This is an excerpt from this week's Claret and Amber Alert, a free Motherwell newsletter written by Graeme McGarry that goes out every Thursday at 6pm. To sign up, click here.
As a man now in his early forties, I probably shouldn’t like the whole ‘Ultras’ scene. I warn the weans off going near pyro. I don’t get why they all dress the same. And all in black. I’m fully aware that I’ve become a Motherwell da’.
And yet, whether it is Block E, the ‘Well Bois or the short-lived Ultras YTS scheme, ‘The Cooper Bois’ that my own son was a part of, I can’t deny that the matchday experience is better for their presence.
They bring atmosphere and colour to the games, something which was often lacking in the years I was travelling home and away in the mid-90s to early 2000s. The players appreciate their vocal backing, and some of their displays have been absolutely brilliant.
There have been issues between these groups and the club in the past. There are natural tensions between an expanding section of boisterous young fans with scant regard for laws around things such as pyrotechnics, the club’s desire to remain within those laws, and avoid fines. As well as the obvious consideration the club must maintain for other supporters who occupy the stadium.
Which brings us to this week, when a debate has been ignited around how and where the Ultras are situated within Fir Park, and a proposal raised from their side that a move to the Davie Cooper Stand may be required to accommodate them.
For full disclosure, my eldest – a great admirer of their work with aspirations to join their number – is all for it. As a wheelchair user, the Cooper is the only stand he can gain access to, so he’d be delighted if it was to suddenly become a sea of black balaclavas, flares and smoke bombs.
Though, the other fans with mobility issues, and who may be older than 12 for the most part, probably wouldn’t appreciate it quite so much. And herein lies the rub.
The Ultras groups have done great things for the atmosphere at Fir Park, and no one can doubt their commitment to the cause, following the club home and away at great expense. But they aren’t any more special than any other fan who does the same.
The Cooper is also the family stand, and has been marketed as such for years. Therefore, hundreds of season tickets holders within it sit there precisely because the atmosphere is a little more sedate than it may be in the John Hunter, particularly at the far end.
There is a place for everyone at Fir Park, and at the moment, I would have to say that everyone else seems quite happy in their place.
That’s not to say that the concerns of the Block E boys and girls should not be considered, and it was good to hear in CEO Brian Caldwell’s update this week that he is planning to meet with representatives of the group to discuss the way forward.
He appeared to pour cold water on the idea of the move to the Cooper though, and that is understandable in season ticket renewal season. People may be hesitant to purchase season books if they are going to be uprooted from seats they may have been sitting on for decades now.
But just as Caldwell will approach that meeting with an open mind, I hope the fans do too. These groups seem to have a fair amount of goodwill from the rest of the support, but their statement during the week gave off a whiff of the sort of self-entitlement that it is often perceived they carry (and I mean these groups across the board in Scottish football, not specifically the Motherwell guys).
If they are denied a move to the Cooper, I hope they don’t pick up their ball and march home, but instead try to find a workable solution with the club.
I think everyone appreciates what they are trying to do in terms of improving the matchday experience for everyone at Fir Park, but that doesn’t mean they can ride roughshod over the rest of the fanbase, or that they should go in the cream puff if they don’t get their own way.
Perhaps expanding into the Tommy McLean Stand when the smaller teams come to town, and their away supports can be housed in the Phil O'Donnell Stand, could be trialled? Or maybe those more clued up on the logistics of the stadium can find an alternative solution. It would be a shame to lose the atmosphere these groups bring, and how they may take that even further in future.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of the wee man, though, I’d say that a move to the Cooper is - on the face of it - unfeasible.
