"That Bolton fans called me a knobhead and many other similar names reflects the difference between a football club business and a normal business.
If the club didn’t belong to them, be part of them, their community, their life they wouldn’t bother.
They see themselves as defending their club, their town, their community and each other. They stand together in support of a flag that represents them and their town. They are comrades. And woe betide anyone attacking or being perceived to attack their colours.
You see football is not the important piece of the jigsaw. It could be any other sport that crowds can get behind. People need to ‘belong’
It binds them together. They go through highs and lows, agony and ecstasy together.
As a football club owner I carry this burden. If I fail I destroy a massive part of the town. I’d be destroying something precious. So precious that after Accrington went bust in 62 the community rebuilt it again. But owners are not infallible.
In many cases they are using cash that doesn’t matter much to them. It's a business risk that can fail like any other business. Except it isn’t.
What about the weekends away with mates around a game? Football is a massive part of community life and wellbeing. I’ve said it time and time again, you run a business for yourself. You run a club for everyone.
Bearing this in mind, it is a fact that successive owners have let Bolton and many other clubs down. It is a fact that regulation and control of the way clubs are run by the EFL and the FA have let clubs down.
It is also a fact that those making the rules are club owners with their share in @EFL. Most owners or business people, don’t grasp the above. They spend what they want, when they want, it’s THEIR money and THEIR club.
Except it isn’t. It belongs to the town and the people.
Except it isn’t. When rich folk splash the cash, far in excess of what’s needed they damage other clubs. They raise the bar on wage, fee and bonus expectation. No matter how much money you have the game will swallow it up as if it was the last meal on earth.
I smile at the fees Man United are having to pay for players. Value doesn’t set the price, ability to pay sets the price. No one can believe the fees and wages for some of these players are right. Sanchez £500,000 a week?
So we have to have a strong rule book set by an independent regulator to protect clubs from owners.
Their key responsibility has to be the stable functioning of the football pyramid. Football cannot self regulate. Business folk do their best to destroy competition. It’s our job. Don’t leave football to businessmen. Don’t let businessmen set the rules. If you do you’ll get carnage.
The Football League and the Premier League will never do the right thing. They’re private businesses responsible only for their self interest. Owned and run by clubs.
Bolton have gone from Burnden Park to an out of town stadium, losing money, with bits of their assets like hotel, car parks and the club itself all owned by different entities. They’re in administration.
Everybody wants a piece of the spoils. First charges here there and everywhere. What really matters has been long forgotten. KA will have made money out of the club’s demise. Maybe not as much as he wanted.
We’re entering a new era. Failed clubs being picked apart by vultures. This is normal in normal business. These guys have no duty to supporters, towns and communities.
We need to act fast. But we can’t. Club owners need to be brought together to work out new regulations for the EFL but we won’t. And if we owners had the desire to change, which we don’t, it’d take years. We only meet twice a year and many owners don’t even bother to attend.
So I’m happy to be described as a knobhead. It’s a reflection of the anger and resentment of the absolute shit state we find football in. It’s our fault as owners.
Just remember that this KNOBHEAD is the ONLY KNOBHEAD that is trying to get change to protect OUR CLUBS."
If the club didn’t belong to them, be part of them, their community, their life they wouldn’t bother.
They see themselves as defending their club, their town, their community and each other. They stand together in support of a flag that represents them and their town. They are comrades. And woe betide anyone attacking or being perceived to attack their colours.
You see football is not the important piece of the jigsaw. It could be any other sport that crowds can get behind. People need to ‘belong’
It binds them together. They go through highs and lows, agony and ecstasy together.
As a football club owner I carry this burden. If I fail I destroy a massive part of the town. I’d be destroying something precious. So precious that after Accrington went bust in 62 the community rebuilt it again. But owners are not infallible.
In many cases they are using cash that doesn’t matter much to them. It's a business risk that can fail like any other business. Except it isn’t.
What about the weekends away with mates around a game? Football is a massive part of community life and wellbeing. I’ve said it time and time again, you run a business for yourself. You run a club for everyone.
Bearing this in mind, it is a fact that successive owners have let Bolton and many other clubs down. It is a fact that regulation and control of the way clubs are run by the EFL and the FA have let clubs down.
It is also a fact that those making the rules are club owners with their share in @EFL. Most owners or business people, don’t grasp the above. They spend what they want, when they want, it’s THEIR money and THEIR club.
Except it isn’t. It belongs to the town and the people.
Except it isn’t. When rich folk splash the cash, far in excess of what’s needed they damage other clubs. They raise the bar on wage, fee and bonus expectation. No matter how much money you have the game will swallow it up as if it was the last meal on earth.
I smile at the fees Man United are having to pay for players. Value doesn’t set the price, ability to pay sets the price. No one can believe the fees and wages for some of these players are right. Sanchez £500,000 a week?
So we have to have a strong rule book set by an independent regulator to protect clubs from owners.
Their key responsibility has to be the stable functioning of the football pyramid. Football cannot self regulate. Business folk do their best to destroy competition. It’s our job. Don’t leave football to businessmen. Don’t let businessmen set the rules. If you do you’ll get carnage.
The Football League and the Premier League will never do the right thing. They’re private businesses responsible only for their self interest. Owned and run by clubs.
Bolton have gone from Burnden Park to an out of town stadium, losing money, with bits of their assets like hotel, car parks and the club itself all owned by different entities. They’re in administration.
Everybody wants a piece of the spoils. First charges here there and everywhere. What really matters has been long forgotten. KA will have made money out of the club’s demise. Maybe not as much as he wanted.
We’re entering a new era. Failed clubs being picked apart by vultures. This is normal in normal business. These guys have no duty to supporters, towns and communities.
We need to act fast. But we can’t. Club owners need to be brought together to work out new regulations for the EFL but we won’t. And if we owners had the desire to change, which we don’t, it’d take years. We only meet twice a year and many owners don’t even bother to attend.
So I’m happy to be described as a knobhead. It’s a reflection of the anger and resentment of the absolute shit state we find football in. It’s our fault as owners.
Just remember that this KNOBHEAD is the ONLY KNOBHEAD that is trying to get change to protect OUR CLUBS."
