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There's a few details I think it's worth adding to this, particularly given some folks' concerns (on here and on P&B) re: asset stripping etc. The two bids that are furthest forward are: An American who "made his money in streaming" and now owns his own documentary company. His vision/strategy is to increase global exposure of the club and increase opportunities for further sponsorship, growing the fan-base and generating other revenue streams. An Aus/USA/Middle East group who are primarily looking to transform the recruitment side of the club and use more advanced data analytics, machine learning etc. to bring in players across the age-groups of the club to create a culture, style of playing etc. and sell them on for profit. Both parties have spoken with both the Club and Well Society Boards and at least one did it in person from what I picked up, although both may well have. Neither of the bids are philanthropic; they will be looking to make a return on their investment via their own business plans and strategy The investment will be made by buying shares, not in loans (like Hutchinson) or other guarantees that can be secured against the club; however these might be a special category of share that allows them to take some % of profits etc. (I missed the name of these) The share purchases will not be instant, nor will the investment be "transformational" straight away; one bid is proposing the WS go down to "around 50%" and another is wanting a controlling stake, but the % was not mentioned One of the groups would be looking to appoint their own CEO; "someone who played for Benfica and is running an Australian club" was mentioned (based on a quick Google, I believe that's this chap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaz_Patafta) Transfer fees recouped for players will remain within the club (I'm not sure how that will work with the second investor I mentioned; perhaps through their specific type of shares they'll be able to share profit rather than taking away directly from transfer fees) One of the reasons for the urgency/speed around this is that one of the parties wants to be involved in planning for next season; both are looking for exclusive negotiating positions There is still a long way to go with negotiations, analysis of club finances by parties, addition of potential clauses etc. still need to take place which will then result in a final offer The interested parties might come back based on the results of any vote of the WS membership and accept that a 51/49 split with WS retaining ownership could work for them and that would be part of their heads of terms/initial agreement with the club There is potential to negotiate with investors clauses etc. in the final proposal(s) that would allow the Well Society first refusal on any investor's shareholding, in the event they wish to sell their stake in the club so the club would return to being fan owned, should the Society have the necessary funds to purchase the shareholding Equally, a "No" from the WS re: the red line on majority fan ownership could will be enough for the two current front runners to back out In total there were 4/5 "serious" groups (of 8 who expressed interest) looking to invest in the club; I asked how those were progressing and the simple answer was "not as quickly as these two". At least on of the other parties are investing in other areas of sport (a golf team in LA was mentioned) and the board are trying to get to things developed without having to use a corporate finance consultant as far as possible. Another is an American who Derek Weir had spoken with, who was interested in developing an academy system in the US for developing players but not much more was said on that one. The Chairman did state last night that if this is something which does progress forward, he would absolutely propose bringing in experts in corporate finance to ensure nothing is missed in the minutiae that could come back to bite us. Also, we have interviewed 3 or 4 candidates for CEO by both Club and WS Boards. The issue we have is that with potential investment and at least one group looking to appoint their own, it's a difficult spot to be in. Normally this kind of appointment and negotiations for investment would, ideally, be years apart. So we run the risk of appointing a CEO who brings their own structures and ideas, to then potentially have them removed by any investor. The Well Society have asked for the opportunity to provide a strategy/plan that means they'll be more able to continue funding the club and any shortfalls and create a business / fundraising plan of their own for the club, along the lines of the investors. I also want to point out that Derek Weir stated that was his preferred option; that the Well Society is able to provide the funding required for the club to continue before difficult decisions (i.e. slashing playing budgets etc.) need to be made. Ultimately, the Society needs to be in a position in October to tell the accounts auditors that they have the funds available to support the club for 18 months; if not, that triggers a warning to the SPFL regarding our financial situation. Also, to be absolutely clear, the Board are in no way making recommendations to shareholders or the Society to go or not go for the investment from either party. That will be decided when bids are submitted and shareholders and WS members have their vote. They are exploring all their options to ensure the financial safeguarding of the club, which is their job as Directors. As I said above, that also includes the WS continuing in its current role and increasing its input to the club. Time, however, is of the essence. I would expect WS members to be polled/asked to vote in the coming days. Exactly how that will be put across is key and it'd be interesting to see what is sent out (I'm not a WS member, I have private shares in the club).

No Status Quo option? I just hope that doesn't lead to relegation and we go Down Down!!...... sorry folks 😜😜

Thanks for this useful update Derek. I think it is important though that the Society emails all members with a short summary of what it is proposing to do. I appreciate though that facts are scant and that details might be confidential. Not everyone follows this site or P&B. Other things being equal, a Society initiative is my preferred option. The club has told its shareholders about the Society's proposal and its now time for the Society to do the same with its members. I appreciate that the 2 groups are not mutually exclusive. There does seem a lot of work for the Society to get through, according to your summary, and I just hope its achievable by October. I'll email Sally to suggest a communication be sent out to members.

An excellent summary of last night's AGM @StAndrew7, thanks for pulling that together. I just wanted to pick up on the point made about The Society having the opportunity to present it's own plan. Firstly, as some have pointed out, I think from it's inception the Society has been hugely successful but in my opinion one of our real failings has been to effectively communicate our success. I noticed a very good summary from @capt_oatson Pie & Bovril that detailed since 16/17 the fan-ownership model has been profitable; Net - £2,415,205. Our loans to the club (around 900k) have been invaluable and who knows where we'd be without that input. It's important to note that there's room for significant improvement from the Society and if we want to move forward and succeed we must acknowledge our shortcomings. On that note, I'd argue that we've simply not been good enough at is converting those members who are not paying a monthly subscription to actually stump up (if they are in a position to do so) and we've not inspired those who are currently paying to up their contributions. There's many reasons why people might not be paying a monthly subscription but the change from the original model to the current one example; some have paid their initial fee before it was move to monthly DD's and haven't paid much since. This should be an easy fix, and as @Jay has highlighted, I feel with the current re-vamped board in place we are in a much better position to do this sort of thing. On said plan, I've been really impressed and inspired by the additions to The Well Society board at the end of last year. The contributions from Amber, Sean and Phil have been excellent and I believe we're moving forward at pace. From our discussions, and I hope that other members of the Society board who contributed to this don't mind me sharing their vision, it has became clear we must explore in detail the potential of both the 'Well Society and the operations of the club to maximise revenue and to grow. Some suggestions put forward from Board members include; - Extensive market research of our fan base, cross referencing habits around tickets sales with our membership to identify potential membership growth. In turn allowing the board to develop a strategy for increasing the revenue of TWS, forecasting financial targets therefore dictating our organising strategy for future years. - Commission a study of the operational structure of the club similar to what other Scottish Clubs are doing. This will help us identify what additional roles and infrastructure are required and what financial investment would be secured for them over a set time period. A fundraising strategy can then be developed as part of a comprehensive operational strategy that ensures cohesion and shared vision throughout the club that can be collectively evaluated regularly. - Host a fact finding conference at Fir Park bringing together fan owned clubs across Europe to explore best practice, develop relationships and commercial opportunities. This alongside the ongoing work and sessions hosted by Phil Speedie should ensure a closer relationship between the Majority Shareholder and the operations of the club and I would hope that it would empower members to be more involved and bring them closer to the club and the vehicle which they are funding. By compiling the results from the above projects we can present a fully comprehensive 5-10 year strategy that will sustainably grow the revenue of the club, reduce potential financial risks and ideally ensure remain competitive on the park. The strategy should lay out the require project specific investment and infrastructure requirements and lay out a roadmap to achieve each. In my personal opinion, I believe that this work can and should be done whilst continuing to keep our options open to potential investors, providing they are credible and fit with our values. We've no doubt got a wealth of talent in our ranks that is going untapped. We've got 3,800 not only from Lanarkshire but across the Globe and we simply don't know enough about them and we don't know what each individual can bring to the table. That needs to change, and it needs to change fast, regardless of external investment or not. I've been really heartened by progress and I'd like to thank all those that have been involved it in, but there's a long way to go and I'd like as many 'Well fans to be part of that journey as possible. Regardless what the future brings, I think discussions like this are so important in highlighting how much the Club means to so many people.

Some fans often state that they think the club is being run by a bunch of amateurs, and those views are often rebuked and rightly so, but this significant failure in basic communication (deliberately or otherwise) is evidence enough to demonstrate amateur hour at its finest peak.

Agreed, thought he came across really well and as turgid and as difficult as this season has been at times, you can clearly see from his responses to questions just how much he's working with the team to improve. His comment re: Bair was particularly interesting. Essentially saying that the level of one-to-one coaching, video analysis and other development opportunities he's had at Motherwell (as well as playing opportunities) are streaks ahead of what he had at St Johnstone.

Absorbing any cost doesn’t necessarily leave us short though and is a world away from ‘can’t afford’. He has my backing also.

Announced 2 serious and credible potential investors, both would require a dilution of Well Society shareholding, Well Society Board to put to members whether this would be a red line, before we go any further. Basic summary of what became a 90 minute to and fro.

If Kettlewell was unaware his contract has been extended I would have serious concerns about him managing our team. Just been bad communication by club

It's nuts on there ... The we hate Kettlewell club. Most people on that page don't sound like they support the club at all .. but they probably do. Facebook is just weird full stop at times

Luckily for you it’s only 3 years 11 months

On a scale of 1 is saying our colors are red and yellow, to 10 being murder, what did Jili do?

Criticism is easy just type in a few words n there you go, 40 years ago it was a letter to the board and no-one else saw it, now everyone has their opinions aired to the world. Good or bad who knows . What a thankless job these guys have on the board. Everyone has an opinion with no repercussions. But they need to back up their opinions with actions and be held accountable for them . Full respect for them standing up and be counted . Football has changed massively over the last 40 years, bureaucracy went mad and money mad with it.

His is the first name on the Celtic team sheet. Cheat.

Re unfair criticism, who wouldn't be hacked off especially when it's coming from people with no business experience...maybe the communication could've been better but football has changed so much, burnout must come at some stage.

and on and on we go COYW

The club made a mistake with the communication, they have now rectified it, we move on

I think you've hit the nail there; it's just poor communication, which has become the (relative) standard over the last few years. Ever diminishing staff taking up dual roles means details like that, albeit in this case quite a big one, will be missed. From the discussions last night it was a hold up their hands moment and acknowledging it wasn't great and that it would be rectified.

Firstly, thanks StAndrew7 for the excellent summary. Some very good discussion across on P & B. The issue of club ownership/investment is huge and I don't know if everyone has fully grasped the enormity of that yet. If they haven't they soon will do. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not against a new/owner or partial owner. For me, the devil will be in the detail. We have to guard against a ruthless rogue owner whio would be in it for purely selfish reasons. That said, any new investor owner would want to have a substanital say in the running of the club, or even control. Thats perfectly understandable. Every member of the Society will be entitled to a say and vote on the situation, if it gets that far. So, think about that. I just wonder about the position of the other 2 or 3 groups who haven't progressed their interest quite so far? I think change is inevitable, but it has to be on our terms. To those who advocate no change at all, I'd say "If we get relegated, and it might happen anyway, how would the fanbase react if we were to be stuck in the Championship for a good few years?" Jay sets out the situation in a fair and democratic way on P & B. There is a wide range of possible views and none is right and none is wrong. They reflect our own lives and characters. On a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being no change and 10 being an open arms welcome to any new investor, I'd place myself at about a 6 or 7. I'm open to new investment but not at any cost. The bottom line though is doing nothing, Asquith style, is not an option. The world is changing; football is changing and there's no time or room for ostrich impersonations.

1 year since SK took over PL 47.......W 18. D 15. L 14 I know folk will disagree but actually that isn't too bad a record. Yes grounds for improvement required but overall is doing a decent job and I feel learning from his mistakes. Time will tell obviously but also he seems to have players and staff wanting to play for him which makes such a difference as anyone that saw Ross Co a fortnight ago would confirm. COYW

Great post mate - just wanted to reiterate this point. There's essentially no status quo option, there's the two investment options as well as the Society undertaking its own study & producing its own strategy, while simultaneously rolling out workstreams to target five key areas (communications, fundraising, membership, governance & events - more information should be shared with members in tomorrow's newsletter). I think we can all agree that there's a ceiling to the kind of growth & income the Society can generate, and what that is is clearly open to debate, but there is a refreshed desire to seriously looking at reaching that ceiling going forward, and, thanks to the board's renewed makeup, there's a majority of folk on there now keen to make sure that happens.

I think most can see the improvement with Bair. The goal he scores against Aberdeen was the perfect example. He just wasnt getting in those positions in previous games to take advantage of the quality of ball Gent was putting in. Clearly work done there and although not the finished article by a long shot, you can see a serviceable striker now. Id also like to see them work a bit on how to use his physicality. He is a huge man and defenders really shouldnt be getting any change out of him in one to one duels. If he adds that to his game on top of the improved movement we might have a saleable asset.

Echo what I'm sure everyone feels. StAndrew7 what a great post. There will be different opinions for sure . Initial reaction from myself is WS retain a position with the professionals from Aus doing their stuff seems a win win. Early stages obviously but a club our size needs to use analysis more as was spoken about in great detail by David on another post which was a really interesting read. Smaller clubs in leagues all over Europe use these stats and are giving the big boys a fright.

To be fair to Kelly, he didnt make any real mistakes against Hearts. There were a few nervous moments and his distribution was still poor, but he couldnt do much about the goals in my opinion. He may well play his way out of the poor form he has been in. None of us really no how good Oxborough is so it would be a huge risk to throw him in against Celtic. The centre half issue is a connundrum that we clearly havent solved. Mugabi has been better of late (he tends to be after a run of games) but there is always a mistake in him under pressure and you would think Celtic will exploit that. Butcher has been injured all season and not had any run of games to get any sort of match sharpness back. Not sure this is the game I would bring him back for. Casey, not been much better than Mugabi this season. Does well for the most part then loses concentration and drops his man quite a bit. For me its McGinn and any one from those 3. The reason Ive gone for Blaney is that he is naturally left sided and more confortable with the ball at his feet than the others. He has also made mistakes at times, but he is still quite inexperienced at this level and I fancy he has the most chance of progressing into a sellable asset. All that said, you could make a case for any of the above. McGinn is the most solid and the only one Id say is nailed on.

StAndrew7 Fantastic, comprehensive, and accurate update, you must have shorthand writing skills!

StAndrew7 thanks for the comprehensive update. Much appreciated.

I think folks should draw the conclusion by the word 'sinister' and the fact no one that knows or thinks they know is prepared to put on record in a forum exactly what it is, that it is a non football related matter that left the club with no choice.

I would hope not. We should, in principle, be open to any good choices the help ensure the future of MFC.

For me, it's not the fact that players and the manager have extension clauses written into their contracts that can be and have been triggered, it's that the extensions haven't been communicated once triggered. No wonder fans are continually annoyed by the club. It's happened with SOD and Kettlewell, and probably others, and will likely happen with Obika now as well. I think it's reasonable to say that fans shouldn't have to wait until AGMs for this basic information to be communicated to them.

It seems like he needs the wee calf.

Are you suggesting trying to form some sort of a striking partnership between Bair and Vale? Such a radical notion will never catch on.

You have gone all guns blazing here without knowing the circumstances. Does it occur to you that the club using the phrase "personal reasons" might suggest it might not be for football reasons? It might be but equally there may be a family issue that has developed which is none of our business. This might have been a mistake by the club but to go all out and criticise the club automatically without any knowledge of the situation (knowledge that we're not entitled to), seems like looking for an excuse to have a go...

Apparently Willie Collum is referee for this one. As if Sunday wasn’t going to be hard enough. He was the referee the last time Celtic were here was he not? And of course he rescued a point for them when he awarded McGregor’s dive in 2017.