Haha – Fans 2 Club 0. The reapproach to the FL by Koppout has once again been rejected. Which now makes life VERY interesting. Koppout has been offered the chance of an EGM from the FL – however, to do so he needs 7 other chairmen out of the 72 league clubs to even force one. Which could prove problematic for him – if he struggles just to get that, who knows what will happen if it comes to pass. Whatever, expect a letter writing campaign to hit the road yet again, make sure you have plenty of stamps.
What else can Koppout actually do? Well, the ESS tonight reckons on two things – firstly, the much vaunted legal action, but the League’s moves re: the EGM makes that almost unlikely – if Koppout ignores it, he’ll be bringing WFC and himself into disrepute by ignoring the legal channels. If he goes through the EGM and fails, he has got no case whatsoever.
The restraint of trade bollocks doesn’t apply, WFC are still trading, we DO have somewhere to play and the League DO have a get-out clause called “exceptional circumstances” which should nullify this. The second option is for Koppout to bleat to the FA – they themselves probably won’t want to risk conflict with the FL, but again, save your licking tool for a few stamps on envelopes.
Meanwhile, the club have issued this really bizzare statement :
“WIMBLEDON FOOTBALL CLUB & MERTON COUNCIL
Following recent remarks in the media and on the Council’s website, the Club would like to thank the Mayor of the London Borough of Merton, Councillor Stuart Pickover, and the leader of Merton Council, Councillor Andrew Judge, for their public support for finding a solution to our homelessness.
While the Club will continue to pursue the Milton Keynes option, it will happily consider any serious, detailed and properly funded alternative proposals that Merton Council can put forward.
Wimbledon FC has never left Merton. The Borough is the main beneficiary of the £1m plus that the Club spends each year on its Football in the Community and Academy programmes. Given the state of the Club’s finances this is a considerable sum. The council say that it values the Club and the Club hopes that the Council can now provide the full and unequivocal support that is needed to secure a viable home for the future.”
I say it’s bizzare, because to me it’s a bit of a face saving exercise. It is not accepting ANY responsibility for looking at grounds, funding etc, and basically expecting others to fund it. Which may be reasonable in itself, EXCEPT……. that at least one major partner in the past has been presented to WFC and guess what? It was turned down. So yet another piece of PR bullshit, the amount of times that’s happened must be in the 1000s by now.
Also, the club’s supposed financial perils are being bought up again – I wonder where the £17m has gone from transfers? Let alone the parachute payments of £3m or so? If we are supposed to be in debt by £7m, and we have incomings of about £20m, then how the fuck have we accumilated debts to the tune of £27m? Yes, I know we’ve supposedly bought it down to £7m now, but this really stinks. It would be extremely libellous to mention fraud, but there appears on the surface at least to be something SERIOUSLY iffy going on. Especially when TB’s main task last season was cutting down on the wage bill……..
Coincidentally, at time of writing, the WFC web site mysteriously has this statement above gone missing. Hmm.
Oh, and for those who like conspiracy theories, the architectural firm behind the MK Doomedtofailuredome is HOK and Lobb. As in the very same company that looked (supposedly) at WGS. Double hmm.
More later, assuming I don’t get taken off the air.