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Motherwell Strike Again

Last updated : 10 June 2005 By Firparkcorner

The club just about managed to get away with suggesting the Cooper season ticket holders move for the Celtic game - although regardless of your view on the switch, it is pretty undeniable that the club are now being viewed with a renewed sense of suspicion.

One would think that the men in the background of the club would be aware that any future promotions would need to be whiter than white. This may have been the case at any other club but not ours. The season ticket price rises were largely accepted as a necessary evil but the latest revelation – that home friendlies against Southampton and Everton are not included – has raised hackles again.

Only away warm ups last season
Again, the club would probably not have come in for such criticism had they been open about the issue.
The fact that many people will have purchased season tickets expecting the friendlies to be included is what rankles.

With the club seemingly making a huge amount of money over and above expectations last season (including the extra £60k which Boyle stressed was so important from the sold out Celtic game!), people are beginning to wonder about the need for continual sacrifice. Of the other teams in the SPL, it is hard to imagine any others (with the probable exception of Dundee) who have asked their fans to dip into their pockets so often. With the administration threat seemingly vanquished, Motherwell fans are quite rightly asking why the club continues to squeeze every drop it can from us. Motherwell are not being open with the fans.


For example, take the issue of the friendlies. Along with the typical costs of staging a match at Fir Park, it would seem logical that we would be paying a fee of some kind to the visiting ‘glamour’ team. Looking at recent attendances for similar games it is hard to imagine many of the fans who turned up paying cash at the gate, meaning that the club would be unable to cover costs. There were no home friendlies last year (newly laid pitch) – the club have now arranged home games and it seems like all they want is for the fans to cover the costs of this. Now this theory is purely conjecture on my part – but if it is the case, why on earth can the club not come out and say so? Would the objections have been so many or vociferous if the club had been up front and honest in its rationale?

After all, if another financial disaster is looming, I’m sure I’m not the only one who would prefer the club to tell us well in advance.

The public relations and marketing from our club has been abysmal for years and this is just another example of it. But the fans who previously opened their wallets without a thought (people who bought the new strip be honest, do you really like it or were you just supporting the club?) are not only being stretched to breaking point financially but are waking up to the fact that the club has taken us as mugs and for granted for too long.

I, and many others, will continue to support the club both in attendance and financially but a little honesty is all we want. Is that really to much to ask for?