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The Way Forward


Kmcalpin
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17 minutes ago, spudmfc said:

He's not better than what I think,I thought he was decent from a few games in,and was mocked for saying so,we've picked up 7 points without him,when he hit form he was a far better option than shields

An on-form Joe is a good player. 

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Evident to me that to move forward the club needs a complete restructure.

 

From what I am told from those who work there , it is rudderless and has been for some time, lacks direction in both the wider footballing and administrative sense and is full of staff ready to jump ship across the board which we have seen already

 

My suggestion would be to:

 

Board 

 

Increase the current board to include 2 additional non exec business heads (with at least 10yrs business experience and not ideally fans  to complement

  • the chairman
  • Three appointed directors
  • A well society rep from a newly formed MFC shareholder steering group

 

This board must hold accountable two newly formed roles

 

  • General manager (accountable for all administrative and commercial roles inc hospitality
  • Head of football development ( oversee head of scouting and responsible for footballing contracts and recruitment across the football departments)

 

Steering group

This group should take action and ask questions directly each month to the two above positions along with the commercial manager, first team manager and stadium manager at monthly meetings. These questions should come from

  • a fan representative
  • A member of well society
  • 2 experienced business figures
  • 2 experienced football professionals ie ex player/manager/coach etc
  • A board member 

 

Answers and findings should then be presented to the board of directors to action

Overhaul revamp

Scouting

  • geographical network of Scouts covering Scotland ie Aberdeen/south Lanarkshire /dumfries and Galloway/Ayrshire 
  • This should be headed up by head of recruitment who should oversee this network and feed back findings and suggestions on players to the newly formed head of football development post

The club clearly needs a distinction in flows current role and altho he’s responsible for both areas of the club it’s clear that it’s too big a role for 1 person to do efficiently

 

I have many many other suggestions but I’m not sure anyone outwith Jim McMahon would be interested in listening to 😂

 

Needless to say I think the whole club needs restructured with a clear 5-10yr vision that we work back from to achieve. Every member of staff in the whole club should be included in understanding their role in achieving this vision and should be held accountable within their own developmental and departmental meetings

 

A focus on income generation across the board should always be the primary focus and vastly reducing our overheads within both the footballing and operational departments for me is key over the next 12 months without compromising ongoing investment 

 

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1 minute ago, Dossertillidie2 said:

Evident to me that to move forward the club needs a complete restructure.

 

From what I am told from those who work there , it is rudderless and has been for some time, lacks direction in both the wider footballing and administrative sense and is full of staff ready to jump ship across the board which we have seen already

 

My suggestion would be to:

 

Board 

 

Increase the current board to include 2 additional non exec business heads (with at least 10yrs business experience and not ideally fans  to complement

  • the chairman
  • Three appointed directors
  • A well society rep from a newly formed MFC shareholder steering group

 

This board must hold accountable two newly formed roles

 

  • General manager (accountable for all administrative and commercial roles inc hospitality
  • Head of football development ( oversee head of scouting and responsible for footballing contracts and recruitment across the football departments)

 

Steering group

This group should take action and ask questions directly each month to the two above positions along with the commercial manager, first team manager and stadium manager at monthly meetings. These questions should come from

  • a fan representative
  • A member of well society
  • 2 experienced business figures
  • 2 experienced football professionals ie ex player/manager/coach etc
  • A board member 

 

Answers and findings should then be presented to the board of directors to action

Overhaul revamp

Scouting

  • geographical network of Scouts covering Scotland ie Aberdeen/south Lanarkshire /dumfries and Galloway/Ayrshire 
  • This should be headed up by head of recruitment who should oversee this network and feed back findings and suggestions on players to the newly formed head of football development post

The club clearly needs a distinction in flows current role and altho he’s responsible for both areas of the club it’s clear that it’s too big a role for 1 person to do efficiently

 

I have many many other suggestions but I’m not sure anyone outwith Jim McMahon would be interested in listening to 😂

 

Needless to say I think the whole club needs restructured with a clear 5-10yr vision that we work back from to achieve. Every member of staff in the whole club should be included in understanding their role in achieving this vision and should be held accountable within their own developmental and departmental meetings

 

A focus on income generation across the board should always be the primary focus and vastly reducing our overheads within both the footballing and operational departments for me is key over the next 12 months without compromising ongoing investment 

 

Well said, a very fair and balanced suggestion

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7 minutes ago, Dossertillidie2 said:

Evident to me that to move forward the club needs a complete restructure.

 

From what I am told from those who work there , it is rudderless and has been for some time, lacks direction in both the wider footballing and administrative sense and is full of staff ready to jump ship across the board which we have seen already

 

My suggestion would be to:

 

Board 

 

Increase the current board to include 2 additional non exec business heads (with at least 10yrs business experience and not ideally fans  to complement

  • the chairman
  • Three appointed directors
  • A well society rep from a newly formed MFC shareholder steering group

 

This board must hold accountable two newly formed roles

 

  • General manager (accountable for all administrative and commercial roles inc hospitality
  • Head of football development ( oversee head of scouting and responsible for footballing contracts and recruitment across the football departments)

 

Steering group

This group should take action and ask questions directly each month to the two above positions along with the commercial manager, first team manager and stadium manager at monthly meetings. These questions should come from

  • a fan representative
  • A member of well society
  • 2 experienced business figures
  • 2 experienced football professionals ie ex player/manager/coach etc
  • A board member 

 

Answers and findings should then be presented to the board of directors to action

Overhaul revamp

Scouting

  • geographical network of Scouts covering Scotland ie Aberdeen/south Lanarkshire /dumfries and Galloway/Ayrshire 
  • This should be headed up by head of recruitment who should oversee this network and feed back findings and suggestions on players to the newly formed head of football development post

The club clearly needs a distinction in flows current role and altho he’s responsible for both areas of the club it’s clear that it’s too big a role for 1 person to do efficiently

 

I have many many other suggestions but I’m not sure anyone outwith Jim McMahon would be interested in listening to 😂

 

Needless to say I think the whole club needs restructured with a clear 5-10yr vision that we work back from to achieve. Every member of staff in the whole club should be included in understanding their role in achieving this vision and should be held accountable within their own developmental and departmental meetings

 

A focus on income generation across the board should always be the primary focus and vastly reducing our overheads within both the footballing and operational departments for me is key over the next 12 months without compromising ongoing investment 

 

ffs your the man weve been looking for,              start the morra     weve a big game on wednesday     just go in n do a mick kennedy speech      AND  WERE SORTED  :danced:

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3 minutes ago, smiddy said:

ffs your the man weve been looking for,              start the morra     weve a big game on wednesday     just go in n do a mick kennedy speech      AND  WERE SORTED  :danced:

That speech was pretty braveheart esq but sometimes it needs to be to captivate peoples ambition.

club has a massive amount going for it but it’s clear from the outset it needs better structure throughout 

over and above my own business interests I’d happily go in there voluntary and help sort things out

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1 minute ago, Dossertillidie2 said:

That speech was pretty braveheart esq but sometimes it needs to be to captivate peoples ambition.

club has a massive amount going for it but it’s clear from the outset it needs better structure throughout 

over and above my own business interests I’d happily go in there voluntary and help sort things out

am coming to work for you fuck the wages      just tell me what we will be doing n am in :)

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Certainly merit in this idea Dosser. Over the past year, the club has appeared to be rudderless. Why that is I don't know. We haven't had a Head of Communications since Grant Russell moved on and its showed in the quantlty and quality of output. We're now looking for a new CEO, Manager and Assistant Manager. Do we have the full complement of coaching staff?

In the past few months a rift has developed between the fanbase and the club. Although I don't have any direct knowledge of it, security seems to be an issue with many younger fans. However the Board's dithering over Stevie Hammell has annoyed and frustrated many fans including me and an unacceptable and unnecessary level of toxicity has been allowed to build up manifesting itself in the banners outside Fir Park and the unpleasant atmosphere at Starks Park yesterday (I get that some fans didn't want Stevie removed).  This will take time to heal, but our club can't afford to alienate fans.

I'm sure there are other issues which fans want to raise. 

As a first step, could the Society not get the ball rolling and reach out to fans to capture the moment and start to mend bridges. It shouldn't be a blame game but rather focus on putting things right. I would hope that it is well aware that there are issues that require fixing and quickly.   

 

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Maybe we could give the CEO job to an AI chatbot. Here's the application letter that ChatGPT wrote when I asked it:

Quote

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to apply for the position of CEO of Motherwell Football Club. I am a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual who has a passion for football and a strong background in management and administration.

I have a degree in Sports Management and over 10 years of experience working in the football industry. Throughout my career, I have honed my skills in business development, team management, and strategic planning. I have a proven track record of creating and implementing successful marketing strategies and I am confident that I would be able to bring my expertise to Motherwell Football Club.

My experience in the football industry has provided me with a deep understanding of the sport and the business. I have a keen eye for talent and I have a passion for developing young players and nurturing their skills. I believe that this, combined with my experience in managing and leading teams, makes me an ideal candidate for the role of CEO.

I am familiar with the challenges that face football clubs, particularly in the Scottish Premier League, and I am confident that I have the skills and experience to address these challenges head on. I believe that my passion, dedication and commitment to the sport would make me a valuable asset to the club.

I am eager to bring my expertise to Motherwell Football Club and I am confident that I would be able to contribute to its success. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my application further and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely,

 

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3 minutes ago, smiddy said:

am coming to work for you fuck the wages      just tell me what we will be doing n am in :)

 

7 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

Certainly merit in this idea Dosser. Over the past year, the club has appeared to be rudderless. Why that is I don't know. We haven't had a Head of Communications since Grant Russell moved on and its showed in the quantlty and quality of output. We're now looking for a new CEO, Manager and Assistant Manager. Do we have the full complement of coaching staff?

In the past few months a rift has developed between the fanbase and the club. Although I don't have any direct knowledge of it, security seems to be an issue with many younger fans. However the Board's dithering over Stevie Hammell has annoyed and frustrated many fans including me and an unacceptable and unnecessary level of toxicity has been allowed to build up manifesting itself in the banners outside Fir Park and the unpleasant atmosphere at Starks Park yesterday (I get that some fans didn't want Stevie removed).  This will take time to heal, but our club can't afford to alienate fans.

I'm sure there are other issues which fans want to raise. 

As a first step, could the Society not get the ball rolling and reach out to fans to capture the moment and start to mend bridges. It shouldn't be a blame game but rather focus on putting things right. I would hope that it is well aware that there are issues that require fixing and quickly.   

 

The society have yet to reinstate my monthly donation despite advising them of this in 2021.

another massive cog in the Motherwell frustration wheel from me

club overall doesn’t know it’s arse from its elbow and hasn’t for a good few years now . Which massively frustrates me 

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31 minutes ago, Dossertillidie2 said:

Evident to me that to move forward the club needs a complete restructure.

 

From what I am told from those who work there , it is rudderless and has been for some time, lacks direction in both the wider footballing and administrative sense and is full of staff ready to jump ship across the board which we have seen already

 

My suggestion would be to:

 

Board 

 

Increase the current board to include 2 additional non exec business heads (with at least 10yrs business experience and not ideally fans  to complement

  • the chairman
  • Three appointed directors
  • A well society rep from a newly formed MFC shareholder steering group

 

This board must hold accountable two newly formed roles

 

  • General manager (accountable for all administrative and commercial roles inc hospitality
  • Head of football development ( oversee head of scouting and responsible for footballing contracts and recruitment across the football departments)

 

Steering group

This group should take action and ask questions directly each month to the two above positions along with the commercial manager, first team manager and stadium manager at monthly meetings. These questions should come from

  • a fan representative
  • A member of well society
  • 2 experienced business figures
  • 2 experienced football professionals ie ex player/manager/coach etc
  • A board member 

 

Answers and findings should then be presented to the board of directors to action

Overhaul revamp

Scouting

  • geographical network of Scouts covering Scotland ie Aberdeen/south Lanarkshire /dumfries and Galloway/Ayrshire 
  • This should be headed up by head of recruitment who should oversee this network and feed back findings and suggestions on players to the newly formed head of football development post

The club clearly needs a distinction in flows current role and altho he’s responsible for both areas of the club it’s clear that it’s too big a role for 1 person to do efficiently

 

I have many many other suggestions but I’m not sure anyone outwith Jim McMahon would be interested in listening to 😂

 

Needless to say I think the whole club needs restructured with a clear 5-10yr vision that we work back from to achieve. Every member of staff in the whole club should be included in understanding their role in achieving this vision and should be held accountable within their own developmental and departmental meetings

 

A focus on income generation across the board should always be the primary focus and vastly reducing our overheads within both the footballing and operational departments for me is key over the next 12 months without compromising ongoing investment 

 

This isnt really miles away from what exists currently, save adding a director of football. Separating administrative functions and football functions is fine, but since there are currently already departments with their own heads under the CEO, we aren't miles away from that either. I like the DoF model though, as long as we don't get a shite one.

Our current board has more years of business expertise than some of us have years full stop. It's a group of volunteers, and you can't force folk to volunteer, but would be happy to add someone else to the current group, especially some younger folk.

Not sure about the steering group. If we need another group to monitor what the board does, then we have the wrong board.

 

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7 minutes ago, Dossertillidie2 said:

 

The society have yet to reinstate my monthly donation despite advising them of this in 2021.

another massive cog in the Motherwell frustration wheel from me

club overall doesn’t know it’s arse from its elbow and hasn’t for a good few years now . Which massively frustrates me 

they also phoned me to say my 17 year old son was now not a junior, so i told them to email me details and i would pass all onto him              now heard f all since october shambles behind the scenes,,,,    and the thimg is hees got a job and wanted to donate monthly   

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2 minutes ago, fizoxy said:

This isnt really miles away from what exists currently, save adding a director of football. Separating administrative functions and football functions is fine, but since there are currently already departments with their own heads under the CEO, we aren't miles away from that either. I like the DoF model though, as long as we don't get a shite one.

Our current board has more years of business expertise than some of us have years full stop. It's a group of volunteers, and you can't force folk to volunteer, but would be happy to add someone else to the current group, especially some younger folk.

Not sure about the steering group. If we need another group to monitor what the board does, then we have the wrong board.

 

Sorry just to clarify The steering group would represent a group of people across the board with various interests and experiences in areas within business and football. They would be there to take task and answer questions to the departmental heads garning an oversight for what needs improvement and changes made whilst offering suggestions and alternatives and highlighting potential pitfalls for the board to consider actioning

 

they wouldn’t be holding the board accountable .

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1 minute ago, smiddy said:

they also phoned me to say my 17 year old son was now not a junior, so i told them to email me details and i would pass all onto him              now heard f all since october shambles behind the scenes,,,,    and the thimg is hees got a job and wanted to donate monthly   

I’m of the same opinion. I want to donate I actually want to donate more money and time to my club in general 

if the society is imperative to our survival then the foundations and operations of it need looked at urgently as well

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7 minutes ago, Dossertillidie2 said:

Sorry just to clarify The steering group would represent a group of people across the board with various interests and experiences in areas within business and football. They would be there to take task and answer questions to the departmental heads garning an oversight for what needs improvement and changes made whilst offering suggestions and alternatives and highlighting potential pitfalls for the board to consider actioning

 

they wouldn’t be holding the board accountable .

Sounds like scrum of scrums. If we start doing Agile I might throw my hat in the ring after all :-)

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49 minutes ago, Dossertillidie2 said:

Not sure what that means tbh but if you think you can make a difference to the shambles that we have now then I’d welcome your help 

It's a software development thing that most places do wrong. 

There are things we can see from the outside that absolutely need fixed,  but we don't know how our non-football staff organize and plan, so a lot of assumptions are being made about the overall running of our club - (one of the most consistently successful and well run clubs in the country for the last 40 years). 

I also think we expect a tad much from the staff that we have, as well as the volunteers, who seemed to be doing well enough until we started falling apart on the pitch.

The word shambles is being thrown around too readily recently. There's also a lot of revisionist history with Alexander, burrows and hammell. We are certainly guilty of not having an itchy trigger finger with management, but if we start firing folk left right and center, I'm sure we'd also be a shambles then. We can make mistakes and fuck up just like anyone else, but that doesn't mean we need to overhaul every aspect of how we are run.

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5 minutes ago, fizoxy said:

It's a software development thing that most places do wrong. 

There are things we can see from the outside that absolutely need fixed,  but we don't know how our non-football staff organize and plan, so a lot of assumptions are being made about the overall running of our club - (one of the most consistently successful and well run clubs in the country for the last 40 years). 

I also think we expect a tad much from the staff that we have, as well as the volunteers, who seemed to be doing well enough until we started falling apart on the pitch.

The word shambles is being thrown around too readily recently. There's also a lot of revisionist history with Alexander, burrows and hammell. We are certainly guilty of not having an itchy trigger finger with management, but if we start firing folk left right and center, I'm sure we'd also be a shambles then. We can make mistakes and fuck up just like anyone else, but that doesn't mean we need to overhaul every aspect of how we are run.

Ah got you now mate

 

yea I don’t think a complete overhaul is needed. I just genuinely believe there needs to be a structure where there is the appropriately experienced staff in each area . Particularly the splitting of operational roles and footballing roles to which flow did both 

and if you are in software development we need to talk. I need some recommendations to development companies in glasgow/Edinburgh  if you happen to be in that field 😂

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9 hours ago, wellfan said:

Could a cabal of us here front a few grand each and make an approach?! As amateurish as it sounds, it would likely be better than the WS.

 

9 hours ago, wellfan said:

Could a cabal of us here front a few grand each and make an approach?! As amateurish as it sounds, it would likely be better than the WS.

👀

Society could be run a lot better. A weekly newsletter telling you what we already know from the club isn’t communication or engagement

an Aligned society that runs fundraising drives and initiatives around the ground, puts on society family fun days and fan engagement experiences around the ground on match days is one I would fully get behind

i can’t help but feel altho the society is there to support the club, the attitude from the club to the society is seen as a hinderance

an example of this is the society recently asking for the clubs support to run a simple raffle online. No one at club interested in building the two groups together and having aligned targets 

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I looked at who was on the board last night and notice that Douglas Dickie remains on the board meaning that family have had an almost consistent presence as long as I can remember. 

 

 

 

Can anyone explain what he does for the club as its not overly known? Did the Dickie family not transfer their shareholding to the Well Society at the same time as Boyle/Hutchison and the other minor shareholders?

I'd agree with some earlier posts over looking at the structure of the board. It is a little bit small and could do with some additional presence on there. Whether we need a director of football specifically though I'm not sure. I don't really see the benefit of that as at the end of the day the function of the business is football. If we have department heads for each of the clubs activities (Academy, First team (aka manager), commercial, catering and facilities) then they are directly accountable to the board fo the running of their respective operations.

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The way forward in my honest opinion is that we re evaluate the structure of the club I think the best interest of this club is we sell 49% to a business or someone interested and we have the best of both worlds fans still own most and clubs run with our best interest but a business there that can help get sponsorship and raise funds. 
 

i just don’t think we’re a big enough fan base for the current model to work in the long term. 

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1 hour ago, Throughthelaces said:

The way forward in my honest opinion is that we re evaluate the structure of the club I think the best interest of this club is we sell 49% to a business or someone interested

We've tried to sell many times before. Nobody is ever interested.

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