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Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons


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Couple of you may have already completed this online or on Saturday when Sean from the Society Board, along with some volunteers, was talking to people outside the ground - but if anybody's got a spare few minutes, feel free to fill out this survey on Society values etc: The Well Society (office.com)

Not far off the target originally set for respondents, so if some of the fine posters on P&B complete it, the target should be easily accomplished, ta!

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1 hour ago, JayMFC said:

Couple of you may have already completed this online or on Saturday when Sean from the Society Board, along with some volunteers, was talking to people outside the ground - but if anybody's got a spare few minutes, feel free to fill out this survey on Society values etc: The Well Society (office.com)

Not far off the target originally set for respondents, so if some of the fine posters on P&B complete it, the target should be easily accomplished, ta!

Done but also as @Desp says

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9 minutes ago, capt_oats said:

Done but also as @Desp says

image.png.28ec2aef842e87e227a74e2c40ffa2

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I have to admit that I hadn't even looked at the survey yet, I was just sharing it to help the target be reached. Might fill it out now though... 😂

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I see that's Brighton and Brentford now looking to jump on the bandwagon of buying to Scottish Clubs, Both looking at Dundee Utd.

On the face of it, that is probably two teams you wouldn't mind chipping in, from the outside, seem well run. 

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21 minutes ago, Neil86 said:

I see that's Brighton and Brentford now looking to jump on the bandwagon of buying to Scottish Clubs, Both looking at Dundee Utd.

On the face of it, that is probably two teams you wouldn't mind chipping in, from the outside, seem well run. 

Brentford might be looking at United, Brighton are not. They are targeting a Premiership side.

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21 minutes ago, Neil86 said:

I see that's Brighton and Brentford now looking to jump on the bandwagon of buying to Scottish Clubs, Both looking at Dundee Utd.

On the face of it, that is probably two teams you wouldn't mind chipping in, from the outside, seem well run. 

Definitely but there's something incredibly depressing about our biggest clubs turning into feeder sides for that level of team down south.

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22 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Definitely but there's something incredibly depressing about our biggest clubs turning into feeder sides for that level of team down south.

Agreed. 

Finances aside, even 10-15 years ago it would sound ridiculous to even suggest that Dundee United would one day become a feeder side for the likes of Brighton or Brentford. Likewise Hibs with Bournemouth. 

Unfortunately this is the way the game is going.

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1 hour ago, Busta Nut said:

I am not a fan. Sure, link up. but ownership...

It's now been X weeks since the Hibs thing was waved through by the SFA and I still struggle to have a concrete position on it. Every instinct I have says I want us to have nothing to do with this sort of shite yet there's no doubt being independent will get old very quickly when we struggle. How long do you try to push water uphill (insert analogy of your choice here)? Are principles worth being a yo-yo club? Might enjoy some junkits to Ireland and winning the Challenge Cup, who knows...

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2 hours ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Definitely but there's something incredibly depressing about our biggest clubs turning into feeder sides for that level of team down south.

Hate to break it to you but we are a feeder club already, just not for the benefit of any one particular club. The fact that few of our academy with any real talent plays for us beyond 21 is testament to that.

I suppose the difference is with ownership they are buying into your established scouting network, base and facilities which should be more comprehensive than if they sent a few bodies north with clipboards. Ownership means they direct strategy ultimately to the benefit of the club at the top of the tree.

It really does surprise me since Brexit, restrictions on one club per association, etc. that a host of EPL clubs haven't been up sooner for a sniff with a relatively low cost to entry for them.

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6 minutes ago, Vietnam91 said:

Hate to break it to you but we are a feeder club already, just not for the benefit of any one particular club. The fact that few of our academy with any real talent plays for us beyond 21 is testament to that.

Nah, there's a big difference in deciding your own course as opposed to existing purely to benefit the bigger club in your ownership model.

Hibs certainly aren't walking into that status next week or anything but there's a phrase about thin ends and wedges which springs to mind.

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2 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Nah, there's a big difference in deciding your own course as opposed to existing purely to benefit the bigger club in your ownership model.

Hibs certainly aren't walking into that status next week or anything but there's a phrase about thin ends and wedges which springs to mind.

I pretty much said that in the second paragraph. I may need to work on making it clearer.

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46 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said:

Nah, there's a big difference in deciding your own course as opposed to existing purely to benefit the bigger club in your ownership model.

Hibs certainly aren't walking into that status next week or anything but there's a phrase about thin ends and wedges which springs to mind.

I'd be surprised if, by the end, the Bournemouth link hasn't cost Hibs more than the fat £6m cheque they just cashed.

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2 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

I'd be surprised if, by the end, the Bournemouth link hasn't cost Hibs more than the fat £6m cheque they just cashed.

Time will tell. I find it hard to believe it's a free lunch.

Certainly I've always thought if there were clubs where investment could work it was Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Anywhere else and you're basically giving away your money, those three medium clubs at least offer a theoretical path to profit...but as we've seen, converting that theory into practice is far from easy.

It's like the old joke that anyone who wants to be a politician should be excluded from the job - anyone who says they can make money investing in Scottish football, old firm apart, should be chased from your club.

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As above, these moves are about what the bigger (or more accurately, richer) club can get, and is not designed for the benefit of the Scottish club. Being a AAA, or more likely AA, club for an English non-entity would be soul destroying.

Edited by rowsdower
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3 hours ago, rowsdower said:

As above, these moves are about what the bigger (or more accurately, richer) club can get, and is not designed for the benefit of the Scottish club. Being a AAA, or more likely AA, club for an English non-entity would be soul destroying.

Until we see the reality of it it's hard to judge.

If you look at City Group, its geared so that the clubs filter players up and down the pyramid ultimately to help the most lucrative markets but also haul everyone up. They don't really deny it goal mostly solidifying Man City as a European powerhouse while building quite a spiders web worldwide scouting network. I wonder if they envisaged the success of Girona so soon?

Let's say Brentford show an interest. Their academy is buoyant and the standard or fringe players is on par with or near Mika. To advance their development players, would there be a funnel to us or would they see more benefit in the guys they are really hopeful making their first team soon in the Championship or abroad rather than the Cinch? You would guess what happened to us in January with Mika being recalled would be less likely.

It would be in their interest that we finish as high up the table as we can for access to Europe, prize money and well sporting organisations like to be associated with success. Would their players be loaned to us, improving our base standard effectively for free reducing our costs? You'd think with the knowledge of Brentford involved with us we'd avoid any more silly bids because there would no longer be an assumption we're living hand to mouth.

As for control, well at present we have that to a degree but not fully, so much is out of our hands. We are beholden to whoever makes sensible offers and conversely what we can offer to bring players in. When it comes to purchases, its no secret that we've missed out on half a dozen these past two windows due to mixture of funds or perception of a better career move at another interested club. So while we may decide who to pursue not much good if we can't close the deal.

Would Max have signed an extension if he was part of an organisation knowing he could have a path to the EPL if he carried on his trajectory? Would a £2m fee for Lennon be a £5m fee if he was sent to Brentford first and the cache of the EPL naturally bumps up his value. Would we realise all of that or would Brentford insist how every penny was spent?

Negatives may include them for accounting/tax purposes running us in such a way to be the most efficient, that may be at a loss, or a dumping ground. Would there be demands on the amount of game time for their loanee's? Would their be EPL ego's at play thinking they could send up 6 starters freeing up wages to double our top earners from 3-4k per week to 6k to then compete with Hearts for 3rd or the OF?

Would they accept a 50-50 model? Unlikely unless they had the controlling vote and at the very minimum. Would they accept a 50-50 with a fan group, almost definitely not so perhaps a moot debate.

With the WS holding 71% at present, would they look for a 21% stake for 1% of their EPL TV deal for everything we could bring ..... I dunno, but I'd be surprised if it didn't get a shoulder shrug or two in boardrooms.

Edited by Vietnam91
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