Trouble at the top - Luton Town FC (merged threads)

[Mr Fridge]

Interesting looking programme on Luton Town tonite

The following from the radiotimes.com
THURSDAY 28 OCTOBER

Documentary

Trouble at the Top

9:50pm - 10:30pm

BBC2

Luton Kicks Off

Shortly after buying Luton Town Football Club for a rumoured £4, property developer John Gurney infuriated supporters by sacking the club's popular manager. He subsequently came up with "Manager Idol", a scheme in which the fans could vote for the manager they wanted. Sounds a good idea, if a bit wacky. But before the phone lines close, we see Gurney discussing contracts with Mike Newell, Hartlepool United's former manager, which suggests the whole thing may be a ploy.

Not only that, but staff aren't getting paid and Gurney seems more interested in his plans to develop the club's prime site next to Luton Airport. Filmed earlier this year, it's an extraordinary and engrossing story of boardroom shenanigans.

 

[dougdeep]

I'll take a look.

 

[pasty]

Spotted that too, Think I'll give it a go.

 

[Dover]

Thank heavens our board is nothing like the clowns running Luton.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Trouble at the top

Has anyone else just seen this programme about Luton? Another club screwed over by a greedy arse of a businessman. Did you hear his comment, "they needen't think I'll leave with nothing, and if I do, I'll make sure there's nothing left", after the Supporters' Trust took over. It was ironic that they used the club's debts to get John Gurney out. How did they manage to avoid getting points deducted through going into Administrative Receivership? This is typical of the FA. I think it is about time they had an ownership committee to vet people taking clubs over. To those who criticise Dick Knight, just shut up and be grateful we have a chairman who is a true fan. John Gurney also claimed he is the most hated man in football. That is round objects (in polite terms). Bill Archer will remain the most hated man in football for all the time that the game is played.

 

[Dover]

I watched it. I am so glad we have a decent chairman, and board.

 

[pasty]

Thank heavens our board is nothing like the clowns running Luton.

But never forget...it used to be much much worse

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It was rumoured that Gurney paid all of £4 to take over Luton Town. He promised the earth and the backing of a "mystery consortium".

If Dick Knight was offered a similar deal by a front man for a "mystery consortium" and turned it down, how many people would criticise him for refusing the millions that the consortium might have?

 

[Dover]

LB. I like you are sure that some would criticise Mr. Knight for not accepting a possible windfall for the club, but I think he and our present board would do thier homework on anyone that was to put money in the club.

 

[Blackadder]

Gurney? What an Archer he is! (sorry about the bad language!)

Came over as the big I am. Took over a club, not realising there was a debenture against it!

Well done to the Luton supporters for having the sense to join Hatters (whatever it was called) and call the loan in.

Reminds me of some of our own intrepid supporters.

Wimbledon fans please note!

 

[Citrus]

 

[pasty]

Well done to the Luton supporters for having the sense to join Hatters (whatever it was called) and call the loan in.

Hatters Holdings. A top move. Gurney looked so f***ed off when first realising about the debenture. Excellent stuff.

 

[larus]

Program on Luton Town last night.

Caught the end of the program on BBC2 last night on Luton Town. I wasn't aware that they'd had some t*sser take them over and try to fleece them as well. Didn't see it all, but he came across as being out for himself and not the club.

How many more times are the FA going to allow this to go on. Surely, there must be some rules they can devise about take-overs, loans to clubs at extortionate interest rates from directors, etc.

I'm no legal person, but can't they have rules for being in the 'club' (i.e. the football league) that insist that there are certain rules for the member (the football club) in terms of financial management to stop asset stripping.

 

[Northstander]

What can you do though? If a Bloke OR woman comes in with big money showing all good intentions then any lower league club with minimal funding will jump at the chance!!!

 

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

They missed out my favourite bit of the whole Gurney saga, namely his plan to make Luton Town into the biggest club in Europe and raise 50 million pounds a year.

He was going to build a 50,000 capacity stadium (could rise to 75,000) on the land near Luton airport with a 20,000 arena next door to it. He'd raise 50 million quid a year by building car-parks on the rest of the land and underneath the stadium that could be used by the airport. The stadium would be domed and the dome would have a huge advert on it, thus raising even more money. The team would become the greatest in Europe by spending that 50 million quid a year on buying top players.

The arena next door would house a new NFL franchise team called Team Europe which would attract thousands of American ex-pats around Europe to Luton. Luton Town would have their name changed to London Luton FC and because of this they would "acquire" tens of thousands of supporters from north London, taking them off Arsenal and Tottenham. He also thought about merging them with Wimbledon and therefore "acquiring" their fans as well.

The best part was his "crazy" plan to build a Formula 1 race track on the site. The track would go through the 2 stadiums (the track would be hidden underneath the grass) and round the car-parks. They would host the British Grand Prix or the Atlantic Grand Prix. Gurney reckoned he could make 200 million quid a year by hosting a Formula 1 race.

The bloke is a complete joker, a real Walter Mitty. He's still out there with his "consortium" looking for clubs to exploit. The only reason he wanted Luton was to get his hands on the very lucrative land near the M1. Hopefully he'll get involved with the Milton Keynes Thieves. They deserve each other.

 

[Stu1]

The FA seriously have to stop this shit.

How many times are money grabbing bastards going to be let into football clubs.

After what happened to the Albion this should have never happened again.

Its still going on, Leeds fans will blame there problems on one man yet he's STILL aloud to be a chairman of another football club!

The FA should be looking after fans.

 

[Superseagull]

Gurney is a complete knob of the highest order. Never really realised what the Luton Town fans went through over the past couple of years. He was only interested in doing one thing, and that was developing land to make himself loads of money. The football club was just going to be the lever to get permission to do it.

Why can't the FA get more invovled with trying to stop these sort of people getting invovled with football?

 

[Albion Rob]

London Luton FC. That really grated with me.

 

[Eggman]

He really came across as a clown.

That whole Manager Idol thing, what a joke.!
Mike Newell must have been thinking....WTF!!

Seemed really edgy infront of the press too.

Silly twat

 

[Blackadder]

London Luton FC. That really grated with me.

Me too. Obviously so they would not to be confused with

LONDON Arsenal, LONDON Chelsea and all the other clubs with London in their names!