Page 8 - The Deal Round Up January 2019

grassroots game, and let’s face it, something needs to be done because some of the statistics
make for grim reading whether it’s 67 per cent of pitches deemed not to be of ‘adequate’
quality or the startling lack of 3G facilities in the UK compared to other European nations.
Those who opposed the sale believe more Football League and Premier League clubs should
be helping out, and that we should not need to sell Wembley to inject funds into grassroots.
But the FA doesn’t have the power to instruct clubs to do that, and this is where the
government must step in because they have neglected
the game and simply passed the buck to others.
They are almost saying: this is your problem, sell
your house and all the furniture and be done with it!
The money from the Wembley sale, even if it had
come down to the lower levels of the game, would
merely have served as a plaster on an open wound.
Measures must be put in place to ensure more money
comes down from the Premier League, whether through
taxes on a player’s wage or a percentage of an agent’s fee. Shahid Khan has withdrawn from
By selling Wembley and giving the grassroots game a purchasing Wembley Stadium
chunk of the money, it is only ignoring the continued impact the Premier League should be
having on the development of the game in this country. There are success stories of them
helping out, but let’s not begin to kid ourselves: they aren’t doing anywhere near enough.

Managers Come And Managers Go - By Adam Ellis
As the season approaches the half way stage the managerial merry-go-round is in
full flow with destinations taking a different turn from what you might have expected.
Martin Gray found himself back in football at Ebac Northern League
Division One side Shildon after his departure at York City earlier this season.
Heads were turned by the 47-year-old’s decision to make the drop three levels lower than
his former employers. As much as football can be about turning on a swivel to beat a
defender and endless stamina, the power of persuasion can be the basis for new beginnings.
If a chairman’s persuasive talents can wrap its arms around a manager or coach’s ‘gut feeling’,
as was the case with Gray, then who are we to argue against it? Here are three other instances
of the past and present where managers have made moves few could have predicted.
Kevin Nicholson – Mousehole
From the National League with Torquay United last season, to the new surroundings of South West
Peninsula League outfit Mousehole AFC. A drop from Step 1 to Step 7, but the Seagulls are a club
who have no intentions of ‘standing still’ according to head of football operations Adam Fletcher.
UEFA ‘A’ Licence-holder Nicholson has proved quite the catch for the fishing port
town based in west Cornwall, steering the team to a 11-1 league victory over
Ludgvan last week. Switching the Gulls for the Seagulls, Nicholson said he was
“taken aback by the club’s footballing philosophy, coaching set-up, use of technology,
committee support, infrastructure, fantastic Academy and forward-thinking ambition.”
Other moves which flew under the radar and hit national headlines
Tony Adams - FK Gabala
This was no high and dry decision by the Arsenal great who followed his sacking as Portsmouth
manager with a move to the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan and top flight side FK Gabala.
His arrival at the one-time champions of Azerbaijan was heralded as a landmark
moment to boost the Azerbaijan Premier League’s reputation, but results didn’t
come consistently as Gabala were left to bide their time with mid-table finishes.
After leaving the club, Adams then returned in 2014 as sporting director and his recruitment
saw the team post the their biggest points total in eight years when they finished third.
8