Reply To: The price of football.

[Anonymous]

£80,000 in 1899 payments (some were paying monthly)
£200,000 in season tickets
£140,000 in advertising and hospitality
£30,000 shirt sales 23/24
£180,000 in matchday profit between January and the end of April
£120,000 other director contributions.
£160,000 efl and league payments.
Pre season Friendlies barely covered re stocking costs

Where is all this money that I have taken. Where did it actually come from? The club had turned over in my tenure far less than a million and it’s easy to see more than double that going out. Without getting creative on things it’s glaringly obvious I paid out far more than what came in even if alot was left unpaid.

I inherited a club where losing had become a habit, it was riddled in debt with practically no stock, a massive wage bill, a failing academy that was sucking the life out of the club. I benefited nothing from most of the crowd coming to the games in the national league as the vast amount had bought season tickets before my time, I’ve attached the first game financial report against Bromley to show how little came in. I’ve also attached Aprils Gross payroll so you can see just one months wages. We made £28k, from Bromley, we had a Good Friday night game but the final 6 games the crowds dropped and Oldham with forced policing we actually lost money.
I also had the efl freeze parachute payments in May at £40,000 a month because of the info leaking about me. Monies that were budgeted for.

Keeping a football club running wasn’t just aged creditors either threatening court action from the day I walked in, it’s matchday security, away team coaches, data vests, medical supplies, scans, balls, insurances, players food, grass fertiliser and seed, portakabins and containers, vehicles, phones, internet, websites, ticketing systems, printers and player agents and much much more.

I stopped payments in July as my exit was all but confirmed. I couldn’t cope. My intentions were honourable but I had failed miserably and I’m completely to blame. Falling out with Swann was something that crippled me, lying about my past, interacting unprofessionally, getting rid of staff and trying to run the club 100 miles away all contributed to my downfall.

I lost a fortune I did not make a penny on the club. If anybody looks at the numbers I don’t even need to be believed. It’s there in front of you. My losses can be evidenced at seven figures. But the fact is the club is safe, it’s in good hands with a good playing squad,that is comfortably sustainable if the debt is eradicated. Infact the gross wage bill was at £130,000 per month when I left. A significant drop from January with a far better playing squad albeit far less staff on the non playing side.
I got the club out of many ridiculous contracts and made tough horrible decisions for the good of the club like losing the academy. The academy left the club in £200,000 debt alone.

In the end I was so desperate to get out as they were to get me out and the consortium were not interested and most refused to back it as the head of it refused to put any money of his own in. He preferred to travel 120 miles to do self promoting photo shoots at Jimmys hospital bedside and publishing them before he was back in his car. Whilst they were seeing me paying out they happily let me suffer, that’s why I stopped the finance. I publicised a move to Gainsborough and threw myself under the bus completely by banning some high profile supporters which I never would have done. It was all to show the the consortium I had out stayed my welcome and it wasn’t going to be yesterdays chip paper that everyone kept telling me it would so I stayed in a hostile environment funding it. I wanted them to think they had to step up or the club would go. (I never would have let the club go) I’m fortunate though that Michelle stepped up as the consortium didn’t. I walked away with substantial losses which she acknowledged and wished me well away from football as I made it clear Scunthorpe Utd would be my last club. I’m certain most will be happy about that but i will still hold on to the great things I achieved at Ilkeston even if I failed so miserably at Scunthorpe.

I shouldn’t have purchased Scunthorpe, The baggage I carried alone put the club at risk and even with the best intentions the trust was never going to be there. This only led to fractures within the club and poor decision making on my part with many innocent supporters undeservedly being put through the mill. My failings are well publicised and I accept all of that but who knows where the club would be now, maybe further ahead, maybe still in the national league or maybe a phoenix at step 11. But the facts are I lost a lot of money, I never held the club to ransom like Dale at Bury, I didn’t just let it go to anyone I made sure the new owner was someone capable and connected with the club at heart. I worked hard when I was there and intentions were honourable. I just got it wrong.
I am extremely sorry to anyone caught in the crossfire during extremely turbulent times I accept I failed because of me, my past, my actions and my decision making but it was far from a profit making venture.

I do however wish Scunthorpe United all the very best for the future and every success. I still watch their games with my boys.