The Ongoing Saga of Notts County

I will say this first about Notts County, nothing is never dull there. It has been just over 2 months since my first piece about the Magpies, and there has been a whole host of developments.

Munto Finance, the shady Middle Eastern investment company turned out to be nothing more than a front for a crooked structure based in Britain. There were no wealthy Arab oil sheikhs, just a guy with a shady past trying to cover his tracks. Especially when connections to Kim Jung-Il the secretive and elusive leader of North Korea (part of the axis of evil) was uncovered, with an unspecified “gift” being given to him.

Munto have been replaced now, Peter Trembling has taken the club over. Quite was his finances are unsure. There are a host of people speculating that Sven, who has earned millions in his career, may put money into the club. But hang on, that’s not what he signed up for. He signed up for £2.5 mill a season (of which he was earning considerably less, with much promised in shares in more shady companies in the umbrella of companies investing (i.e. money laundering) in Notts County.

For Forest fans, the mocking County gave us at the start of the season about how soon they would be back to the top of the pile in Nottingham, it is almost amusing. We have always had a certain kind regard for County. Wanting them to do better than to fail. This infuriates County, who hate us, and the feeling has not till this seen been reciprocated. Now with their new brash manner, you begin to dislike them in the same way man City have rubbed a number of people up the wrong way in the Premier League

Peter Trembling, who was merely the mouthpiece before is in charge. Now you could argue that maybe he has liked what he has seen enough to invest, so things must be ok? It would appear no, manager of 7 weeks Hans Backe just this morning walked out the club after complaining about “broken promises.” One can assume he was promised vast sums, and has been told there will no longer be money in January to spend.

There was also the news when Trembling took over he will be looking for investors in the club. That’s never good news. Just look at Portsmouth over the last 6 months. Each successive new owner there has talked about securing new investment. The fact is in the world right now, with the economy in tatters, there are not people on every corner wanting to fling millions into clubs finances that seem to have been modelled on a house of cards built on quicksand. Indeed, just look at their fellow nicknamed Magpies, Newcastle United. Mike Ashley has been looking to offload a club with arguably one of the best foundations in terms of large ground, huge support and a Premier League infrastructure, and no-one wanted to touch them with a barge pole.

Sven says he is staying, but Sven is still trying to sort out the money he is owed in a Swiss owned mineral firm. My guess he is merely holding out on resigning till he gets this cash. Once it appears if it ever does, then Sven will get the hell out of there as soon as possible. The whole scheme seems to be poisoned.

It would appear one of the most unlikely dreams in the football league in completely unravelling. I would hate to see it become a nightmare and see County slump in the second half of the season, and god forbid enter administration. There has been talk the likes of Kasper Schmeichel and Lee Hughes, the much heralded summer signings may already have to go. Large wages and potential fees would entice County to get rid to cut costs that presumably they cannot sustain any more.

Let this be a lesson football clubs. Those people promising the world may be actually delivering nothing at all. It’s been a roller coaster of a ride thus far, and we’re still unsure where it’s all going to end.

Notts Clownty


By: Manic Loop

For a while on the red side of the Trent we have jokingly referred to Notts County as Clownty.

I’ll be fair, I’ always had a soft spot, and regarded them as not a rival but mere neighbours.

Rather than neighbourly conflict, I have always seen it as a friendly rivalry.

The recent takeover has somewhat changed matters though.

One of the stated aims quoted by Peter Trembling, the chief executive, is to be bigger than Nottingham Forest. Now if you want to have any integrity I’d argue the first thing not to do is to start throwing your weight around.

If you moved into a new home, as the owners have, you don’t immediately try and upset your neighbours. This seemed to be the first thing County did.

I was amazed that one of the very first moves was t unveil a new club logo. One that suddenly includes purple. It’s a bad sign when you have to explain what some of the things you have put on to signal your new era mean (Is that a H, is that an arrow?)

And then came Sven. This more than raised eyebrows. The massively successful and decorated Swede was coming to League Two? And to a club that has for the last few seasons struggled to maintain their league status? Something didn’t add up.

Following Sven, they started signing fairly prestigious players for their level. For that I give them credit. As much as Lee Hughes is much maligned for his past, there is no doubt that his signing is only going to be a good thing considering his track record.

Kasper Schmeichel is a highly regarded young goalkeeper that a number of Championship clubs (including Forest) had been linked with. He then moved to Notts County for a club record fee (I’m still not sure what the exact fee was).

The Sol Campbell incident seems to be the first sign that things were not going to go all County’s way. The whole deal seemed somewhat unbelievable from start to finish. Sol Campbell, former Premiership champion, and till as recently as May a Premiership starting defender, was signing for Notts County?

But hang on, isn’t the law in League Two that clubs cannot spend more than 80% of their turnover? Campbell’s purported £60,000 a week wages minimum were never going to be in with that. I know for a fact that this angered a number of fans of other clubs, because County got round it by various borderline legal methods.

So it was kind of funny when Sol walked out because (reportedly) the club had promised him that they were signing Roberto Carlos. The official reason doing the rounds being he didn’t any longer see the greater scope of the plans.

And then came the questions of ownership. The shady murky waters surrounding just who are Munto Finance started out more as a flippant question. Just who would spend all that money on a League Two club? The full details are still yet too out, but my and my friend the other day went with a full flight of fancy and decided its probably Osama bin Laden funding County in a new attempts to take over the world.

As I said me and my Forest supporting friends were already laughing at them for the fact that they were being like an embarrassing uncle. Saying all the wrong things and generally being someone you don’t invite round if you can. For a start the sudden proliferation of County fans must be annoying for those who have sat through the days were they toiled at pretty much the basement of the League structure. Here comes a little it of possible success and they all go crazy.

Now, add all this up and things are turning into a soap opera. A vaguely surreal soap opera. Then yesterday they sacked Ian “Charlie” McParland. I have a lot of time for Charlie. Yeah his interviews are often drawled in some kind of nonsensical mess, and he always sounds grumpy.

However, he had spent best part of 2 seasons managing a team with no resources, struggling to stay up. I think he should have been rewarded with more than a dozen games and being within frankly touching distance of the top of the table. Rome was not built in a day.

Charlie’s days were pretty much numbered when the take over was made and Sven bought in. It always seemed likely to me Sven would want his own yes man, and County fans I feel for you if David Platt gets in, I really do. The guy makes John Barnes looks odds on favourite for the Man Utd job when Fergie retires. I also feel sorry for Charlie. He must have known this would always end in tears. They just wanted the opportunity to make this decision without looking harsh. Try and make a tie in with the old era so as to try and show respect for the past.

Now it just seems County have become nothing more than at best, a farce.