Jay

Appears to be a 2pm demo on the go this Saturday afterall - at Hampden.

I'm happy to believe, at the moment, that our club are not a part of this. Thankfully our club has been pretty vocal recently regarding this issue - both in terms of official statements and discussing the issue via social networking sites. Therefore, it is only natural to assume that, if the club have nothing to do with this, they will address this horrific attempt at corruption by clarifying their lack of knowledge regarding it and distancing themselves from the shameful events currently unfolding. It is also only natural, in my opinion, to assume that failure to do so in the very near future will be, at least on some level, an admission of guilt. The idea that Motherwell FC could have actively played a role in this - including 'allowing' the Well Society to decide how we vote - is depressing. Thankfully, I fully expect a statement refuting this idea ASAP.

Between this and the SFA using the England away game in a bid to cash in on the Scotland support, today has left me feeling sick of Scottish football and those that run it. A statement from MFC is required as soon as possible.

Motherwell Football Club simply must come out and clarify their position in this (Aberdeen have reiterated their stance that Rangers should apply for the SFL like every other club). If it turns out that our club is actively involved in this, then they can go fuck themselves.

So rules should be changed, leagues should be reconstructed, fans should be ignored, competitions should be rigged, clubs should be blackmailed and Scottish football should become a complete sham forever more, to ensure that Rangers are only out of the SPL for one reason? People losing jobs is unfortunate, but it happens every day. It's not even close to being a relevant reason for full-scale corruption. And your last point doesn't even merit a response. "Very real possibility".

Full document sent to SFL clubs to put Rangers into the First Division. This is beyond ridiculous. When it was just a case of either newco in SPL (finance over integrity) or newco in the Third Division (integrity over finance) then at least everything seemed relatively clear and above board. I would have chucked SPL football if the former scenario had come to fruition, but I would do so at least knowing those that run our game were perfectly clear about where their priorities lie. However, this is a whole different situation IMO. This is blatant corruption, there is no other way to describe it. It's also blackmail. Just when I'd picked up my season ticket and was finally looking forward to the next season, this all comes to the fore. I've got to be honest, I feel far more angered by these new proposals than the original 'newco in the SPL' scenario. At least that would have been the result of a democratic vote in favour of finances. This is just beyond belief. If this level of corruption is allowed to take place then I fear I will be done with Scottish football. Not just in terms of the SPL, but in terms of everything - both domestically and in terms of the national team. When things reach this stage, it really just is game over. Threatening SFL clubs and staging reconstruction just to shoe-horn Rangers into the First Division is the epitome of a rigged competition. There really is no point when things hit that level - it just becomes the Scottish football version of WWE where the fan favourites are there to win staged competitions, and the rest are just there to make up the numbers.

Shameful.

Cheers mate, going to nip over tomorrow, pick up my new season brief, and hopefully get 5% back in my pocket!

Cheers mate. Aye, it was the Well Society discount - I ended up just renewing online last night anyway, need to pick up the brief at the ticket office though so I'll mention it and see if I can swing a wee 5% refund... Given I'm back being a skint student, it's only actually £8 so it's not a massive amount - but I can put it towards a half-pint in Copenhagen for the Champions League trip.

Apologies if this has been asked - but can you get the 5% discount on your ST through the online renewal? I'm assuming so, but I can't find anywhere to do so.

To be honest, I'll stick to trying to get along mates who could be potentially 'new Motherwell fans' who'll get in involved in the atmosphere than trying to encourage the folk who sit in silence at cup finals to make it a regular occurance.

Not next season, no. But if a few of the folk who don't go regularly or who have drifted away are encouraged by friends or family to go along a bit more often and the SPL starts to get a bit more enjoyable and competative without the absolute cancer that is Rangers (I no longer buy the Division One/Three followed by a return to the SPL line, I reckon they're gone completely) then there's no reason why that can't begin to grow little by little each season. But to answer your question, no - I don't expect a noticeable difference in the number of fans every week next season.

The thread isn't claiming that the events of the past few months will result in crowds going up, it's encouraging people to try and get folk along in a bid to get crowds going up.

Agreed. I was all over the 'chucking it' chat a few months/weeks ago and genuinely meant it. However, I am very happy with the way our club has handled the situation (eventually) and I'm now very happy with the way the other SPL clubs have stood up to Rangers. I had discussions over e-mail a couple of weeks ago with the club regarding cancelling my Well Society membership if the inevitable (as I saw it at the time) happened. I also held off renewing my season ticket when that would normally have been done as soon as renewals were being accepted. I'm now proud to be a fully paid up member of the Well Society and I'll be renewing my season ticket online this evening. If ever there was a season for the lapsed fans you speak of to get back involved at Fir Park, this is it - a brave new dawn, a fantastic atmosphere at games, Champions League football, James McFadden back in a 'Well shirt perhaps? And for those who had been considering joining the Well Society - if ever there was a symbol of its potential and importance, it was the club allowing its members the decision on the vote when very few clubs were still to announce their 'no' stance. Bring on Ayr Away.

No idea, I was just sharing the link!

I know that there's been an effort to keep all things relating to the newco situtation in the one thread, to feel free to merge this - just thought it might get better exposure on its own... Petition: A Fair Deal From Sky I'm not suggesting that a petition telling Sky not to penalise clubs for putting integrity ahead of profit is going to have much success. However, I also didn't think for a second that fan power would have had such an effect that we now find ourselves in a situation where a 'no' vote is all but guaranteed. You don't ask, you don't get...

I'm genuinely interested to know what exactly the club have done wrong recently. I was very vocal in slating the club for the statement they put out and I still maintain, whether deliberately not it, it stunk of 'yes' propaganda. But I just obviously don't see what other people are seeing when it comes to the guidelines they've produced. Either that or I've been sent the wrong stuff. The facts and figures for what will happen financially if a newco is allowed in the SPL are quite obviously provided with more certainty - that's just logical. The facts and figures for what will happen financially without a newco are quite obviously provided with less certainty - that's also just logical. Obviously anyone who has read the stuff also knows that the media's claim that the club have said a no vote will result in administration is utter nonsense. Therefore, I'm really struggling to see what the club are doing wrong here. The documentation makes grim reading in general, whether there's a newco or not. But nothing there seems to me to be weighted in favour of one side or scaremongering. It seems an honest-as-possible collection of the facts and figures that can be provided to the fans. I've voted 'no'. The Well Society will vote 'no'. The club will vote 'no'. Then we'll need to work hard to get past whatever financial obstacles are in the future - whether the SPL votes 'yes' or 'no' as a whole. But I just don't for a second see where this anger at the club has come from, at least regarding the Well Society vote.

Did they? All I've seen is that the club have warned the fans that there could be serious financial problems in the future, with a risk of administration, if we don't find other ways to make up for the guaranteed loss of income that will hit on either side of the vote. That's hardly scaremongering. Just because the BBC and a few bigots on Rangers Media decided to make up that the club actually said a no vote will mean administration doesn't make it remotely true.

Can't agree with that, I thought it was as impartial as they could possibly make it. The only difference is that they can say with more certainty what the results will be of a 'yes' vote but I think any claims of weighting the documentation in that direction are very unfair.

I'd like to think that when the Well Society gets more involved its first move is to look at how the club budgets for each season. A club the size of Motherwell budgeting for top six and cup runs seems absolutely ridiculous to me.

Did what I said I would - read and re-read the documentation sent out with the ballot paper. Some interesting, and largely grim, reading - plenty of financial obstacles whether the vote goes one way or the other. However, there was nothing severe enough to sway my vote. No.

I'm 99% sure I'll be voting 'no'. Not because of any 'I'm voting no, now what's the question' stance - simply because I think anyone with any interest in this issue over the past few months will already know the main financial implications either way, short of having actual figures. The club statement that cause a bit of a backlash simply brought all those implications together. If it's a postal vote and the ballot paper comes through my door along with material to read, then of course I'll read it before voting. And if there are figures in there that scare the shit out of me or it is made clear that the very future of Motherwell is at risk without Rangers, then obviously I'll take a bit of time to reconsider my vote. However, I'm 99% sure that any information provided by the club will just be repeat of what was in the club statement, I'm 99% sure that there will be no specific proof that no Rangers would equal no Motherwell and, therefore, I'm 99% sure that I'll be voting 'no'. I'd like to think a lot, if not all, of those voting will be thinking along similar lines. Just because someone posts on the internet that they're definitely voting 'no', I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that they're not going to even bother with the details.

Exactly. The clubs who vote 'yes' have so much to lose in terms of their own supports, that the 'no' clubs would be absolutely mental not to make it known how they voted - either by official announcement or by leaking it to the press. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the club will vote the way the Well Society decide, and I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that we'll know which way the clubs ultimately vote. After all the shite in the last few months, folk should be taking this opportunity to relax and enjoy our club doing something great, rather than worrying about the next issue they can find.

Agreed. Think people are just trying to pick holes in a fantastic move by the club. I have absolutely no doubt that the statement taken as a whole means the Well Society shall decide on the newco issue.