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I'd have released Slattery. Decent player on his day but those days can often be very few and far between. Overall his basics aren't good enough. Didn't''t really miss him when he was injured and in fact our form improved as I thought it might. Assuming he's one of the top earners at the club I'd suggest you could get more value for the wages. The one thing I'd say in Slattery's favour is that with Spittal gone maybe there is more of a role for him in the team. As I said last season I felt they didn't both fit into the same starting eleven. Maybe he's an AM but he's absolutely not a CM or DM.

Seconded. Soundbites and clichés are all very well and our potential investor makes them paint a pretty picture but I'll wait till we see the actual amounts he intends to invest, how it would be used and what he's looking for in return before I make my mind up.

Joe McBride certainly and a distant Andy Weir?

Also available as a onesie

Steelboy gets a raw deal on here imo, he calls it as he sees it and actually talks a lot of sense. Outwith my own his posts are the ones I enjoy reading the most.

We have a few over the line to be announced and still a handful to get ..

Yeah, they've said it'll be in the club shop soon.

A few points on what you've said there: I believe this applies to Scottish football as a whole. The quality has declined as other leagues have grown financially and attracted the best young players. This trend has impacted many leagues of similar standing, and unfortunately, no amount of investment will change that. Are our peers moving in the opposite direction? How many times have we heard that before? Would it be that surprising if next season, we discover a few hidden talents and finish fifth or sixth while teams like St Mirren, Dundee United, and Kilmarnock struggle? If someone told me that's how the next season would unfold, I wouldn't be surprised. This league is notoriously unpredictable. I also don't believe we're just lucky. In the past 10 years, we've only been seriously threatened by relegation once, finishing 9th, 7th, 5th, 8th, 3rd, 8th, 7th, 9th, 5th, and 11th. That's not luck. Claiming so disrespects the managers and players who have worked hard to achieve those league finishes. That's your perspective. I'm not going to predict where we'll be in the future because that's purely speculative. I'm focused on what we've achieved so far and our current position. We've experienced a lot of upheaval recently, including having three different managers the season before last. Despite all that, we never faced a serious threat of relegation. Now, we have more stability with a talented young manager in charge, and we boast one of the best young midfielders in the Scottish game. Let's see how Ross County, St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Dundee, St Johnstone, and even Dundee United perform next season. I'm sure there will be some surprises, and we'll be right in the mix. What is the current funding model? Certainly, that’s not always the case. If the person negotiating with the club had a deep emotional connection to it, my perspective might be different. Such connections can motivate someone to willingly lose money on a football club because they genuinely want to make a positive impact. Now, if someone like Barmack, who has no real attachment to the club, comes in and is willing to defer to the Well Society on major decisions and is happy to actively lose money, then fair enough. I’d admit I was wrong. However, I would be very surprised if that happens for several reasons. First, individuals like him don’t typically amass their wealth by giving away money or investing in ventures with minimal return potential. Second, they rarely invest significant amounts of money without retaining control over how the business is run. This is especially true when the majority of decisions are made by a group with little to no business experience at this level. Do you really think someone like Barmack would be content to play second fiddle to the Well Society? As will I. I just hope no one is swayed by his rhetoric about synergy, passion, narratives, and value creation. I want to see a straightforward plan that clearly outlines what he stands to gain from this deal and how it will generate a return on investment for him while also providing value for us.

Thanks David I do get where you are coming from. I agree with some of that but not all. As a Club I have watched us put poorer and poorer quality on the pitch season after season. And yet I still go along each week 😀. For context compare each position over that same time period. You appear to disagree and I respect that. But eventually imo that decline in quality on the pitch will have disastrous results. We have escaped such punishment so far but we are riding our luck. Especially as most of our so called peers (who have experienced similar decline but which in a perverse way has helped us) are now heading in the opposite direction, or are taking steps to do so. Folk may not like their various solutions but at least those Clubs are trying to move forward. And not just Clubs currently in the top league. Unless we do something similar I can see us falling further and further behind. I am not privy to the inner workings of the Club....or Society....but my feeling is that the current structure and funding model is a barrier to improvement. I sense that the Club does not run as efficiently as it once did and I have less faith in our Board than I have had in the past. I think that ties in with the operational/financial clean up you believe is essential? We differ in that I don't think a tidy up is enough.......or is likely. I was being given those same assurances way back when the Society was initially established and also when Hutchison appeared on the scene. I also have been told that there is friction between the Society and certain Club Board members. May be bullshit of course but it is what I was told from someone I pay heed to. ( I sound like Steelboy now) If we wish to stay at the top table I believe substantial change is required across the board. I do hope the Society can continue to play a major role, preferably as the majority shareholder. You often make play of the fact that, as you see it, any major Investor will insist upon overall control and a financial profit on their input. Investment being the word you highlight. No doubt that is often how it works, but there are situations where that is not exactly the case. Again you or others shoot down any examples that are quoted. I'll wait and see what any offer from Barmack entails, and then I'll cast my vote.

Perhaps Growth could be better described as halting a decline rather than trying to achieve levels that put the Club at risk. Growing back to where we ranked only a few years ago perhaps? Direct question David as I am genuinely interested. Overall, do you think the Club has been in decline in recent times.....on and off the pitch? Compared to say 10, 5 and 3 years ago. Motherwell specifically and not Scottish football in general. If you do, how do you see us rectifying matters or should we just continue as is, and accept whatever outcome that delivers? I think we must be proactive. I do believe that is the dilemma the Board have. And although I have doubts about some Board members, I think on the whole they are genuine in trying to find a solution. As we all are I guess.

Good

Another great athlete to add to the pool. Going by his history here it'll take him longer than his contract to get anywhere near fully fit. I'd quite like to see a starting midfield of Halliday, Davor, Nicholson and Slattery just to see what happens.

Aw FFS!!....after Obika as coach now this!!.....heh he just kidding wellgirl. Happy to see him sign new deal

Or D - a combination of all three.

Happy with Nicholson also. With a full pre season then I think will be a good asset next season. For those not happy can I ask who do you want us to sign because as far as I can see every player we sign is written off?. We all remember the outrage when Bair signed and that hasn't turned out too bad. Give the lads a chance

Quite often it is the journeyman/unspectacular career players that make the best coaches, from Fergie to Madden to Belichick

Loved watching Russell and Cooper. They had the same telepathy Graham and Pettigrew had. Made it all look so easy.