Crewe Alex launch legal action against majority shareholder Norman Hassall

[somersetcrewe]

Well, it was the Directors themselves that said the academy was more important than the first team....

Is that what they actually said? - if so, when and who? I'm curious.
Or is this just an interpretation of what has been going on? (which of course is completely different)

[itwasin]

Is that what they actually said? - if so, when and who? I'm curious.
Or is this just an interpretation of what has been going on? (which of course is completely different)

It was DG who said it on Radio Stoke, G.M will confirm it just after he got rid of the Iceman as he would not play them.

[itwasin]

I can not see the Academy continuing really what kid would want to join when you have Newspapers and TV calling it" THE HOUSE OF HORRORS " maybe join up with Blackpool on there " GHOST TRAIN"

[MikeSB]

As NH is the largest shareholder, has he put some money in alongside the other Directors on a pro-rata basis and why didn't the others insist on him selling his shares FIRST? Maybe he hasn't and won't and why the legal action? The court case should at least be in the public domain and we should get to know the charges and the outcome as the club won't tell us....subjudiciary old boy!

[MikeSB]

Have you considered that the reason the board haven't acted until now is that it is only recently that a precedent has been set by Blackpool to do something about these directors that bleed money out of the club?

Would you also not say that if we've got 25 million worth of player sales that the majority of that is from academy players and the rest is from players that were developed from the "army" of coaches we have had?

I think the point is that being the largest shareholder by and large gives you the right to do what you want to a company, so thats what he's done. I think if anything we have a lot to be thankful for to the other board members keeping the club afloat by the sounds of things out of their own pocket. Isn't this the third time the directors have publicly said they've had to put their own money in?

Just out of interest what makes you think the other board members were complicit in this alleged bleeding of the club?

You're completely right to say that the club and the academy are inseparable, but you seem to miss that if we hadn't have had the academy Hassal would have still been bleeding money out of the club and we'd be in worse shape now than we are.

You make an awful lot of assertions but I'm not really sure what any of them are based on.

Love the Partridge style reply to the car stuff though. Jurassic Park!

Could we be in a worse shape? I didn't actually say the other Directors were 'bleeding' money out of the club. I suppose when NH saw millions doing nothing in the accounts, he thought, hang about! It's a complete dereliction of shareholders duty not to have supported the FIRST team and put all the money on a kids playground adventure...that may have with a bit of luck, roll of the dice scenario that it would pay off....

I wonder how much money the Directors have loaned the club and how they think they are going to get it back in a period of transfer stagnation?

We didn't need to see the Blackpool scenario to tell other businessmen what is right and what was clearly wrong. What if NH refuses to pay anything back?

[out0lunch]

I think it makes interesting listening to the full video on the OS especially re the academy and costs (around 40 minutes I think)

Someone asks a question re the academy and costs (could have been you Mike but too cold a night)
As the director says we have to factor in other benefits eg physios etc which we would have to pay for anyway

The sound though is awful

[MikeSB]

I think it makes interesting listening to the full video on the OS especially re the academy and costs (around 40 minutes I think)

Someone asks a question re the academy and costs (could have been you Mike but too cold a night)
As the director says we have to factor in other benefits eg physios etc which we would have to pay for anyway

The sound though is awful

Thanks for that mate, will have a listen and no I didn't go as it was too cold and someone said you needed a ticket anyway. It shows others too are concerned about the costs of the academy. I would just ask what difference a Cat3 academy would cost or indeed no academy or Cat4 even. It would be interesting if someone could plot the costs of each stage of the academy from the Shavington days through to the emergence of Reaseheath and the EPPP and which players were sold at each stage and that would show the benefits of it and level of coaching at each stage? If I was a Director, I would want to know?

I also wonder what happens when the lease runs out in 10 years? Most leaseholders put the fees up don't they? I would even like to know that figure too..

[thnhouse]

Could we be in a worse shape? I didn't actually say the other Directors were 'bleeding' money out of the club. I suppose when NH saw millions doing nothing in the accounts, he thought, hang about! It's a complete dereliction of shareholders duty not to have supported the FIRST team and put all the money on a kids playground adventure...that may have with a bit of luck, roll of the dice scenario that it would pay off....

I wonder how much money the Directors have loaned the club and how they think they are going to get it back in a period of transfer stagnation?

We didn't need to see the Blackpool scenario to tell other businessmen what is right and what was clearly wrong. What if NH refuses to pay anything back?

Blackpool set a precedent for legal action, it’s not about right or wrong. Before then if the majority shareholder was self interested and asset stripping the club he could do as he’s the one who makes those choices. Now our board has seen a route in which to fight back a bit.

Yes we could be in worse shape. With a chairman taking money and no academy to back up the first team we could easily go down the same route as Stockport, Tranmere , Halifax, Wrexham, Chester, York etc

Mike you seem to be under the belief that if this money hadn’t gone to the academy then NH would have let it be spent on the first team? Isn’t it a bit more likely that he saw a cash cow that was producing saleable assets so kept that funded while taking money from elsewhere?

[MikeSB]

Blackpool set a precedent for legal action, it’s not about right or wrong. Before then if the majority shareholder was self interested and asset stripping the club he could do as he’s the one who makes those choices. Now our board has seen a route in which to fight back a bit.

Yes we could be in worse shape. With a chairman taking money and no academy to back up the first team we could easily go down the same route as Stockport, Tranmere , Halifax, Wrexham, Chester, York etc

Mike you seem to be under the belief that if this money hadn’t gone to the academy then NH would have let it be spent on the first team? Isn’t it a bit more likely that he saw a cash cow that was producing saleable assets so kept that funded while taking money from elsewhere?

thn, I really don't want to fall out with other fans here or anywhere else as its water under the bridge now and think we are all on the same side that we want our team to avoid relegation and then do better next season. The Board have many issues to sort out and hope they can too. I would just say one thing about the money we had from transfer fees over the years and that is none of us would have complained had the Board INCLUDING NH had a policy of 25% of all transfer fees 'ring fenced' for the first team and that would arguably have given us at least 6 million pounds and NH could not have touched that, and could have given us continuity with 75% going to the academy although I would have preferred a 5/50 split but let's be generous to their ethos and that would have given us a great mix of experience without having to rely almost entirely on the youngsters coming through and thing to me at least is it's not right expecting young lads to compete physically at this level week in and week out and then get depressed as we do by getting beat etc...so there maybe some madness in my method but I think it could have worked out just fine and gave a boost to those who see the academy more in the light of generating money as well as potential players for the whole essence of any league club which has to be the first team. Not doing that has proved the Board's Achilles heel in more ways than one...I think DG has some responsibility there.

Having millions sitting in the club accounts was like letting loose Dracula in a blood bank!

[out0lunch]

What is disappointing is the number of views on this topic ie 955 but only the usual few who respond to theses posts'
I know some will be repeat views like myself and some will be reporters trying to twist the stuff written but surely there must be some who look but don't contribute. I think there were over 500 reviews before anyone replied.

Come on have your say and not just on this topic !!!