IT has been tinkered with and adjusted more often than a Formula One car, but the group hoping to lead a fans' takeover of St Mirren believe that they have now come up with the model that will make their plans a reality by July 4; their own intended independence day.

Using a combination of soft loans, monthly contributions from members and one- off payments, a Community Interest Company (CIC) hopes to buy the 52% shareholding put up for sale almost three years ago by a group of St Mirren directors. The hope is to follow the example prevalent in German football, where the majority of a club is owned by supporters and the rest by larger individual investors.

Their cause has been helped by the decision of Gordon Scott, a former director of the club, to effectively donate his sizeable shareholding to the CIC, who will in turn sell it off in chunks of 1877 shares to raise additional income (1877 being the year the club was founded).

Those willing to pay the £25,000 asking price for a chunk of Scott's 17,500 shares will in return receive a number of perks, including the chance to be elected on to the board of directors.

Scott, who will become a creditor of the CIC, will also now join Richard Atkinson, the St Mirren director who has led the takeover from the start, and former manager Tony Fitzpatrick in trying to get the concept over the line. If the group can show they have sufficient numbers to be able to conclude the deal by June 15, the controlling interest of the club will be in the hands of the fans by the first week of July.

Scott told Herald Sport: "It's a good deal for the club. I didn't think the previous version of the plans were quite right but I think the way the model has been redesigned is perfect for taking the club forward. I don't think anybody could complain about what we're putting together.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for St Mirren supporters to own their club. It's a fairly tight timescale to make it happen before the middle of June, but we don't want it dragging on indefinitely and neither does the selling consortium.

"We want to keep the club in local hands, to have it run and controlled by St Mirren fans. This is the way forward. If it all happens, then on July 4 the club will be turned over to the fans and that's an exciting thing if you're a St Mirren supporter. The club is in good shape on and off the field just now, so our hope is to keep that going and build on what has gone before.

"Fans might also want to ask themselves: if this take-over doesn't succeed, who will the club go to? You look at other clubs who have had people take over with no emotional or local connection and more often than not it goes horribly wrong.

"There may be other people interested in buying St Mirren further down the line, but you would have to question just what their motives would be. I would like to think with people like myself and Tony Fitzpatrick involved that our proposal is one that people could trust and want to get involved in."

Financial contributions are key to making the deal happen and this new hybrid proposal offers three categories of membership. At the basic level, individuals can pledge £10 a month, or more, in return for a vote in the co-operative on how the club moves forward. There is an 1987 club (the year St Mirren last won the Scottish Cup) where, for £3000, members will receive "money can't buy" perks and receive 50 shares in the Paisley club.

Then there is the 1877 club, where £25,000 buys 1877 shares in the club, a lifetime non-executive board membership, as well as a chance to be elected on to the board with full voting rights. Shareholders who already own at least 1877 shares will automatically receive the same package without having to make further investment.