Malpas was disappointed by the crowd reaction at Fir Park

"They can boo me all they like but they won't get rid of me that way," he said.

"I'm thick-skinned and there is no chance of me walking away. I felt the team needed support. I thought we had better supporters than that."

On the match, he added: "We went to bits when they came back into it. One or two players just didn't fancy it."

Interview: Motherwell manager Maurice Malpas

Motherwell went into the game needing a point to ensure their SPL safety but, despite throwing away a two-goal lead, Dunfermline's defeat let them off the hook.

"We should have run out comfortable winners at 2-0 up," added Malpas.

"St Mirren came back into it and gave us a big problem and we got a bad reaction from the crowd, which I find personally disappointing."

Malpas went on to criticise the timing of news about the takeover talks owner John Boyle has held with Lanarkshire businessman Tommy Coakley.

"It has been a difficult week," Malpas said. "Speculation about the takeover I think gave the fans something to gripe about.

"I think a lot of people have been thinking of a clean sweep of the directors and myself."