buster.

Don't fret, we will win. It is about the performance and positive waves. The medicine man is a yes man. He does what he is told 😁

For a good while we operated like that, the result of which is continual loss making. Since 2015, we have continued to do so, but within a strategic plan of constructive losses. Now it has to stop. The habit / expectation is difficult for the support to shake. A kind of cold turkey follows on from the piggybank replacing warchest.

Times have changed Piggybank

Your first suggestion, trying to put pressure on club to deliver ..... provoking that type of relationship won't end well. There is no deserve about it, he must be backed and I am sure the plan is to do just that, but within our financial budget. If you can better preserve that budget now by limiting January expenditure and end up with the same player going into next season, surely it should be considered. Would Whittaker come into that bracket?

If that is the case then yes, we look for a deal now. Perhaps the manager shouldn't have talked so much about him, number of expected players in. It can't help a convincing negotiating position.

Approximately a month away from the League Cup Final, we could do with a convincing performance to go along with the inevitable win.

Equally, it could simply be to cover the customary cash flow issues that arise at this stage of a season and are exacerbated by having no post Xmas European football.

The thread has touched on financial challenges. Elsewhere, some have mentioned that the league is already gone. Whilst in an ideal world, we just pay the extra money and get the players in now (along with salaries) so the manager can settle them into team/squad asp.... surely given the world is far from ideal, the option of a Bosman, leaving more money to play with during the summer should be seriously considered.

Raising funds to front load investment for freshening up squad for a new manager over this and summer window ?? #GiveHimaChance

What that would do is make it much easier for the next billionaire from Motherwell to win over most of the support with empty promises. As you aluded to, we are lucky to have the likes of Park and Bennet and we should remember what we were saying about priorities a few years ago. It is a difficult place / situation for the board to be in and the efforts to grow the business and revenue are as comprehensive as they have ever been. That comes with or produces a feeling that a support is being squeezed until the pips shoot out, but that is where things are. Looking ahead, I don't see that as sustainable as the general economic situation shrinks. That said, it will be a problem for all teams. It is all a bit of a squeeze. Our squad mgmt. is very much that, trying to squeeze value out of quality players who we can recruit because they are damaged in some way. I said it in the summer. Honesty and Communication are required.

I doubt new generous shareholders with very deep pockets exist, where the risks do not outweigh any short term headlines or promises. They have had many opportunities in the past decade to come forth.

Our finances have been improving but the real issue is that we are way behind the other side of the city. In a 2 horse race, that is a difficult hurdle to get over year on year. We will depend on excellent recruitment, excellent academy progression, ongoing functiong player trading model and excellent managerial appointments. Or hope they re-appoint Lennon

Moving forward, we had better find some players to flog for decent money or we will continue to record losses.

Thanks GS So a clause of the original contract had an add-on that if extended had us due Brighton 1M pounds and effectively, by letting contract run down, we paid the money to the player instead of his former club. Where did info come from?

Am I understanding the above properly ? We paid CG a large sum of money that comes from splitting monies that don't currently exist and it is questionable if they ever will. Hopefully you can correct me.

As a kid, every Wednesday, I would nip down to Haymarket station to buy the Rangers News. Only place in Edinburgh that I knew that sold it at the time (perhaps Waverly as well). Anyway, a lot was made of dress standards (still is / RTV / recent Dubai Suits) and the lack of facial hair on players. I lapped it up and joined in, marching South to join the Marines. In retrospect, those standards would have been better employed in other areas of professionalism within the playing staff. Our European record is where it really tended to show up. We had ability but too often it was the stronger, bigger and faster line that would come to mind over another Autumnal elimination. Perhaps if Ferguson had taken over from Jock Wallace, it may have been different......majorly off topic now ! It is what is in Todd's heid that is important, not what is on top of it.

It is quite normal that a team would prefer to sell to another team outwith the league in which they operate themselves. Put the violin away.

Agreed, Fit and Focused....... what percentage of the time have we we had Morelos fit and focused or can actually be bothered ? He has shown over a long period of time to be a poor and selfish professional with positive bursts. An Italian side, maybe but not at the level of Inter Milan unless they have major financial issues and are majorly downsizing. More likely a Verona or Bologna, who seem to have been watching the SPFL.

Might be true, up until Inter receive the communication and fall about laughing. Maybe it was Inter Bratislava

What makes you think Morelos is worth a new deal ? How many times does he need to show what he is for it to register that we would be better rid of him ? We need players we can depend on

Being straightforward and honest helps in a dressing room. The better you are at football helps a lot more though.

You can only do so much with your budget. Tillman has shown up well but lets see if he can improve on it in the next few months. We could do with seeing him making the difference in an Old Firm match. According to the manager, he sees the the players he is bringing in as first team starters. He also says he wants two players challenging for every jersey. We will soon see how Tillman and Cantwell fit in. If Lowry gets more opportunities and does stuff to merit more. A little later, how Hagi fits in. Only time will tell (unless minds are already made up)

Football and neo-liberal economics The balance between Business and Sport The balance between the Haves and Have Nots - Changes in distribution of wealth (and therefore power) - Money flows more easily upwards to the top - Everything becomes about growing and squeezing more money out of X In Scotland, Aberdeen and Dundee Utd won the title in the 80's (Hearts were very close) and reached European finals before or at the time of the change that saw home teams keep gate money (League games), rather than share it. Now much more of the cake goes to the big two teams and the rest haven't a chance. Beyond Scotland, the boot tends to be on the other foot. European competition and how they organise the financial distribution, continually tweaking it, mostly to keep the big clubs getting more money. For example, the use of a 10 year co-efficient to make sure the big clubs hoover up most of the revenue, before a ball is kicked. England has seen a hugely successful product (EPL) very well marketed and it generates amounts of money that mean any decent player that we come accross and may help us become more competitive, will be gone before you can say Willie MacKay. Mighty within Scotland, although if we don't get our act together, we are going to get cut off in a no mans land where there is one dominant team, another (us) who can occasionally get in their way and the rest. To be fair to Hearts, they are showing signs that they could become a clear third force, at least for a while. Famous globally, for now. Perhaps not so much in a couple of generations time, unless we can somehow move upwards from the Scottish League.

Talks quite well and more importantly, comes accross as straightforward and honest.

Tin hat on.....Kenny Dalglish