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Just out of curiosity and comparison purposes I asked a work colleague who deals with large commercial loans how much the annual servicing cost would be on a £30m capital and interest loan over 30 years. Approx £2.2m at current rates apparently.

What would make it impossible?

There are many aspects to the stay V go debate Jonesy, but for the moment I'll focus on the community argument. What community are you referring to? If we assume that Ravenscraig is the preferred location, a site would be approximately 1Km from Fir Park, as the crow flies. Thats about the same distance from Fir Park to Asda, and considerably less than the distance to Forgewood. So, it wouldn't be a huge move distance wise. Motherwell is a strange settlement geographically as its part of a wider conurbation including Wishaw, Newmains, Craigneuk, Netherton, Cambusnethan, Newarthill and now Ravenscraig. Indeed it used to be part of the Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw. The only similar places I can think of are Stoke on Trent and Levenmouth. Remove the placename signs and visitors would have difficulty in knowing exactly where they were. In short, how do we define a settlement? Over the years, Motherwell and satellite settlements have changed dramatically and evolved and must continue to do so or they will die. It needs to be conserved not preserved. My own family originally lived in Logan’s Rows then moved a short distance to Forgewood Road. Post WW1 they moved to Netherton and split to various places like Knowetop, Pather, and outside Lanarkshire. They began supporting MFC when we located at the Roman Road ground and continued when we moved to Fir Park. In microcosm that’s how a community evolves. Like it or not, Ravenscraig is just a modern version of Netherton, Pather, Gowkthrapple Coltness etc, which all developed post WW1. A lot of big Ifs in this discussion, but if we ever do move to the likes Ravenscraig, it wouldn’t be ripping the community apart.

I'd wager £20-30M for a 12,000 seat stadium but I'm no expert.

Whatever route we go, we won’t be able to fund it ourselves. What are our options for funding a major renovation or new stadium? Looking at minimum 50M perhaps closer to 100M for new build. Not sure that major renovation would be much cheaper. New build you could still play at Fir park during building amd no effect on crowd size. Playing at Fir Park during major renovation coukd be a nightmare or not even possible.

I think he is likely peak value in the summer. 23/24 year old. Couple of years on the contract. Stonker of a season for club & country. Good pedigree at academy level to suggest not a flash in the pan. Reckon we get more in the summer than we were offered in January. I like the guy but it will be time to cash that chip in. Hopefully we keep Just for another season though!

Last time we won 4 or more league games in a row was Feb 2019 when we achieved 6 wins in a row under Robinson. So, not an easy task ahead on Saturday. However, taking the game purely by itself, the team is more than capable of picking up 3 points but I’m sure we will have to play well to get them. Hope we get Johnny K back soon as it just gives us more coverage and flexibility in defence. Going to need all hands on deck for the last 10 games.

I'd like to know the annual maintenance costs of Fir Park. I'd wager it runs into 6 figures easily. The cost of patching up the POD doesn't bear thinking about as its long past that stage.

If he stays with us does he have another top scorer season amd is worth more and also helps bring in more money from success on the field? I have no clue how much money can be made from progressing thru each stage. I sometimes wonder how some of our ex players would have done at Fir park if they had stayed another season.

Not an expert on this debate, but is it a) build a new stadium, be skint and possible relegation , if fp sold, use money on new park? b) patch up fp as best as and use money made from this year on team? It would always be b for me , I've oversimplified it, I know but....

Talking about transport infrastructure, read this today about Everton's new stadium: Everton are asking fans to complete “experience surveys” after every home game this season. The feedback about the stadium has been overwhelmingly positive, unsurprising given the club spent approximately £800m to build one of the finest venues in Europe, and will shape changes that can be made. The main criticism in the surveys, and from the Fan Advisory Board’s meetings with the club, has centred on the transport infrastructure around Hill Dickinson Stadium.

100% will. Sydney have an option to buy in the loan allegedly so hopefully he starts smashing in goals and they buy him.

For me it is about thinking long term. Had that been the criteria under previous Boards then I doubt we would be having this conversation. And although we would have incurred major expenditure at that time (although much more local and government support would likely have been available), we would not have subsequently wasted millions papering over the cracks. And to what effect? We are now structurally in a worse condition than we were way back then. So if we do stay where we are, what exactly can be done to provide that long term sustainability and negate the ongoing draining of funds maintaining a sub standard Fir Park? The restrictions of being in a residential area, limiting options, is something I don't see changing. Would reconstruction costs be less than actually relocating? Could reconstruction provide additional income streams? Someone highlighted that Falkirk lease their main stand from the Local Authority, whilst owning outright the other Stands. The Local Authority having use of parts of the main stand for their own use at times. That feels pretty innovative to me, and a way of reducing initial expenditure as I assume the LA bore the cost of the construction of that main stand? Could Lanarkshire provide similar support, perhaps with an option for the Club to buy further down the line? Could car park income fund help fund that outlay over time? At least we are now looking at how to move forward and no longer burying our heads in the sand. Well done to the Board for seeking solutions.

Id take SOD over Ralston right now. I think both players have their limitations at international level but at least SODs is getting plenty gametime this season. Ralston barely features at Celtic these days with Arajo and Donovan ahead of him. When Johnston comes back he will be even further down the pecking order.

There seems to be a bit of polarisation starting to appear which I dont think is helpful to the debate. Its perfectly feasible to want to move to a new site whilst pointing out the difficulties that would present. Its also perfectly feasible to want to remain at Fir Park but accepting the limitations that presents. Finances, willingness of the local authority and other outside agencies to co-operate will all be huge factors in whatever decision the club eventually make (or are able to make). What is for sure, is that doing nothing is a non starter. I think we need to accept there are no right or wrong answers/opinions in this and circumstances will dictate. Hopefully we get to see what the feasibility study says fairly quickly.

Motherwell are a business, its not their responsibility to ensure local pubs remain profitable and stay open. Motherwell need to look after their own finances. I take the point on transport.

Cant argue with that, we done it with Higdon, Bair and Miller, cashed in when their stock was high, and time proved it to be the right call, at least for the 1st two. Maswhanise is no different, hes a young developing player, already played at international level, so if an acceptable offer comes in ie over £6 million we will sell him, the same as we did with miller, with a good sell on clause.

Why should we be talking about selling Maswanhise for 4-5m, when Hibs sold Bowie for 6 million +, and he had nowhere near the number of goals. We should surely be looking at least the same if not more.

🤔 It’s parochial in its truest sense of narrow, limited, or provincial outlook, focusing only on those issues rather than broader perspectives Transport logistics being described are an issue for Ravenscraig and been there since early construction due design and bad management in an area that was the largest development site of its kind in Europe when created. Would be remiss of the club not to explore opportunities. Were the decision made to stay at Fir Park, it’s arguable it’s not the win the insular of thinking are proposing - nothing in their argument I’ve read is of major benefit to the club.

I can see that ending up as a “by mutual consent”

I don't think it's parochial to look at the investment (or lack of) in the local infrastructure in the last 25 years and have concerns about the likelihood of future spending.

Basing opposition due existing transport configuration and an unwillingness to envisage what could be, the parochial views don’t add any value to the discussion. How much redevelopment do some think is achievable at current locale? For example, footprint will never afford parking facilities. Is access likely to be improved? I’d hope feasibility study would take cognisance of the future development of the link road that will pass by the stadium as traffic flow removes the already limited crossing provision. I certainly got the impression at last years’ AGM our board hadn’t it marked for consideration. Closing statement is poor analogy in my view. Hardly ripping the club out a community and ‘decent pub incorporated and some office blocks’ for use are ideals that our board have alluded to as bridging operational gaps we experience in the here and now. Still, far too many variables even before we discuss funding which I feel is for another debate.

If we can get 4-5M for Maswanhise in the summer and that lets us keep hold of the rest of the team I'd be buzzing. The problem also is though that we market ourselves to players by telling them we'll put them in the shop window so if we start turning down bids for the likes of Just, Watt etc then we'll be left with unhappy players and most likely a new manager having to pick up the peices. Hopefully Sydney or someone else make an offer for Stama and we can shift him off the wage bill as well.

We've been putting lipstick on the pig that is the POD stand since I was a teenager and likely before that, there have been renovations/alterations/modifications done by Peter and his mates as favours to the club because they had no money, we started turning it around in the late 80's to an acceptable standard but it's a Tartarus level project that eventually will need to be demolished and rebuilt, I reckon we only have so long on that front and maybe the news is worse than my memory of putting the shit right

Hickey injured (again) so SO’Ds wouldn’t be the worst choice to, at least, provide cover in squad and maybe persuade SC to adopt a similar expansive passing game. on other hand I’m quite happy if all Well players get a chance to rest rather than play meaningless friendlies.