David

Watch the game and see.

What conclusion?

Wells is a winger and Stuparevic is a striker (or potential second striker). Halliday made perfect sense. You might not like the guy, but as a replacement it's fine.

We're already playing with two up front. Paton is...fine... for now. It's still basically pre-season. As I say above, if he's still a regular pick in this position once all our transfer business is concluded I'll be worried. Until then, it's about bedding in new players, getting everyone up to speed and getting through the group.

We're playing with two up front today, so doesn't that represent a change from "plan A" in itself? Paton is there because we have little by way of options in that area at the moment. it's still only July. If the window closes and he's still there? then I'll be annoyed.

Who would you have replaced Paton with?

For those who don't like the current offering, there's these two crackers on the website as well...

Maybe the club will put away some money to cover us for the infamous "10th place finish and no cup run" that has lots of people on socials ready to press the panic button and hand control to Hollywood Erik.

Went with Balmer. I would have gone with young Dylan Wells if he'd gotten more game time today, he was everywhere. Still a bit rough around the edges, but he has some qualities that suggest with time and coaching he could be a good little player. Nice debut from Balmer. Looks solid at the back, and I think he'll be a threat at set pieces.

Pretty standard stuff for this early in the season really, so no surprises there. I'm quite impressed by young Dylan Wells. He's looked good so far this game. Balmer looks good at the back and a threat at set pieces.

I've long said that Kettlewell is an underrated manager. He's still relatively young in the profession, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him go on to carve a very good career out for himself at a higher level either domestically or down south.

If he has pulled the offer i'm sure we'll be hearing all about how the Well society "scared away" an investor.

Considering what Kettlewell has done with Bair and also Moses of late, i'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

It matters not a jot where Miller plays. If you don't think our team, and specifically our midfield, is being built around him you're deluded. The team certainly isn't being built around Harry Paton.

The past eight years he's been employed by Netflix to head up production and distribution of international streaming content for the platform. He's experienced and connected in the streaming media world for sure. If we want to make a docuseries on our club, he's certainly the guy we should be working with. When it comes to actually running a business on the level of a multi-million pound football club on another continent? And dealing with the various aspects of that business that being a major investor and Chairman would entail? I think he's vastly underqualified.

Aside from Wild Sheep sports, which is a small media distribution company, he doesn't own anything. He's someone who's very skilled in media, and has worked as an employee at Netflix. He's not a serial entrepreneur or investor of note.

A few things worth bearing in mind as we all get set to vote: The vote is about accepting the Barmacks offer, NOT choosing between the Barmacks offer and the Well Society offer. If we vote against the Barmacks offer, it DOESN'T mean we have to stick with the Society plan. We can still seek other investments. Some people are not impressed with either offer. That's okay. We can reject the Barmacks offer, continue as we are, and look for new opportunities. If we vote to accept the Barmacks offer, that's final. We WON'T have another chance to bring in new investment later. We only get to sell half the club once.

I’ve heard that we've only surpassed the agreed profit threshold on rare occasions, like during cup finals and similar events.

No matter where you stand on the matter, the figures speak for themselves – the new kit is an undeniable success. Could a few minor tweaks to last year's kit have achieved the same impressive sales numbers? Highly unlikely. If only the club itself reaped the rewards from these sales...

There's always the option of supporting the team, but now treating it like any other fan of a team with a "millionaire" owner. You pay for your ticket, for your merchandise or whatever, and you leave the rest of the financial outlay to the people with the money. That's what I'll be doing. I won't be funding the Barmack's side project. I have a feeling that the Well Society moving forward, if the proposal from Barmack is accepted, will need a total rehaul. The current board, and the people who helped put together the new proposal, likely won't be involved. Let's hope that there's some savvy, committed individuals among the Facebook/X ranks who are ready to step up and get involved if they get what they want.

Glad to hear!

He won't. but one of his associates most likely will at least sound you out.

Oh aye, his idea of growing the fanbase in America is mental. I'm not sure why he thinks there would be an appeal there for watching a game like the one you describe at 10am on a Saturday morning if you're on the east coast, or even worse at 7am if you're on the west coast. Any US-based football fan is already catered to with wall to wall English Premier League coverage (where every single game is available live, even 3pm kick offs), and there's the growing MLS for fans who wish to get a more local and live feel to their "soccer." That's on top of the fact that in the US football is competing with NFL, NBA, and MLB for sports fan eyeballs.

There are elements of marketing, AI and improved branding that can help the club. It's foolish to believe otherwise. It's not the 80's or 90's anymore, and what we're doing at the moment needs to be augmented by new technologies and ideas. But, the important point is that such technologies need to be used to complement the core business and community aspect of the club, not replace it. Which is what Barmack is proposing, even if he's paying lip service to the core qualities at the heart of our club. I firmly believe that the Well Society plan will allow for those global relationships that benefit the club and community as a whole, while retaining what makes Motherwell what it is.

Another thing worth considering is that much of what Wild Sheep Sports is offering can be achieved under the new Well Society proposal. The Well Society can secure the clubs financial independence by diversifying and creating dependable revenue streams. This involves forging strategic partnerships with businesses (both local and international) that align with the club’s goals, such as technology firms, health tech companies, and local enterprises. These collaborations will fund infrastructure enhancements, initiate new revenue-generating projects, and ensure the club's financial health, all while maintaining fan ownership. Crafting a robust content and media strategy to unlock additional commercial opportunities isn't rocket science, and is well within the Well Society’s capabilities. The Society can outline a detailed media plan that includes producing a docuseries, enriching online content, and partnering with media outlets to extend the club’s reach. These initiatives will generate new revenue streams and build a larger, more engaged fan base. The only difference is that the Society's plan would incentivise any potential partner to make a success of the docuseries, because if they don't do a good job, they won't get paid at the end. Another strategic area the Well Society can address independently is improving operational systems. By integrating season ticket sales, online marketing, e-commerce, and Well Society memberships into a unified, updated database, the Society can streamline operations and enhance membership accessibility. This integration will boost efficiency and enable more targeted marketing and engagement efforts. Investing in community and youth initiatives is a cornerstone of the Well Society's strategic plan that Barmack simply cannot replicate. The Society can cultivate a sustainable talent pipeline and reinforce the club’s role as a community pillar by enhancing existing community programmes and launching new initiatives centred on health, education, and football training. These efforts will strengthen community ties and foster long-term loyalty. Central to the Well Society's philosophy is maintaining the fan ownership model. The Society can ensure that fan ownership remains at the heart of the club’s governance by promoting transparency, accountability, and community involvement. This approach will preserve the club’s values and traditions while steering its future success. The Well Society can also manage the enhancement of the club’s infrastructure, such as modernising Fir Park and improving training facilities. By prioritising these projects and securing funding through strategic partnerships and community support, the Society can significantly elevate the club’s operational capabilities and overall fan experience. Additionally, the Well Society can independently pursue commercial partnerships and sponsorships, which includes opportunities for stadium naming rights and integrated sponsorship deals with partners. The only difference is that such deals will be struck based upon the viewpoints and interests of the wider fanbase and not just the aims of one group. Basically, the Well Society can independently execute many elements of the Wild Sheep Sports plan. By focusing on financial independence, global presence, media strategy, operational improvements, community engagement, and technological innovation, the Well Society can drive Motherwell FC's long-term success while keeping fan ownership at its core. There's absolutely nothing in the Wild Sheep sports offer that warrants what they're asking for in return.