Motherwell general manager says fan ownership deal will give club stability

Motherwell general manager Alan Burrows believes an imminent fan ownership deal will give the club both long-term security and every opportunity to thrive.

Les Hutchison has agreed to sell the Well Society his 76 per cent stake for £1 and defer repayments of his loan to the club.

A deal is set to be ratified in the coming weeks which will see long-standing director Jim McMahon become chairman while two Well Society board members will become club directors.

Hutchison bought his stake 14 months ago in order to help fans stave off the very real threat of administration or foreign ownership and has now decided to step aside earlier than anticipated, while putting in more working capital to smooth the transition.

Burrows said: "People love the club, their fathers came here, their grandfathers came here. We now have the direct control to keep this club safe and secure for the long term.

"I work at the club therefore I have the responsibility to ensure the best health of this football club, but it's a bigger responsibility: we have a duty of care to this area and the people who live here to ensure the club survives and thrives so that everyone can enjoy it for generations to come.

"That's what I see as the main thrust of this club and the society coming together as one: safeguarding this football club for the long term.''

More than 1,700 fans have joined the Well Society but others have expressed scepticism about fan ownership. However, previous owner John Boyle had the club up for sale for years with no serious bidders and the club set up the fan ownership vehicle themselves given the lack of alternatives.

The initial target was to raise £1.5million as a safety net for an ambitious business plan, but the club have since lost more than £2million in four seasons while the Well Society has put in more than £500,000 to help stem losses.

Like most clubs in Scotland, Motherwell will now have to live within their means while continuing efforts to build transfer income. To that end, manager Mark McGhee has successfully introduced teenagers Chris Cadden and Ben Hall into the team in recent months.

"Benefactors are in the vast minority in Scottish football,'' Burrows said.

"There aren't many clubs who have large-scale benefactors who are prepared to put in large sums of money.

"And there are very good examples in the Premiership of clubs who don't have that set-up but have managed to finish in the top half of the table and qualify for Europe and win cups.

"The club needs to do everything it can to maximise revenue, whether it's from commercial sales, sponsorship, advertising, transfer fees and obviously from funds it can centrally generate through the league.

"What the club needs to do like any business is be sensible about what it's spending. You maximise what you bring in and you set what you spend to the same level, and hopefully that gives you a solvent, stable and secure business.''

Negotiations were ongoing for a number of weeks but the announcement came out of the blue for many fans.

And Burrows admits they need to sell the concept once the details are finalised.

"You don't necessarily need to be involved day to say, some people just want to come to the football and enjoy it with their friends, and that's fine,'' he said.

"We just need to convince people to contribute everything they can to the cause, whether it's buying a season ticket or joining the Well Society, coming to various events, buying a strip or a tile in the tunnel.

"People don't need to break the bank but what they can do is be as positive as they can, contribute what they can, help drive it forward by being involved.

"And if everyone works hard together then we can be successful.''