Motherwell

[Newhaven]

A team with an average support of say 5,000 (4,743 they pulled in against St Johnstone at the weekend)
So-so ground facilities
Regularly in the top 6 and the odd cup final.
Top adult season ticket price costing £380
Poor away support (not that it really matters)
Regularly beat ***** both home and away
AND now they are one victory away from Champions League qualification

What are their board doing right that we aren't?

This should be Hibernian in 2012 not flaunting with SFL football :brickwall:brickwall

[Part/Time Supporter]

They haven't made any significant mistakes in the transfer market over the last 2-3 years. That's it, really.

BTW, if you look back over a longer period (say 10 years), Hibs have been in more cup finals and the top six more often than Mothewell. The last couple of years have been crap because Hibs have signed very few good players.

[BEEJ]

Going into administration a few years back to clear their debts obviously helped.

:wink:

[Newhaven]

They haven't made any significant mistakes in the transfer market over the last 2-3 years. That's it, really.

BTW, if you look back over a longer period (say 10 years), Hibs have been in more cup finals and the top six more often than Mothewell. The last couple of years have been crap because Hibs have signed very few good players.

Only went back a couple of years for the finishes but the fact remains were NOW paying top price for a bottom six team in a nice shiny stadium

[Part/Time Supporter]

Going into administration a few years back to clear their debts obviously helped.

:wink:

Not really. The money was mainly owed to John Boyle and they weren't paying any interest on it. Going into administration was more of an exercise in getting rid of all the bad contracts they had signed when Boyle tried to spend their way up the league in the early years of the SPL (it didn't work). They then flooded the team with kids and really struggled for a couple of years (saved from relegation in 2003 by Falkirk's ground). They did okay for a couple of years under Butcher in the mid-2000s but then were almost relegated under Malpas (2006/07). They've generally done well since then.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Remember 6-0?
McFadden, Partridge, Pearson kids
They gave kids a chance and augmented wisely.

[jgl07]

Not really. The money was mainly owed to John Boyle and they weren't paying any interest on it. Going into administration was more of an exercise in getting rid of all the bad contracts they had signed when Boyle tried to spend their way up the league in the early years of the SPL (it didn't work). They then flooded the team with kids and really struggled for a couple of years (saved from relegation in 2003 by Falkirk's ground). They did okay for a couple of years under Butcher in the mid-2000s but then were almost relegated under Malpas (2006/07). They've generally done well since then.

I agree that administration was generally aimed at getting rid of some overpaid underperforming players that Billy Davies had signed. However it turned into more than that as an attempt was made to galvanize the local community to support the club. Season tickets were cancelled and holders had to pay to get in. Most were happy to pay.

They promoted youth as Hibs did under Williamson. They got away with it in 2003 by avoiding relegation. They emerged debt free from administration, which gave them an advantage that Hibs, for example, did not enjoy. I am not suggesting that a debt free Hibs would have been able to keep the likes of Thomson, Brown, Whittakar, O'Connor, Murray, Riordan, Caldwell, Murphy, Fletcher, Shiels, Sproule, etc. However they may have been in a position to sign better replacements than the arrivals that came in.

Motherwell, like Livinston, Dundee, and now Rangers have misused administration.

[DH1875]

Look you only got to start with the manager and then work your way through the squad. McCall, Hutchinson, Hammell, Humphrey, Law, Higdon, Ojama etc, etc... Would take any if not all of them at ER and administration or not I think I'm right in saying that that lot cost Motherwell a grand total of NOWT. When you look at them and the likes of Utd, St Johnstone and even St Mirren you realize the amount of dross we've had through the door in recent years.

[The Sea-gull]

A team with an average support of say 5,000 (4,743 they pulled in against St Johnstone at the weekend)
So-so ground facilities
Regularly in the top 6 and the odd cup final.
Top adult season ticket price costing £380
Poor away support (not that it really matters)
Regularly beat ***** both home and away

AND now they are one victory away from Champions League qualification

What are their board doing right that we aren't?

This should be Hibernian in 2012 not flaunting with SFL football :brickwall:brickwall

They have done well in the last couple of years but I'm sure they have not been in any more cup finals than we have in the last 20 years. I can think of three that Motherwell have been in (1991 Scottish, 2005 League and 2011 Scottish). We've been in league cup finals in 1991, 1993, 2004 and 2007. Scottish cup finals in 2001 and 2012.

I don't know the facts off the top of my head but I'd also suggest we have finished in the top 6 more times than them.

Also, don't think they beat the OF that often. Celtic the odd time here and there but am pretty sure it was mentioned the last time the played Rangers that they had not beat them in 10 years.

I do get the jist of your point and the answer is really that their board has appointed decent managers who have been able to identify decent players within their budget and forged a bit of team spirit.

If anything, it seems like such an easy thing to do and be successful in Scottish football but in reality it is not and that is why the same teams are not in the top half of the league year in year out. If football was based entirely on the size of your club the top 6 would always be the Old Firm, the New Firm and the Edinburgh teams. The money that old firm have (or had in Rangers case) means that they'd always be the top two.

The difference in income is not so great between the other teams and that is why your Motherwells, Kilmarnocks, Dunfermlines and St Johnstones have been able to oust your Hibs, Hearts, Dundee Uniteds and Aberdeens from the top 6 regularly over the years. The difference in income between these teams can be more than made up for by getting in a good manager, who gets good players and instills a bit of team spirit. As well as needing luck with injuries, suspension and form of these players.

Do all this and throw in a couple of Hearts/Hibs/Aberdeen/Dundee United being in a bit of a state and there you have a couple of places near the top of the league up for grabs.

[Mikeystewart]

I remember my first away trip other than tynie and hampden was to fir park, we won 6-1 :greengrin 2006/2007 season. I can remember the radio show on the way home, pundits arguing between celtic and rangers signing brown and thomson, talked about them as some kind of package deal to get them both. Funny how things turn out.