11.25am

Speaking to the Wishaw Press, Pat Nevin admits he is concerned at the dwindling attendances at Fir Park.  Pat confirmed that gates are down this season, and that John Boyle would not be putting in any more of his own cash to ease the current financial situation.  Pat also confirmed that the club made a loss of £1.7 million last year but was optimistic the board could begin to turn it around.  Motherwell have the second worst average home SPL attendance (5500), with only around 4500 turning up for games not involving either of the Old Firm, and the situation will be discussed at the next board meeting.  Pat said:
"Everyone knows we don't fill the place every week and, financially, it makes it very hard for us, but all the clubs, not just ourselves, are in the same position.  Obviously, the fact that there will be no Sky money for next season takes away a third of our income and that has really whipped the feet from under us as a lot will now depend on what happens with the proposed SPL TV.  Gates at Motherwell are down, but just slightly, and that's disappointing, although, like I said before, it's probably the same for many clubs.  John Boyle has put a huge amount of money into the club since coming in as chairman and he can't continue to do that, so we are going to have to to take at look at this club trying to maximise it's earning potential."

When John Boyle took over at Fir Park he introduced various initiatives which boosted attendances to nearly 8000, although crowds have slowly declined in the four years since.  Pat Nevin refused to confirm rumours that the South Stand will be closed next year and away fans accommodated in the Davie Cooper Stand, although he admitted season ticket prices were likely to rise:
"We have not decided on the season ticket prices for next season, but they have been frozen for the past three years, so their could be a change there.  When John came in we brought ticket prices down and they remained that way throughout various areas of the ground, as well as trying a number of initiatives to attract people to come and watch football at Fir Park.  You name it, we tried it, but it didn't work, although I can assure supporters the board of directors will be looking into every possibility of trying to increase gates at their next meeting."

Also in today's local press, Eric Black has called on his players to end any lingering relegation worries by beating St Johnstone at Fir Park on Saturday.  Saints can still mathematically catch us, but a win or even a draw on Saturday will condemn the Perth side to First Division football next season.  Black said:
"The break for a couple of weeks didn't come at a good time for us as the players were smarting following the defeat against Celtic and were desperate to put things right quickly.  They have now had the chance to enjoy a break over the Easter period and have been back in training with everyone raring to go.  Obviously, St Johnstone still have a chance of staying up, but it's up to us to go out and get the three points on Saturday as we let ourselves down against Celtic last time out.  We don't want to give them any encouragement that they can stay up, so the players will be going all out to win the game."

Eric could be boosted by the return of German striker Dirk Lehmann on Saturday:
"Dirk is touch and go to make it for Saturday, but we will have to wait and see how his ankle progresses and make a decision later on in the week."

However, midfielder Keith Lasley is still struggling with an ankle injury and is rated doubtful, while Karl Ready is struggling to regain fitness after recovering from the 'flu.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Black wants his players to finish on a positive note which will give them something to build on next season:
"We have five games between now and the end of the season and I want us to try and finish in a positive manner.  We certainly have the players here capable of doing that as I still want to take three points from every game and try to finish as high up the table as we possibly can.  At the moment, I haven't even spoken to the board about money to bring in new players for next season and hopefully we can sort something out in the near future."

9.05am

Thanks to yet another anonymous contributor for the following report of last night's Daily Record Football Forum which took place at Fir Park:

This was a night that showed how far out of touch journalists can be when it comes to dealing with fans of provincial clubs. This was borne out by the out of touch remarks from, in particular, Hugh Keevins who repeatedly insulted the Well fans in the audience. He started by not understanding why we were complaining about being from Season Ticket seats in the Cooper Stand, it ended 90 minutes later with him landing in trouble from a woman in the audience for being rude to the people of Motherwell.

Pat Nevin did have a couple of interesting things to say, firstly he told us that the club made £10000 from moving people in the Cooper Stands, and it would have been £30k if we had filled the space allocated. He also turned on the Well fans for being so critical of Boyle when the guy was trying to maximise revenue and we should be actually be showing him some appreciation. He also attacked the institutions that run Scottish football and heaped scorn on those that spent £74 million on Hampden! He also mentioned that clubs could in fact be better off if the Old Firm left, something some of us have believed for years. He also dropped a hint that prices for some games could be reduced next season as clubs have seen the number of away fan dwindle over the years. 

The panel was also made up of Andy Walker and Euan McLean (from the Sunday Mail) who had little to say at all!!! Thankfully the night was hosted by Tam Cowan who lightened the night up with his ability to put the panel in their place and also get the best out of the fans.

The night was a reasonably enjoyable one as it was interesting to see Keevins squirm when pushed by genuine football fans. If anything listening this old tosser has hardened my resolve to keep away from Radio Clyde and the Daily Record. 

8.50am

Today's papers have confirmed our rumour from yesterday that Benito Kemble is back at Fir Park after being released by St Johnstone.  The defender is quoted as saying:
"I was ready to return to Holland after leaving St Johnstone but I love Scottish football and want to stay here.  I am so grateful to Eric Black and Motherwell for giving me this chance to train.  Maybe I can impress him enough and you never know."

Stephen Cosgrove has returned to Fir Park after his loan spell at Stirling Albion..  Apparently, he did not exactly set the heather on fire there...

Anyone mind if we run TWO opinion polls at once?

There is a growing feeling in many quarters that the club and fans need to get together because there has been a growing rift in recent times, which was brought to a head by the ticketing arrangements for the recent home game against Celtic.

Would you support an initiative to bring the club and the supporters closer together?

Enter our new Prediction League  - cash prizes to be won!