Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[eliphas]

43 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Tbf there have been other updates in that time. They've not really said anything different but it's not like this is the first they've addressed it.

Here's one from August for example: https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2023/08/04/a-note-from-the-chairman-ahead-of-the-2023-24-season/

Fair enough

I did forget about that one.

[MurrayWell]

50 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Tbf there have been other updates in that time. They've not really said anything different but it's not like this is the first they've addressed it.

Here's one from August for example: https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2023/08/04/a-note-from-the-chairman-ahead-of-the-2023-24-season/

I remember the announcement of Weir taking the post on a temporary basis, which I thought seemed sensible at the time, and I suppose, in fairness, they never actually said for how long that would be. Guess most expected a new CEO to have been announced by now. 

I do think in general communication from the club could do with being better, you get the impression that if it didn't get to the point of public pressure to address concerns or criticism then they probably just wouldn't.  I think that approach lends itself to things being considered a crisis, which doesn't help when results aren't going our way either. 

[capt_oats]

46 minutes ago, MurrayWell said:

I remember the announcement of Weir taking the post on a temporary basis, which I thought seemed sensible at the time, and I suppose, in fairness, they never actually said for how long that would be. Guess most expected a new CEO to have been announced by now. 

I do think in general communication from the club could do with being better, you get the impression that if it didn't get to the point of public pressure to address concerns or criticism then they probably just wouldn't.  I think that approach lends itself to things being considered a crisis, which doesn't help when results aren't going our way either. 

Absolutely.

The thing is, Weir getting involved on an interim basis was initially announced in a WS mailer. I'm pretty sure that the Chairman's update in August was the first time it had been formally addressed by the club. I get that the WS are the owners of the club but I dunno it feels like this sort of information warrants more than passing inclusion in a MailChimp email.

This was from the mail shot on 12th May and was tagged on right at the foot of the mail:

@Handsome_Devil is quite right in saying there's a need to keep fans onside with transparency and updates. That doesn't necessarily mean getting on Twitter and engaging with the reply guys but ultimately we're a fan owned club (and have made a big thing about it) actually keeping the fans up to date with key issues is kind of important.

You could argue that the WS is doing that by including this in their mail outs but if we're being honest tucking today's update (such as it is) mid-way through the body of an email with the subject line 'Get set for Junior Steel day' is actually hilarious.

Lads, honestly...what are we doing here?

Without wanting to kick this particular dead horse it really speaks to the fact that we don't have anyone running our comms in a strategic sense. If there's been an executive decision made that we don't need a Head of Comms then given the way the flow of information has been handled since Grant left I'd respectfully disagree.

As has already been mentioned the media team seems to have been stripped back to the bare bones and those involved seem to be completely overworked as it is. On top of that, comms strategy isn't (or shouldn't be) their job.

Ultimately the people who should be addressing this are the Chair or the interim CEO themselves - the fact that they're not doing this is broadly causing the club a fair bit of unnecessary grief because all they're creating is a void that isn't doing anyone any favours.

Edited December 11, 2023 by capt_oats

[welldaft]

I think if the current Chairman and stand in CEO were from a Marketing, PR or Communications background we would possibly have seen more updates and info to keep the fans onside and informed. The fact they are both from a Finance / Investment background to me says a lot. Neither have really sought the limelight and both come across as likeable but quite introverted. Clearly were happy to let Flow do all the communicating whilst he was CEO. Then he leaves and we are where we are.

As to the comms side. The most recent YouTube video / match day summary  has the title “Not going down without a fight”. I mean really. I assume the Manager and players never helped with that particular title .

[joewarkfanclub]

Maybe we are now seeing why Burrows decided to move on?

Maybe he saw the change of direction and didnt agree, or just couldnt stomach it?

[ML4]

2 hours ago, joewarkfanclub said:

Maybe we are now seeing why Burrows decided to move on?

Maybe he saw the change of direction and didnt agree, or just couldnt stomach it?

Getting closer to the truth. Which nobody has properly probed.

[AnderooMFC]

7 hours ago, Handsome_Devil said:

– or have taken to social media –

The power of The Thread

[SteelyDosser]

9 hours ago, welldaft said:

 

As to the comms side. The most recent YouTube video / match day summary  has the title “Not going down without a fight”. I mean really. I assume the Manager and players never helped with that particular title .

No-one should have given that the green light

[well fan for life]

Mind we were about to appoint Mark McGhee (not that one) as chief exec and it fell through at the last minute: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/mark-mcghee-set-motherwell-chief-29665510

I think Burrows was doing more than what was in his job description so we aren't going to get a like for like replacement. I can only assume that the package we have put together is not good enough for what the job entails. Someone else mentioned it earlier I think but it probably is going to end up being someone who is wanting their first CEO job in football because we're clearly not going to get anyone with experience. 

As far as the comms/media folk, they're keeping things coming out of the club but they don't have anyone giving them direction as to what their output should be. Which probably explains why it kind of makes no sense. 

But at least we negotiated with a high school to work around their PE timetable. 

[Handsome_Devil]

31 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

I think Burrows was doing more than what was in his job description so we aren't going to get a like for like replacement. I can only assume that the package we have put together is not good enough for what the job entails. Someone else mentioned it earlier I think but it probably is going to end up being someone who is wanting their first CEO job in football because we're clearly not going to get anyone with experience. 

I don't think anyone expects another Burrows which leaves us with two options, both of which cost money and have their separate pros and cons.

1) find a superstar CEO and pay them accordingly, including a premium for then not giving them the staff budget they'd be accustomed to in such a role.

2) reduce the top role to a more modest general manager position but hire mid-senior people to lead the key departments in support.

I've been banging the drum for a while that this expense is unavoidable and investment needs to be made. I do understand the temptation to chance it for a year or two given our financial circumstances but usually if you have poor governance and organisation that'll eventually catch up with you.

[welldaft]

46 minutes ago, well fan for life said:

As far as the comms/media folk, they're keeping things coming out of the club but they don't have anyone giving them direction as to what their output should be. Which probably explains why it kind of makes no sense. 

But at least we negotiated with a high school to work around their PE timetable. 

I don’t want to encourage a pile on - as they are no doubt trying to do the best they can given limited experience and it would appear managerial oversight. It cannot be easy coming up with original titles when you have a handful of videos every week. But the most recent one highlights we are short in the media dept. 

Not sure if I mentioned this before or it has been mentioned on here but I heard that Derek Weir has a hands off approach. As in each department has a Manager let them get on with it. Not because he cannot be bothered. Far from it, but because he believes he should give people their place and let them do the job they are paid to do. To me that is wise management. If you have someone who is second guessing everything you do that can be demoralising and annoying. However it is clear that there are some areas within the club that could do with some attention / support as discussed above and before. 

I did wonder if he wanted the job permanently ? But the latest WS update would suggest otherwise. Probably does not pay enough . 

[thisGRAEME]

14 hours ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Society update:

CEO position

A few of you have been in touch – or have taken to social media – to ask questions of the Society around the CEO position, and to seek reassurance about the direction of travel.

 This feels a step away from 'Keyboard Warriors', tbh. Weird tone throughout.

[Handsome_Devil]

4 minutes ago, welldaft said:

Not sure if I mentioned this before or it has been mentioned on here but I heard that Derek Weir has a hands off approach. As in each department has a Manager let them get on with it. Not because he cannot be bothered. Far from it, but because he believes he should give people their place and let them do the job they are paid to do. To me that is wise management. If you have someone who is second guessing everything you do that can be demoralising and annoying. However it is clear that there are some areas within the club that could do with some attention / support as discussed above and before. 

I did wonder if he wanted the job permanently ? But the latest WS update would suggest otherwise. Probably does not pay enough . 

That approach is admirable but it obviously only works if you have properly staffed departments. And when you don't, you eventually produce howlers like that video title. 

Fwiw on Weir, he's been highly rated at the club for years but it was acknowledged on both sides a full-time permanent position wasn't really possible as, paraphrased 'he had to work for a living'. Maybe one day circumstances will change.

[ML4]

14 minutes ago, welldaft said:

I don’t want to encourage a pile on - as they are no doubt trying to do the best they can given limited experience and it would appear managerial oversight. It cannot be easy coming up with original titles when you have a handful of videos every week. But the most recent one highlights we are short in the media dept. 

Not sure if I mentioned this before or it has been mentioned on here but I heard that Derek Weir has a hands off approach. As in each department has a Manager let them get on with it. Not because he cannot be bothered. Far from it, but because he believes he should give people their place and let them do the job they are paid to do. To me that is wise management. If you have someone who is second guessing everything you do that can be demoralising and annoying. However it is clear that there are some areas within the club that could do with some attention / support as discussed above and before. 

I did wonder if he wanted the job permanently ? But the latest WS update would suggest otherwise. Probably does not pay enough . 

It's an admirable position for sure but when you have these departments running without a strategy or bigger plan, it simply doesnt work. Plus the calibre of some of the department heads leaves a lot to be desired and there aren't enough staff to run things they way they need to be. The club needs someone to give them a plan to work towards and back them with resource.

It feels like the plan instead is to limp along and hope for the best. The club needs to invest in good people to get the returns that keep it afloat longer term. 

[welldaft]

Like I said there are no doubt areas of the club (such as media) that could do with extra attention and support. I guess the real issue is that every £ you spend on a salary within the non playing side is a £ you take away from the playing side / budget.

If the current Board and DW have said the budget is unsustainable and we need to make cuts. It is no real surprise if they try and keep as much for the 1st team squad and Manager and maybe try and take shortcuts elsewhere. Which is why we are probably are lacking in certain areas. 

In a perfect world we have a stellar experienced CEO. Experienced heads of departments. Extra resource in Media, Hospitality etc etc. But at a rough guess that would add as much as £250k or more to the wage bill or the equivalent of say 3 1st team additions. This is especially true if as we suspect we will need to make additions in January to keep us in the league.

The decision has been made to cut our cloth accordingly. It may be and is proving painful but if it protects the long term future of the club then so be it. Even if that means in lower league . 

Edited December 12, 2023 by welldaft

[well fan for life]

1 minute ago, welldaft said:

In a perfect world we have a stellar experienced CEO. Experienced heads of departments. Extra resource in Media, Hospitality etc etc. But at a rough guess that would add as much as £250k or more to the wage bill or the equivalent of say 3 1st team additions. This is especially true if as we suspect we will need to make additions in January to keep us in the league.

Solved it. We pick 5 first team players and bullet them immediately to free up cash. I propose the following, very well thought out, approach to deciding who we get rid of. 

[Stevie Kirk]

We are probably hoping to fund a new CEO via the Brewsters Millions we get when we sell Lennon Miller at the end of the season and are just treading water meantime.

 

Given our precarious league position we are going to have to get the credit card out for the January sales. Taking on a CEO now is going to eat into the budget so I’m ok with what we are doing ATM. It’s clearly not a long term strategy I would like to think.

[ML4]

24 minutes ago, welldaft said:

Like I said there are no doubt areas of the club (such as media) that could do with extra attention and support. I guess the real issue is that every £ you spend on a salary within the non playing side is a £ you take away from the playing side / budget.

If the current Board and DW have said the budget is unsustainable and we need to make cuts. It is no real surprise if they try and keep as much for the 1st team squad and Manager and maybe try and take shortcuts elsewhere. Which is why we are probably are lacking in certain areas. 

In a perfect world we have a stellar experienced CEO. Experienced heads of departments. Extra resource in Media, Hospitality etc etc. But at a rough guess that would add as much as £250k or more to the wage bill or the equivalent of say 3 1st team additions. This is especially true if as we suspect we will need to make additions in January to keep us in the league.

The decision has been made to cut our cloth accordingly. It may be and is proving painful but if it protects the long term future of the club then so be it. Even if that means in lower league . 

Then have a plan where these people's jobs is to increase revenues. It doesnt all have to be cost, cost, cost. That appears to be the attitude internally - everyone is a cost rather than an opportunity to grow.

Edited December 12, 2023 by ML4

[welldaft]

Just now, ML4 said:

Then have a plan where these people's jobs is to increase revenues. It doesnt all have to be cost, cost, cost. That appears to be the attitude internally - everyone is a cost rather than an opportunity to grow.

I am not disagreeing but how do you know that we don’t have a plan ? It is a difficult balancing act. In order to raise revenues you need to invest in quality staff and an improved service offering. That takes money. 

Hospitality for example. I have experienced this many times. And at best it is fairly average. But if you only have 70 or 80 people at best each Saturday what more can you do. There is only so much you can charge before people decline the opportunity. 

I don’t envy DW or the board at all. I am sure there are areas that could improve with a bit more guidance and support and little cash investment. But until we get a FT CEO I guess keeping us cash neutral or a small deficit and in the league is the absolute priority.  

[Handsome_Devil]

8 minutes ago, ML4 said:

Then have a plan where these peoples jobs is to increase revenues. It doesnt all have to be cost, cost, cost. That appears to be the attitude internally - everyone is a cost rather than an opportunity to grow.

I broadly agree with you but it needs to be acknowledged that the investment in these people is immediate, the (potential) return is not. And you can imagine the reaction if we miss out on a striker to St Johnstone, a centre back to Livingston in the window and get relegated in May while saying we invested six figures in office staff to secure our long-term future...

The other problem, or quirk with this, is it can be hard to put a value on things which aren't quantifiable - brand etc - at the best of times. To take money out of the first team to invest in the general things, knowing half the fans will hate it anyway (think of eventual attitude to the Burrows/Russell community drive) requires not just money but conviction and planning we're simply not going to conjure up overnight.

As said, I do agree it's needed but it needs a coordinated approach with a long run-in period when folk aren't going tits due to results...the trouble is, if you keep putting it off because there's a disaster on the pitch you'll never do it and eventually we won't avoid the trapdoor.

It's why - without wanting to be too fatalistic - my expectations for our short-term future are so negative. We relied on burrows for so much for so long that having no succession plan was criminal and the problems we've created, while plain to see, seen to be beyond fixing any time soon.