Bolton's Chief Executive jumps ship - or was he pushed?

We get relegated and the top paid employee of the club Allan Duckworth goes - time for a new start, punishment for failure, or are we saving big money on wages?

Story here -

Allan Duckworth, one of the longest standing Chief Executives in English football, is stepping down from his role at the club and parent company Burnden Leisure Plc.

Mr Duckworth joined the club in 1998.

He said: "I have had 14 fantastic years and thoroughly enjoyed my role as CEO.

"Certainly, it has been challenging at times, but it has always been greatly rewarding and I have had the privilege to work with some great teams on and off the pitch.

"Without doubt, there have been many stand-out moments for me, promotion to the Premier League in 2001, a League Cup final, two FA Cup semi-finals and two heated European campaigns, these are just a few of the many significant ones.

"I was also delighted to help bring in a new era of stability and growth working with others including the owner, Eddie Davies.

"However, as the club begins a new chapter in its history, with Owen setting out the foundations of his plan for the long-term, it feels right for a change, for both myself and for the club.

"I would like to wish everyone associated with Bolton Wanderers, staff, players and supporters all the very best as they go forward."

Chairman Phil Gartside said: "Allan and I have worked closely together for 14 years, during what has been a hugely successful time for Wanderers.

"Allan played a very significant and pivotal part in that period, and his contribution cannot be underestimated.

"I value him both as a colleague, and as a friend, and I would like to place on record my sincere thanks for all his efforts during that time on behalf of Bolton Wanderers and wish him well in his new challenges."

Manager Owen Coyle added: "When I returned to the club, it was obvious that Wanderers had a strong management team and I pay tribute to the skills and stability which Allan brought to this club over such a long period. I wish him every success in the future."

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A bit of all 3. Now if only some of the other directors just walk as well. We need to save some money for our return to the boring money league!

Sluffy wrote: "with Owen setting out the foundations of his plan for the long-term, it feels right for a change, for both myself and for the club."

I know the feeling mate, I was on the verge of jumping ship too.

As for the heated European campaigns, it could have got even hotter if we'd actually played our best team in those.

Anyway, good luck, bye bye and please take this guy with you then we can have a proper new start.
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There have been some standout moments in his time at the club but the League Cup Final and two FA Cup semi finals were definitiely not among them.Middlesbrough and Stoke are up there in the worst days of my football supporting life.

I spoke to someone who knows Jussi well yesterday and was told in no uncertain terms that Jussi was forced out of the club by Coyle and Gartside. Apparently the contract extension they offered him was absolutely pitiful - less than a quarter of what he was on on his previous contract. Who knows?

Where do you draw the line though?

The club as made Jussi into a multi millionaire - I doubt he needs any more money ever!

So if it is a choice of staying with the club on say £10,000 per year (and lets not forget that is still unimaginable riches to the rest of the people in the world!) or go to West Ham for £30,00 per week more - then yes it is another £3 million - but it is only going to go in the bank or something - he's never going to need it to spend.

Fair play if he wants to continue as a first choice keeper in the Premier - fair play if he didn't want to be second fiddle at a club where for what 10 years or so he ruled as our keeper - but I doubt the money aspect really mattered too much for him - if he did then can anyone get any greedier than he?

Well I don't think it's suitable to be paying him the money of a first choice keeper when he's no longer that, he's also dropping down a division.

Frankly i don't have any anger about Jussi being "released" It's the right time.

Still a fantastic goalkeeper who's earned countless points for us in the past, good luck to him at West Ham.

Well if you're Jussi you probably draw the line at going from £35k per week to £5k per week. Who wouldn't draw the line at being offered a seventh of their current wages?

If he felt like that he could simply just quit then - as I say he hardly needs the money - he could have put a bit back into the club by mentoring / coaching the young keepers - or even just been an ambassador for us - he does live local anyway.

Fair play though if he simply wants to carry on playing in the top division.

Yeah, and also Sluffy, I don't think you're being fair to suggest he is automatically greedy if he has left because of the money on offer.

If the figures I have quoted above are true - and I am not claiming they are spot on or anything - then the club IS kind of sending a message to him that they don't want him to stay on but saving face with the fans to whom they can now say "we offered him a new deal but he turned it down".

I'm not saying he's not made enough money to live well for the rest of his life, either, but if we have offered him an 80% paycut then it isn't a fair reflection of either his contribution to our relegation, performances and what the club can afford. I'd turn it down on principle.

Maybe you would, I'm not so sure I would though.

I accepted a substantially lesser paid job some years back because it would have meant me moving away from the area my young daughter lived and I chose to have less money and see her grow up than be a lot richer and be an absent father so to speak.

In recent years I've chosen to do charity work rather than paid work because of the hassle of commuting the paid work would mean.

My point is that although I'm certainly not as rich as Jussi I have made more than enough money for my needs and other things are more important to me than to earn even more to squirrel away as yet another investment - my family will be well provided for when I'm gone already, so why earn even more - who am I going to leave it too, the dogs home or something?

As for his wage - what do second string keepers get in the Championship these days? If it was similar to what he was offered then that seems fair enough to me - we are after all £110 million in debt and Jussi is hardly short of a few bob now is he?

If he want's to play on in the Premiership then good luck to him - if he just thrown a hissy fit over the wages after all the club as paid him over the years - then what a disappointing end to his Bolton career.

I think it's more about first team football at this stage of his career.

and frankly i think he'd have left whatever we offered him because he wants to play.

In fact i think he'd have taken a wage cut to play in the prem.

I understand what you're saying about work/life balance considerations Sluffy but in the examples you mention relating to yourself then your work/life balance is traded off in favour of money.

There's nobody on this forum who would work for any employer for 15 years, and then on year 16, accept an 80% pay cut for the same job from the same employer. It's a piss take.

If my employer had made me a millionaire many times over, had offered me a fair wage for the position it now found itself in at a time of difficulty and I had no wish to leave to another job then I for one would have stayed and not only that I would be happy to give something back too, even if it was to try and teach the young kids how I trained and the things I think might help them make a better career for themselves.

You say we've made Jussi a millionaire and it's true but he could have gone to one of any number of clubs around England and Europe and one of them could have made him a millionaire instead. We've not made him a millionaire out of kindness, he's been paid the going rate for his type of work and has never once asked to leave, even though he could have earned more money and won trophies elsewhere.

We've done very well out of Jussi and he has done very well out of us, but lets not forget he was paid round about his market value for the 15 years. He was a good enough player to have earned that type of money with many other employers.

I do agree it would have been nice if he had seen out his career with the club and a situation had arisen where he could pass his skills on to younger goalkeepers but I don't think he's obliged to do that if the club are looking to get shut of him and offered him a new contract which sent him that message.

I'm not sure like you the club is sending him a message?

He was out of contract and was offered we assume what is the fair rate for a second string Championship keeper - which seems to be the role envisaged he would fill if he stayed.

Seems a reasonable thing to do in my eyes.

Well I'm going off what I was told by someone I trust - it could be complete bollocks of course. I don't think reducing someone's wages by 85% in the event of relegation is justified.

We'll probably never know the truth of the matter.

It may be true - that's not really the point though.

If Jussi is seen as the reserve keeper these days and is happy to stay in that roll and the going rate is 85% of what he was currently on - and that was what he was offered, then I can't see what message the club is sending him other than this is a fair rate for the job in the league we are in.

If he wanted to stop but be on say 80% of what he was on - well that is just being greedy in my eyes - as he certainly as no need for the money and it would be miles in excess of what any other reserve keeper in our current division would be on - not to mention the clubs current financial predicament.

I've no problem what so ever if he wants to play on at the highest level for as long as he can - and paid commensurately - but if he really wanted to stop then money should not have been an issue to him if indeed he had been given a fair offer for the job asked of him and the league we will be playing in.

I think there's some confusion here Sluffy, I'm talking about him being offered an 85% pay cut, as in, the new contract was worth 15% of what he was on before. IF that happened, as I heard, then I don't think there's anyone who would and should accept such an offer. That would not have been fair.

I understand what you have been saying but still disagree with you.

Jussi position as changed from a club number one keeper in the Premier to a club number two in the Championship.

It may well mean a 85% reduction from one to the other - let's assume it does anyway.

If Jussi wanted to stop as Bogdan's back up - I'm not sure he would have wanted that mind you but let us presume he did - then an offer from the club at a rate for the reserve keeper in the Championship is a fair and reasonable offer is it not?

I'm sure that if Jussi never earned another penny in his life from today onwards he and his family would lack for nothing - so why would the drop in income bother him at all?

If I were he, I'd be happy continuing at the club and in my own small way give something of myself back to it - I would be happy, my family would be happy and my bank manager would still be happy that I was bringing home JUST £5,000 per WEEK!