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Iain7_mfc
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We could:

 

  • release a statement about the ineptitude of Neil Doncaster to the BBC from an unnamed source.
  • complain that the grounds at Tynecaste, Celtic Park and Ibrox are too green for us to play on and ask that the SPL do something about it
  • boycott all away games because the SPL's decision is clearly the fault of Hearts, Rangers and Celtic

Just some initial thoughts.

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Based on the fact that Leeann's major remit is to ensure the club generates enough revenue so that JB doesn't have to dip into his pocket, I think its safe to say she's rattled a few cages in Mount Vernon since this mess was released to the general public. Whither they listen or this is a thinly veined rebuke for the state of the pitch or the fact we've got the smallest support (therefore least hassle) is another matter.

 

I'm content to blame McGhee for not finishing 6th last season as a result the SPL would have factored our fixtures prior to the split so we didn't have to swallow this crap. :angry:

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I think the fact that Celtic lost on Saturday will mean pretty much everything else will be squeezed to the margins but you never know maybe some of the press will pick up on Trust's statement.

 

Someone only needs to fart at Parkhead and that Peter Rafferty character seems to get wheeled out for a quote so I'm hopeful that given we have some genuine grievances here there might be some kind momentum to the issue.

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I'm content to blame McGhee for not finishing 6th last season as a result the SPL would have factored our fixtures prior to the split so we didn't have to swallow this crap. :angry:

Something tells me we'd still have this fiasco. It's only us that expects Motherwell to be in the top 6 every year :D

 

Complain like fuck. I dont care if it gets us nowhere, at least pretend they care about what their supporters think.

 

And complain loudly if possible. depends on finding a sympathetic journalist but if I was involved I'd be on that blower tae Andy Devlin first thing this morning.

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Since the split was introduced in 2000-2001 the following teams have had unequal home/away games

 

2001-2001

Livingston 18 home 20 away

St Johnstone 20 home 18 away

 

2004-2005

Aberdeen 18 home 20 away

Inverness 20 home 18 away

 

2005-2006

Aberdeen 20 home 18 away

Inverness 18 home 20 away

 

2006-2007

Kilmarnock 18 home 20 away

Falkirk 20 home 18 away

 

2007-2008

Aberdeen 20 home 18 away

Gretna 18 home 20 away

 

With Aberdeen getting 20 home games again this season, it means they have benefitted financially twice in the past 3 years at the detriment of other teams, unfortunately that team happens to be us this year. Now this affects both fans and the club. In terms of season ticket holders getting 1 less game at home and having to fork out an entrance fee to another club as well as transport costs to get there, and the club loosing out on revenue from gate receipts, programmes, match day hospitality, kiosk sales etc.

 

With Aberdeen gaining this extra game, would it not be fair and equal for them to hand over the proceeds to the other team, in this case, us, to compensate and even out the revenue. Or, do the SPL compensate Motherwell financially with the proceeds after costs we could have made from a game, which would have been against Celtic to balance the fixture lists home and away. In my view, its only fair that no teams looses out due to the way the games are structured after the split.

 

As for the dates/times of the 2 home games, the SPL should be shot, hung and have their bo****ks sliced slowly with a rusty and jagged edged razor blade, especially the Thursday match on Election day. With both ourselves and Hibs chasing a European Spot, there is a good chance that if both teams are still in with a shout of that euro place, that there could be a big crowd which would generate more revenue for our club. If it was on a Saturday then I'm sure both sets of fans would turn out in numbers. Whilst there might still be a "good" crowd on a Thursday, I'm sure it will be a lot less due to the time of the game.

 

Football is all about a Saturday with a 3pm kick off. Lets get back to tradition.

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With Aberdeen gaining this extra game, would it not be fair and equal for them to hand over the proceeds to the other team, in this case, us, to compensate and even out the revenue. Or, do the SPL compensate Motherwell financially with the proceeds after costs we could have made from a game, which would have been against Celtic to balance the fixture lists home and away.

Neither. Like the system or loathe it, we all know what we're getting into at the start of every season, and that somebody's going to get the rough end of the stick after the split. No point moaning about it now, if the clubs want to fix it, they know what they have to do.

 

On the plus side, I don't expect Hibs are delighted at having to visit Fir Park three times this season either...

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Neither. Like the system or loathe it, we all know what we're getting into at the start of every season, and that somebody's going to get the rough end of the stick after the split.

 

 

Anoyone bar the Old Firm........

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Anoyone bar the Old Firm........

 

I can't imagine Rangers are thrilled at having three games at Tannadice tempered only because they are home and hosed, only last year one of them was moaning at going to Tynecastle three times when chasing the league while the other one got three home games with Hearts. Us getting a third home game with Hibs as the team we directly competing with for fourth I am sure is compensation for losing a home game. And given we are competing with them for a position that is a bigger flip for us than Celtic who we cannot catch and if they play like they can would beat us either home and away. Given someone had to have two extra away games the SPL having decided it was us have tried to help us by giving our direct competitors at home and that to me is fair enough. The split has abnormalities but for the size of league we have and, in my opinion, is the right size we have to put up with these.

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Maybe not, but neither will ever face 20 away games in a season and just 18 at home. That's my point. Don't matter if you have to go to a single venue three times, it's still only going to be 19 away, 19 home for both of them.

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Anoyone bar the Old Firm........

 

To be fair since the SPL's inception and even before I think you'd struggle to find many seasons where either Rangers or Celtic finished outside the top 6. So I think its safe for the scheduler to use them as a datum and plan the other fixtures around them annually. Essentially what we are dealing with here is a seeding system based on the previous seasons performance, what else could the SPL use in the summer? Only way to get around this is for the SPL to increase to 14 so a split would happen after an even number of games opposed to an odd number. But then you'd play 36 games before the split and a further 6 after it.

 

However I think it's irresponsible both commercially and morally for the governing body to deny clubs who benefit in a big way from a OF visit to deny them this basic right when an above par performance over the 33 games ends up with a financial penalty (in terms of lost gate revenue and secondly fans faced with an extra away game and the cost that brings).

 

SPL should have a structure in place for this, for Christ sake, Celtic are going to win bugger all, this season ended on Saturday afternoon, we're playing them on Tuesday and then again a couple of weeks later. Why not schedule that second game for FP? I'd like to know the SPL's reasoning there.

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Sorry I've mis-read it. Looks like it might be an MFC board meeting

 

St Mirren chairman Stewart Gilmour has branded the Scottish Premier League a disgrace for handing his side a third trip of the season to relegation rivals Falkirk as part of the post-split fixtures. (The Sun)

 

Motherwell chairman John Boyle has called an emergency board meeting as he in unhappy that the Scottish Premier League has handed his side a third trip of the season to Celtic Park as part of the post-split fixture list. (Daily Express)

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SPL Explanation....

 

SPL secretary Iain Blair defended the decision prior to Gilmour's outburst and explained that the uneven fixture list came from Aberdeen's failure to finish in the top six.

 

"The fixtures for the whole season are determined based on where the clubs finished in the league in the previous campaign," Blair explained on the SPL website.

 

"If Aberdeen had finished in the top six, at the expense of Motherwell, like they did last season then we would have had perfect balance of all clubs playing 19 games at home, 19 away, playing each of the teams in their half of the split twice at home and twice away.

 

"The clubs have indicated that the highest priority is to try and ensure 19 home and 19 away matches for each club. Unfortunately, to ensure this, some clubs will need to 'gain' one home game and some will need to 'lose' one to ensure balance."

 

Some clubs, but not certain others, eh?

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Could they not base it on a pre split basis .<BR><BR>For instance 6 teams in the split for top six, the top five pre split get the amount of home and away games 19 each where as the 6th team making the split gets the 20 away as the other teams have earned the right so far to have the home fixture?

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Does anyone know under the new SPL TV deal if the fee paid for hosting a TV game makes up for the lower attendance and the additional loss of income from that? Essentially does a club such as Motherwell welcome a TV game or not? Anyone know how much better off we are as a result?

 

Guessing if we get a TV game against the OF at home we're quids in because we get as close to a full house as we're going to get and there is the TV money too. Against Falkirk for example its a completely different story.

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The best way is to balance the home / away fixtures of whatever teams end up in whatever half.

 

i.e. (if my memory serves me right) we play sellick and utd at home, rangers, hibs and hearts away. Everyone would know where they stood as soon as the split became clear.

 

we wouldn't address the overall home vs away fixture tally imbalance - but at least the teams during the split would not be exerting an unfair advantage over another (like sellick have against us)

 

no-one should have 3 home games a season against anyone.

 

just another example of the administrators pressing on the windpipe of the game in this country.

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