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SUCCESS BOUGHT IS NOT (AND CAN NEVER BE) SUCCESS ACHIEVED

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I’ve pondered for some weeks whether or not to pen this piece. Not because I have any self doubt about the content but rather a hesitance which has arisen because what I’m about to outline below will no doubt generate howls of derision and maybe even those who don’t know me or my background being quick to declaim that I’m not a supporter. I’ve decided that if that is the case then so be it. So this contribution is one of the most difficult things I’ve written, (.. and I’ve written plenty with the thick end of half a million words on ’57 Hatters Years’!!)

As the 2020/21 season was wending it’s way to a conclusion there was a thread on YellowBoard which reflected on how people felt three months after Gannon’s departure. For me that was a moment which crystallised a growing feeling of unease which had been there since shortly after the takeover. Putting it simply, I had watched a model being put in place which does not sit easily with the principles which have governed every aspect of my life, (personal; working and leisure).

In broad terms I have never believed that throwing money at something is a constructive, and certainly not a sustainable long term, approach. Maybe that’s the caution, (in my working life, now in the past!), of being a Director of Finance in a large business. I have always believed that organic growth, developing from the bottom; putting in place a sustainable framework and investing for growth is the best way forward, in both business and life. Progress may be a little slower but it is sustained by a firm foundation.

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THE TAKEOVER – MY HOPES

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So when Mr Stott took over I hoped that the investment that he promised would follow those principles. Putting in place the things that were needed – full time status, a training ground, and some tidying up of the stadium. But at the same time I felt it was vital to preserve what I imagine all County fans feel is special – the connection with the fans; the status of the Club in the community; and the legacy that we all feel part of. In my view we have seen plenty of the former, and more besides, but precious little of the latter.

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THE TAKEOVER – THE REALITY

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As things developed during the first lockdown in 2020 and into that summer, my unease began to grow. I never saw the appointment of a Director of Football as being anything other than unnecessary, and that is without considering the individual. The signings that were made that summer felt so ‘unCountylike’. All I saw were players who were on a carousel of Clubs; who admittedly had been successful elsewhere; but were footballing mercenaries. It felt like throwing a collection of gifted individuals together on the basis that it would be successful. And at a huge cost, comparatively. I look back over my 57 years and Bergara’s team; Jones team and Gannon’s teams in 2008 and 2019 were all greater than the sum of their parts. Nobody could ever accuse the team which we witnessed, albeit at arms length via streams, of being anything like that. I found them completely dispiriting to watch. I’ve seen that on many occasions over the last half century, but never one which had been assembled at such a huge cost. Not only were they not greater than the sum of the parts but they never even approached the sum. What I saw on the field was a complete mirror image of what was happening off it.

County has been a huge part of my life. For me, and I know that many will scoff at this, what is in place now is as far removed as possible from the Club I have followed for all these years. I have no interest in a corporate organisation where the legacy is being quietly airbrushed away in the pursuit of instant success, gained by throwing unconscionable amounts of cash at it. A huge opportunity to grow the Club organically, on sound business principles, has, in my view, been cast aside in the pursuit of that instant success. Incidentally I also believe that Mr Stott could have achieved the growth of the club in a sustainable manner with a small proportion of what he has put in.

And I have a real problem about a football theorist, (Simon Wilson), being allowed to use my Club as the vehicle to create his own toy, (he refers to it as ‘The Project’), and and far as I can see with next to no accountability. He has total protection from being held to account … on the field any shortcomings are the responsibility of the manager, and off it he can claim that it is nothing to do with him. It’s the typical DoF model and I struggle to think of a single individual throughout the game with that role who has been really held to account. He will move on in due course, never having understood the DNA of the Club, and will barely give the place a second thought. I am appalled at the latitude that Mr Stott has given him, and what he has wrought.

That can all be described as emotion, and to a great extent it is. But I fear for the future. I have no doubt that success will come, but success that is bought has no value. I haven’t spent the last 15 years or so railing at Clubs like Chelsea; City and Salford buying silverware to ignore it when it’s on my own doorstep.

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FINANCING ‘THE PROJECT’

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In terms of the financing of all this I have a deep feeling of unease. To what extent are these huge barrowloads of cash creating a long-term liability on the Club? One thing is for certain is that the model in place is as far from being sustainable as is possible. Putting things simply the day to day expenditure on players; management and administrative wages, added to club overheads, cannot be matched by income, be it in the National League, or, if promotion is ‘bought’, in the middle and lower reaches of the Football League either. The commitments that are being created with 3 year contracts for players either on the verge, or indeed the wrong side, of 30, (added to the fees being paid for them), are in my opinion not only short term but frightening.

I am at a loss to understand how Mr Stott is funding the expenditure on the ground. Not in terms of dipping into his own pocket, but on what basis does a businessman throw cash into an asset that is merely leased. A new lease with the Council was signed around a year ago – it would be extremely interesting to see the terms, and indeed the fine print. I simply cannot conceive that there is not some form of security for the expenditure that has been incurred. It is the form of that security, if it exists, which is key.

All in all, and I know that many who pay more than a cursory glance will be well aware that what has been put in place is entirely and utterly dependent on Mr Stott’s continued involvement. The accounts for the year to June 2020 have been published, showing a loss of around £800k. And by December 2020 the accounts of Newco Stockport A, (a company which appears to have been set up by Mr Stott to act as a conduit for the cash being put into the Club), demonstrated clearly that he had put in over £3m in the first 11 months of his tenure. The real interest will be in ten months time when we will see the impact of the expenditure for the year to June 2021. If they show that all this has been funded by debt, creating those long term liabilities, then in my view a financial apocalypse awaits. If, as promised, it is converted to equity then there is less anxiety. However, a cute businessman, and Mr Stott is certainly that, always has an exit strategy, (be it in the short or long term), and it is the structure of that strategy which will only emerge in time.

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WHERE HAS ALL THIS LEFT ME?

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So to get to the core of what I wanted to say. Little did I know as I walked out of EP after the Barnet game back in early March 2020 not only that Covid was about to ravage society, but also that it was, in hindsight, a keypoint moment for me. Over 57 years, encompassing 1,957 games I have experienced lots of struggles, anguish and anger, and rejoiced in success which had been built and not bought; I had enjoyed the company of fellow supporters and fundamentally felt a part of the Club. But no more – County is no longer the Club I have followed for those 57 years. A club that is framed on the buying of silverware is one I cannot feel comfortable with – success should be built and lead to a sense of achievement, and not be the product of somebody’s wallet.

Researching for a piece on 57 Hatters Years I came across a quote from Barry Glendinning at The Guardian. At the time, spring 2020, he had been asked by a Newcastle fan, (clearly wondering what the future held with the proposed Saudi Arabian takeover at the time), “Would you describe the last decade of Manchester City’s history as a demise?”. Glendenning replied;

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“If I was a City fan, absolutely. You can raze a Club to the ground, rebuild it and stick the same old badge over the gate, but don’t try and delude yourself into thinking it’s in any way, shape or form still Manchester City”.

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And after 57 years, that’s where I am now. Plenty of shiny stuff; big name and big wage players, but not to me is it in any way, shape or form the County that has been such a huge part of my life.

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MY FOOTBALL FUTURE

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So in June 2021, after an immense amount of thought, I decided that for the first time in over 40 years seat EM24 in the Main Stand would not be occupied by me. I wrote to Jonathan Vaughan, (CEO at County), outlining why I could not in all conscience contemplate renewing my season ticket. It will come as little surprise to many that I received no reply nor even any kind of acknowledgement. That is the nature of corporate rather than customer / supporter based organisations.

I know I will get more enjoyment watching local Clubs in the Tameside area where I live than in watching a Project unfold and one with which I can feel no attachment. Those 5 clubs, (the two Ashtons; Stalybridge; Mossley and Hyde), are where support is valued; where volunteers put in work to ensure Clubs survive; and where success is earned and not bought. And where, when success comes, it is celebrated as a product of honest endeavour and not as evidence of the depth of someone’s pockets.

I do not criticise those who choose to believe in ‘The Project’ – it’s all down to personal views and more importantly values. But it’s not for me anymore … and that’s been one of the hardest, and saddest decisions of my life.

As a postscript, I will continue to work on ’57 Hatters Years’ . Not only is it semi-autobiographical, and something I want to leave behind for my grandchildren and those that follow them, but it is a tale that I want to tell. If nothing else then, if silverware and a rise up the league follows and the memories of the past fade, it creates a record that may be of interest in the future. A legacy perchance…..

August 2021