HamCam

After the debacle that was GMST anyone especially those who contributed and/or engaged has every right to point the finger. MCT has set itself on a pedestal offering to be transparent and open to the fans. The dates for delivery are all their own. Their current failings therefore rightly raise concerns. They are, however, the only show in town hence they continue to be supported but at some stage actions not words are required.

I don't disagree with a lot of what you say. Despite all the promises MCT are demonstrating a worrying lack of engagement, delivery and communication with the fans. I am still willing to cut them some slack but so far they are over-promising and under-delivering.

You sound like an amalgamation of Hugh Scott and DDFR with that offering.

Piecemeal and reactive rather than part of a planned schedule of maintenance and investment is how it looks to me. I agree MCT has more to do but it is still early days and they have not yet taken ownership. Compare your impatience and criticism to your stance on GMST. If MCT can avoid the self-interest and incompetence of GMST they at least have a chance of making it work.

Notice you never mentioned the white elephant turnstiles. As for emergency lighting and boilers are they not essential? Reactive rather than planned maintenance and investment has been the general order of play for years under the Raes. Most fans love Cappielow but most are not blinded to the lack of investment. As I said I wonder what MCT will find when they become the custodians.

Doing things on the cheap is maybe understandable but can often be a false economy. Neglecting essential repairs and maintenance was a decision though made by the 'previous' owners and one the fans will now have to pay for. As and when MCT finally take over it will be interesting to see what they find when they have unhindered access.

I suspect no-one saw this one - Ayr United Football Club | Duffy joins coaching staff (ayrunitedfc.co.uk)

Don't get me wrong, I love visiting new venues at home and abroad but the 'groundhog day' is a strange experience. On the upside for clubs in the lower leagues it can be a bit of a cash windfall as the groundhoppers make a day of it buying everything in sight!

I have been at grounds on 'groundhopper day' and can assure you that your original stance is appropriate. It is a curious mix of a trainspotter convention with cameras thrown in.

Brechin and their Chairman have been taking the piss for years. Ken Ferguson just liked parading around the town in his SFA blazer without displaying any ambition or responsibility for seeking to improve Brechin as a football club. About time they got found out albeit I will miss Brechin as an away ground to visit.

A tenuous link but Walter Borthwick | Heart Of Midlothian Football Club (heartsfc.co.uk)

Very positive development for which all involved should be applauded. The Rae family retaining the car park may not be ideal but as they bought it in 2003 it is essentially a separate entity to Cappielow Park.

People with no interest in football owning clubs for the sole purpose of making money inevitably results in conflict with the legacy fans. As for this latest money-making venture is it not being driven by Americans on an American model rather than the bogeymen from the Middle East and old Soviet Bloc?

The RV does not necessarily correlate with capital value especially in regard to football stadium. The underlying valuation process is merely a convenient 'get out of jail' basis to justify a figure when there is a lack of comparative evidence. I do, however, agree at RV £19,000 it should not be the focus of attention for anyone. The 'real' issue is GC in their benevolence is ensuring MCT never own the property assets or alternatively has to accept £2m of debt. The historic valuation of the ground on a 'cost' related basis is in the accounts. Updating the figure on this basis serves no useful purpose. As Trump has highlighted elsewhere the point to note is what did GC paid for GMFC when DDFR rode to the rescue on his white charger. It appears to me some fans are too eager to be bent over the Boardroom table, thanking their master/GC for a right good shafting before paying for the privilege.

There is not much we can take as read in this latest episode of "How to fuck up a football club" other than it is difficult to make any argument that allows fans to have trust in the current owners. However it is dressed up the fans were promised by DDFR that the club would be debt free and under the stewardship of the Raes it would be safe. Fast forward to the present day and what we are alternatively being offered are propositions whereby fan ownership is an option on the basis 'we' are hamstrung by a made up fantastical debt and/or do not own Cappielow unless we stump up another made up number. The Raes are hiding behind the notion they are protecting GMFC by retaining title to the ground while in reality they are planning for MCT to fail to allow them to asset strip the club - the only speculators in play, just now, are the family. Other random comments. Firstly, the current planning designation for Cappielow does not mean the ground could not be sold and secondly, even if you view local government with suspicion, I believe that as long as GMFC exists there is no realistic prospect for an alternative planning allocation.

Neither option is ideal but I suspect the best that could be negotiated with Golden Casket. The Raes are 'hiding' behind the possibility/expectation MCT fails and they can, as secured creditors, once again, claim to be acting as trustees securing the future of GMFC. The reality is, however, we have been here before and the promises of DDFR were not kept so why should we trust the Raes again? As a cynic, all I see is the family retaining the property assets unless MCT essentially pay off the debt incurred during their mismanagement of the club. It looks like we are caught between a rock and a hard place.

Interesting strategy - in your quest to ignore me you keep responding to my posts. I suspect this is not the first flawed plan you have put forward.

I believe your memory must be failing you or you are just making it up. I have called many people many things but never that.

It is with great pride that I note WhowouldbeaMortonfan has red-dotted one of my posts. Given his sanctimonious, patronising, and sycophantic ramblings it is a pleasure to know I have got under his skin. Bring a friend.

I hope the current situation does give MCT additional leverage but as it stands the existing arrangement is contributions leads to debt write-off and the current owner contributing less.

I think the first part is the problem for a lot of fans - how do you believe anything that emanates from the sweetie factory? The Raes have a history of breaking promises therefore trust is in limited supply. I offer you a debt free club, a three year plan...

You need to embrace your inner woke. I'm still trying to work out who Mila Kunis is?

Of course not but when the Asistant/Acting Manager, the Chairman and the media are all coming out giving it "We're doomed" the fans need someone to speak up and if the club is silent it has to be MCT.

You set the bar low when the benchmark is the sweetie world equivalent of North Korea. I do, however, accept they are a vast improvement on what has gone before but I still believe they can do better especially if they are asking existing members to continue to stump up and at the same time encourage new members to the fold. When we are being told the club is in imminent danger of folding you have to be proactive. I do though share your concern that MCT may be the only show in town but my hands remain in my trousers as I am loathe to give another penny to the hard-up Rae family.

At last smoke from the chimney that addresses some of the issues but difficult to believe we are on anything other than life support potentially requiring the club to take on more debt with GC. Maybe the lesson to learn is, to avoid speculation and any 'misunderstandings', the club and MCT need to communicate more effectively. As an aside is there any sign of the much talked up corporate sponsors that realistically are required for MCT to be a success?