wellgirl

But I think we lose our right to be offended about whether the fans did or didn't say the f word when it's deemed acceptable to call McGhee a paedophile. Half the fans might have been singing that stuff but given 4 or 5 hundred fans went to Pittodrie, it's a small section of our entire support. I suppose we will need to wait and see whether it happens at Fir Park and if more people join in. As for the article about Reynolds, him saying he didn't hear the chants isn't the same thing as saying he got what he deserved. Other managers have walked out on Motherwell on less than friendly terms, they didn't get that kind of abuse.

Ok, I understand but as I said, I think the paedo chants will see the club in trouble no matter what. I hope the idiots who sang these songs understand the potential damage it could have done to Motherwell's reputation. Instead of the papers being full of how well we played, it's all going to focus on these chants and it just gives McGhee a platform to slate the Motherwell fans. In this case deserved.

I'm not sure given the quality of the chants that we have the right to be offended about the way it's portrayed in the media. Arguing about whether we called someone an effing bastard or a sheep shagging bastard kind of pales into insignificance. People can call McGhee what they like but there will be consequences for the club whether we like it or not. I'm surprised that given that everyone seems to have taken to Jim Gannon and the team are doing well, that there seems to be so much dislike towards McGhee and it's getting worse. He's moved on, it's about time we did. A small section of our fans were responsible for this, but they were vocal enough to make sure that we're going to be all over the press for all the wrong reasons. When the truth is that generally our fans are something to be proud of. I wonder what the players and Gannon think of the support tonight. We might think that because we have paid our money we have the right to say anything we like. But if it backfires on the club badly, it's not worth it.

I don't think there's any law against posting something on more than one fans forum if the topic has come up on both forums about prices, anyone has a right to post their view. Not everyone on here posts on FPC and vice versa. As for posting under another username on here, again, not everyone who posts on FPC and here posts under the same username. I don't see the relevance of the harping on comment if you made it because I had spoken about it on FPC. As for your comment about people who are unemployed not smoking or drinking or attending football matches, I don't smoke, I don't spend the benefit I get on JSA but if I want to have the occasional night out or go to the football and I can afford it I will and I don't see any reason why people on low incomes should be priced out of football or patronised and told what they should or shouldn't be spending their benefit on. Shutting the door in people's faces because they have a low income while allowing students and other people on reduced incomes cheap access is ridiculous particularly in these economic times and if you think people should have to volunteer to buy "credits" to get them free entry to FPC, quite frankly it's about the most patronising thing I've ever heard in my entire life. There's enough of a stigma about being on benefit without people telling you you shouldn't drink or smoke or have a life. Everyone is different, just because some people might spend their entire benefit on fags, booze, drugs, doesn't mean everyone will. However you were quick enough to apologise to someone else on the thread who made it quite clear that he managed to attend football, both home and away when he was signing on. Games would have been cheaper then, but I'm sure he was on less money than people get now. He had every right to go to Fir Park then and it should be no different now. I'm quite aware that people on benefit have priorities financially, but if people have ten quid in their pocket and want to go to Fir Park why shouldn't they? What's the difference between someone on JSA and a student who isn't working buying a reduced price season ticket from their student loan? I also looked on Motherwell's website and they currently give free tickets to people under the PHAB scheme and I believe to local schools, but that seems to be it. You want more people through the doors of Fir Park, you reduce prices for everyone and let them make the choice, because it should be no skin off your nose unless you are affected directly what someone else chooses to do with their income.

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/ho...-a-Jambles.html From today's Scottish Sun, our "thumping loss" to Bucharest.

I'm proposing that people have more of a choice, which they don't at the moment. As for the amount of JSA you get or the fact that it's a basic survival allowance, I'm perfectly aware of that as I'm currently out of work. What's stupid in the current climate is pricing people out of football given that we are in the middle of a recession and the number of people out of work is rising month on month. As for your JOG on comment, I'm not sure what you meant by it, because if you think that people on JSA shouldn't be spending a tenner going to the football and that it's excessive, the question I asked about is football only to be for people in employment seems quite reasonable under the circumstances.

I'm not setting the prices here, I said ten pounds because that was the figure set by St Mirren. The fact is, you could have someone who is a student who is as well off as someone who works but still gets a discount, you could have someone over 60 who qualifies for a concession who is still in full time employment. You aren't going to be able to make prices fair for every single person who goes through the gates at Fir Park, but with the number of people out of work rising and pay at the gate prices also rising, there will be a lot of people who won't be able to afford to go to Fir Park or any other ground. A lot of people on low incomes also get tax credits which some people on basic benefits don't and it's these people who are going to have to stop going to football.

Why not? People can choose to spend their wages anyway they choose, why shouldn't people who are out of work go and see the occasional football game. As for people who are signing on, some people might be doing voluntary work anyway, why should people need to work towards going to see Motherwell? If other SPL clubs can implement this and they have, there's no reason why we can't. It's not flogging a dead horse, it's recognising in this current economic climate that there may be football fans who are going to be joining the dole queue and as a result won't be able to see their team any longer. Or is football only to be for people who are in employment? As for harping on about it, I mentioned it twice before I made this post, once to say what another SPL club were doing, hardly excessive.

Such as St Mirren have done by letting people who are unemployed in for a tenner. There's no reason why Motherwell couldn't do the same. Ask people to bring proof of ID when they pay for their ticket plus a letter stating their entitlement to benefit, less chance of it being abused than if people are just asked to turn up with their signing on card. Or give a concession season ticket to people on low incomes. Aberdeen have a scheme where if people work in certain jobs that they do unsocial hours, they have the option of buying a 10 game season ticket. There could be and should be more flexibility when it comes to ticketing options, surely the club would rather have a seat filled and it cost ten quid to sell than an empty seat?

It's only the under 18s ticket though that's such good value at Bolton though, but that really does encourage under 18s to support the club. Although Bolton did cut prices on all their season tickets this year. Good to see a club trying to attract more young people through the gates.

It's not overpricing football (season ticket) but as you said, some people can't afford a season ticket, if someone is out of work it will probably be beyond them, but offer some kind of concession for people on a low income and people might go a few times a season. We assume students are skint, offer them a concession, offer pensioners a concession, juveniles the same and offer families different packages. So why can't the club do something for people who are unemployed or on a low wage?

St Mirren charge people who are unemployed ten quid to get into the game. I know there have been discussions about it being unworkable, basically you need to take proof that you are on benefit when you buy the ticket and of course there are ways that people who don't qualify could end up with a reduced price ticket. But no different to people getting concessions or juvenile tickets they aren't entitled to. If it gets people through the gate who wouldn't normally be able to afford a game then why not, because 20 quid off 60 odd quid benefit will be more than most people on benefit can afford. I wonder how many people will pay cash at the gate at an away game seeing as the concession age is 65 for most other SPL clubs and 60 at Fir Park.

When Motherwell had a corner in the second half, a St Johnstone player was pulling the Motherwell players shirt, just something else that the ref let go. I thought that St Johnstone were a really dirty team and fair enough, they played some decent football but they let themselves down. If you are confident in your ability as a team you don't need to be pulling people's jerseys and tripping players up.

But, concessions at Fir Park are for over 60s and if we offer a student concession to away fans many Motherwell fans paid over the odds today. There should be a reciprocal agreement, St Johnstone are taking the piss.

Some of them got put out as well apparently. They weren't obstructing anyone's view of the game, they were in the bottom tier of the stand, if they did get put out, totally ridiculous decision and whatever jobsworth sanctioned it should be ashamed of themselves.

Why should we care about what Scott McDonald thinks about what we think of him? He's made his move and it's turned out well for him, if he were really concerned about what a few fans on a Motherwell fans forum thought about him 3 years on, I think he needs to get a life. Anyone can read the boards, the entire first team could be logged on here if they wanted to be, I'm sure it wouldn't change the way that people posted.

the funeral of Paul McGrillen will take place on Friday 7th August at 10am in St Peters Church, Buchanan Crescent Hamilton. From Bathgate's website.

Friday morning, there are details of it on Bathgate's website.

If the opposition was so good tonight then why did they need to resort to their antics? That and the shocking ref ruined the game. So what it happens elsewhere, doesn't make it right. What a shift Motherwell put in, some fine football, yes we were unlucky, yes we weren't going to make it through but if you have to win by diving, cheating, then why bother? Why not just go out and play football and show what you can do? The lasting impression I have of the opposition tonight regardless of whether the ref had a shocker was that they were willing to cheat their way to a win and they didn't need to, considering they were 3 nil up already. There's a lot to say for sportsmanship and they had none and if people are offended by this, too bad, it's the way it was. As for Jim Gannon being sent to the stand for speaking his mind, good on him.

Will there be any minutes silence or black armbands shown for McGrillen? I'm aware that it probably couldn't happen tonight because of UEFA but I think it's only right that some tribute is paid.

I'm so sorry for his family and I'm sorrier that the man himself felt that he couldn't keep on living. He was part of the team I grew up watching and I'll be happy to show support in any way possible, including anything that's done for the family.

It does not matter how he died, not wearing armbands would show a lack of respect on the clubs part as well as being incredibly judgemental. As the previous poster said as well, it is a gesture of support for the ones he loved as well. RIP Paul.

To be honest, given that there will be more well fans at next week's game, I'd be happy to see the team wear them then. The news probably hasn't had time to sink in and it must have been really hard for the team to play under those circumstances.

The club wouldn't have had armbands with them, I presume they'll be wearing them next week.

Not sure if it's too early to post or suggest but it's been on my mind all day, similar to the way fans organised some support for the Dolan family when Jamie died, there could be something done for the McGrillen family maybe. I'm still stunned, god knows what his family are going through, so so sad for them. Sometimes you only realise that someone has been suffering from depression when it's far too late. Rest in peace Paul.