Morton Club Together Updates

[irnbru]

12 hours ago, gmfc_craig said:

Serious question...

How much more would each MCT member need to contribute extra a month to pay off the absolute charlatan Murray? I would happily double my contribution to get rid. I'll let someone a lot cleverer than me to work out the maths. 

It's not really a serious question. It's suggesting the club is run by committee. I don't want Murray to stay in his job but it's not up to MCT members to decide that and it would be a ridiculous situation to get the begging bowl out to pay someone off while they're still having to do the job. 

[Deego]

If people are happy to double their contribution, why not just do it?

[Toby]

54 minutes ago, Deego said:

If people are happy to double their contribution, why not just do it?

While I was on the board, the subject of asking people to raise their contributions was discussed- let’s be honest, £10 went a lot further in 2019 than it goes in 2026, but the reaction would, in my opinion have been one of outrage from many of the members that we would be going cap in hand to them when we couldn’t garner any sponsorship beyond Dalrada.

One of the straws that broke the camel’s back for me was seeing someone on Twitter accusing us of “getting the begging bowl out” when Cappielow150 was launched, as if trying to raise money for infrastructure projects was actually a bad thing, while on the night I made my final decision to step down, two members withdrawing their subscriptions gave a clear indication to me that we were fighting a losing battle.

For the TLDR version- I’d love to see the members look pragmatically at why MCT would want them to contribute more, but I don’t believe there is the appetite for it, and the mere suggestion would be met with disgust in some quarters.

[Rossco]

1 hour ago, Toby said:

While I was on the board, the subject of asking people to raise their contributions was discussed- let’s be honest, £10 went a lot further in 2019 than it goes in 2026, but the reaction would, in my opinion have been one of outrage from many of the members that we would be going cap in hand to them when we couldn’t garner any sponsorship beyond Dalrada.

One of the straws that broke the camel’s back for me was seeing someone on Twitter accusing us of “getting the begging bowl out” when Cappielow150 was launched, as if trying to raise money for infrastructure projects was actually a bad thing, while on the night I made my final decision to step down, two members withdrawing their subscriptions gave a clear indication to me that we were fighting a losing battle.

For the TLDR version- I’d love to see the members look pragmatically at why MCT would want them to contribute more, but I don’t believe there is the appetite for it, and the mere suggestion would be met with disgust in some quarters.

It's a fair point. There are a good core of Morton fans not even contributing to MCT for one reason or another so asking those that are contributing to increase is bit of a slap in the face.

I naively increased my contribution when dalrada said they would match and am sure others probably did too but I now feel I can't reduce this now. It is a number I can comfortably afford and is not much in the scheme of things .

[dunning1874]

Been mostly without signal for the last week so catching up on this now. For the same reasons already mentioned by others, it's a no to McMaster for me.

When we had the Dalrada mess 15 months ago I said then that I thought the way Graham McLennan unceremoniously had ties severed with the club having been a honorary GMFC director was a real shame considering his past contribution to creating MCT, but I'm a bit wary that we'd be retreading old ground here if he's returned to the MCT board. In fairness there's nothing in his statement in the election email that suggests he's looking to settle old scores or anything like that, but when you look at the mess we had last summer and the incompetence in the boardroom which surrounded and followed it, Laird, Robinson & Gourdie are all gone from the GMFC board now, and we've since had a new MCT board who've rebuilt a working relationship with the GMFC board.

All sides of the GMFC & MCT boards of May 2025 agreed that the working relationship had broken down prior to the embargo fallout and subsequent Dalrada interference. I was firmly on the sack the GMFC board side of the argument then and that included Graham Barr, but now with the main players on both sides of that fallout gone and the new MCT board we've had since repeatedly stating they're happy with Barr as one of the representatives due to how he's  conducted himself since, I wouldn't want to see us starting off the era of Estrella involvement in the GMFC board with another bunfight between MCT & GMFC over the removal of an MCT rep on the GMFC board.

Maybe it's massively unfair of me to think that's a way this could go and if there's no agenda to settle scores from last summer then fair enough, but with the turnover we've already had on both boards, the reset of the relationship between the two boards and Estrella bringing two new GMFC directors themselves anyway, I really hope that with Dalrada's representation on the board gone this can be where we draw a line and get on with constructively working to improve the club off the park rather than relitigating old battles.

[2bobbylinns]

Are we getting the proposal to read through before the meeting on Monday?

[TRVMP]

17 hours ago, 2bobbylinns said:

Are we getting the proposal to read through before the meeting on Monday?

They said we would get it in advance, yes, but it didn't say when. Hopefully before the day-of, but as long as it's at least a few hours before the meeting begins, that would be OK.

 

Estrella Football Group Proposal Update 

Following the legal process of negotiation between Morton Club Together, Estrella Football Group and the legal representatives of both parties, details of the final draft of the investment proposal are now ready to be shared and voted upon by the membership. The final draft of the agreement will be shared via email before the AGM on 17th August. The AGM will serve as an opportunity for MCT members to discuss the proposed investment. An online vote will then be held on the proposal, opening at 9am on Tuesday 18th August and running until 5pm on Thursday 20th August. The result will then be shared with the membership on Friday 21st August, as well as a roadmap of the next steps.

[Cet Homme Charmant]

19 hours ago, 2bobbylinns said:

Are we getting the proposal to read through before the meeting on Monday?

No need to wait, John369 has already given a comprehensive summary....

[TopCat]

I thought there would've been a bit more dissent from our regular "just get a filthy rich idiot to buy us!!!" contingent? Should this not be the point where it happens? 

[TONofmemories]

It's now Friday evening and there's been zero communication about the latest draft of estrella agreement. It's unlikely to be complete over the weekend so we're either not getting it or getting it at the 11th hour.

[Hoofballer]

I fear this is going to be held back till the very last minute then released to us …… possibly because of the content, possibly because there’s still no urgency from the boards on getting this deal done!

[Toby]

1 hour ago, Hoofballer said:

I fear this is going to be held back till the very last minute then released to us …… possibly because of the content, possibly because there’s still no urgency from the boards on getting this deal done!

Or perhaps given the events of the last few weeks there have been a number of moving plates that have prevented them from throwing out communications that don’t give the members an accurate picture?

[irnbru]

Just now, Toby said:

Or perhaps given the events of the last few weeks there have been a number of moving plates that have prevented them from throwing out communications that don’t give the members an accurate picture?

Either way, sending the weekend before a meeting on a Monday isn't really a great approach and doesn't give people a chance to properly read it and ask about it on Monday. 

[dunning1874]

1 hour ago, Hoofballer said:

I fear this is going to be held back till the very last minute then released to us …… possibly because of the content, possibly because there’s still no urgency from the boards on getting this deal done!

The vote on the deal will be opening after the AGM, running to Thursday with the results announced on Friday regardless, so when the detail is released to members clearly has nothing to do with the urgency to get it done. It will be done or not done by Friday.

I'd also hope the details aren't coming out as late as 5 minutes before the meeting starts so we all get a proper opportunity to understand it in advance of the meeting, but if it comes today or tomorrow that's still ample time to read and understand it.

[Toby]

Just now, irnbru said:

Either way, sending the weekend before a meeting on a Monday isn't really a great approach and doesn't give people a chance to properly read it and ask about it on Monday. 

Yeah, you’re right. They should just send out anything, regardless of how accurate it is. It’s not as if the members need to know the terms before selling off their 35% stake in the club.

Giving inaccurate information is of course far preferable to giving a short window to review watertight information.

[irnbru]

3 minutes ago, Toby said:

Yeah, you’re right. They should just send out anything, regardless of how accurate it is. It’s not as if the members need to know the terms before selling off their 35% stake in the club.

Giving inaccurate information is of course far preferable to giving a short window to review watertight information.

Or delay the meeting as soon as it's clear the information won't be available in time? Selling off a 35% stake in the club without having time to read the details is the problem here. 

[Toby]

Just now, irnbru said:

Or delay the meeting as soon as it's clear the information won't be available in time? Selling off a 35% stake in the club without having time to read the details is the problem here. 

As outlined by Dunning above, the information, if released soon as I believe it will be.

And of course, delaying the AGM until after the transfer window is closed, as would be the case given the need for a notice period, would work out brilliantly for all parties.

[irnbru]

28 minutes ago, Toby said:

As outlined by Dunning above, the information, if released soon as I believe it will be.

And of course, delaying the AGM until after the transfer window is closed, as would be the case given the need for a notice period, would work out brilliantly for all parties.

The issue isn't about voting after - it's about giving members time to digest it and be able to answer questions at the meeting. 

[Toby]

21 minutes ago, irnbru said:

The issue isn't about voting after - it's about giving members time to digest it and be able to answer questions at the meeting. 

And you ignore the point about the transfer window and recruitment. The board are caught between a rock and a hard place, and nothing they can do will please the members.

Either they give false information that you won’t be happy with, they give you accurate information with a short window to review that you won’t be happy with or they delay the meeting, impacting recruitment and almost certainly condemning us to relegation, that you appear to be happy with.

I prefer option two, personally.

 

[irnbru]

5 minutes ago, Toby said:

And you ignore the point about the transfer window and recruitment. The board are caught between a rock and a hard place, and nothing they can do will please the members.

Either they give false information that you won’t be happy with, they give you accurate information with a short window to review that you won’t be happy with or they delay the meeting, impacting recruitment and almost certainly condemning us to relegation, that you appear to be happy with.

I prefer option two, personally.

 

What you're suggesting is essentially what happened with Dalrada and we were backed into a corner.

This is about selling shares and there's no going back on that so shouldn't be rushed. As soon as it looked like there wasn't going to be much time for analysis, then it could have been pushed out a few days. 

We're also still able to sign free transfers and the club could be working on loans ready to go after a deal is made. That few days and giving the members the opportunity to read isn't going to cause too many problems in terms of recruitment. 

I'm sure members would rather be engaged and have a chance to ask questions so could live with the hassle of a meeting date being changed a bit. It's quite clear from speaking to and reading what other members are saying that a lot of people are concerned here. 

What could also have helped is a holding email at least instead of nothing...