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Interview with Blackburn chairman

The link above comes from the Lancashire Telegraph and contains an interesting interview with the Blackburn Rovers Chairman, John Williams.

Williams is to be complimented for giving a straight forward and honest assessment of the club’s finances, what it costs to run a club and where the money goes. The article is simple enough such that you don’t need to be an accountant to understand it , allowing fans to follow the money trail.

Meanwhile on this side of the Irish Sea fans, in the main, continue to have to exist in an information vacuum. Three of the current top four; Bohs, Derry, Cork have experienced financial difficulties this year and yet it is only when it has got to crisis point that the boards at the respective clubs have disclosed any information.

Irish football, as we are painfully aware, is not the playground of the rich and famous. There are no oligarchs, no sheikhs, few wealthy ex pats. The boards at many clubs are now made up of “the last men standing”, people who are prepared to take on the thankless task of serving on a board.

However it seems as if a code of “omerta” descends on the board when they take up their positions. In the Irish game this season, Cork and Derry fans(amongst others) have been greeted with media headlines outlines the financial predicament of their clubs, with many surprised by this. I can only speak from the Derry case but at a meeting in June the board claimed that the club would be fine, and that selling a portion’s of next year’s season tickets this year was not going to threaten the club’s future. Three months later, we learn that the players have only been paid 25% of their wages.

Fans in this League tend to be incredibly loyal. Rubbish facilities, regular financial problems and amateur setups off the field. Fans at most clubs around the League can identify with these issues and yet in the main we continue to come back. The recently deceased Sir Bobby Robson encapsulated it for me when he said,

“What is a club anyway? It is the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city”

Many of the fans here are fans of the club, of which the first team are a part. Obviously the first eleven are the highest profile expression of the club but they are not the only element of the club. The club is the players, the staff, the support, the infrastructure. It is all of these things.

As an Irish person, it takes an effort to support the League here. We could all just stay at home like the rest of the population and be drip fed our football in HD from the shiny screens in the corner of every living room. It takes an effort to get up, get to the games, hit the road for the away trips, support the draws, buy the merchandise. The clubs don’t make it easy for people and then they operate in a culture of secrecy.

Internet Message boards have “flattened the earth”, no more so in relation to football clubs. Whereas in the past you would discuss the team with your mates or people that you met on a face to face basis. However the internet allows discussions to be played out by people from all parts, on all issues. This have allowed for a greater dissemination of information and therefore fans tend to at least have the ability to learn about a greater variety of topics that in the past.

Don’t get me wrong, the message board has also given rise to the “keyboard warrior”. The person who will whinge and moan about anything and everything, but would never dream of saying these things in public. People will make wild allegations, perpetuate unsubstantiated rumours and general muddy the waters. People with pseudonyms can log on and post whatever they see fit to. However the message board can also be a mine of information if used correctly.

Whatever they may say otherwise, players and directors read them. In Derry’s case, we have several board members who post on the message board. This again can be a doublededged sword. By engaging in the digital medium, the board have the chance to convey the information directly to the support. However by doing so, they also make themselves accountable to posters. As one member of the Derry site memorably commented during the news of the wages crisis, the Derry chairman was prepared to comment on a thread relating to Chuck Norris, but a thread of pertinent questions as the club’s finances was ignored.

Fans provide a major source of income for clubs here and fans seek accountability and transparency. Whilst many understand that disclosures such as “Player X is on £xxx per week” are unreasonable, there has to be a middle ground between this and the current situation. In any facet of life, if someone holds their hands up and says “I need help here” then you will appreciate their honesty and do what you can. As it is in the case of Derry, Bohs and Cork it was more a case of “We need money, you are fans, give us money”. FORAS, the Cork Supporters Trust, have to be admired for their principled stance in not crumbling to the emotional blackmail when the club was under threat of being wound up.

The common refrain from people is “Why don’t you go on the board?”. To be frank, this is childish criticism. As stated previously, serving on a board is difficult, no one disputes this. My da served on the Derry board for a decade and I know the work that is involved. However questioning the direction that the club is taking or articulate criticism of a decision has a place at every club. In an organisation, there should always been an element of dissent, a questioning attitude which fosters debate and improvement. A football club may be a different from any other company, but it is still that, a company. John Williams has shown in his interview how the club can be run on business lines, and even worse, he has told the fans how and why they have done it!

Fans should demand more, as they deserve better.