experience it, but it never happened.

"We had a great team then, but the FA Cup wasn’t to be for us. We lost 2-1 to Everton in the quarter-final in 1980, then in 1981 we lost in extra-time to Manchester City in the semi-final at Villa Park. I gave away the free-kick which Paul Power scored the winner from for City, and it was a horrible feeling."

Crossing the border in 1986 might have been expected to guarantee Butcher a Scottish Cup winners’ medal as he inspired the Graeme Souness-led domination the Ibrox club would exert on Scottish football. The joy of this tournament, however, is that there are no guarantees, a mantra Butcher has preached to his underdogs this week.

The 1-0 third round defeat suffered by Rangers at home to Hamilton Accies in 1987 was Butcher’s most embarrassing Scottish Cup failure, but his most painful came two years later at Hampden. Photographs of the big defender, close to tears with his head bowed against a goalpost, were one of the most powerful images of the 1989 final which saw Celtic defeat Rangers 1-0 to prevent the Ibrox club completing a treble.

"It was just a game too far for us that season," he says. "Celtic were really up for it. We didn’t play anything like we could, we had nothing left in the tank after a long hard season, but it was really hard to take missing out on the treble.

"I never won a treble with Rangers, so I know how desperate the current team will be to do it. They are an excellent team and realistically they should win the treble this season. It would be ironic if my team were the ones to stop them."

It would also allow Butcher to firmly establish his public perception as that of Motherwell manager first, ex-Rangers captain second. When Motherwell defeated Celtic at Fir Park in the Premierleague last September, Butcher went to watch Rangers play Hearts at Ibrox the following night and was greeted by home fans thanking him for taking three points from their great rivals.

Until his team repeated the achievement against Rangers on Boxing Day, Butcher had to deal with whispers that he would be unable to inspire his players to similar efforts against his former employers.

"People said at the time we beat Celtic that there was no way my team would go and do the same against Rangers," he said. "It was good we proved them wrong. I can’t change my connection with Rangers and I wouldn’t want to, but everything I do now is for Motherwell.

"The way we went about our business in those two games against Rangers and Celtic this season was exhilarating. If we could be as switched on as we were in those games, we have a chance.

"If we play well and Rangers play well, then Rangers will probably win. When Rangers play well, they will beat anyone in this country. If they are right at the top of their game at Hampden, we could be in for a torrid afternoon.

"The most frustrating thing about Motherwell is that the team have enormous ability and potential. When they are on their game, they can really play, but they have a problem rising to that level often enough.

"I know we are a match for anyone in the country if we do that, but now it’s a case of getting to that level in the most intense glare of publicity these players will ever have experienced.

"If you think about the long term picture, it’s a great experience for the players and should stand them in good stead no matter the outcome. It should make them stronger players and want to experience occasions like this again and again. I’m determined to be positive about it whatever happens. Even if we get hammered, at least we made it to a semi-final. There are nine other Premierleague teams who will be envious of us this weekend, who will be doing the shopping or gardening."

Having reached this stage by virtue of winning away to Kilmarnock, Clyde and Stranraer without conceding a goal, Motherwell have underpinned Butcher’s belief they save their best form for one-off occasions.

On Thursday this week, as he has done before all three of those previous rounds, Butcher took his squad to Luciano’s Italian restaurant in Bothwell for lunch. It’s now as much a superstition as it is a bonding session.

It’s something Butcher’s mentor, Sir Bobby Robson, did with Ipswich Town during their fabled 1981 UEFA Cup run and just one of many things he has copied from the indefatigable Newcastle United manager.

"When you look at Sir Bobby’s attitude and enthusiasm, it’s brilliant," says Butcher. "He’s one of these people who loves working with the best players but he is capable of getting the best out of any player. Some of the things I try to do here are based on what he does, in terms of motivation and man-management.

"When we go to Luciano’s, it’s like a sixth form school outing and I’m the headmaster. This has been a hard job, but it’s really enjoyable because I’ve got such a lovely group of lads to work with. It’s great to come into work every day. There are no bad apples here, no big heads or prima donnas. They all muck in."

That one-for-all spirit has been infamously costly in disciplinary terms, a fact Butcher recognises as he gazes across to the chart on his wall where black dots representing yellow and red cards pepper the columns next to each player’s name.

Five of his squad - James McFadden, Keith Lasley, David Clarkson, David Partridge and Tony Vaughan - enter today’s match knowing a caution would earn them a cup final ban should Motherwell get there.

"If you worry about that, then you will do something stupid and not perform the way you should," shrugs Butcher. "The lads are fined for bookings, but I really can’t criticise them. They have given me everything this season."

Today, he will ask them to give him just a little bit more. If they do, then Luciano’s may have another booking for the Thursday before the Scottish Cup final and the cork will remain firmly stuck in the neck of that bottle of Bordeaux for a long time to come.