JC is concerned about the empty seats at Fir Park.
Waste of Space
This isn't a rant about the staff or players at M.F.C. (although the Chief Exec does have a cushy little number waffling on Channel Five about players and teams he knows about as much about as the punters listening and watching do). No, this is about the rows of shiny empty seats in the Motorola (South) Stand that lie dormant week in, week out (excluding when the Bigots visit and The Sheep if they are doing well).
What is the point of all the seats doing nothing? For the visits of Livi, Arabs and Saintees all their three fans can be housed adequately in the Main Stand and still have plenty of room left over. The Saintees got plenty of room on Boxing Day so surely others could easily fit in. Then you could let the kids into the Motorola Stand as it would at least give that part of the ground some atmosphere and get Claret 'n' Amber over to cheerlead - in fact give 'em both drums!!!
I went to Dud Bud's when the Dee's game was off, and that's exactly wot they have done with Paisley Panda orchestrating pre-match along with two guys with drums at the front of the large away stand. Where do the visitors go you ask - well Caley brought 89 and they were housed down the side beside the home fans with the large fence separating 'em. OK, you say wot if loads of visitors come - well stick 'em in the top or bottom of the Motorola Stand.
This at least utilised the stand. The food sales will rise if nothing else. If you are opening the Motorola, you need stewards and catering anyway so use the whole area. Motherwell are quite good at letting children into games at present but with a bit more foresight could capitalise on catering sales and I suspect the Club Shop may also benefit if more children attend.
Finally, a couple of unrelated points. Why no undersoil heating? I thought this was a condition laid down by Rodger 'Suit' of the SPL. Balloons are a waste of hot air and money as are sheeting; frost gets under both. Surely Barron ought to have some input and suggest fitting adequate undersoil heating and maintain properly as a better outlay of expense. The loss incurred with postponements is considerable as catering and programmes alone go west. The crowd at a mid-week game when re-arranged is lower, especially when the visitors have to travel any distance. So get it sorted 'John Boy'!
To close, Motherwell ought to have a decent tune to come out onto the field to. I was at West Brom and they have a selection. Unfortunately "Terminator" has been adapted to denigrate their Black Country rivals Wolves similar to "Simply The Best" at Masonville up here, but at least it has the whole crowd chanting (even though it's obscenities about Wolves). So, for the next issue of WFTGLF, how about some suggestions for Motherwell?
John Creighton