Jay

I'm genuinely interested as to why so many 'Well fans attach such despair and, more importantly, finality to this? Don't get me wrong - of course we all want to remain in the top flight and nobody wants us to languish in the First Division for years, but what if we do? Even if it resulted in the extreme predictions of part-time football, so what? Again, it's obviously not what any of us want and it would be a dark day in the club's history, but I really fail to see why "if we go down we won't come back up for ages" and "attendances and finance will drop and we'll end up part-time" are given as these terrible conclusions with no further comment when, in reality, they are just unfortunate changes in the club's circumstances. I'd suspect if it happened (and it's a purely hypothetical, massive "if"), we'd largely be quite content as long as we were in existence.

For me, there is a difference between being negative and being realistic. The former is berating young players, demanding the manager gets sacked, calling our entire team shite, and the rest of it. Being realistic, however, is simply putting forward an opinion based on where we currently find ourselves and the most likely outcome of that. The problem on here is that too many people decide to bung both those together, then moan about both groups of folk being negative. It's telling that Buxe on the podcast made the point that Steelmen Online can sometimes be perceived as negative but it helps stimulate discussion, yet the main culprits of trying to stifle debate at the moment seem to be those taking offence at others expressing belief we're heading for the playoffs or relegation. Between the "woe is me" patter from those who have chucked it and the hints of a "holier than thou" attitude from those who, rather than indulge in debate and conversation choose just to dismiss opinions they don't agree with, there are actually folk in between who just think what is currently the most likely outcome (ie. us finishing 11th) is now going to happen. I'll still be supporting the side at every game left and holding out hope we can turn things around, but that doesn't detract from my opinion that we'll finish 11th - and no amount of folk deciding I'm being negative changes that. If we finish 11th having still managed to finish the season strongly, then hopefully we can take that momentum into the playoff. However, our mentality this season has been incredibly poor and I thought we bottled it on Saturday with a big crowd at a massive six pointer so, at the moment, I'm concerned that we'd struggle to rise to the occasion of a playoff. Can we finish 10th? Absolutely. Do I think we will? No. Can we win a playoff? Of course. Do I think we will? Still too far away to judge.

Can I also just add that, although he's undoubtedly been "Heel of the Season" so far, Jack got in touch following the St. Mirren match to congratulate and commend the 'Well on the performance and result, and also passed the podcast link onto the Chief Executive at the Buddies so he can hear our complaints regarding treatment of away fans (he asked if I could mention both of these things!). Hopefully he'll be back in touch if he hears anything from the club.

As someone who's been on here since the WellTrustFC.net days, I've similarly fell away from it - that's mostly down to packing in my job in 2011 and going back to being a student for four years though, never noticed originally just how much time I spent in the DFID and Fire Brigade offices skiving on Steelmen Online until I took voluntary redundancy and suddenly was never on here!

I think you'd be spot on there. I think all three of us are very pleased and proud of what we're doing with the podcast but I think the one thing that's always been a slight negative is there's often a lack of disagreement or debate. It happens occasionally of course and will no doubt happen in the future. Not that you want each podcast to be an argument and even when we all agree, I'd like to think it's still entertaining and interesting listening, but having someone on whose opinions are probably not going to naturally conform to your own has definitely been a good thing, and something we'll look to do again in the future. We're constantly quite overwhelmed by just how positive the reaction has been to the podcast and how quickly we've attained about 1,000 listeners on average a week, but that doesn't mean we're not continually trying to improve it or come up with new ideas. Between your average fans as guests, special guests from the business side of the club, ex-players, and opposition fans, I think we're really doing well to cover a wide variety of aspects and churning out stuff that's hopefully enjoyable to listen to! For the benefit of anyone who's missed the links this week as they've disappeared beneath the St. Mirren fan chat... Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/bytheminsport/bytheminmfc-podcast-23 Libsyn - http://traffic.libsyn.com/bytheminmfc/Podcast22.mp3 (also on iTunes are usual)

Yeah, I said pretty much this exact same thing to Sparra and Busta earlier - outwith the special guest podcasts, I think this one has sparked the most discussion and debate which is undoubtedly a good thing! If you actually take what he said about St Mirren Park being like a "sterile hospital", it could be that his opinions of the Bois and atmosphere at Fir Park is more the result of jealousy rather than genuine viewpoints!

This is all good stuff mate, cheers for taking the time to post it and I can't really argue with any of it. One of the reasons behind the opposition fan idea, as I mentioned above, was to try and add a new dimension where listeners maybe find themselves genuinely questioning or disagreeing the input from a supporter of the side we're about to play. I think your post shows that's exactly what's happened, albeit not on the points we'd originally expected. Podcasts where we hear Brian Martin stories, ask Les Hutchison questions, or all agree on how good/poor we are at the time are all entertaining and interesting and really enjoyable to do, but there's also room for the odd bit of annoyance or aggro in my opinion...

I do think the podcast is a little St. Mirren heavy for a short period of time in the first half (although we always try to keep it as close to 'as live' as possible, so there's always a risk of not controlling what's being discussed or for how long). However, I think the stuff in the second half about the stewarding at St. Mirren Park and the subject of a potential new stadium for ourselves in the future is decent listening. I reckon the opposition fan as guest idea will divide folk, but the intention was to have some more reasonable discussion, related mostly to Motherwell, while hopefully injecting a little bit of aggro or needle here and there before a big game. I think that balance was evident from this podcast, certainly a few points from the opposition that would irk 'Well fans I'd imagine. Certainly won't be a regular occurrence but I wouldn't be surprised if we bring another opposition fan on again in the future - adds a new dimension and keeps things varied and fresh. But aye, have a listen to the end and let me know your thoughts - his comments about leaving for a new stadium and inevitably leaving behind your hopes, memories, passions etc certainly struck a chord with me and gave me a bit of the fear about our own potential moving one day!

For the first time, our guest on next week's podcast will be an opposition fan - St. Mirren season ticket holder & editor of the "Black and White" magazine Jack Paterson will be joining us ahead of the vital 'Well v Buddies clash on Tuesday night. Hopefully it'll be another interesting and entertaining listen, with the opportunity to get an opposition fan's view of Motherwell and the current relegation battle. One subject we also hope to cover and get a Saints perspective on will be the treatment of Motherwell fans at St. Mirren Park in the last few years. If you want to remind yourself of what went on during those previous visits or just want some Friday reading as you're one of a handful of folk actually in work today: 'Well Fans, Not Criminals (the "kettling day"): https://scrieve.wordpress.com/well-fans-not-criminals/ 'Well Fans, Not Criminals II - The Return to Paisley (next visit to Paisley following the "kettling day"): https://scrieve.wordpress.com/well-fans-not-criminals-ii-the-return-to-paisley/ The March of the Fluorescent Jackets II - The Stewards (stewarding in general, but references most recent visit to Paisley): https://scrieve.wordpress.com/the-march-of-the-fluorescent-jackets-ii/

Of all the podcasts we've done this was definitely the most enjoyable. Buff is a top man.

The thread got a bit cluttered with chat yesterday so, for the benefit of gunn (regarding the point about ex-players) and anyone else who missed it, see above!

Just bringing these links a wee bit further down the page again, in case anyone missed them in amongst the chat...

We'll have to agree to disagree because I just don't understand that at all. If I want to buy a car, a couch, a new laptop, or any other good or service but can only afford to do so via repayments, then there'd be no question of a legal commitment and the only way that would put anyone off would be if they couldn't afford it - in which case they shouldn't be buying whatever it is in the first place. At the moment, I think the chances of someone being lazy about it and putting off starting the repayments is far more likely than someone being put off by the type of repayment system they'd expect for anything else they were paying up. But again, we'll have to agree to disagree on that. The underlying point for me is that the Society has to prove to people that it can run a professional football club to then expect the required numbers to invest. For me, things are still not appearing professional enough and continue to look a little haphazard which does nothing to encourage confidence. All that said, all the noises the Society are making - both on the podcast and elsewhere - are positive and it seems they're hungry for ideas and opinions, so that's very much a good thing going forward.

See, this to me shouldn't be an issue. If you want to encourage people to join the Society, one way to do so is to gain their confidence that they can successfully run a professional football club by they themselves doing things professionally from the get go. If I purchase any other good or service and choose to pay it up, I can't simply cancel my DD without the provider or seller having a position to take legal action. I'm not an expert on that side of things but it's par for the course and I see no reason why the same sort of situation could not be devised here - if the Society wants to be run professionally, it's the professional thing to do. Similarly with the payment methods - what's wrong with PayPal and other recognised methods used by professional organisations? This is what frustrates me more than anything, we still seem to be in a situation where it's all hit and miss, a little bit amateurish, and at times feels like corners are cut. I don't want to get that kind of impression from a Society that will one day be running my football club. Agreed on the benefits though, I've never bothered with them. My point was more that the current setup makes it far easier for a prospective member to just keep putting it off.

To be fair, I didn't think there was any chance of him discussing the contract of an employee, we just tend to take it for granted that these things are announced at the start. But it's something that has been mentioned before and has been noticeable by its absence so we definitely had to ask at least.

Missed STV News tonight but got a few messages to say Les was quoted from a "fan podcast" tonight. Recognition, kind of! I'll stick it on +1. ByTheMinMFC Podcast - doing journalism so STV don't have to.

You're far from the only person to say that in the aftermath of this episode (and the earlier Brian McCafferty one). Looks like the podcast has become more than just entertainment for fans and has actively led to a good few folk deciding to sign up for the Society, which is fantastic.

Cheers mate, that was a personal highlight. He left just enough of a gap after asking the question that I thought he was looking for an answer. Was just about to shout out something like "living room!" like a game of Family Fortunes when he then finished his wee quote!

I actually have no doubt whatsoever that the subject of a "Plan B" would have been tackled at some point if Les hadn't already made it incredibly clear on numerous occasions that, if the Well Society isn't a success, there will be no point in him being there so he'll move on, something that has already been stated by the Society and the club. If you don't feel that was obvious then that's fair enough, but it certainly wasn't a case of any of us putting our heads in the sand - personally I think it was more a case of, in the spontaneity of a recorded-as-live podcast, all three of us understanding quite clearly that this was the case, particularly because he reiterated it on a number of occasions. It was less about not asking the tough questions and more about not asking questions that had already been answered.

Just on this point - as much as we try and prepare for any special guests we have on, a lot of what is posted on here will probably pass us by given we're not regular users anymore. The podcast is done usually when we're all simultaneously available after busy days, so we can't always be checking forums to make sure we've taken notes of everything everybody says, particularly if it's conversations between two users - it's one of the reasons the graphics we now share to promote the podcast state that questions/comments etc should be submitted via Facebook or Twitter, to make it far easier for us to keep a track because we don't really have the time to trawl message boards on top of actually doing the podcast. As always though, any feedback is welcome - be it positive or negative, so your comments are appreciated. The podcast last night was intended to be conversational whilst still raising a few points rather than an interview like the one already on the Well Society website - I think we managed to do that while covering a lot of issues and also pointing out things we didn't agree with, but naturally things are going to be missed in a discussion that lasts less than an hour, and everyone will have different opinions on what were the important points. Incidentally, on the subject of a Plan B, without explicitly saying it I thought Les made it perfectly clear on a number of occasions that, if the Well Society isn't a success in five years, he'll pack up and move on.

Sparra picks the tunes... (Although I'm going to assume you mean Orange Juice at the end of the Les podcast rather than Belle & Sebastian at the end of the extra time podcast - if it's the latter then you're just plain wrong!)

Podcast #20 promises to be another good one...

Here we go... Soundcloud Libsyn Also on iTunes.

Although I didn't go into great detail, I do mention the SFA's recent attempts to rip off Scotland fans with ticket prices.

Always good to hear you've made a point that folk take note of! I've went into a bit further today here.