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It's not about the location, although transport etc. is important. It's about the quality of the new facilities. Do we want what Falkirk, St Mirren or St Johnstone have? Even that would be a stretch financially, but I find it pretty uninspiring - probably the opposite of a Luddite, as I'd want something more modern, hi-tech and sustainable.

Thats it for me Allan. I get the attachment and sentimentality argument but for me its outweighed by other more practical considerations. If the Directors decide against moving for well thought out and researched financial reasons then I can accept that. However, as you say, we have 2 stands that simply aren't fit for purpose. The East Stand has a poor view due to its low angle and is simply a covered shed and it has poor access from one end only. Kiosk siting is far from ideal. I guess that the only way that stand could be refurbished satisfactorily would be to extend it into Knowetop School playground. Thats not going to happen anytime soon. The POD Stand was contructed over 60 years ago and is way past its sell by date. Refurbishment would represent a sticking plaster job. Catering and hospitality facilites are totally inadequate. We're also having to maintain an external structural framework which has no practical purpose whatsoever. As for seating, both ends are simply seats bolted onto benches and I think I'm right in saying that they don't meet European competition standards. Kiosk and toilet facilities are medieval, but more importantly are part of a safety issue. If the POD was to be demolished and rebuilt that woudl cause all manner of logistcal problems: loss of hospitality income temporarily; and having to accommodate current patrons elsewhere in the ground (again resulting in decreased income). In short, Fir Park is the wrong shape and too constrained. I don't think that moving to Ravenscraig would be the end of the world. Its not as if we'd be moving to Honningsvag or anywhere as remote as that. The site is being developed, albeit more slowly than originally envisaged but new facilities will come. The are has changed dramatically over the past 100 years or so and will continue to change and evolve. How many of our fans miss our old park at Roman Road for example? Anyway, its an interesting debate and personally I'm looking forward to finding out a summary of the Director's feasibility study (hopefully) and learning their conclusions.

You just stick to going to the theatre and restaurants that are safe from earthquakes and tsunamis then . I will still be taking the risk and going to the football hopefully at Fir Park. Oh and pigeons will still shite on the seats in a new stand just as much as an old one.

Agent there hopefully as Jens signs a new 5 Yr deal tomorrow!! Ahhhhhhh I wish

Nice internet debating technique. Don't want a substandard stadium build then you are a luddite. It's possible to hold two (or more) thoughts at once. I don't want a substandard new build and don't like the substandard facilities we have now. Maybe there are other options that are better, and that's why we have invested in reviewing options.

I wouldn’t suggest those against are luddites as such, perhaps overly sentimental? personally I’ve been going for well over 40 years with season tickets in East stand and now PO’D. I wasn’t born in Motherwell, have never lived there and so have no real connection to the place other than the ground itself. I was a Well fan in EK in late 70’s / 80’s while most around me were Old Firm because my dad took me to Fir Park after visiting friends in his home town, Wishaw. Maybe my lack of direct connection to the town but also having had an uncle who worked at the Craig explains why I wouldn’t be adverse to moving to the old site of the steelworks as a reasonable alternative. However I will also be perfectly happy to stay where we are and while improved facilities of all kinds would be ideal it’s not a deal breaker for me to keep being a supporter.

If we build a new stadium there then transport links poor, local businesses suffer also. I think we all have different opinions. Not wanting a new stadium doesn't make you a luddite. If a new stadium was built it would need to be unique and not the bog standard like usual new builds

I see the luddites are out in force tonight, we have two srands at Fir park that are not fit for purpose by todays standards and expectations from the paying public, bolting seats to old terracing and having people pay to sit on seats in the pod stained with pigeon crap, every 2nd or 3rd one broken, turnstyles that were modern the last time we won the league, unsafe congestion in public areas etc and people are getting teary eyed and sentimental about it, aye ok then. Would you accept sub standard and or potentially unsafe conditions in a theatre, restaurant etc, football grounds are no different.

Agreed. And if we have to build on our own, with no help or support from outside agencies, thats what we will end up with. We have done well to get control of our club and get a young enthusiastic forward looking board in place that reflects the aspirations of the support. We also have the prospect of some serious finance coming into the club by way of player trading / prize money coming soon. A good decision now sets us up for the future. A bad one can have us back scrambling around to make ends meet.

And that was just on Saturday. Looking at the form table over the last 6 games, our stats are phenomenal. 4 points better off than Hearts, 5 more than Celtic, 6 more than Rangers. More goals scored than any of them and just a single goal conceded. We're all waiting for the wheels to come off, because let's face it, we're Motherwell, and they always do. But then, I've never seen a Motherwell side or manager quite like this, so there's a first time for everything. That includes me going to Dens. Hope it's mobbed, they deserve it.

This.

Aye, Celtic is a pretty toxic environment these days, even by their standards.

Seems simple to me . Move to a soulless new stadium like all the other horrible new stadiums built in the last 30 years . Ruining the history and wiping out the legacy of our home Fir Park. Or keep the three existing new refurbished stands ,knock down the main stand and rebuild it from scratch as a modern base for a modern club to our required specifications. We have a great playing surface and three modern sides to the stadium 75% of a good stadium already in place . Obviously a lot of disruption ,planning and organisation required for this but the best one . Nowadays history and tradition seem to go for nothing in the corporate world and the sporting world.. Surely its a matter of pride that we have been at the same site for over 100 years and worth presrving. So what if you need to park in a street n walk to the ground on match day ,its all part of the matchday tradition . Everything has got to be so new , sanitised and shinny these days . You could have a stadium in the middle of no where with a carpark right next to it costing £10 to £20 park every home game and an hour to get out of after the game ,no thanks Redevelope the Main Stand for me.

Im sure if a new stadium was built at the craig, upper crust would open a 2nd outlet, or would more infrastucture be required?

Can't think of many things worse than a flat-pack effort of a stadium at that desolate Ravenscraig

Bryan Gunn, knowing each other from Norwich days. On Jens, why would he want to go there?? Needs a total rebuild, board apathetic and sections of the fans are professional victims who demand to run the club. Not a harmonious place.

Given that the pod was built long before the complex planning, and environmental rules and regulations we have now, is it realistic to expect that the pod can be demolished and rebuilt to the same size and capacity on the same footprint. For me i dont think it can be, the cooper stand was halved in size due to residents objections as it was originaly supposed to be the same as the McLean stand. For me a refurb is not an option given its wooden construction, and the difficulties that creates with saftey regulations etc and im not convinced a total rebuild would be allowed under todays regulations etc.

Rebuild, remain. It's home.

Rebuild and refurb please.

Rebuild POD stand for me. New stadium in ravenscraig a no for me, no infrastructure at all and no transport links

A new roof on the East Stand and rebuild of the Main Stain should be within financial limitations of the club. Last I read somewhere upgrading the Main Stand would be circa £2million a complete rebuild £5 million. Ayr Utd built a new stand with excellent corporate suites / Function Suite for £3 Million. However only 800 seats. Unless substantial outside investment is available a new ground would be very difficult to realise.

I very rarely post but have posted on this a few times in the distant past. I love Fir Park dearly and believe we must preserve our history and stay / redevelop if at all possible. If we leave Fir Park we will lose something we will never get back. Realistically, we would not get anything special or architecturally interesting, it would be Almondvale with different colours and a bigger away end. That is the economics. I don't know the ins and outs of course, but surely rebuilding the POD from scratch would provide a platform to modernise the stadium / facilities while addressing the worst of the problems, and though expensive would be a more manageable project than a complete move to RC?

At Austin FC opening game this afternoon. Their 25000 capacity stadium built in 2021 cost $260 million and was privately funded.

this game imo is up there with the most important of the season. It’s the game in hand we really need to win. 3 points will put us 1 behind the h#ns and potentially ahead of Celtic if they don’t win midweek. Even if they do beat Aberdeen it still keeps us really close. ive not bought a ticket yet but I will. We need a good support up there. it’s only Sunday and I feel quite nervous about it….. I’m too old for this carry on

If the best option is to re-locate then lots of avenues need to be approached before that final decision can be made. Can a supposedly cash short Local Authority assist in any way? Community Club etc etc with initiatives already in place that improve the lives of locals and lessen the burden on the LA. You would hope the LA would therefore try to find some ways to assist us. Providing the land itself as a start and then ensuring the new ground is reachable by local transport. Could MFC provide modern facilities within the ground to support the LA in their own local initiatives? How about Government ....Scottish and UK....Development Grants? I don't know if Lanarkshire was included in the UK Government's allocation of millions to assist deprived areas. Lottery funding perhaps? A major Company securing naming rights and providing up front funding? There must also be other areas way beyond my understanding. Perhaps the Feasibility Study will have addressed what is available beyond MFC? Clearly none of the above, if available, would cover the full cost. But they might just reduce the Club's commitment to a level that is bearable. My own view is that we should have moved years ago when the Economic climate was much better and LA's were in a far better situation. I still think re-locating is the best solution as we must have already spent millions just keeping Fir Park within safety requirements. Hopefully our now forward thinking Board can come up with a proposal acceptable to all of us.