Quakers: it's looking grim (From The Northern Echo)
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Quakers: it's looking grim
6:26pm Tuesday 3rd January 2012 in Peter Barron
BEING in administration is nothing new for those who support Darlington Football Club.
And yesterday's confirmation that the club is back in the mire for the third time in nine years had a feeling of inevitability about it.
What feels different this time is the bluntness of the statement from the joint administrator Harvey Madden last night.
Whereas in the past there has been a period for interested parties to pull their proposals together, this time there is precious little time.
Mr Madden makes it clear that the club will cease trading in a very short time unless someone comes up with a feasible rescue package.
Darlington Football Club appears to have days left to find a route to survival or go out of business after 128 years.
Chairman Raj Singh should not be blamed for the latest crisis. He has tried hard to make it work but the figures have simply not stacked up without him pouring more and more money into the club.
I sympathise with Craig Liddle and his players who have pulled together admirably in difficult circumstances since the departure of Mark Cooper as manager.
And I sincerely hope for their sakes, and those who have supported Darlington loyally through turbulent times, that a way forward can be found.
Comments(2)
gramps427
says...
1:42pm Fri 6 Jan 12
Did he then refuse to meet the payments on the loan following after George Houghton's refusal to meet the due payments & so lost the ownership of the ground.
When he became Chairman did he actually take steps to reduce the non playing pay roll to reduce the overheads? Did he not agree for the team manager to keep swapping players on loan before sacking him? Has any efforts been made to repeat the apparent success of the Elton John concert( Sunderland have at least 3 coming up).
It has been seriously mis-managed from the start; what business is Mr Singh involved in? I feel sure that he was left high & dry by his fellow director but that does not excuse his inaction since.
Unless he owned the ground there was no way he could sell it on and build a new ground ,as seemed to be the rumours, whether the Council had the covenant or not; and it would have been cheaper to buy the ground back than build a new stadium.
It may be that Mr Singh had to call in the administrator because he had not the funds to take the club any further; if that's the case then so be it, but if he did have then he should have honoured his contract with the players, staff and supporters to take the club to the end of the season. Craig Liddle had the team playing well and were strong contenders for a play off place; in administration with 10 points lost it would have been a struggle to stay in the conference- without a new board there is no future. Ironically the first league game I ever saw at Feetham's was against Barrow in the early 60's, how sad if Saturday becomes Darlington's last.
gramps427 says...
1:42pm Fri 6 Jan 12
Did he then refuse to meet the payments on the loan following after George Houghton's refusal to meet the due payments & so lost the ownership of the ground.
When he became Chairman did he actually take steps to reduce the non playing pay roll to reduce the overheads? Did he not agree for the team manager to keep swapping players on loan before sacking him? Has any efforts been made to repeat the apparent success of the Elton John concert( Sunderland have at least 3 coming up).
It has been seriously mis-managed from the start; what business is Mr Singh involved in? I feel sure that he was left high & dry by his fellow director but that does not excuse his inaction since.
Unless he owned the ground there was no way he could sell it on and build a new ground ,as seemed to be the rumours, whether the Council had the covenant or not; and it would have been cheaper to buy the ground back than build a new stadium.
It may be that Mr Singh had to call in the administrator because he had not the funds to take the club any further; if that's the case then so be it, but if he did have then he should have honoured his contract with the players, staff and supporters to take the club to the end of the season. Craig Liddle had the team playing well and were strong contenders for a play off place; in administration with 10 points lost it would have been a struggle to stay in the conference- without a new board there is no future. Ironically the first league game I ever saw at Feetham's was against Barrow in the early 60's, how sad if Saturday becomes Darlington's last.