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Buyer beware – fixing Wanderers’ problems on the pitch is only part of the job for prospective new ownership.
The words of former skipper Kevin Davies rang particularly true this week, as he described a club that had “lost its soul” during a gradual decline in the post-Premier League years.
Whereas restoring some stability to the team will be the short-term aim, requiring hard cash and a sensible plan of action from both boardroom and dugout, remedying all that has been lost off the field will take a lot longer.
Job losses were an inevitable consequence of Wanderers’ relegation in 2012 but with each season spent away from the big time, and as parachute payments whittled away, they cut deeper and deeper.
The Reebok, or more recently Macron, was once a hive of activity. It is clichéd to call any workplace a family but at its peak, the stadium was at the very least its own community.
Even a relative outsider like myself knew people by name, whether they sipped coffee in the corridors of power behind the main reception or huddled over an electric heater in the portacabins at Euxton.
In recent times the familiar faces have disappeared, one by one.
That first raft of cuts – around 20 in total – hit the place hard. Important figures like Allan Duckworth and Gareth Moores were gone from the offices, while at the training ground you would no longer bump into a Fred Barber or Colin Harvey.
When Dougie Freedman arrived as manager the change of direction was even more extreme. Along with the obvious coaching alterations came a complete overhaul of the medical and analysis department. Many believe the training ground became a sterile place to work and I know for certain that Davies took that to heart at the time as he was levered out of the club in a way that still makes me shake my head in disappointment.
We thought at that point that things had been stripped back as far as they would go. We were wrong.
Personnel changes were deliberately kept to a minimum when Neil Lennon replaced Freedman last October but behind the scenes at the stadium loyal staff continued to move in only one direction.
Listing them would take up a column in itself. More than 60 jobs have gone since that horrible day at the Britannia, Stoke, taking with them decades of experience. And when you allow expertise like Mark Alderton, Richard Norton or Jan Kozlowski to leave, there are inevitable consequences.
Wanderers’ Macron Stadium remains one of the most recognisable venues outside the top flight but its facade has dulled, and a striking bit of architecture is showing signs of wear and tear. And that is symptomatic of what is happening in all corners of the club.
As the number of staff has decreased and the cost-cutting intensified, so has the demand on the chairman, Phil Gartside. Eddie Davies kept faith in his ability to prop up the club from the inside, very much against public opinion.
Fans demanded change but it was one that only Davies could make. And it was only in the last few weeks when the chairman’s health deteriorated that he reached out for the help of Trevor Birch.
The chairman’s absence has heightened the feeling of emptiness around the Macron but with new ownership on the horizon, there is an appetite for new direction at the top.
Wanderers need a fresh perspective and whether that means the chairman’s 16-year reign comes to an end, only time will tell.
Right now I wish him the best in his recovery as that, in the grand scheme of things, is most important.
There are still plenty of good people working for the Whites and doing everything they can on a daily basis to make sure the club runs smoothly in Gartside’s absence.
These are trying times but they tend to bring out the best in folk.
Bowed but not beaten, there is still a strong heartbeat at Wanderers. The loyal fanbase will never let that die completely.
Davies was right, the club is a shell compared with the one he served for a distinguished decade as a player. Changing that is one of the biggest tasks facing any new owner.
Source
The words of former skipper Kevin Davies rang particularly true this week, as he described a club that had “lost its soul” during a gradual decline in the post-Premier League years.
Whereas restoring some stability to the team will be the short-term aim, requiring hard cash and a sensible plan of action from both boardroom and dugout, remedying all that has been lost off the field will take a lot longer.
Job losses were an inevitable consequence of Wanderers’ relegation in 2012 but with each season spent away from the big time, and as parachute payments whittled away, they cut deeper and deeper.
The Reebok, or more recently Macron, was once a hive of activity. It is clichéd to call any workplace a family but at its peak, the stadium was at the very least its own community.
Even a relative outsider like myself knew people by name, whether they sipped coffee in the corridors of power behind the main reception or huddled over an electric heater in the portacabins at Euxton.
In recent times the familiar faces have disappeared, one by one.
That first raft of cuts – around 20 in total – hit the place hard. Important figures like Allan Duckworth and Gareth Moores were gone from the offices, while at the training ground you would no longer bump into a Fred Barber or Colin Harvey.
When Dougie Freedman arrived as manager the change of direction was even more extreme. Along with the obvious coaching alterations came a complete overhaul of the medical and analysis department. Many believe the training ground became a sterile place to work and I know for certain that Davies took that to heart at the time as he was levered out of the club in a way that still makes me shake my head in disappointment.
We thought at that point that things had been stripped back as far as they would go. We were wrong.
Personnel changes were deliberately kept to a minimum when Neil Lennon replaced Freedman last October but behind the scenes at the stadium loyal staff continued to move in only one direction.
Listing them would take up a column in itself. More than 60 jobs have gone since that horrible day at the Britannia, Stoke, taking with them decades of experience. And when you allow expertise like Mark Alderton, Richard Norton or Jan Kozlowski to leave, there are inevitable consequences.
Wanderers’ Macron Stadium remains one of the most recognisable venues outside the top flight but its facade has dulled, and a striking bit of architecture is showing signs of wear and tear. And that is symptomatic of what is happening in all corners of the club.
As the number of staff has decreased and the cost-cutting intensified, so has the demand on the chairman, Phil Gartside. Eddie Davies kept faith in his ability to prop up the club from the inside, very much against public opinion.
Fans demanded change but it was one that only Davies could make. And it was only in the last few weeks when the chairman’s health deteriorated that he reached out for the help of Trevor Birch.
The chairman’s absence has heightened the feeling of emptiness around the Macron but with new ownership on the horizon, there is an appetite for new direction at the top.
Wanderers need a fresh perspective and whether that means the chairman’s 16-year reign comes to an end, only time will tell.
Right now I wish him the best in his recovery as that, in the grand scheme of things, is most important.
There are still plenty of good people working for the Whites and doing everything they can on a daily basis to make sure the club runs smoothly in Gartside’s absence.
These are trying times but they tend to bring out the best in folk.
Bowed but not beaten, there is still a strong heartbeat at Wanderers. The loyal fanbase will never let that die completely.
Davies was right, the club is a shell compared with the one he served for a distinguished decade as a player. Changing that is one of the biggest tasks facing any new owner.
Source