A New Chairman For Motherwell FC?

JB let it be known a month ago that he would leave the board at the next AGM. He said that the club would find its new direction without his leadership though he would remain the largest shareholder until a new owner 'with the best interests of Motherwell FC' was found.

Now that the AGM is soon to arrive a few questions arise. Who will be the new Chairman? What direction will the club take?

Assuming that no new owner appears we have to look to the existing board members for a likely candidate. The latest match day programme lists the following as directors: - John Boyle, Stewart Robertson, Alisdair Barron, Fiona Boyle, Bill Dickie, Andrew Lapping, John Swinburne, James McMahon and Ian Stillie. To that, Martin Rose is a late addition.

Most of the current board were appointed since John Boyle arrived at Fir Park. It may be that if a clear declaration has to be made that the Boyle era is over then Bill Dickie will emerge as favourite.

His experience reaches back to into the Chapman era and he has to be seen as a safe pair of hands. Indeed, the financial strategy of living within our means was established at Fir Park well before $ky's TV money and Boyle's millions gave rise to the over ambitious plan to raise the third force in Lanarkshire.

Others could be said to be too close to the old regime to strike out in a new direction. However, any new Chairman must be thought of as a stop gap, a temporary post holder, awaiting removal when (or if) a new owner emerges.

John Boyle has made it clear on several occasions that he wants the club to be more firmly rooted in the community and we are lead to believe that he will sell only if a buyer shares that ideal.

It should be a very interesting meeting indeed!