Sol Campbell owed 180k...

[blues exile]

Campbell is owed money and I don't think anyone is disputing that, nor that he is entitled to seek redress, in any one of a variety of ways. However, there are wider issues at play here. This is a man who waited years for an opportunity in football management and was overlooked for whatever reason until a desperate club gave him a chance when no one else would. Surely he owes Macclesfield something for that and his relative success there might have been the springboard for a bigger club giving him a chance. However, that didn't happen and he has ended up in arguably worse situation than before. He left Macclesfield in August and despite numerous clubs sacking their manager, none came calling. If his support for the winding up petition succeeds, nobody wins. His approach smacks of vindictiveness and short sightedness too. He won't get his full £180K and the real losers will be the club staff and the knock on effects on the community are unquantifiable, with another football club gone to the wall. The domino effect might lead to others. To me, his actions are consistent with the approach he has shown all through his career: Sol Campbell will do what is best for Sol Campbell and the rest doesn't matter. This could well be Southend in a couple of years time as a result of Martin's ducking and diving and the thought of Campbell doing a Macclesfield seems a real possibility.

 

[AndyT]

I haven't read all the thread, but has he personally come out and said he wants the money or is he just one of a list of creditors drawn up and because of his name, it's become news?

 

[Jim Levenstein]

It’s reported that his Barrister said his client (Sol) wants the club wound up over debt.

 

[AndyT]

OK thank you @Jim Levenstein

If so, I think I side a little on the view that it's probably not in his interests to pursue it. Not saying he shouldn't get it, but that weighing up the pros and cons, he might not come out smelling of roses on this one.

It does seem as if the club is being held to ransom from a lot of angles here, which makes you wonder what sort of promises/lies were made at the time by the owners.

 

[rigsby]

The domino effect might lead to others. To me, his actions are consistent with the approach he has shown all through his career: Sol Campbell will do what is best for Sol Campbell and the rest doesn't matter. This could well be Southend in a couple of years time as a result of Martin's ducking and diving and the thought of Campbell doing a Macclesfield seems a real possibility.

Where is the proof if this.

Why should Sol be grateful for doing a job he was meant to be paid for.

Sounds to me like Sol has taken his lawyers advice and allowed him to pressure Macclesfield how he thinks is best.
After getting knocked by Portsmouth in a time when certain other well known football people were robbing the club blind, including peoples dogs....Sol has learnt a big lesson in an industry none us have a clue when it comes to how it really works.

If it was Adam Barrett owed the money none of you would be slagging him.

 

[blues exile]

Where is the proof if this.

Why should Sol be grateful for doing a job he was meant to be paid for.

Sounds to me like Sol has taken his lawyers advice and allowed him to pressure Macclesfield how he thinks is best.
After getting knocked by Portsmouth in a time when certain other well known football people were robbing the club blind, including peoples dogs....Sol has learnt a big lesson in an industry none us have a clue when it comes to how it really works.

If it was Adam Barrett owed the money none of you would be slagging him.

He should be grateful because no one else was prepared to give him a chance and only Southend subsequently. To compare millionaire Campbell with Barrett is quite simply absurd.

 

[AndyT]

Most of the time it's a beating stick anyway.

Having experienced the administrators coming in where I once worked, the sum total of money a creditor gets is mostly less than a pound.

It's just a threat to force the hand and get something moving.

 

[AndyT]

What would work better is if the EFL and PL come to that, regulated the money in football better, so it wasn't just handed to or controlled by the club to spend on booze and fags, but was held to protect this very situation and the community in general.

 

[rigsby]

He should be grateful because no one else was prepared to give him a chance and only Southend subsequently. To compare millionaire Campbell with Barrett is quite simply absurd.

That's your problem....Not Sol's

 

[Steve Giles]

Where is the proof if this.

Why should Sol be grateful for doing a job he was meant to be paid for.

Sounds to me like Sol has taken his lawyers advice and allowed him to pressure Macclesfield how he thinks is best.
After getting knocked by Portsmouth in a time when certain other well known football people were robbing the club blind, including peoples dogs....Sol has learnt a big lesson in an industry none us have a clue when it comes to how it really works.

If it was Adam Barrett owed the money none of you would be slagging him.

Would you be defending him if was publicly saying he wanted a winding up order for Southend United in the future?

 

[rigsby]

Would you be defending him if was publicly saying he wanted a winding up order for Southend United in the future?

Seems like his lawyer has said it in order to get things moving.

If Ron doesn't pay Sol then yes I would.

Football is living beyond its means and many more clubs will pay the price.....A price nearly all fans demand anyway.

 

[AndyT]

This is exactly it.

If the club suddenly announced it was selling every player and putting the youth team out so we can honour our debts, I doubt many would agree.

 

[Southminster Shrimper]

Crikey Macclesfield are screwed. Having to abandon their next game. If we had to play them, I could see the headline now: Southend given automatic win after Macclesfield players refuse to play. Final score: Southend 0-3 Macclesfield.

 

[The Big Dady]

Macclesfield Town: Supporters of financially-troubled club fear 'extinction'

Link

There is only one person to blame here and that is Macclesfield Town's owner Amar Alkhadi.

If he had honoured his clubs players and staffs contracts and paid them on time, paid his clubs tax and VAT bills on time, paid his clubs suppliers on time, they would not be in this mess.

I think the EFL must also take some responsibility for it, to just suspend Saturday's game against Crewe, after Macclesfield players have decided not to train or play until they are paid, seems to little and to late.

This all follows the goings on at Blackpool, Bolton and Bury, the EFL needs to have a much stronger oversight and take action regarding clubs ownership, takeovers, asset stripping, and whether the owners have the resources to run a club.

 

[AndyT]

Spot on and a point I was alluding to earlier regarding much tighter regulation with regards to money distribution in football and having a proper central fund for exactly this or some sort of proper protection scheme to protect fans and communities from unscrupulous owners.

It's gone on way too long!

 

[Steve Giles]

Seems like his lawyer has said it in order to get things moving.

If Ron doesn't pay Sol then yes I would.

Football is living beyond its means and many more clubs will pay the price.....A price nearly all fans demand anyway.

Your opinion, your choice. For me personally I feel that someone who has had a great career in football saying that he hopes a 145 year old club goes under a disgrace same as I would say about anyone wishing the same

 

[Spenser]

Would you be defending him if was publicly saying he wanted a winding up order for Southend United in the future?

As supporters of SUFC we surely know better than anyone that a winding up order is initially a tactic to 'encourage' companies to pay debts that are legally due.

I absolutely do not want to see any football club go bust with all the social and economic consequences for the players, employees and supporters that entails.

But, put it the other way around, supposing (for example) Steve Tilson or Paul Sturrock had kept us in the league and it turned out Ron had not paid them all season.
Would we feel differently because they are not ex Premiership players with personal wealth ?

By the logic of beating Sol up because he is wealthy and trying to get his unpaid wages settled, he should be working for free because he doesn't need the money ?

Lets face it, it's not as though he was stealing a living at Macc. The chairman offered him a salary to keep them in the League and that's what he did.

 

[blues exile]

As the youngest of 12 children his footballing talents offered him a far better life than he might otherwise have had. He has made the most of those talents and whereas other equally or more gifted players have not been able to capitalise on that he has done so, whether by good fortune or good judgement, who can say. The fact is he owes football in general for his current wealth and status. No one is saying he should work for nothing, but it would certainly do his image some good if he were to be seen to be a little less intent on his pound of flesh and more concerned about the possible consequences of his actions on those most vulnerable, the employees of the club and the wider community if Macclesfield go out of business as a result.

 

[rigsby]

Your opinion, your choice. For me personally I feel that someone who has had a great career in football saying that he hopes a 145 year old club goes under a disgrace same as I would say about anyone wishing the same

He has not said that. He wants paying out of principle and the in doing so he has highlighted yet another conman who has attached himself to football.

Sadly a 145 year old club are in trouble because of their owner. If the same man had announced a few years back that he wanted to take over Southend. Then more than 50 % of our fans would have loved the idea......That's because ordinary smart and sane people become idiots once they pull on a replica shirt or enter a football stadium.....That makes us easy victims.

Yes the EFL should do more. But the Bury fans for example should have spoke up 5 years ago. Instead they were happy to enjoy the ride which was always going to end in tears. Do you remember many on here being jealous of their 15 signings in June?

As a side note after witnessing Bury fans at our last home game when we had a chance of the play-offs......I don't feel the slightest bit sorry for them

 

[rigsby]

As the youngest of 12 children his footballing talents offered him a far better life than he might otherwise have had. He has made the most of those talents and whereas other equally or more gifted players have not been able to capitalise on that he has done so, whether by good fortune or good judgement, who can say. The fact is he owes football in general for his current wealth and status. No one is saying he should work for nothing, but it would certainly do his image some good if he were to be seen to be a little less intent on his pound of flesh and more concerned about the possible consequences of his actions on those most vulnerable, the employees of the club and the wider community if Macclesfield go out of business as a result.

Sol Campbell was a model professional and you don't make it to the top and you certainly don't stay their on talent alone. Rather than spending his time in nightclubs or making videos on lads end of season tours. he has invested his money wisely. So good luck to him. There are plenty of other idiots he has played alongside who owe the likes of Sol for their good fortune, rather than him owing football.

Unfortunately for Sol, he suffers from the myth that sport and politics don't mix. People bring their politics to the sport table. In Sol's case, Spurs fans hatred of Arsenal. The fact he has been successful on and off the pitch will anger the left. The fact he has been successful on and off the pitch and is black will anger the right.

If he had wasted his talent by going out on a Friday and being lazy on the pitch. Lost all his money, beat his girlfriend up in public and had an interest in dogging rather than coaching. Then he could be in our hall of fame and people would pay £50 to hear him speak.......Because that what us fans expect of a footballer......Its what we are comfortable with.