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Stock of playing kit has all but gone but we have plenty of t-shirts and polo shirts etc. We also have the training jersey and track jacket that will be worn by the players at the final. Cheers Alan

We will be open at Fir Park from 9.30am to 7pm on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday we will open at 8.00am and will close at 1.30pm The shop in Brandon Parade will be open from 10am to 5pm on Thursday and from 10am until 4pm on Friday. Please note that the shop in Brandon parade will NOT be open on Saturday morning as we will be taking all the stock up the the shop at Fir Park for the final day. We are doing this as the supporters buses will leave from here and we want to give everyone the best opportunity to buy. See you there Cheers Alan

Sorry Davie, The car flags have sold very well indeed and unfortunately its an impossible market to predict. We would obviously like to have had more but by the time the first order began to sell quickly there was no more production time at the factory and they are the only manufacturers in the UK. There are options abroad but with an 8 week lead time it is just not possible. In hindsight I should have placed a much larger order and I am kicking myself that I didn't. Cheers Alan In response to Eddiemunster who wants the person in charge of procurement to have their baws kicked: I am the person responsible for procurement and although its probably against my better judgement I feel its important that I respond. We have attempted to get wigs, sun hats etc but we could not find any available "off the shelf" in our colours. Any we did find were far too expensive to make them a viable option. Again, we can get them manufactured but not within the timescale. Believe me we have tried. We suffer from the very thing that makes us unique. Our colours are very specific so very few companies will have our colours available. If you want blue, red green etc you are laughing as they stock this gear in abundance. Its not that we have not been creative, its just that we have been unable to. We have however, in a very short production space, managed to bring in bespoke made pin badges, t-shirts, flags, scarves, t-shirts in two designs and 7 different colours and Polo shirts in four different colours. All of these items were designed by our in house design department and were designed in advance of the semi final. We actually spent three days working with manufacturers who we operate closely with on designs that may have gone in the bin if we had lost. Without this extensive prep work we would have lost vital production time and would have squeezed the window even tighter. These manufacturers then held production space on the Monday morning just in case we got through and when we did they began manufacture immediately. We also got the UK's largest transfer manufacturer to turn around transfers for our jerseys within 10 days. This is eight days ahead of their usual lead time and they do this as we are one of their biggest customers and we can use our influence to make this happen. As "the person responsible for procurement", I co-ordinated all of this on my holidays, effectively taking three days out of my family holiday and sitting in my hotel room sending emails and making phone calls to ensure that we could have as much product on sale as possible. Since coming back from that holiday (now 4 weeks ago) I have worked every single day along with my staff, operating The Well Shop and also operating the temporary shop in the town centre. Most mornings have seen a 5.30am start and a 9pm finish as we have to stock that shop in the morning and empty it at night. Me and my staff will continue to do this all the way up to kick off on Saturday and will be working right through the match to get everything done. Leeann Dempster and her staff at Motherwell F.C. have also been working pretty much around the clock as there is so much to be done that goes unseen. All of this is done at one of our busiest times as we are already working hard preparing for next season. I don't tell you this to look for sympathy as it is the job I'm paid to do which I very much enjoy. Business has been very good and the atmosphere in the shops has been terrific as the buzz builds toward the final. All of our customers have been brilliant and the mood has been great, even when they have had to endure long queues for both tickets and merchandise. Its been a joy to be working at Motherwell F.C at the moment. These occasions are rare and we are enjoyning every minute. I tell you this so that maybe you can get an insight into the scale of the task and the effort that goes into it from everyone invloved and that if we didn't manage to get wigs or ribbons its not for the want of trying, Apologies for the long rant but I feel better now Cheers Alan Provan Person in charge of procurement The Well Shop

That is absolutely correct. By doing it this way it gives us the flexibility to replenish stock quickly and also to give the option for supporters to bring their existing shirts in to get printed. With emroidery this option is just not feasible.

We now only have 24"/26" in the Home Kit, and only Kids sizes in the Away Kit

Superb Chris! Had alot of folk in for flags etc for the window displays in shops today and saw they were putting up C&A Flags all over the place just as I was leaving the precinct. Definitely an increase in the amount of MFC t-shirts and strips being worn out and about as well - great to see! Edit - Dave on AP's account!

You can phone the shop on 01698338025 and place an order over the phone or you could do it instore. Cheers Alan

This is where we seem to have got lost somewhere. The shirt is to celebrate 125 glorious years of Motherwell Football Club. We are doing so by bringing out a jersey which is a reflection of that history. It may not be everyones interpretation but its the one we decided to go with after careful consideration. Goodness me this is hard work

Not quite what I meant. Of course we have sales projections and we order accordingly. We then hope that the quality of the product and the price point will bring the necesary sales. I was trying to say that we don't just expect our supporters to buy all products regardless of these factors as may have been suggested in the post. I could have picked that up wrong and I apologise if it came across that way. I think we are splitting hairs now and this could go round in circles. Cheers Alan

The shirt was always planned for a summer release and has been planned for months. These things take a lot longer than you might think. Obviously we only knew about the Cup Final once we cleared the semi final hurdle and we have tried to bring production forward as we are aware of the sales potential of the cup final. Unfortunately it has not been possible despite our best effort Now, where did I put that crystal ball

I hope you don't mind me saying so but we would not be so arrogant as to "expect" you to fork out. Like all our leisurewear we design and produce, it is entirely the choice of the supporter as to whether they purchase or not. Obviously we would prefer that you do and when you see the garment it may sway your decision. The £45 price tag is due to the heavier weighht polyester fabric we have used. Remember we are also offering a £5 discount for pre-order. Chers Alan

I understand your scepticism but I think you will genuinely like the shirt. We have had the sample sent through for approval and it one of the best retros we have done. As for lack of imagination, we thought long and hard about whether to depart form our tradition for something radically different or to celebrate using our most recognised kit. We came down on the side of tradition in the end. We knew it would not appeal to everyone as thats not possible but we think most people will be very happy with this kit. If you pop into theshop after the Cup Final we will have the shirt on display. Please make yourself known to me as I'd be genuinely interested in your opinion and I can maybe take the time to talk you through the process in a bit more detail. Cheers Alan

It will indeed!

Online now! Final sample came in today - the shirt is a belter, very nice!

Yes Willie, Fire away and post a clearer pic, That would be helpful. The shirt is similar in design to the previous retro shirt but it has a modern twist. We have used a heavy polyester (thicker than your normal football jersey) instead of the cotton that we have used in previous retro shirts. To celebrate 125 years of this great institution we decided that the most appropriate design would be influenced by the more traditional strips of our history. The shirt is enhanced further with the crest that Willie kindly designed for us using the original font with some additional details. It is not a first team shirt and will only be on sale in the club shop. The decision to go with Adults sizes only was because this shirt will appeal in the main to the more experienced sections of our support Hope this helps. It will be available to order online tomorrow afternon. Cheers Alan

The point I was making was about the guarantee. We will still be around should there be a quality issue and we can deal with that for the supporters whereas the street trader will have scarpered with your cash in his hipper never to be seen again.

Its something that we require the help of police and trading standards who we work closely with. Its hard to spot all these guys sometimes until its too late. At Hampden the police have so much more to do than look for fake merchandise so it drops down the priority list sometimes. Locally the Police are first class and have been really helpful in these areas and others. If any supporters see any street traders using club name or crests it would be great if they could let us know. We then pass the info to the Police and Trading Standards and hope that they can act quicky enough.These guys rely on apathy and the fact that they will probably shift enough gear before any action is taken. The best and most effective action we can take is to let the fans know that these guys have no intersest in MFC or in the town itself. They will pick up a street traders license for whichever area is appropriate for a Cup Final. They will pitch up for a couple of weeks and depart with their cash. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this and its perfectlly legal (unless breaching copyright) it brings zero benefit to our town and to the Club itself. We can never stop our fans buying cheap merchandise with no quality guarantee and its everyones right to choose but we can arm everyone with the correct information so they can make an informed choice. Cheers AWP

There will of course be merchandise on sale in the shop. Details to follow

We have taken delivery of Cup Final Scarves today and they look fantastic. Remember, The Well Shop is the only place to buy OFFICIAL merchandise for the Cup Final. Buying from street traders gives no quality guarantee and does not benefit the club in any way. We expect traders to come out in force over the next few weeks and whilst they are not doing anything wrong unless infringing copyright, we feel its best to let you know the facts.

That should be it sorted now. If you have any further trouble, please call me at the shop (01698 338 025, open until 3pm today). We have limited sizes available and if they are not showing on the website, then I'm afraid we have sold out. Kind regards Alan

The website shows that the stock is due in at the end of the month so I would anticipate it will be with you by the first week in May at the latest. Cheers Alan

Leave it with me and I'll get it checked on Monaday. It should be £55 so something isn't right. I'll post here once its sorted.

I'm afraid so. We just have to work with our existing stock as there is not enough time to get any more made before the final. There will be loads of other merchandise including the amber or claret raining tops with the Hampden print which will go online on Tuesday. Cheers Alan

Trying to source some but not much luck so far.

It still is. We have held the offer for the full strip. If you want the cup print its an extra £5.