Pettywulliegrew-2 Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson said he could not talk about the bullying claims Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson has refused to comment on allegations of bullying at former club Oldham. A former player at Boundary Park, where Robinson worked from July 2016 to January 2017, made the claims on social media. BBC Scotland understands the Fir Park club believe the tweets, made in response to a suicide prevention campaign, are defamatory. "I can't talk about it at this moment in time," said Robinson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Robinson is right not to talk to the media about it while it's ongoing but the club shouldn't be making accusations even if it's off the record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StAndrew7 Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 I would suggest from the tone of that there might be ongoing legal issues in the background... Probably best to leave this topic well enough alone for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Why? We're not participants in any legal issue and it's not going to be a criminal case. Ten years ago John Porteous resigned as physio because Paul Hegarty was bullying young players at the club so it's something that can happen anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettywulliegrew-2 Posted July 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoF Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Saw that the other night on twitter. That post has now gained more traction (11k likes) than the original suicide prevention video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Who a gives a fuck about likes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoF Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 5 minutes ago, steelboy said: Who a gives a fuck about likes? What a strange reply. I'd take a wild guess that the club, and the media department in particular who have invested a lot in building a social media presence and positive club reputation will give a fuck about a likes. Particularly when it relates to an allegation of a young player whose dad is in intensive care being bullied by our manager. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ya Bezzer! Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 MOTHERWELL BOSS SILENT ON OLDHAM BULLYING CLAIMS is not a media managed headline. Looks like the club has stuck their head in the sand over this but the story is on the BBC website and is bound to spread across the rest of the media. The only response to the claim is the manager saying " I can't talk about it at this moment in time" and there has been no club statement as far as I know. So as a result the whole story is coming from the accuser. It's like a 101 in not what to do in PR. The manager should not be dealing with the media personally and the club ought to be giving him a bit more protection here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 The club will be following legal advice, not PR advice. No need to get drawn into a slanging match - particularly as the accusation is bullying. Can you imagine the negative PR if the club responded with anything that was regarded as an attack on the alleged victim? This story will likely have a much legs as the "Murderwell" story. Nobody will be talking about it by the time the league kicks off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 i think alot of the likes are the usual 'taking a contrary position for the sake of it' stuff you see on Twitter all the time. For example you have Celtic fans weighing in, when they of course famously took Shay Logan speaking out about racism incredibly well. He's right to speak out and these things should be discussed - At the right time and in the appropriate context though. I guess there's an element of hypocrisy in claiming bullying, then broadcasting a character assasination to the world on social media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 8 minutes ago, CoF said: What a strange reply. I'd take a wild guess that the club, and the media department in particular who have invested a lot in building a social media presence and positive club reputation will give a fuck about a likes. Particularly when it relates to an allegation of a young player whose dad is in intensive care being bullied by our manager. A serious allegation is surely more important than likes our social media department's reputation. The thing that harms the club's reputation is the usual cast of sycophants and morons giving the boy a hard time on twitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ya Bezzer! Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 6 minutes ago, weeyin said: The club will be following legal advice, not PR advice. No need to get drawn into a slanging match - particularly as the accusation is bullying. Can you imagine the negative PR if the club responded with anything that was regarded as an attack on the alleged victim? This story will likely have a much legs as the "Murderwell" story. Nobody will be talking about it by the time the league kicks off. Yeah, I don't think the PR advice would be to get into a slanging match and attack the victim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWilson (Anchorman) Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 The original poster regularly bullies me into buying a round... That's the real story here. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoF Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 1 hour ago, steelboy said: A serious allegation is surely more important than likes our social media department's reputation. I didn't say it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dezz Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 I seem to remember when Robinson re-joined after his Oldham stint he mentioned On a few occasions when asked about his previous job that he couldn’t really talk about the situation at Oldham as there were things going on in the background/matters being dealt with, or words to that at effect. I assumed at the time it was purely to do with his dismissal as manager but maybe this bully accusation has been rumbling on for a while and the accuser has just brought it to a head with his social media post the other night. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 8 minutes ago, Dezz said: I seem to remember when Robinson re-joined after his Oldham stint he mentioned On a few occasions when asked about his previous job that he couldn’t really talk about the situation at Oldham as there were things going on in the background/matters being dealt with, or words to that at effect. I assumed at the time it was purely to do with his dismissal as manager but maybe this bully accusation has been rumbling on for a while and the accuser has just brought it to a head with his social media post the other night. That's how unfounded rumours start. There's nothing to suggest that his silence was anything other than the standard "we pay you off for being sacked and you say nothing bad about us" contractual obligation. Not to mention that Oldham's financial situation at the time (unpaid bills, transfer embargo etc.) was somewhat questionable, and Robinson would have insight into that that he would have been asked to keep quiet. Again, pretty standard contractual stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StAndrew7 Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 2 hours ago, steelboy said: Why? We're not participants in any legal issue and it's not going to be a criminal case. Ten years ago John Porteous resigned as physio because Paul Hegarty was bullying young players at the club so it's something that can happen anywhere. I'm not contesting that bullying can happen anywhere. Just sharing (from personal experience, might I add) that discussing anything that could have a legal implication for other persons on a public forum, even if it's speculation or otherwise can cause problems for people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 Setting up a club mascot parody account then using it to harass a young guy who says he was bullied is about as cretinous as it gets. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellgirl Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 I’ve been bullied in more than one job. The last one I raised concerns 3 times, as did colleagues who were also being bullied. Nothing changed. I left. I raised issues that I did not feel able to when I was there the week after I left. Not years later. I understand that given the age of the lad involved and the stuff going on at home for him at the time if he had concerns he might have felt unable to raise them then. But to wait until a significant time has passed and then voice them on twitter? That’s not the way to do it. It’s past history. It has nothing to do with Motherwell F.C. and it was done on a platform that gives Robinson no right of reply. He could have contacted the club privately. He doesn’t deserve any twitter abuse from anyone connected with this club. But he shouldn’t have done this to Robinson in this way. Nothing to do with mfc in my view. A twitter witch hunt as far as I’m concerned and totally inappropriate given the subject of the video. I’ve lost someone to suicide and the message has to get out there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 I'd say it was in keeping with the subject of the video given it was a mental health issue. It was also clearly a spontaneous reaction, it's not like he could have planned it. I don't think anyone has the right to tell him the right way to deal with his problems. As for Robinson not having the right of reply. He has the support of the club media department, the use of the club media channels and he is interviewed by the BBC, STV and the biggest selling newspapers in Scotland multiple times a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 5 hours ago, Ya Bezzer! said: Looks like the club has stuck their head in the sand over this..... Why would it get involved? More to the point has Oldham Athletic commented? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamH Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 4 hours ago, StAndrew7 said: I'm not contesting that bullying can happen anywhere. Just sharing (from personal experience, might I add) that discussing anything that could have a legal implication for other persons on a public forum, even if it's speculation or otherwise can cause problems for people. I might have missed something but what would the legal implication be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkyred Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 There are bullies that manage, and people that will say they are bullied when it’s total nonsense. Certainly in the world I manage in you have to be careful with every single word you say these days because it’s thrown back at you as bullying. I would not want to manage professional footballers for 24 hours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballso Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 8 hours ago, Ya Bezzer! said: Looks like the club has stuck their head in the sand over this..... The only response to the claim is the manager saying " I can't talk about it at this moment in time" and there has been no club statement as far as I know. I’m not sure the club should have anything to do with it anyway. It’s between Robinson and the player. I’d imagine any statement would be issued via the LMA if SR is a member of that union. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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