David Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 The initial down payment was quite understandably a major stumbling block for a lot of people, but with the move to allow £10 per month payments with nothing down there really isn't any excuse for most people now. Don't get me wrong, a tenner is still a tenner, but it's more affordable than £300 off the bat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goggles & Flippers Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 I'm all for being cautious but a team that has performed as best of the rest consistently since since Hampden in 2011 has been nothing short of cataclysmic in cups when a decent revenue stream from them should almost be a formality. For example 2 games 9 months apart were the difference between where we currently are and that £1m operating loss over 3 years being wiped out, even more frustrating as both teams concerned were quite a few levels below us on paper. All I'm saying is by all means employ a degree of caution but don't cut our cloth so much that we're not even in a place to compete in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Looks like the Argentine Consortium has turned their attention to St Mirren. I for one am pretty glad we dodged that particular bullet. Saints fans are far from happy if recent reports are to be believed. A lack of information coming from their Board and concerns that the new South American investors want to acquire 75% of the shares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Made Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 Surprised I haven't seen this posted from last nights evening times Barrowman bows out of CappielowCollum misses next two rounds of Premiership matchesHutchison's Well takeover imminent THE deal for Les Hutchison to take control at Motherwell is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Scott MullenGroup Sports WriterWednesday 14/01/20150 CommentsSharePrintAt the start of December a memorandum of understanding was agreed between the Lanarkshire-born businessman, the club and fan group The Well Society for him to facilitate a supporter-led takeover. Hutchison was to supply his own money to take on John Boyle's majority shareholding, with funds raised through the Society within the next five years paying him back. When that amount is reached, it means fans of the Lanarkshire side who have enrolled in the scheme will then own their club. Last month Motherwell general manager Alan Burrows jetted out to Hutchison's Barbados mansion to work on the tycoon's plans for Well. And Well Society acting chairman Brian McCafferty has now revealed the takeover is close to being completed. He said: "It is now a month since it was announced that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between Les Hutchison, Motherwell FC and the Well Society. "Financial and legal due diligence is still ongoing and much work is being done to prepare for the change in ownership of the club. Significant progress has been made and we are confident the deal will be completed by the end of this month. "Like the club, the Well Society board and other volunteers are looking at how we function. Our plan is to immediately launch a new recruitment campaign when the deal is complete and also engage Well Society members more fully in the following weeks and months. "We are determined to improve the links between Motherwell FC and the fans through the Well Society." As the Society looks to recruit new members to swell its number and cash pot - the cheapest adult membership starts at £300 with a £50 annual fee going up to the most expensive at £25,000 with a £1000 sum every 12 months - they are also seeking to grow their influence within the club. While the fan group have had some input into Motherwell matters over the last few years since its inception, McCafferty admits there is room for improvement. And he has told of how the future chairman of the Society will also become the club chair based on current plans. McCafferty said: "We realise that many fans join the Well Society to be closer to the club, to know what is going on at the heart of the club, and to have their say in how the club is run. We realise that, for a number of reasons, that has not happened to anything like the extent it needs to. "Although we initially had two and then one Well Society representative on the club board, it did not mean we were necessarily always at the heart of decision-making or the information process and we did not feel we could just go ahead and share club issues with members off our own backs without the club's input. "We are now in a much better position to be able to do this: the Well Society chairperson will also be the club chair; Les Hutchison's motivation for getting involved is to facilitate fan ownership; and I have been encouraged by the way we have liaised with the club in recent months." He added: "From the work going on behind the scenes, it is clear that Les Hutchison is very committed to turning around the club's financial health with the help of the staff, the Well Society and the fans in general. Les and the board are also supporting Ian Baraclough's plans as the new manager tries to improve recent performances." ends Evening Times 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superward Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 An article on the south american consortium. Hopefully this puts to bed why we steered clear of them and went for the 'safe' or 'unambitious' option as some described it... http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/sport/football/q-a-what-can-st-mirren-fans-expect-from-south-american-owners.116192278 St Mirren look to be taking a big risk if they go ahead with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 An article on the south american consortium. Hopefully this puts to bed why we steered clear of them and went for the 'safe' or 'unambitious' option as some described it... http://www.heraldsco...wners.116192278 St Mirren look to be taking a big risk if they go ahead with them. Can you post the full article please? I can't access it. Certainly its a high risk option but fortunately we're not involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superward Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 From The Herald... Q&A: What can St Mirren fans expect from South American owners? Published on 14 January 2015 Graeme Macpherson AFTER five and half years on the market, a takeover of St Mirren is thought to be finally nearing completion. The buyers are a South American consortium led by Ricardo Pini, an Argentinian lawyer. Pini's last involvement was with the Chilean club CSD Rangers, he and his brother Sebastian taking ownership of the club, based in the city of Talca, in 2010 following an auction to take them out of bankruptcy. On their watch the club won promotion into the top division in 2011, before being relegated again last year at which point Pini relinquished his control of the club. It was a tumultuous four-year stint, full of highs and lows as well as a few moments of controversy. Herald Sport spoke to Pablo Sepulveda, a former football commentator on Chilean TV and a lifelong Rangers fan, for the lowdown on Pini and on what the St Mirren fans can expect should the takeover be completed. Q. What are your main memories of Ricardo Pini from his time at Rangers? A. I remember there was high expectation in Talca when he took over. Rangers had been in bankruptcy so the fans were hoping for a bright future - both in an economic and sporting sense - with all the problems left in the past. Over time, however, we learned that Mr Pini was focused just on the business side of things, and the social and football aspects were not important to him. The fans did not matter to him and the traditions of the club were forgotten. Rangers has been going for more than 100 years without ever being champions so their fans are renowned for being very faithful. That loyalty was trampled over. Q. What did he achieve during that period in charge? A. Supposedly he wanted to consolidate Rangers in the top division. But gradually we saw that his primary interest was economics. Traditions are important to the fans and soon they started to walk away from their club. Mr Pini's occasional comments in the media didn't help either, with him often dismissing the fans' complaints. Q. What was Pini's relationship like with the fans and the Chilean media in general? A. The relationship with the fans was uncertain at first. He had the chance to win the affection and support of the people but chose not to engage with them. Rangers is a club with roots in a traditional area of Chile - Rangers and Talca go hand in hand. Mr Pini, though, did not appreciate that and, therefore, failed at the club. As time went on, the situation got worse with supporters demanding he left and the club returned to more understanding hands. His relationship with the media was also not great because he rarely spoke and ran the club from afar. Q. What do you know or remember about Pini's takeover at Rangers? (When his group paid around £500,000 to take the club out of bankruptcy, after two previous attempts had failed. The purchase was originally ruled void by the courts due to an alleged fault with the process, before the appeals court overturned that decision to allow the deal to go ahead). A. It was all very strange. Several bids were made because Rangers was in bankruptcy. The Pinis were not known in the city, arrived unexpectedly, made an offer and got the club at a low price. At first their deal encountered unexpected legal problems before finally the club was in possession of foreigners (Argentines). The first auction bid failed only on a technicality, the second because the company involved did not have enough money. At the third auction attempt, Mr Pini won ahead of two other bids. Q. And what do you know or remember about Pini's exit from Rangers? A. His departure came after relegation amid a lot of pressure from supporters had become very upset with Mr Pini and his work. They were annoyed by the matter of "triangulation" (where a player will leave Club A to sign for Club B but go via Club C - who the player will never or very rarely turn out for - for in a bid to reduce costs and tax liability). A lot of players were signed for Rangers but then immediately loaned out and never played for the team. This was done for economic reasons only. That was seen as disrespectful by the fans. What they viewed as a football institution with a lot of history had become just a vehicle for business. That was painful for the supporters. Q. What can you tell me about the Carlos Sanchez deal? (Sanchez, now with Aston Villa, was signed by Rangers from Valenciennes then immediately loaned back to the French club for five years before signing shortly after for Elche in Spain. The transfer was one, among many, investigated by Cash Investigation, the French equivalent of Panorama, who, upon interviewing Sanchez, discovered that he had never set foot in Talca. A Buenos Aires magistrate included Rangers on a "black list" of clubs they considered "tax havens") A. Regarding Sanchez, I can only know what I read in the press. He was a player who went on the books of Rangers but never went through Talca. I saw an article in the French media where he was asked about Rangers, the city and the fans. He admitted he didn't know anything about any of it. Q. What was the highlight of Pini's time at Rangers? A. The highlight was winning promotion to the top division in 2011 courtesy of a dramatic 3-3 draw with Everton that will remain long in the memory. There was also a good first campaign in 2012 when the team reached the semi-finals of the cup and was in the running to become champions for the first time in the club's history. Q. And the low point? A. In sporting terms the lowest point was the decline in 2013 with a team lacking in quality and players not playing for the jersey. There was also the contempt shown to the fans when twice, for games against O'Higgins and Católica, most of the stadium was given over to the away support, including the traditional home Rangers end. That was the last straw for many fans. Q. It looks like Pini will soon buy St Mirren. Do you think this will be a positive development for that club or not? What can the St Mirren fans expect? A. I don't think that is good news for them. From experience it will be a deal done for economic purposes rather because of any real interest in what happens on the field. I have nothing personal against Mr Pini but from analysing his time at Rangers there was little there designed to bring joy to the supporters. If there is a way to prevent him buying their club, I would urge the St Mirren fans to do all they can. Nobody can assume a love for a club overnight and ultimately that's what matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizoxy Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Bullet dodged, matrix style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizoxy Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Any movement? Or are we still at the "hopefully soon" stage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellSoc Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Plenty of movement, not long at all to go now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizoxy Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Announcement expected tomorrow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chummy Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Cmon get on with it...tired of waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellSoc Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 yes, tomorrow, barring unforseen hitches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazilian Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Delighted to read about new folk joining up almost every day recently from £10 a month and join in a couple of minutes with the go cardless payment scheme Click and join Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambunctious Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 http://bit.ly/1HszxTS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazilian Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Massive step for the club, plenty to nit pick at , but essentially the club has some security to stabilise and restructure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebsbarmyarmy Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Les Hutchison's daughter... Leanne.... surely not Leanne who has been posting on here recently... surely not.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambunctious Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Liked his interview. Exciting times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Les Hutchison's daughter... Leanne.... surely not Leanne who has been posting on here recently... surely not.... I thought the Bradford Park Avenue claim was brilliant patter but it might actually be true.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Whether you're for it or not the Society is now the confirmed way forward. Given that we all need to support it in any way we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busta Nut Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I have already been moaned at for that suggestion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goggles & Flippers Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Listening to the podcast with Andrew Wilson prompted me to revisit this thread. By now the deal should be done with Les. I imagine a lot of us really want to hear: Any final bits that couldn't be shared up until now due to confidentiality What's next What direction the club is heading What plans are in place Where the society needs help from its membership (other than the "go out and recruit message") Anything else not in this list you may want to volunteer And finally, an idea of realistic timescales, delivery and expectations I'm all for the board managing things within an executive function but the level of engagement without people on these boards poking you with a metaphorical cattle prod is unacceptable. Releasing Les' interview then going back to ground for a month is not what we expected or deserve. You are an entity that has over £500k of supporters money. Let's progress past something that seems to echo a Blue Peter bring and buy sale to something worthy of the club and those who have contributed. If you have been working away feverously in the past month and reading this is galling, then by all means convey what has been going on. Come on folks, time to be proactive than reactive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellSoc Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hi, fair point, there is actually a lengthy statement pretty much written about recent developments at the club, it should hopefully be out tomorrow. another will follow on the Well Society administration, and another to follow quickly on the deal with Les, that one is admittedly overdue, but all will be out this week there is a newly simplified membership structure set to be announced will also work on something that lists what members and other fans can do to help the WS and the club a meeting of members is also overdue, think the WS board are meeting next week so hopefully a date is set for that then and something can be held in the following few weeks as for expectations/targets, that is still to be finalised but again hopefully something concrete to communicate not long after next week's WS board meeting club AGM is also next week, will be communication about that too everything has been in a state of flux for a few weeks given the changes but ready to move forward with a bit more clarity now, hopefully statement tomorrow is a good start 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goggles & Flippers Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Glad to hear it. Just please start volunteering information rather than being asked for it continually and please convey something more than what's already available in other media outlets otherwise what's the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazzie Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 I left my 'WellSociety membership card in the wee slot to make the lights work in a hotel room in Retford. How do I go about getting another one? Or, more practically, do I or will I need it for anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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