dennyc

I think you are spot on. The potential loss of revenue from 500 seats was the issue for the Board. And saying that the loss of those seats would have displaced fans to other Stands is a flawed attempt to justify their decision. They wished to maximise income from European ties by retaining 3000+ seats in the POD. Some might see that financial reasoning as justification. I doubt those affected think that way though. And the figures presented don't add up. The loss off those 500 seats would leave a capacity of over 2500 which is surely more than enough to cater for all current POD season ticket holders. Given the number of unoccupied seats in the wings and the tickets available for purchase for league matches that seems a reasonable conclusion. Folk might not have been seated in the exact location as they are at present but moving a few meters up or down/right or left would have been preferable to what we now have. In my opinion anyway. And consultation could easily have taken place as the possibility of European qualification was known for months before season end. The Club made a poor decision which badly affected many long term, committed fans. Now Brian is circling the wagons to justify that poor decision. That will come back to haunt him when/if someone gets badly injured. Meantime keep handing in any broken seats to the Director's Box.

In fairness, in response to my E-Mail, a Society Board Official did contact me on the Monday before the Freiburg game. But really only to confirm that the many complaints they had received had been passed to Brian. Although there was an acknowledgement of an issue it did not feel like the Society were prepared to challenge Brian on our behalf. When pushed, the background and justification presented for the 'improvements' was almost identical to the Statement from Brian. Practically word for word in fact. Read into that what you will. It was suggested that if I was unhappy I could move elsewhere, failing to recognise that I have sat in the POD for years and gotten to know the folk around me. Part of the match day enjoyment. I seriously doubt the WS intend to get involved. What Brian says goes. I get nothing can likely be done whilst home games are coming thick and fast but a promise that solutions would be investigated with a view to work being undertaken at season end following consultation with those affected would at least have shown some respect for fans' concerns. That statement does nothing of the kind.

Perhaps the reason that Sydney did not pick him up was because MFC (quite rightly) were looking to recoup some of the fee they paid initially. If it reaches the stage that he can leave for free I am sure he will have plenty of takers from his homeland. And I would not be surprised if that is sooner rather than later. Maybe not contributing lots of goals but he featured in almost every game and helped Sydney reach the season ending League play off final against Auckland. JGR was CB for Auckland.

Exactly. No admission that the seating is not fit for purpose and is a hazard. If it was thoroughly tested then why are seats breaking? Why are folk falling over as they attempt to get to their seats? etc etc etc No intention whatsoever of rectifying the mistake. Their own figures show there is plenty of room in the POD for all existing season ticket holders even if the capacity is reduced. Sure some movement would happen but not as dramatic as suggested. The threat of fans being displaced to other Stands is just a poor attempt at justification and to make those responsible the good guys. A whitewash and as you say a GIRFUY. They blew it and are not big enough to accept it.

I think Whyte is first team ready now and shows a composure beyond his years. But how to fit him in as a starter? I'm not sure loaning him out again would actually benefit him or us. For me he should stay with us and feature more and more, even if we fight off the supposed interest in Fadinger. Vogt is a dilemma. No doubt he has ability but in my opinion needs to learn the game, increase his work rate and toughen up for what faces him in Scottish football. Not a lost cause and could return from a spell in the lower leagues a much more developed player. Stama I think is at the end of his time with us. For whatever reason it has not worked out as we had all hoped. Injury, attitude, luck or home sickness? Who knows? Possibly a mixture of all. I would be delighted if he could turn things round but I doubt it. I can see him being released in time for the Australian season which starts in October.

Rangers have been involved in the JT chat for months. I'm not saying it is likely to happen but if they offered £3m I think we would sell. On his 2026 form that is a premium.

And if the player excels in year 2 we will trigger the option which increases his market value should we decide to sell when the going is good. Compared to how we are placed if a player is in the final few months of his contract and playing well. Also suggests to me that we are looking to sell players who excel towards the end of that two year period. For maximum gain.

I think we would sell to anyone if the right offer came in. That includes from Scotland. If Rangers offered 2 or 3 million for Maswanhise would we really say no? Or 1.5m plus Miovski on loan?

But sadly not what the Club have said. Appears they are reluctant to take such action and prefer to repeatedly ask very nicely for the culprits to stop. All very weak and ineffective. And having been in Helsinki I can guarantee it was not just Bois on the pitch. No mention of the beer throwing and that was not just them either, if at all.

I would think that if both Clubs requested a change then the date would be moved. Has happened with many teams in the past but both teams have to agree. Would make good sense.

Garbage . The entire team needs a break. Your phobia for all things Europe is showing.

I Know for a fact that that you are not the only one that has contacted the WS. All very 'Pass the buck', sadly. Gives the impression they don't want to rock the boat by themselves raising the issue on behalf of Members.

Have you had any reply from either?

And still silence from the Club and Society. Guy in front of me raised the Health and Safety aspect with them. No response. Hell mend them if someone who gets injured sues the arse off them. Plenty of evidence to prove they were made aware of the dangers.

If we can consistently increase the quality on the bench and challenging for the bench that will strengthen our squad depth. So over all we end up with a stronger squad of, say, 25. It will also challenge the players who are first choice. Even allowing for injuries, Sunday demonstrated that there is room for improvement. Using your numbers ranking, if a player proves incapable of increasing from 22 then surely we identify a replacement that is capable in time of that rise. And if a player is content to remain at number 22 is that really the mindset we should accept? I don't expect every one of the 25 to immediately be the same quality of those starting. But that should be their objective. We need to see progress. Those players at the 'lower level' must improve over time to keep their place in the production line. If we can fill that production line from within then all the better. In the same way that turnover is seen in the starting eleven, it should be seen in those who are waiting in the wings. It is tough on those that fall by the wayside. I get that. But better they play at a level which matches their ability and/or ambition than finding themselves out of their depth and suffering mentally as well as physically.

The point is that the KMI panel highlights outcomes, even if they have no official capacity. In that way the spotlight remains on repeated errors (or otherwise) that referees and var make. In England that transparency is seen as a good thing, a positive in fact. In Scotland the SFA see transparency as an embarrassment, a dissention. So they shut it down. It's what Dictators do. (As I believe many who live in the USA are now experiencing first hand). I agree it would be better if such panels could take direct action and include Officials. But at the very least they maintain the spotlight and address the issues that we all see.

And so it continues. A few days after the SFA scrap the KMI panel because it was embarrassing our wonderful referees, the FA in England announce they will publish full details of their own KMI panel decisions.......in an effort to be more transparent and give fans a better perspective of how decisions were arrived at. The corruption up here is beyond belief. It's about time our clubs united, said enough is enough, and tore the system down. Sadly unlikely given who pulls the strings up here..

The perspective is that one or two are clearly not good enough for the top division despite having been given the recognised route and support to build their career. Not based solely on Sunday but also based on the past two seasons. They have not developed as we all had hoped. Sadly that happens all too often within every club. But for a number of reasons they are what we have at the moment and that's not their fault. More generally, at what age and after how many games does a player stop being regarded as a youngster? When should we reasonably expect to see progress? I think it was you who highlighted that Wilson has played over 100 senior games. Many of those games surrounded by senior players within an established line up. Add some Under 21 International appearances in 2024. Numerous coaches They are all doing their best and that effort is appreciated. For their own good I believe it would be better if they moved elsewhere.....loan meantime or straight transfer. It was painful seeing how much they struggled on Sunday. To be clear, I am not blaming any of those youngsters for the loss on Sunday. I don't think any senior Motherwell player came off that park thinking they had done themselves justice. I am just saying there comes a time to identify when a player is not up to the standard we require. That does not mean a player....youngster or otherwise.... does not have a future elsewhere

The issue is not with rotation but with the quality of player AJ has in reserve. That's not his fault and he is not going to hide behind that excuse. It takes a lot longer than a few weeks to build the quality of squad depth we require if we are to continue to mix it with the big boys. A run of injuries is another hurdle to overcome. And less easy to predict. On Sunday we were dependent upon Wilson and Ross who did not progress when loaned to lower league clubs and struggled to secure a starting position at Raith or Annan respectively. And they have shown next to nothing since returning to Fir Park. Harsh for some, but realistic. For some reason, misguided loyalty or financial reasons perhaps, their contracts were extended. That error came home to roost yesterday. They were out of their depth......against Stenhousemuir. It affected the whole team. Sadly, the whole experience may well have damaged them. Booth and Mcallister are at a different stage of their careers and may develop given the patience and Loan experience afforded to the two mentioned above. Time enough for them yet. Connolly did just fine and is a decent back up. Although at an early stage, Whyte has clearly benefited and matured from his time at Stenhousemuir. His appearances this season reflect that progress. Whether he turns out to be the next Turnbull or Miller time will tell but early signs are promising. Contrasting his progress with that of Wilson and Ross is very telling. Same path. Different outcome. Different quality. I really don't know what to make of Vogt. Given the other excellent signings our recruitment team have uncovered I cannot believe how little he has contributed so far. Flashes at best. At times he looks lost. At other times terrified. Hopefully we see soon the abilities that encouraged us to sign him. Gutted at losing to Stenhousemuir but not that surprised. The match played out as I feared believing that considerable rotation would be a huge factor. Not sure what other options AJ had. I really don't think he chose one cup over the other but rather decided to protect as many players as he could. Had he given up on the League Cup as many suggest, why then risk the players he did second half? When we qualify for Europe next season we will be in a much stronger position to compete on all fronts. With greater depth and hopefully less injuries. It is actually amazing how well we have started this season.

Hope you have more luck than I did. No response whatsoever.

The sad thing is that the Board are now well aware of the issues but have remained silent. Looks like they are adopting the old ostrich trick of burying their heads in the sand hoping the problem will disappear. That applies to both Boards. So much for being fan orientated. When someone eventually gets injured they might show an interest. Or maybe not.

Nah, Bob Malcolm

There was also a through pass that split the centre backs and just eluded two players bursting in behind. Given time those attackers will know what he is capable of and react a split second earlier and so make the most of his vision.

Hilarious last night at end of game. Guy in front of me on stairs was carrying his seat and handed it into the Director's box on way out. From what I saw it was held in place by one giant screw which had come loose. Maybe we should all try that. Never got a chance to ask him what the reaction was.

And this shows me you haven't got a clue what I'm saying. I thought I was very clear but my bad if not. Where did I say we should have a squad of 13? Where did I say anyone not up to Turnbull etc standard should be shipped out? Where did I say anyone not first team ready should be moved on? Where did I say players should not be given time to reach a standard? What I did say, and I'll repeat it in the hope you get it, is that we should always be looking to upgrade where possible, from within or by recruitment. And that applies across the board, the entire squad which at last count was way more than 13. As for Wilson, I haven't counted the number of games he has had. But if your figure of 100 is correct then the progress he has made in that time is disappointing. In truth he was a better player when he first broke through. In my opinion he has regressed but you are entitled to disagree as you clearly do.