|
| |
The following article
appeared in the April 1976 edition of 'Foul: Football’s Alternative Paper' (a
forerunner of modern day fanzines).
"Keep An Eye On Albert"
by Sean Magee
It would be easier to shed tears about the catastrophic
season at Southport FC if the history of the club over the last couple of years
were not so bizarre. Enough ludicrous tales have come from Haig Avenue to
indicate that inane management is more the cause of the current crisis than
inept play. Money of course, is the problem: how to make it, how to save it.
Knocked out of the FA Cup in the 1st round by Spennymoor
(an appropriately absurd conqueror) Southport’s hope of cutting back their
deficit of over £100,000 has rested firmly on League attendances. But these have
been sinking rapidly (an all time low of 870 was recorded this season) and those
few remaining faithful are further disenchanted & alienated by such decisions as
the playing of their home League Cup tie against Newcastle United at St. James’
Park. A hard core of dedicated supporters run a Special Events Committee to
raise money, but early last year it was felt that this sturdy band was not
enough. Southport needed the professional touch, a commercial manager. Send for
Albert.
Albert Dunlop had shown less ability at handling money
for various clubs than he has shown handling the ball as Everton goalkeeper in
the pre-Gordon West days and the bankruptcy of his sports equipment business
should not have inspired confidence in what he could do for Southport. His
selection as commercial manager was thus an odd, if not a highly irresponsible
decision of the board. But the machinations of the Southport board about that
time had not been distinguished by much sense or openness in personnel matters.
Why for so long did the directors tolerate Alan Ball (senior) maintaining a
lucrative coaching appointment in Sweden when as Southport manager he had plenty
to occupy him at Haig Avenue? Why did Ball’s appointment occasion 3 resignations
from the board? Why was the dismissal of coach Matt Woods
So hushed up? And was it no more than coincidence that
Jimmy Melia (not long sacked from Crewe) was on hand to take over the job? Why
did Alun Evans not go on loan from Aston Villa to Southport after the
probability of his moving had been announced at the 197 AGM to placate
disillusioned shareholders?
A former vice-chairman of the club was quoted as stating
that the blame for the situation fell not on the directors but on the local
authority but the boardroom shemozzle would hardly achieve the support that the
directors sought, and the appointment of Albert was a characteristically
terrible blunder. Shortly after his appearance at the club Albert had been
indicted at Liverpool on a charge of gross indecency: this is of course
incidental to his commercial record at the club that has an indecency of its
own. Functions were arranged, money was raised, bills were left unpaid and
whoever was reaping the benefit it was not the club. Albert’s final fling was a
pop concert in July with the bill topped by the group Showaddywaddy. Albert
anticipated an attendance of 10,000, the largest crowd at Haig Avenue since Red
Rum put in an appearance there in 1973. But only a few hundred people turned up
for the concert and Showaddywaddy did not, on account of some 11th hour
contractual difficulty probably not unconnected with Albert’s inability to pay
the group any advance. The concert was a total flop, causing the club heavy loss
and in a rare moment of understanding the board suspended and then removed
Albert. The whole matter of what happened to the money raised during Albert’s
reign as commercial manager is currently the subject of a court action.
The Albert Dunlop farce was a symptom of the bungling
way in which the club was being controlled & the rapidly waning confidence of
the remaining supporters was not helped by the comings & goings of managers &
directors. When Alan Ball failed to show up at Haig Avenue for the beginning of
this season he was replaced by Melia. After a month Melia removed to the Middle
East & from September until January the club had no manager, the caretaker role
being assumed by player Duncan Welbourne. The lucky man now at the helm is Allan
Brown and the improvement that Brown has wrought in the results suggests that
had he been appointed on Melia’s departure the club might now be a good deal
further along the road to safety. Then there was the meteoric rise & decline of
chairman Tom Robinson, erstwhile off-screen amour of Coronation Street’s Bet
Lynch. Robinson was confirmed as a director in December 1974 & became chairman
the following month. In February 1975 he blithely proclaimed, “I know we’ll get
promotion next season & go up as champions” – so why did he hold only the
minimum possible number of shares for a director? When, in December, Robinson’s
fellow directors passed a vote of no confidence in him, they were not so much
looking for a scapegoat as admitting in making him chairman the board had made
yet another crass mistake. Robinson had some money & less commitment, and the
club had need of a great deal more of both than he could part with. After his
resignation last December he stated that he had been offered a seat on the board
of other Lancashire clubs, but wherever he goes he will have to learn that being
a director of a club in the lower divisions is a thankless & expensive task.
Desperate remedies: The idea of a door-to-door
collection was turned down because the club was not a local registered charity.
When local coach firms refused to carry the team until bills were paid the club
took advantage of British Rail cut-price fares. Craziest of all Romark was
called in to hypnotize the team into a wining state of mind – they lost the next
game. When an exit gate had to be repaired in order to meet safety requirements
for the 1st game of the season the club could not afford to have the work done &
the bill was met be a supporters organization.
Yet still they struggle on & since the arrival of Allan
Brown and the departure of Robinson the spirit of optimism is growing stronger.
Southport are still a certainty to apply for re-election (if they have not shut
up shop when the time comes), but at least their points total will be more
respectable that at one time seemed likely – it should not be forgotten that
they did not win this season until 6th December.
Re-election itself, however, is less certain. Nearby
Wigan Athletic have good grounds to take Southport’s place on the grounds of
stronger support and the recent Haig Avenue happenings will not impress the
League with the credentials of management for running a League club. With
Liverpool & Manchester so close Southport will never be able to attract the
support necessary to raise themselves out of the lower divisions (they went
straight back to the 4th in 1974 after winning promotion in a canter in 1973).
The best they can hope for at the moment is survival. The first requirement for
that is a minimum attendance of 2,500 at each home game and currently they are
managing about half that number. With weekly expenses at around £1000 and income
from home games something worse than nothing (as in the game against Cambridge,
when out of gate receipts of £392, £400 had to be guaranteed to the visiting
team for a start) the directors cannot finance the club indefinitely & for
Southport FC the writing is well & truly sprayed on the wall.
If they are re-elected, things will go from strength to
strength & the misery of this season will not be repeated: the present buoyant
mood leaves no doubt about that. But if the club does sink, the verdict must not
be accidental death. It was suicide while the balance of the mind was disturbed.
Copyright Foul Publications Ltd 1976
|
