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FTFC v SBFC
by Hardy on 31/01/2003
Something strange has been going on at Cherrywood Road and Broadhall Way. Hardy offers a summary of the weeks events and wonders what next. |
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Farnborough Town v Stevenage Borough
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the sun finally sets on Bostongate, appeals apart with Steve Evans and Pat
Malkinson getting lengthy bans and heavy fines from the FA, a new Conference
debacle has hit the headlines this week.
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Biggest Day
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Last weekend, at the same time as the Daggers ran out at Carrow Road in the
FA Cup 4th round, Farnborough Town were at home to Arsenal in the tie that had
gripped the public imagination since the draw was made. Except of course they
weren't at home, the game was at Highbury.
A lot was written about the switch before the game saying it was a sell out
of the old trophy and destroying the magic of the cup. I was very against the
switch and felt that selling the slim chance that Boro had of a result for the
benefit of the added gate receipts from Highbury was wrong, but at least I could
see the logic of taking over half a million pounds to make the club secure.
After the game Farnborough manager and chairman Graham Westley, the man who
had been instrumental in moving the game said when asked where the money was
going that it would "go to pay off the club's creditors." Given that
the club's major creditor was Westley's own company AIMITA and the the supposed
reason for the switch was the crumbling state of Boro's Cherrywood Road ground,
this raised a few eyebrows.
His further comments about Farnborough not sharing his ambitions raised them
even further. Westley famously predicted Boro would be in the Premiership within
ten years of him taking over, a standing joke in non-league football.
What has happened since the weekend has, though, been pure Machiavelli.
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On the Move
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On the Monday after the cup game rumours surfaced that Westley would be
taking over at managerless Stevenage Borough. Given his ownership of Farnborough
he was unable under FA rules to do this, yet on the Tuesday this was confirmed.
Westley issued the following statement to explain his
departure: 'I've enjoyed my time at Farnborough but I feel that I need to move
on now and that I need to concentrate on football management which is where my
ambitions lie. Doing two jobs is unrealistic at this level and above. Especially
when you run another business too. I've invested much of my life into my dual
role at the club in the last three and a half years and I hope that the
successes which have come about have made the fans happy and have earned me some
respect. When I arrived in 1999, the club was on its knees."
"As I depart, I believe that the club is in fantastic
condition relative to the starting point. It has won things, enjoyed the highs
of the Cup 4th round, should finally be close to being debt and liability free
and has a great chance of pushing for the play offs. With a strong local leader,
it may even be able to convert the current board's spadework into a new ground
in the next few years."
"As soon as it is practicable, unless a better solution
emerges for the club, it is currently my intention to gift the shares that I own
to the other existing shareholders (the club's fans) and leave the club to build
on the foundations which have been laid."
"I hope that everybody will be able to recognise the
footballing goodwill in this." he added.
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Help yourself
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Control of Farnborough Town FC was confirmed as being transferred to Company
Secretary Richard Robinson while Westley's company AIMITA remained the main
sponsor.
Several other directors of FTFC resigned their positions and on Thursday
Robinson cancelled the contracts of five players, Steve Watson, Micky Warner,
Barry Laker, Garry Holloway and Justin Gregory, all of whom featured in the FA
Cup tie just days before saying that they were no longer required by the club
and they could not demand a transfer fee for them.
Then today, surprise surprise. it appears that at least four of the five have
now signed for Stevenage Borough.
There is a lot more to come from this story, which is developing day by day,
but it seems clear Graham Westley has ensured that Farnborough's game at Arsenal
on Saturday is indeed the biggest in their history by dismantling the club in
the week after. He seems to have pocketed the money from the tie to pay off
"creditors" i.e AIMITA and picked up free of charge the players he
wants from the Farnborough squad.
Is there not some kind of rule against this? Where are the FA?
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If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat...
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As a postscript to the story so far, Stevenage Borough, currently languishing
in the Conference drop zone, have won just 6 games this season, two of which
have been wins over Farnborough. One of those wins stands out like a beacon,
Stevenage 5 Farnborough 0 on the 28th December 2002, a day after previous
Stevenage manager Wayne Turner was fired and a week before Farnborough won
through to the FA Cup 4th round by beating Darlington.
Anyone smell a rat?
Follow the story as it develops at the clubs various websites, links to which
can be found at the Farnborough
Town factfile and the Stevenage
Borough factfile.
And be very grateful that Dagenham & Redbridge FC is a members club run
by people that care about it, not their own ambitions.
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