Handsome_Devil

Happy Aberdeen won tbh as I reckon Warnock would have been down the road this evening had they lost. KVV...who knows. I have the feeling Killie signed him solely to stop St Mirren getting him and possibly turning him back into what he can be...they clearly don't need him numbers wise and seem to have little interest in giving him the minutes to get him up and running. I joked back in January it would be interesting to see the speculation start again for summer...can't imagine many clubs will be willing to match Killie's contribution on loan again.

Ha, I actually did wonder about that...and I've met enough folk who clearly believe it, I just have little interest in following how they're doing the next two years.

As @RandomGuy.says, it's just advertising. We've now made a player of someone folk literally laughed at along with turning journeyman KVV into a millionaire and sending Spittal in a similar direction. Tbh I also like it for the narrative - for a start it's honest, there's no euphemism or 'some folk doubted you' nonsense. But it also builds the connection to a guy who most folk will relate to (ish) in fighting to establish himself. You might like Biereth more as a player but I seriously doubt anyone would identify with him... So aye, batter in.

I loved that at the time and perversely still do but it's objectively horrific.

It was mentioned in the paper we're playing Ayr in a friendly today - presumably just a closed doors kick about?

Quite the turnaround in a few months (in general rather than you in particular). It occurs a pattern is kind of emerging...the first Motherwell team I hated in a while was the rag-tag bunch at the end of Robinson era. But they eventually cruised to mid table safety and came within a penalty shootout of an epic comeback to reach the cup semis. We were similarly loathsome under Hammell (where the Spittal-Goss combo in the middle rightly took stick) and eventually were fine. This season people were hating the team as recently as a few weeks ago in Greenock...yet we're fine. It's almost as if keeping calm and doing nothing is better than panicking, sticking better than twisting etc (with the caveat nobody has chucked it). So while I'm not yet completely sold on new deals for everyone (and yes, I know not literally everyone is meant), in the Ibrox afterglow I'm coming round to it more...keep as many pieces in place and build from it. We know many alternatives are unlikely to be better.

So do I. In a way it's ridiculous to say it's because it's not about money because pretty much everything UEFA does comes down to money one way or another.. but there's certainly the impression that folk in it are just thrilled to be competing against peers for something worth winning having effectively been priced out of other competitions. Which is extraordinary when you consider who tends to reach the last four here. It's also curious to wonder just how far UEFA will go in developing European football for everyone. Does it lose its appeal if it's default and not a prize? Probably a bit...but if you keep diluting the domestic leagues to promote European competitions, you're going to have to provide some kind of alternative for the rest. Certainly if we were involved in some kind of regional competition - whether a knockout or group format - for teams with less than 10,000 fans I'd find it absolutely fascinating, though I dunno if others would. But perhaps that's just what 40 years of playing interchangeable St Mirren, Dunfermline, Kilmarnock etc four times a year does to you.

The CWC was fantastic and it was a shame the CL killed it. Actually I said somewhere here recently there were virtually no positive changes since the passback rule but the introduction of the conference league was indeed a brilliant move to recreate that a bit.

I was older than that but remember it well...'Thursday night, on channel five' used to be an insult sung!

Aye, I can understand it...I just don't like deals of that length in general. But fair point about our secret clauses, he's probably safely employed until his 40s.

Signed till 2025 so apparently we're not that convinced or he's very convinced we're just a step up. Good luck to him and hopefully he's not the last bit of good squad news in the next few weeks.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2022/october/24/vale-signs-new-long-term-deal/ 2025 with an option apparently. And aye, I'd sign him (and Gent) on three-year deals this evening if we could.

I'm good mates with a couple of Blackburn fans and they've written him off... you never can tell of course but they gave the impression they're looking to get rid permanently in summer. Whether we could afford him a different matter ofc.

Presumably he's the one mentioned in January but his deal (at least initially) was to the end of 2023 so you wonder what the hold up was, if we were just unsure etc, did he hold out for another offer etc. If the delay was on our wish, fair play...the feeling of having to have any striker to present at 2359 on deadline day must have been big.

Didn't see that coming. I certainly wouldn't sign him to make up numbers to the end of the season - we'll stay up anyway so save the cash. But if we do Indeed consider him part of the long-term plan, great.

Yeah, definitely in practice but I'm 99% sure that's not the legal situation. If the majority shareholder puts forward motions to add or remove board members or chair at the AGM, or an EGM, then it's an open goal. Fwiw on the basis we are a small fan base with limited people, personally I would scrap a level. I'd decide the key functions in the club and make the heads there the management (ie executive) board as part of their roles - off the top of my head CEO, two from sales, marketing and comms (combined on skills/availability/preferences), a sporting director for the football and one liaison from the Society, either elected or appointed but not from the Society board. The CEO would handle finance and the accounts are outsourced anyway, as are legal issues I imagine. The individuals are responsible for their departments and answer to the CEO day to day, the whole lot answer to the Society board who in turn answer to the members.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure we just lifted our fan ownership model from Germany and the distinction between executive and advisory board is deliberate. This option involves appointing an executive board of competence to run things daily in accordance with the strategic direction from the Society. The Society board is effectively the supervisory board, elected by the members, who holds the executive board to account, including hiring and firing. There are within that then a couple of variations for how the executive board and management are made up. You can see the appeal of this tbf, at least in theory. It has pros running the shown and, as they are separate from the Society, is completely accountable with clear governance. Clearly the Society as owners could choose the alternative run it ourselves model. There are obviously some advantages to that but plenty drawbacks as well and the risk of that ending in petty rivalries, recriminations and disaster is not low. But it's certainly a discussion worth having and either outcome being transparently decided would be cleaner than the muddle we have now.

It's becoming clear that the governance and lines of responsibility being so muddled has become a big problem. Which is not meant to be critical of how it got here - that's simply been one of these things which happened as a natural consequence of two main things 1) Burrows running the club from top to bottom 2) Nearly everyone was delighted both that he was willing to run it and how he was doing it 3) Time - people simply forget the original premise of the Society (which was abundantly clear) while simultaneously it failed to adapt to changing circumstances. Largely due to to points 1&2. The Society owns the club and can do what it want over the long term - it can set the direction and has control over executive board (or should - clearly big/wee man syndrome has taken over here and needs changed). But that's not to say it can change things this afternoon if it didn't like what was for lunch. Certainly mistakes have been made, some things with good intentions or others because of sloppiness...but I'd say that's definitely not a reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The last year's have been successful despite these mistakes, they're now recognised and we're trying to fix them.

Tbf he had a bit of a hard time finding his role in the early Hammell era but yeah, like yourself i always thought there was something there. I'd still have given long odds on him doing a double-double for goals and assists mind.

3,000 'Well fans pledging £100 each to the Society if we do that basically halves the finding gap. More seriously, it shows how comically strong the Old Firm can be in setting the agenda that folk in the media (I'll ignore the more rabid element of their fanbase as there are loonies everywhere) can seriously suggest our guy should be red carded for winning the ball so early he can fully ground his foot before being clattered by a late tackle.

My stream froze as the ball left his foot so there was no celebration from me...but even when I saw them celebrating my first instinct was to wait for the VAR check on Vale.

Aye, I'd be fine with that...if you offered me wins over Aberdeen and Dundee, who'll probably be in the bottom six with us, and losses to St Mirren and Hibs, who probably won't, we're safe pre-split and will be looking good for eighth with an outside chance of seventh.

Perhaps technically but unless we go 12/12 we'll be needing help...Hibs have County (albeit away) and both St J and Livingston at home before coming to FP. Dundee will also look at their fixtures and see plenty points. Being the team in form for a late charge is great but like last year we've left a little too much to do.

Top six without doubt but the chance of it is so remote my main interest is confirming not 11th asap. I do think we should be viewing ourselves as safe though in terms of contract renewals for next season...need an eye looking forward already.

That's fantastic.