Greacen2000

yip agreed. I suspect EFG thought this would be a "slam dunk" in undermining confidence in MCT & GMFC leadership, but the responses show that at least some of their statement was demonstrably untrue, not to mention coming across as having some bad faith in its intent. This of course is not to say that there are not some nuggets of truth in there or to deny that there are issues with the way the club is being run. The main take away from me is that after last night, I can see no way that a positive working relationship could be formed between EFG, MCT & the current leadership of GMFC. That alone is enough for this to be a hard no from me

I have had a go at summarising what was said in the Estrella/Alistair Renfrew statement last night. He was talking faster than I can write so there may be some gaps in here but I think the main points are all covered. I have added a column for the responses/rebuttals that were given edit - just to be clear, I am paraphrasing here based on my notes so the exact words below are mine not those of EFG or MCT correction to point 6 - 100% ownership was not mentioned - it was 51% majority share

Any time I’ve attended in person I’ve just walked in without anyone checking my name or registration etc.

The club put out a lengthy update a couple of weeks ago detailing our financial situation & the reasons behind it. This was followed with an update from MCT that the Estrella deal had been finalised & is now pending a members vote. We also know that the injury list (along with financial constraints limiting our ability to make signings) means we are struggling to put out a team. What other sort of update are you expecting? As far as I’m concerned there’s nothing else to say until something changes with the missing Dalrada money, murray leaves, or the Estrella deal is rubber stamped. Is there something else I’m missing?

this is the final straw for me. The situation is not entirely of Murrays doing, but he is fully responsible for how badly he has dealt with it (not least building such an imbalanced squad along with his handling of the media). He is clearly a toxic presence and must go immediately before more damage is done. I was in favour of waiting it out so as to not waste money on payoffs/garden leave but at this point I think we need to cut our losses and sound out Gillespie & O'Halloran to see if they are up for stepping in for the interim.

This genuinely feels like we could be headed towards a brechin-esque points total if nothing changes here. Yes there are mitigating circumstances in terms of injuries etc but I still can’t really see a way that Murray comes through this. Unfortunately i don’t have any ideas about who would be a viable replacement, and with us already struggling to sign a full squad of players the last thing we need is to be using up budget on a pay off/garden leave for Murray. The only hope is that he walks away to try and preserve what little reputation he has left.

Great post - all the "MCT has failed, get the club up for sale" merchants are completely missing the point. We have been there & done that spending money we didn't have in the past & look where it got us. Likewise several other clubs in this division are currently doing it making 6-7 figure losses each season with little to show for it either. I would much rather see us live within our means while investing what money we do get on longer-term stuff like stadium & facilities even if it means taking 1 step back to hopefully take 2 forward. I do worry that Murray isn't the guy we need right now to get the most out of a tight budget & small squad. Of the available candidates at the time I thought he was the best choice, and I am not too sure if there are any better alternatives out there right now either so I guess that for now we are stuck with what we have. Things couldn't really be any worse than they are at the moment in terms of performances & results so lets hope we see some improvements soon or else we are in for a long & depressing season

I’m very disappointed to hear this. I have had some disagreements with Russell on here over the years but he is exactly the type of person we need involved in MCT. I thought he did a good job under difficult circumstances. His updates were excellent and in my experience he was always responsive to any questions raised via email or on here. I can just about live with us being a bit of a basket case on the field, being skint and having a manager with a questionable record if I have faith in the people who are involved in the running of MCT, so this has left me feeling pretty concerned. Thanks @Toby for the time and effort you have put into this thankless task - I hope you continue to contribute on here after stepping down from your role.

Welcome to Morton Harry Cochrane - superb signing!

Comeon Morton please announce a couple of signings - I really need something to lift my mood after last night! I would be delighted with Cochrane - lets hope it is true and we can get it over the line. Otoo would be a decent signing too and can cover a few positions. From the list of players at the pfa training camp Dowds & Mckay would be interesting although I am not sure how realistic either would be. At this stage I think signing a #1 would be my top priority. I see Kieran Wright is on the list having been released by Rangers but I don't remember being too impressed by him when he was at Airdrie and he has played very little football for a 27yo. Declan Gallagher could also be useful as our 2 CBs are both young & inexperienced but I am not sure if he could still cut it at his age - the last thing we need is another Mcginn/Broadfoot style passenger in the squad. In any case I expect his wage demands would rule him out (likewise Dowds & Mckay)

not sure exactly how it works with how many shirts are manufactured - if they forecast the total demand for the whole season then do them in a single run then like you said the replicas wont have the newly announced sponsors. On the other hand its also entirely possible that they might have only made a smaller number as an initial run and will be making more if they sell well which would mean subsequent runs might have the sponsors added. Either that or someone at Smiths is going to be tasked with putting transfers onto the ones currently in stock

I fully expected this sort of comment from the knicker wetting brigade on FB but was hoping for better on here.

Our groundsman Adam Henderson has left the club to pursue other opportunities.

yes, we have known for some time that the Dalrada money was going to stop. I don’t know how much work has been done to replace this - on the face of things, it looks like not a lot since we haven’t had any big announcements about sponsorship deals etc. This is definitely a concern. it’s been made pretty clear that this seasons budget has been set and is not in any way dependent on money we will get if the Estrella deal goes through. Where has anyone claimed this? thankfully those responsible for the bad decisions and wasteful spending have now left. Hopefully moving forward we will be less wasteful with what money we get from mct/sponsors/estrella. Again I don’t see where anyone has said we aren’t allowed to ask questions.

I could maybe see your point if they had actually used the word deadline, target or cut off date, but they didn’t. It was an exclusivity period to allow both parties to share information and carry out due diligence. I expect that the 60 days was chosen based on an estimate, and it’s ended up taking longer than estimated. I feel like it’s been made pretty clear that the money is intended to be primarily spent on longer term improvements rather than transfers. Even if a small portion of the first years money might have ended up in the playing budget, this could still be used to top up the existing budget or for reinforcements in Jan. My point is that these protracted negotiations haven’t held up the player budget in the way the Dalrada farce did last year. I agree that an update on the clubs finances would be good. I expect that this will be given at the club AGM (which I believe is overdue but has maybe been delayed until this Estrella negotiation is concluded). I get that you are wanting the best for the club and your concerns come from a good place but I do think you are overreacting a bit about the 60 day “deadline”. These things take time and we need to make sure we get it right one way or another.

Good player. Would probably be in the premiership or down south by now if he hadn't spent basically the past 3 years out injured. big risk but I suppose that's the market that we find ourselves in. Interesting the tweet mentioned him taking his medical with our new Physio partner - its almost as if they are pre-empting all the inevitable comments about his injury record. If he can stay fit then it could be a good bit of business

At no point was the 60 day thing stated as any sort of a target or deadline. It was an exclusivity period to let both parties carry out due diligence and legal stuff etc. The most recent updates suggest that it has went well and there are just a couple of details they are still working on. Beyond that I’m not sure what sort of an update you expect. If the prolonged due diligence was holding up our appointing a manager or giving our manager a budget then it would be a different story, but it isn’t so I don’t know what the issue is.

The one from last year expires on July 25th so both are relevant at this time but yeah I was meaning the new one regarding fraudulent documentation

I thought they had been banned from registering new players

8 goals & 8 assists in 17 games for EK is not to be sniffed at. Obviously it’s a big step up from league 2 to championship but this looks like a positive one based on what info I can find about the lad.

Absolutely terrific piece of business. I was fully expecting him to leave. Hopefully more good news to follow

Good player - I’d be quite happy to see us sign him.

I'm ok with us having a few guys in the squad who are taking a step up from league 1. If they have been consistently among the best players at that level then clubs like us should absolutely be seeking out this sort of player. Whether or not they are ex-Morton youth players, local lads, or theres any “evidence” that they are ready for championship football should not factor in to the discussion IMO.

If we were being linked with one of the best midfielders in league 1 (but who was not a former player) how would you feel about it then?

I’m guessing Murray will want to keep at least 1 or 2 out of the players you mention, but that negotiations over their extensions (or with their replacements if they go elsewhere) may take some time. I have no issue with us filling the back up slot for that position in the meantime, especially with a guy who is already in the building, has shown to be an able deputy & has decent experience at a higher level to bring to the squad.