He might be a QoS player now but he's still a 'Well boy.
It's a good interview but I have to argue with him "still being a Well boy". He's not, he's gone and indeed barely mentions us in that interview, it's about his international career (which is understandable to be fair).
I like James McFadden, he was and is the most exciting young player I've ever seen us produce and as a youngster in that 'administration' team as I like to call them, I loved watching him play for us and was gutted when he left for Everton, inevitable as it was. However, I never ever viewed him as a club legend, certainly not in the mould of Dougie Arnott or Phil O'Donnell who won silverware with us and gave us the best years of their careers, or a Tommy Coyne or Willie Pettigrew, who were a focal point for our teams for several years. I view James McFadden as a player who was fantastic for us as a youngster and netted us a tidy sum when we sold him, but his second, third and fourth spells with us he did next to nothing bar a three month period in 2013.
I've always said that too many Motherwell fans put James McFadden on too high a pedestal and he can do no wrong in their eyes, indeed, he seems to be bigger than the club itself in the eyes of some which of course he is not.
He was great for us 15 years ago when he was this raw, talented 19 year old with the red stripe and rat tail haircut, but those days are long, long gone and James McFadden is most definitely not a "Well boy" anymore.
He did well on his first return - he gave a wobbling team the impetus needed to secure Europe. Third spell he was a useful enough squad player but little more and by the fourth he was well truly gone sadly.
On the pitch it will be the first spell he's obviously remembered for and even if we won nothing, being the most exciting young player we've produced in decades counts for something, with the timing of it probably multiplying the effect. Anyway, legends are subjective things and for me his is boosted by what he did off the pitch, he was a perfect gent to (seemingly) every fan who ever met him, the relationship he developed with the disabled lad who watched from the enclosure, being member number one of the Well Society (with the financial contribution to match) etc.
He's absolutely not bigger than the club but if he considers himself a 'Well boy I can't see why anyone would possibly object.