Our “new” seats

[sailor_h]

We should ALL stay outside for one of the game then all bundle in 5th minute. That would cause an uproar. Shout at Brian Caldwell while we do it. Just a suggestion?

[dennyc]

27 minutes ago, Stuwell2 said:

Although I don’t sit on them I’ve looked at them and they do seem poor but I wonder what the difference is between them and the ones in the Fieburg stadium is as there wasn’t much space for passing and I seen one guy trip and fall into the row in front. 

The guy who fell in Freiburg was in the row behind me. Fortunately he was ok if a bit shellshocked.  I agree there was limited room but it was marginally better than the POD in my view. Also the Stand in Freiburg was much steeper than the POD which may have been the reason for him falling. And the back of the seats did not buckle when leant on. Others can please confirm or not.

And no way could we have been bouncing up and down in the POD like we were in Freiburg fueled by as much beer as we wanted without risking much worse than a guy falling over. 

[joewarkfanclub]

27 minutes ago, dennyc said:

They could accept the issue and attempt to find a solution to be put in place at season end. No one expects an immediate resolution.

If you read my post before last, thats pretty much what I suggested.

Not meaning to diminish the seriousness of the situation or the strength of feeling around it.

[dennyc]

1 hour ago, joewarkfanclub said:

If you read my post before last, thats pretty much what I suggested.

Not meaning to diminish the seriousness of the situation or the strength of feeling around it.

Wasn't having a dig. Just trying to find a sensible and fair way forward. Apologies if it came across otherwise.

[well_said]

3 hours ago, Stuwell2 said:

Although I don’t sit on them I’ve looked at them and they do seem poor but I wonder what the difference is between them and the ones in the Fieburg stadium is as there wasn’t much space for passing and I seen one guy trip and fall into the row in front. 

I think alcohol was probably the issue that night.🤣

[Stuwell2]

49 minutes ago, well_said said:

I think alcohol was probably the issue that night.🤣

Honestly the guy looked stone cold sober. 

[texanwellfan]

We don’t need seats anyway since we’re always standing up to sing for Motherwell.  😃. 

[Richie]

Update from Brian Caldwell.

Regarding the seat damage in the South Stand, we are at the point where we should be looking to reduce Celtic's allocation.

Yes, they may offer to pay for damage, but there has been unacceptable behaviour and wanton vandalism spanning over a decade.

This inconveniences the club, opens them up to litigation and impacts the away supports of other teams.

The conduct of the fans on the final home game last season was hideous- Not just in the South Stand.

In the main stand there was a Celtic-supporting professional coach, acting like an animal. Even worse he thought it was a good look to post it on his TikTok account. 

[joewarkfanclub]

Good to see some communication at last. I get that its a bit late, but appreciate that with the match schedule, sometimes these sit down interviews can be difficult to fit in. The only disappointing thing is that, despite acknowledging the POD refit is far from ideal, there was no mention of plans to sit down with season ticket holders to try and mitigate the problems. That should be a priority.

[wellfan]

Good update from the CEO. I get the feeling he’s caught between a rock and a hard place on some issues, but nobody can question his commitment to the club or his generally successful track record so far.

[grizzlyg]

Really good interview and gave good reasons for all the points raised whether you agree with them or not.

I know they are paying for damage but its worrying that new south stand seats will be ready for the next sellik home match.    If they get wrecked again then we cut their allocation to 1,000.   We dont need to rely on thier ticket money anymore

[MJC]

Article in the Sun today about Caldwell’s update and it’s good to hear him call out that it was Celtic fans who caused significant damage that night as it’s been going on for years and it’s getting worse every time they come here. We need to keep pushing this and highlighting the behaviour of Celtic fans at our ground because every single time they are at Fir Park they leave behind them thousands of pounds worth of damage. That cannot be allowed to go on.

[MJC]

3 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

Really good interview and gave good reasons for all the points raised whether you agree with them or not.

I know they are paying for damage but its worrying that new south stand seats will be ready for the next sellik home match.    If they get wrecked again then we cut their allocation to 1,000.   We dont need to rely on thier ticket money anymore

I’d love us to cut their allocation but the problem that would cause would be more of them would buy home end tickets which puts our fans in potential danger. And no doubt we would also cut Rangers allocation just to be ‘balanced’ and not to give the wrong impression even though Rangers fans have done nothing to merit their allocation being cut.

If we did cut Celtic’s allocation it should apply to Celtic and Celtic alone and we should be stating it in crystal clear terms as to why.

[grizzlyg]

48 minutes ago, MJC said:

I’d love us to cut their allocation but the problem that would cause would be more of them would buy home end tickets which puts our fans in potential danger. And no doubt we would also cut Rangers allocation just to be ‘balanced’ and not to give the wrong impression even though Rangers fans have done nothing to merit their allocation being cut.

If we did cut Celtic’s allocation it should apply to Celtic and Celtic alone and we should be stating it in crystal clear terms as to why.

Ye it is a bit complicated. However we wouldn't need to cut rangers allocation because of actions of sellik fans. But at same time if they caused damage then same rules apply....same for hearts....Aberdeen..etc etc 

[MJC]

10 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

Ye it is a bit complicated. However we wouldn't need to cut rangers allocation because of actions of sellik fans. But at same time if they caused damage then same rules apply....same for hearts....Aberdeen..etc etc 

We wouldn’t need to but if we didn’t then we would be getting the usual “siding with Rangers, discriminating against Celtic” pish because Celtic would pull that card and their media mouthpieces would do their bidding…and unfortunately some of our own fans would also subscribe to that nonsense.

We should of course do it anyway and stick two fingers up right in Celtic’s faces but would we as a club have the backbone to do it and stand our ground to the Celtic driven backlash against us?

[stv]

4 hours ago, joewarkfanclub said:

Good to see some communication at last. I get that its a bit late, but appreciate that with the match schedule, sometimes these sit down interviews can be difficult to fit in. The only disappointing thing is that, despite acknowledging the POD refit is far from ideal, there was no mention of plans to sit down with season ticket holders to try and mitigate the problems. That should be a priority.

I think they were waiting to see if we got into group stages in Europe. Statement straight after going out on last European game. I bet they had two versions tailored to suit how far we went in Europe. 

[Spiderpig]

41 minutes ago, stv said:

I think they were waiting to see if we got into group stages in Europe. Statement straight after going out on last European game. I bet they had two versions tailored to suit how far we went in Europe. 

So far for me in the emails and statements from the club on this issue the standout thread is finance.,

Did not want to reduce seats in the POD, maximising seat availability for the Euro games, etc. This is what you would expect if the existing seats were compliant etc but not when the alleged solution swapped out better seats for cheap, shoddy not fit for purpose ones, thats putting profit ahead of fan comfort and safety.

The reduction in the pod prices back in May/June now makes sense, to nullify the more money for poorer seats argument, however that objective failed with the choice of seats we got.

We all know the constraints of the pod, the UEFA compliance etc, etc but the choice of new seats was poor, was any proper testing done, i think not.

So moving forward im sure that all that people want is for the club to man up and admit they got it wrong, set out a plan / timescale to resolve the issue and then get it done.

But burying their heads and hoping there are no accidents resulting in negligence claims against the club is not the way to proceed.

As for the WS, im not a member but their silence on the issue speaks volumes of how they see their role in interacting with the club, ie attend the meetings but stay quiet, and dont rock the boat, they should be ashamed.

The POD ST renewal figures next May / June should be interesting.

[Richie]

On P&B when the seats were being put in, I jokingly posted if they had checked the depth of the seats as all the comms talked about was width and height.

I deleted it because it was smart-arsey really, but here we are.

I was quite disappointed after the Celtic game that the club didn't make a statement. May well have come across as sour grapes etc, but the conduct of their fans wasn't on.

There were quite rightly some furious Motherwell fans that night and not just at the ref.

[dennyc]

39 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

So far for me in the emails and statements from the club on this issue the standout thread is finance.,

Did not want to reduce seats in the POD, maximising seat availability for the Euro games, etc. This is what you would expect if the existing seats were compliant etc but not when the alleged solution swapped out better seats for cheap, shoddy not fit for purpose ones, thats putting profit ahead of fan comfort and safety.

The reduction in the pod prices back in May/June now makes sense, to nullify the more money for poorer seats argument, however that objective failed with the choice of seats we got.

We all know the constraints of the pod, the UEFA compliance etc, etc but the choice of new seats was poor, was any proper testing done, i think not.

So moving forward im sure that all that people want is for the club to man up and admit they got it wrong, set out a plan / timescale to resolve the issue and then get it done.

But burying their heads and hoping there are no accidents resulting in negligence claims against the club is not the way to proceed.

As for the WS, im not a member but their silence on the issue speaks volumes of how they see their role in interacting with the club, ie attend the meetings but stay quiet, and dont rock the boat, they should be ashamed.

The POD ST renewal figures next May / June should be interesting.

Very much this. The thing is that Brian knows many fans may be unhappy with the outcome but he is also aware that very few will vote with their feet or move elsewhere. Nobody likes change and the prime seats elsewhere are spoken for. Plus fans are loyal to the team they support and build up relationships with those fans sitting beside them.

I note Brian has backtracked from hinting that fans would have to be relocated elsewhere in the ground. For me that possibility came across as a threat.  Now he mentions being relocated within the POD. A grudging acceptance perhaps that there is scope to reduce capacity and still house all Season Ticket holders currently within the POD. If the willing is there.

What we should now see is a proposal to reconfigure the POD in the lead up up to next season, detailing exactly where each season ticket holder would end up. Put that out for consultation then proceed if agreed. Exactly what should have happened this time round. Again Brian stated that the need for change was identified months before season end and in anticipation of hosting European fixtures. So it is disappointing that for a Club so closely linked to it's supporters that consultation was not considered appropriate.

I agree finance appears to have been the driver from the outset and sadly the views of those affected will continue to be largely ignored. In time those complaints will disappear as folk give up hope. Brian's interview indicated to me that the man is not for turning.

As for the Society? Their role appears to have been to act as postman. The discussions I had with them suggested that all correspondence had been passed to Brian. But also that that was the limit to which they wished  to get involved. What Brian says etc etc. 

I actually find it sad that we are having this discussion.

On the pitch the performances have been fantastic and the progress the team has made under Jens and Alfred has been amazing. The quality of player and football we are seeing week upon week is exceptional. Football is fun once again. The fan base has grown beyond what anyone could have hoped for. Away games are a joy and we fear no-one. The Board have excelled in moving on from Jens in identifying and supporting his replacement so credit to them for that. Brian has even called out Celtic and their toxic fans which is a brave thing to do. But they have let themselves down in this one area.

 

 

[Happy Dosser]

1 hour ago, dennyc said:

Very much this. The thing is that Brian knows many fans may be unhappy with the outcome but he is also aware that very few will vote with their feet or move elsewhere. Nobody likes change and the prime seats elsewhere are spoken for. Plus fans are loyal to the team they support and build up relationships with those fans sitting beside them.

I note Brian has backtracked from hinting that fans would have to be relocated elsewhere in the ground. For me that possibility came across as a threat.  Now he mentions being relocated within the POD. A grudging acceptance perhaps that there is scope to reduce capacity and still house all Season Ticket holders currently within the POD. If the willing is there.

What we should now see is a proposal to reconfigure the POD in the lead up up to next season, detailing exactly where each season ticket holder would end up. Put that out for consultation then proceed if agreed. Exactly what should have happened this time round. Again Brian stated that the need for change was identified months before season end and in anticipation of hosting European fixtures. So it is disappointing that for a Club so closely linked to it's supporters that consultation was not considered appropriate.

I agree finance appears to have been the driver from the outset and sadly the views of those affected will continue to be largely ignored. In time those complaints will disappear as folk give up hope. Brian's interview indicated to me that the man is not for turning.

As for the Society? Their role appears to have been to act as postman. The discussions I had with them suggested that all correspondence had been passed to Brian. But also that that was the limit to which they wished  to get involved. What Brian says etc etc. 

I actually find it sad that we are having this discussion.

On the pitch the performances have been fantastic and the progress the team has made under Jens and Alfred has been amazing. The quality of player and football we are seeing week upon week is exceptional. Football is fun once again. The fan base has grown beyond what anyone could have hoped for. Away games are a joy and we fear no-one. The Board have excelled in moving on from Jens in identifying and supporting his replacement so credit to them for that. Brian has even called out Celtic and their toxic fans which is a brave thing to do. But they have let themselves down in this one area.

 

 

A very balanced assessment, as a PODite with back pain (and awaiting Bovril-scalded head/knees). I have to say the management recruitment by the Board in the last two seasons  has been exceptional and visionary. Also, its criticism of Celtic's supporters has been well-timed to avoid accusations of sour grapes. The scenes at FP in our last home game almost made me wonder what was the point of watching football any more when the entire Celtic entourage broke onto the field  to celebrate their tarnished "victory" after the dreadful refereeing/VAR decisions.

I think we could have a very exciting and productive season this year because our squad seems  strong and committed. Both of The Cheeks are under pressure. Hearts may be on the up now their manager has had  a chance to put his feet under the table and we need more competition to put the OF under pressure. Hibs might recover from their derby disappointment and St Mirren also seem to have turned away from the Dark Path of kick and rush.

 

[Kmcalpin]

3 hours ago, dennyc said:

What we should now see is a proposal to reconfigure the POD in the lead up up to next season, detailing exactly where each season ticket holder would end up. Put that out for consultation then proceed if agreed. Exactly what should have happened this time round. Again Brian stated that the need for change was identified months before season end and in anticipation of hosting European fixtures. So it is disappointing that for a Club so closely linked to it's supporters that consultation was not considered appropriate.

I agree finance appears to have been the driver from the outset and sadly the views of those affected will continue to be largely ignored. In time those complaints will disappear as folk give up hope. Brian's interview indicated to me that the man is not for turning.

As for the Society? Their role appears to have been to act as postman. The discussions I had with them suggested that all correspondence had been passed to Brian. But also that that was the limit to which they wished  to get involved. What Brian says etc etc. 

I actually find it sad that we are having this discussion.

On the pitch the performances have been fantastic and the progress the team has made under Jens and Alfred has been amazing. The quality of player and football we are seeing week upon week is exceptional. Football is fun once again. The fan base has grown beyond what anyone could have hoped for. Away games are a joy and we fear no-one. The Board have excelled in moving on from Jens in identifying and supporting his replacement so credit to them for that. Brian has even called out Celtic and their toxic fans which is a brave thing to do. But they have let themselves down in this one area.

A well thought out and  balanced post Denny and I agree with it in full.

From Brian's message, it appears there are ongoing maintenance problems with the McLean Stand also. What the club has done has been to put in place a short term solution, if it can be called that, for the POD. I understand the need for that, although I'm not impressed with the actual solution that was implemented. 

What is now badly lacking is an indication of the club's preferred solution for the way ahead i.e. replace the POD or move to a new stadium. I read on P & B earlier today that the Club Directors received the Feasibility Study back in February. Now its understandable that they would want to consider the findings and conclusions carefully and not to rush into making any rash decision. However, we are now 7 months further on and we haven't heard anything; not a single thing. Thats not consistent with us being a fan owned club. 

I agree with your comment on the Society and its passive role as a gatekeeper over the POD seating issue. Like you, I assume that it does not wish to get involved in the seating issue. Thats strange, given all the other consultations that it has launched. I still don't know if the Society Board has even discussed the issue, despite asking. As you say, we shouldn't be having this discussion. But we are where we are. 

On the field of play, we have made great progress as a club and the Board and management deserve great credit for that, especially in light of the upheavals over the summer.  It was right of Brian to call out Celtic and their hordes and that needs addressed.

A pity therefore that the club and Society has let the fans down in one specific area.