Home
Jack Hobbs hopes football has been given a wake-up call by the respective situations at Wanderers and neighbouring Bury.
Though his own club was rescued from the brink by Football Ventures’ takeover last week, the outlook at Gigg Lane is decidedly more uncertain.
Hobbs played through last season’s drama with Wanderers and has now returned to what he believes is a much more stable environment.
But the experience has opened his eyes to some of the wider issues in football – and the 31-year-old admits he can now better appreciate why finances in the game need to be addressed.
“It’s worrying,” he told The Bolton News. “I’m led to believe there are a lot of clubs running at a huge deficit and that means there’s a potential for other clubs to go through the same thing as we did, or even Bury.
“It isn’t just a football team which is affected, it’s a community at risk, it’s a people’s club.
“You can see what it means to Bolton. We have lost a game 5-0 and they still sang through the game. Then you think ‘that could have been taken away from the town.’ It’s unbelievable.
“I feel so bad for Bury and I would hate to think it could happen to anyone else. I’m not in a position to advise but they need to do something to stop it. Clubs are overspending and it’s unsustainable. It needs to be corrected.”
Hobbs was part of a squad which went without payment from the club for several months, which began under the watch of previous owner Ken Anderson.
Although the football creditor rule ensures football staff do get repaid, examples of players going unpaid has become worryingly more prevalent in the lower leagues in recent years.
“We as players can’t be classified as expendable – but it is the same for staff at the stadium, the training ground, the hotel. It is worrying that it can get to that stage,” Hobbs said.
“It was horrible for me checking news feeds for developments wondering ‘is the club going out of business?’ “I am so glad Football Ventures have come in and I wouldn’t want one more person to go through it, to be honest.”
Source
Though his own club was rescued from the brink by Football Ventures’ takeover last week, the outlook at Gigg Lane is decidedly more uncertain.
Hobbs played through last season’s drama with Wanderers and has now returned to what he believes is a much more stable environment.
But the experience has opened his eyes to some of the wider issues in football – and the 31-year-old admits he can now better appreciate why finances in the game need to be addressed.
“It’s worrying,” he told The Bolton News. “I’m led to believe there are a lot of clubs running at a huge deficit and that means there’s a potential for other clubs to go through the same thing as we did, or even Bury.
“It isn’t just a football team which is affected, it’s a community at risk, it’s a people’s club.
“You can see what it means to Bolton. We have lost a game 5-0 and they still sang through the game. Then you think ‘that could have been taken away from the town.’ It’s unbelievable.
“I feel so bad for Bury and I would hate to think it could happen to anyone else. I’m not in a position to advise but they need to do something to stop it. Clubs are overspending and it’s unsustainable. It needs to be corrected.”
Hobbs was part of a squad which went without payment from the club for several months, which began under the watch of previous owner Ken Anderson.
Although the football creditor rule ensures football staff do get repaid, examples of players going unpaid has become worryingly more prevalent in the lower leagues in recent years.
“We as players can’t be classified as expendable – but it is the same for staff at the stadium, the training ground, the hotel. It is worrying that it can get to that stage,” Hobbs said.
“It was horrible for me checking news feeds for developments wondering ‘is the club going out of business?’ “I am so glad Football Ventures have come in and I wouldn’t want one more person to go through it, to be honest.”
Source