StAndrew7

Yes, agreed. I've spoken to a few folk with decent club sources who say the management team rate Ox quite highly. If that's the case it does beg the question why we didn't bring him in instead of Kelly at points, but I guess if we said you'll get next season as #1 and us playing Kelly gets us Euros cash to bolster the shambles that played in front of him, it makes a bit of sense. Someone said on P&B or here, I forget which, a couple of weeks ago (or days, what a fucking week it's been) that we'd missed out on 4 keepers. One of them was that Brentford lad that went on loan to St Mirren.

If we get these two in (I doubt Burns would put his name to either if we weren't) and sort out a left wing back I think we're doing pretty well. I would love to get another attacking mid type, along with a winger or two; that way we have some options to change shape/switch it up if the 3-4-2-1 / 3-5-2 isn't working.

It's something around a single entity owning 75% and legal issues around that with the structure of the Well Society, or something along those lines. Bit of a murky legal area I believe but I'm no expert.

The WS' shareholding went below 75%.

We're what, not even 6 months on from the Chairman and ex-CEO having to clarify if our manager had a contract beyond last month or not? I would argue that lessons haven't and will continue to not be learned by the Chairman and some members of the Executive Board based on this whole debacle. Who on earth thought announcing a deal as important as this one should be done with such a God-awful statement, structured appallingly and essentially written to try and pull the (wild sheep's) wool over our eyes? I am very much looking forward to the statement and what it says, although I doubt it will say much of anything (perhaps naively @steelboy?👀😂), but I'm sure it will if Barmack's position has changed and as steelboy has already mentioned, to see if our outgoing Chairman is willing to say what he really thinks of the WS and the club's future. This is particularly pertinent because he said at the AGM that his preference is for the WS to succeed and the club not to need any external investment... How can it possibly do that under these ridiculous terms?! My one comment to back up what others have said throughout today is that this all feels very business like; the first offer is shite and was always going to be rejected... Erik tweaks it to retain 51% for the Society and then that appeases enough people to get it through, because it's a big headline change. This all happens when the basis of the value of the offer is still absolute shite, but is brushed past by enough people because "yay, fan ownership!" etc. Oh and the statement will absolutely mention Liam Kelly earning his fourth Scotland-bench arse splinter tomorrow night.

Of course that's what he's doing, it's as transparent as the windows that Rangers fans enjoy licking during marching season. Where have I said that he's convinced me of anything by what he's said on there? The only thing that he's at least helped confirm or lead us to that I'm willing to take on is that the Club/Exec Board have withheld or significantly watered down feedback from the WS Board. All I said initially was that I thought it was fair enough he was engaging, if you want to extrapolate that point to calling me naive and lecturing me, on you go. I'm far from that and all it continues to do is show just how disparaging you can be about your fellow fans because it's how you want to choose to think of me and others on here.

Of all the things to fire at me after the last few days, when you've seen my contributions and comments on all of this, really?

Quiet you, this is our nest and we can chirp how we want to.

He's mentioned that he's less inclined to change the valuation (for obvious reasons I guess, it gives him a great deal) but that he's willing to listen to people's ideas etc. on the structure I guess? He said he's going to take the WS statement and other people's ideas on board. I think it was @David and a few others who have said that he needs to think carefully about how split the fan base could become over this, i.e. he needs to avoid a pyrrhic 'victory'. He is never going to please everyone but I think he's realised that if he starts off with the majority of the WS Board not aligned with him (has Feely resigned yet?), there's really no point to all of this; as he's wanting to do it collectively and collaboratively. Fair fucks to him, I still find it all a bit mental that he's spent the week discussing and debating things on a public forum.

Yer Auntie's Mum's dug can be verified on yon Tweeter these days, right enough. Also even if Barca are interested, they have got absolutely fuck all money so unless it's all up front, off they fuck.

I made this point on P&B the other day and I am by no ways or means defending their decision when I say this, but by voting for the investment to go through, the two WS reps on the board were technically following the wishes of the Society membership. The results of the vote earlier in the year made it clear the membership was interested in hearing options that could dilute the overall shareholdings below majority stake. So they've carried out the wishes of the Society by putting it through. My biggest issue with all of this, is the terms which come with it and how it seems to the vast majority if not all of us that it's a poor deal. It is also starting to become apparent that the two WS reps on the Exec Board haven't represented the views of the WS Board as a whole, or at least stopped the feedback from the WS board getting to Barmack based on what EB has been saying on P&B.

Nowhere near enough based on the patter on this thread.

Yeah, his latest post with responses from the finance director in it are excellent.

They have though, the Executive Board have backed this deal "unanimously", so that's their plan for the future.

I guess it is and it isn't. I would imagine the Society won't be looking to increase their shareholding, for one. And to be fair to them, that's exactly what they said they'd propose, an alternative to the external investment. I can't see a reason why the Society might not discuss/propose reducing its shareholding to allow for investment in its plan, provided it doesn't dilute its holding below 51%. Ultimately that's helping safeguard the club whilst also sticking to the ethos of it being the majority shareholder. So, if that is indeed part of the plan, why not propose talking to Wild Sheep if/when this current offer is rejected? Well, the (now remaining) WS Board has kind of alluded to that in their statement on Monday. I think, ultimately that's the pipe dream. This current proposal goes, along with the Executive Board members backing it and we lick our collective wounds, sort out the club hierarchy and open negotiations with Erik again. I get the feeling he's willing to listen and understand viewpoints and debate things. Granted, he's basically on P&B trying to sell his deal to the fans (which is his perogative in this instance, ultimately this is the only deal that's on the table currently and works for him).

I don't think anyone can answer that until it's been launched, really. I've heard some snippets of what's been going on and I think it'll certainly be a well thought out and realistic plan for the Society to move forward, increase its input to the club and look to improve and support it financially. Whether or not that meets expectations of people is up to them. Unless one of the Board were to come on and discuss it at length but I think they've got their hands full trying to get it finalised right now, amongst other stuff that's going on!

Yeah, Vietnam 91 has done some really good work on the sums of all of this, kudos. McMahon banged on at the AGM about making sure we had proper financial due diligence consultants appointed to run things; this clearly hasn't been done because he's now hung about far longer than I believe he said he would to force this through. This is on my list of questions to put to the Club about this "deal". I wouldn't be surprised if the valuation was basically put to Barmack based on the Exec Board doing some post-it note maths and his own people/accountants have gone "Erm, aye, that's fine" and rubbed their hands with glee.

I absolutely agree with you there but if the former point is correct, the latter cannot continue without the WS actively involved and the Exec Board members who let it happen in the first place as far away from it as possible. It reads to me like they've been, for want of a better expression, gaslighting Barmack to get to this deal telling him that it'll be fine and dandy, when the WS Board feedback more than likely said it wasn't going to be acceptable. Which then leads to other questions about how well the WS have been represented on the Exec Board by Messers Dickie and Feely... But I think we can all get to the same conclusions there based on the events of the last few days.

From Barmack's comments late last night on P&B, it very much seems like a lot of information that was supposed (?) to be fed back to him hasn't been, particularly feedback on it from the Society. I'm beginning to get more convinced that he's been led down the path by individuals on the Exec Board that this would go through and that it would all be fine etc. The ideal situation for me now is that this deal gets launched, the Exec Board are forced to resign and then the Society, along with Caldwell and the other remaining executives at the club reopen negotiations with Barmack.

Interesting that Barmack is saying on P&B that he didn't always receive the feedback of the WS Board from (I assume) the Executive Board/outgoing chairman... I wonder why?

I'll need to fight to make sure the first football related clothing item is Motherwell related rather than Manchester United, so let me sort that one first. 😅

Again, chapeau etc. for the compliments and I'm happy to help where I can, but Board membership isn't quite for me yet. First baby is due in August and not sure the good lady her indoors would be too pleased with me. 😅

That's how they painted it at the AGM, yes. But that's also seemingly how McMahon in particular wants it to remain. I don't expect it to be how the Society's proposed new strategy/plan will paint it.

I've only just joined the WS today, so maybe give me time. 😄 Although thank you very much for the show of confidence!

Aye, David Lindsay was appointed, Caldwell joined as well but I don't know if he has a vote or not?