David

If we're losing Kelly and some other long-term players then we will need a few experienced heads who know the club and who can help the transition to a new era of sorts. If O'Donnell is one of them, on a reduced contract that has both term and finances to reflect his current and future position in the squad, then I'm happy with that.

On this, I'd hope there's a good number of Society members who do exactly that and then pass any concerns or questions on to the Society board, who can then go about getting those questions answered. Perhaps even via a video Q&A? Maybe hoping for a bit too much there though. Me too. We've simply come too far and have secured a position as a fan group that countless other club's fanbases would kill to have. We can't throw that away based on short-term thinking. I'd hope when the arse eventually falls out of the English league (and it will, that model isn't sustainable long-term) and the aftershock affects certain clubs up here who are operating outside of their means, we are still standing as a fan-owned club.

Good idea. @SteelmaninOZconsider this your own personal thread for your random video posts.

Where would the fun be in doing that? I personally love this time of year. All the rumours, people getting raging about players we haven't signed, the frenzied Google searches for Wiki pages of some random League 2 reserve striker who's scored 3 goals in 576 games etc. That would seem like decent business, if true. Two guys who can do a job but hopefully with contracts to reflect their reduced roles in the coming season. Of course no one is leaking it. It's all coming from random Twitter accounts and online rumours.

This is key. We can all discuss future award-winning documentary series, Netflix, TikTok and so on, but we need to know what the actual angle here is. You're 100% correct. Which begs the question...why? All questions that will need to be answered before I decide which way I'd vote, if asked. And I hope others do the same.

Publicity and kudos from who though?

It's for this reason that I find it difficult to believe that anyone putting money into a football club, especially in Scotland, can see it as an investment. I work with investors regularly. They tend to make investments to increase their wealth, which is pretty much the definition of investment. What we're looking for is someone to give us money for free.

When I see the term investment thrown out there, I often wonder how many people who have put money into a Scottish football club have come away with a profit? I believe Fergus McCann did back in the day, but taking the big two out of the equation, has anyone or any particular investment group come into Scottish football and made an actual profit?

For me, the real doomsday scenario is us handing control of the club to someone because they've offered to throw us a few quid and a suggestion of a documentary, only for them to change their mind and decide they don't want to cover said hole that needs plugged. At least as things are now, there's an element of transparency. If and when someone else takes majority control, they don't need to tell us anything if they don't want to, because it would be their club, not ours.

Not only that, but we'd likely be viewed in a negative light by other clubs and players, which could affect future player business. I mean, imagine how we'd feel if he'd come in on loan under the same agreement to sign for next season and he'd been a revelation, running our midfield and looking amazing, only to get to the summer and say, "Actually, I've had a few better offers elsewhere now after my late-season showing, so I'm just gonna cancel this deal with you guys and bugger off." It works both ways. If we've made a commitment to the player, we need to honour it.

Yeah, as I said in the first post, there's a number of younger players but I didn't add them to the list. I'm talking mostly about first team players.

Out of contract (1st team squad) Liam Kelly Aston Oxborough Bevis Mugabi Ricki Lamie Stephen O'Donnell Callan Elliot Paul McGinn Barry Maguire Calum Butcher Callum Slattery Sam Nicholson Blair Spittal (signed pre-contract with Hearts) Jonathan Obika Mark Ferrie So, with the season about done, who would you want to keep from that lot? Obviously Spittal is offski, but from the rest?

It'll be a game we can all enjoy without worrying about the result. If someone had told me that earlier in the season, I'd have taken it.

First time we've conceded three goals in a league game since Celtic put three past us on February 25th, and we're eleven points clear of the playoffs. Not the best season by any stretch, but I'll take it. Next season will be interesting. Some wholesale changes look like they're on the cards.

Well, his contract is up at the end of this month as far as I know, so you may very well get your wish.

At this point in time, he's the very epitome of a one-season wonder. If he goes on to replicate his performances and goalscoring exploits next season, then he won't be, but at this particular moment in time? He's done what he's done for one season. I sincerely hope he progresses upwards and onwards wherever he's playing in the next few years. He seems like a nice guy, and I hope we're not talking about him in years to come as that guy who scored a lot of goals for one season before disappearing into obscurity shortly after.

There's only so much even Kettlewell can do! But aye, I'd take the money, thank Theo for his time and efforts, congratulate him on his significant wage rise, and then try to find the next diamond in the rough or "project."

Lennon is an entirely different proposition. He's looked like a top prospect since he was a kid, which is why he made his debut less than a week after his 16th birthday. He's got obvious quality, and barring an unforeseen injury or something along those lines, his form isn't likely to suddenly dip. He isn't a one-season wonder at this point. He's far more likely to improve than I'd say Theo is.

It's outstanding business, and one thing we need to consider is how Theo himself would feel. Whatever he's earning just now, it's fairly safe to say that any club that puts £750,000-£1 million on the table is going to offer him the kind of wages he very likely never thought he'd get. I'll be interested to see how he does in the next few seasons wherever he goes because as good as he's been this year, it still doesn't change the fact that before this season, he scored 8 goals in 94 games, an average of 0.08 goals per game. Either it all suddenly clicked for him at the age of 24, and he's now a double-digit goalscorer per season, Kettlewell is the striker-whisperer and succeeded where 3 or 4 other managers failed, or it's a fluke season. I'd rather find out the answer to that question from afar while Motherwell is close to a million quid richer.

Or, to play devil's advocate, Theo stays another year, doesn't replicate his form, interest in him dwindles, and the club loses a potential million-pound transfer fee, and the player loses the chance to sign a multi-year contract at substantially higher wages. No one is happy.

Not sure if adding slow motion footage of fans screaming at O'Donnell to get the finger out, or booing like fuck when Kelly makes a mistake would really help shift season tickets 😉

We won't really know what's on the table anyway because this kind of thing is very fluid. One team could sound us out about Theo but also look at other options, and I'm sure we'll see more than one inquiry this summer. For me, considering Bair's track record outside of this current season, anything over £1 million in total is good value. Not to mention, the player is likely all too aware of where he's been and how he's performed in his career. He'd be absolutely mad not to cash in on his best season yet and try to secure as high a salary as he can on a solid three—or four-year contract.

When it comes to Bair, the old saying of "strike while the iron is hot" likely applies. For both club and player.

On Lennon Miller, I think Kettlewell addressed it quite recently... "I'm not worried about it and are we sitting here with a figure? Definitely not. You see Lennon walking about the place and playing out on the pitch. We're as relaxed as he is. "He signed an extension to his deal we were absolutely delighted to get. To secure the services of a very good player for a longer period of time is a good thing for us. He's come through the academy and from our side Lennon knows, we know, and his parents and agent and everyone who's behind him have all got that same focus. "That focus is that more minutes and games at this club is only going to enhance his reputation and help enhance him as a player. We know he'll have goals and so will his family. But if we can work together in the fashion I believe we have done then that's going to line the stars up and ensure he goes on to have a very prosperous career." Unless a really good offer comes in that appeals to both club and player he'll be here next season I think.

Have you ever watched a cup draw? It's quite literally a lottery.