If ever you needed a remainder of just how precarious the business of professional football is then the events of last week at two conference clubs have shown us.
Darlington have grabbed all the headlines thanks largely thanks to the dramatic nature of their rescue by two fans right as the deadline to stop them falling into extinction. The money will grant them a three week stay of execution and everyone at Football Business wishes them all the best.
However it isn’t just Darlo that are right on the brink. Kettering Town have had a tempestuous last few years and that came to a head in the last few weeks with a very odd chain of events.
First, Manager Mark Stimson who had only joined in September (himself the third boss in a matter of months) but left after the club was placed under a transfer embargo. He was replaced by Mark Cooper, a man who had much success at the club in his first spell (and ironically had left Darlington in October).
That was on January 4th but just three days later Cooper was already “considering his position” at Nene Park. It turned out that when he was appointed he was promised funds would be forthcoming and the embargo would be lifted. This did not happen.
The players meanwhile hadn’t been paid for a three months. Cooper showed his displeasure at this and said: "There's only so long they [the players] can keep [playing while not getting paid in full], to keep putting your neck on the block when you have got bills to pay and children to feed and I have sympathy for them.
"Kettering, in non-league terms, is a big club. It's gone backwards. It needs help quickly. Things need to change or there isn't going to be a club."
If that is not bad enough, it was to get a lot worse. Last week Cooper announced his role as Manager was “on hold” as he and the players had “had enough” of the situation as it was.
On Thursday the club faced a potentially key day. There was a hearing at which the club faced a charge of “failing to pay football creditors.” They were fined £3000 and were deducted three points (although this was suspended until Feb 28th on condition that the club has paid all its debts by then.
Chairman Imran Ladak – a man who appointed Ron Atkinson as Director of Football and Paul Gascoigne as Manager in the past lets not forget – is confident that the club can have a future: “I do believe this result means the club is in better shape. And, like I said, there were certain people waiting on the outcome of this hearing.”
And it is to be hoped that these “certain people” can take the club forward in a way that they have not been for a while.
The Chairman of the Kettering Supporters Trust, Mark Severn isn’t quite so sure, saying to Ladak in an email that: “"This is perhaps as deep as it [the club] can get into crisis before extinction.”
While Severn thanked Ladak for his efforts on the club’s behalf, others are not so sure. A “Show Ladak the red card” campaign has been running – one of the posters for this has been seen in the dressing room at club’s ground, which tells you all you need to know.
In the meantime experienced defender Ashley Westwood took charge after Cooper refused and although his (possibly temporary) reign began with a defeat against Wrexham, they did win a game this week – their first for a while, by beating Gateshead.
What the future holds in store for either Darlington or Kettering remains largely unclear, but it is certain that the fans of those clubs – just like countless others before them – are going to be ones that are hardest hit by this.
The players too have much to ponder, whilst it is sometimes difficult to feel any sympathy for the highly-paid millionaires of the Premier League who go off an a sulk (Carlos, I thinking of you here) and indeed when we think of footballers we often think of them as all earning thousands a week, but that is not the case at this level. These are normal blokes, under the same pressure as the rest of us.
And the servants of Darlington and Kettering deserve better.
Thursday 26 January 2012
Friday 6 January 2012
Football Business Hopes For 2012
It’s that time of year again when people start making predictions, discussing what might happen throughout the year ahead. Sport is particularly useful for this as you will doubtless have seen if you have bought a paper in the last few days.
And 2012 has many, many sporting events with which to exercise the pundits, in addition to the Olympics, there is Euro 2012, there’s the Ryder Cup and there is the Premier League, of course.
The latter can be dealt with quickly – Manchester City Chelsea
So instead of a boring list of predictions, I thought it might be interesting to discuss the Football Business hopes for 2012.
Number one in that list is something that’s been bugging me for years.
Manager’s to stop talking about referees in Press Conferences:
If you have read these blogs since July you are bound to have read me moaning about this. It is the most annoying aspect of modern football. It happens without fail, every weekend, some manager or other says that the referee has cost his team the points. There is another variance of this, the Manager says “I never criticise referees, but….” Harry Redknapp is always saying this, and for a bloke who “never criticises” the officials he doesn’t half do it a lot.
There is a close cousin of the “never criticising” Manager, and it’s the manager who says “we never get any decisions go our way, so if we got one today, then good.” Mick McCarthy is particularly good at this and it too is extremely annoying.
People to Stop Buying Seating Tickets and then Standing Up For The Whole Game
This is a plea from someone who follows their team to away games in the Premier League.
Please, please sit down.
At nearly every game this season I have had to stand because the followers of my team have decided that they aren’t sitting down. It is annoying, and thoughtless. There are people out there who can’t stand very well for long periods but who don’t want to sit in the disabled section – I know because I am one of them and our viewing experience would be greatly improved if those in front would stick their bum on the seat that they have paid an extortionate amount for.
On the back of the ticket it always says “persistent standing is not allowed,” and yet it seems that if loads of people choose to stand this rule is not enforced (conversely if its just a couple of blokes the stewards can’t wait to wade in.)
The End To Roadwork’s On the M6
This a motorway I spend a lot of time on and there is very little that fills me with dread more than the overhead matrix sings telling you that whichever junction you want is closed and there are “long delays.” Then you sit behind lorries for hours in the middle of the night – for it is usually late when this happens getting upset.
What can they be doing on there? Why does it need to be done constantly? Please stop!
An End to Pointless Football Clichés
We have all seen them. “The lads worked hard,” “it’s a great bunch of lads,” “the fans are fantastic,” or my personal bête noir “110%” It is impossible to give 110%, so stop saying it. It must end in 2012. Oh and every player is not a legend, every game is not “amazing” and not every defeat is a “crisis.”
The Constant Misuse of the Word “Literally” To Be Outlawed
Jamie Redknapp, I am looking at you. Mr Redknapp famously said that “Paul Scholes is an unbelievable player. He has a picture of the match and he literally paints it in front of you.” No, Jamie he doesn’t.
Using “literally” in literally the wrong context is awful. Just yesterday someone said to me that “it was literally coming down cats and dogs,” errr no it wasn’t. Please either use this word correctly or don’t use it all.
And finally, just because I watched him commentate on the Norwich
Ray Wilkins to go Back to Management and leave Sky Forthwith
He spoilt that game with his “my word,” and “what a great player” “tremendous effort from the guys” and so on. It was extremely annoying and, if he commentates on the Newcastle
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