Notts County: The Morning After the Night Before

For the price of one pound, the dream at Notts County came to a violent end. The promised millions in investment never materialised. The scales fell from thousands of eyes as the club was sold, and within hours, both executive chairman Peter Trembling and director of football Sven-Goran Eriksson were gone.

For seven months, Meadow Lane has been home to an insane project, one fuelled by increasingly tenuous claims of big money on the horizon. Even as a bankruptcy petition loomed, the presence of Eriksson in particular convinced many that the fantasy could yet become real. Now, a new regime is in charge, promising not riches, but an age of austerity. The question is whether supporters can expect stability, or something considerably worse than the hand-to-mouth existence they knew before.

A Familiar Face

The new owner is Ray Trew. “I might upset a few people,” he announced upon his arrival, a statement which suggests a man who says what he likes and likes what he says. Supporters will certainly hope he has learned from past mistakes, because his name is not new to football ownership. Trew has been involved before, at Lincoln City, where his departure from Sincil Bank in 2006 was far from amicable.

His exit followed an attempt to sack manager Keith Alexander, who had been placed on gardening leave for reasons the club would only describe as enabling them “to explore a number of important issues”. Alexander was reinstated a couple of weeks later and Trew was voted off the board. A later takeover attempt by Trew prompted the Lincoln chairman, Steve Wright, to state that he “would seriously question the motives” of Trew and his associate. It is a history that does not necessarily inspire confidence.

One might be charitable and view Trew as someone with the candour to state that Notts County were living beyond their means and that change is necessary. He has, after all, identified the fundamental problem. The appointment of his new chief executive, however, may cause supporters more immediate concern.

Cause for Concern

Jim Rodwell, a former player, is the man taking that role. His most notable time in football administration was a year-long spell as chairman of Boston United. During that single year, he stood by manager Steve Evans, who was found guilty by the FA of “contract irregularities” and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to evade tax. Rodwell oversaw a CVA that so angered the Football Conference that Boston were relegated straight into the Blue Square North, a punitive demotion compared to how other clubs have been treated. The Pilgrims were then sold to a housing development company.

Boston United's first season in the Blue Square North ended with them still in administration and suffering a further demotion into the Unibond League, where they remain. In an interview with BBC Radio Nottingham, Rodwell pointed to his prior involvement in football but avoided any specific mention of his time at York Street. The rapid fall of the Pilgrims is a stark warning that may give Notts County supporters pause for thought.

At best, the club has been trimmed of its talismanic director of football, the one man who kept the dream alive long after it was apparent something was very wrong. The chances of holding on to high-earning players like Kasper Schmeichel and Lee Hughes now seem remote.

Peter Trembling’s parting shot was to claim he had been on a “relentless search” for parties willing to invest £25m-£50m. Time, he said, was the biggest challenge. “The new owners are not of the £25m-plus ilk,” his statement read, “but they do know the football business and most importantly have sufficient funds available to ensure the immediate survival of this football club.”

That survival is paramount. Ominously, very little has been said by the new men about the club’s battle against HMRC, with a High Court case less than two weeks away.