Interview
How do you look back on your chairmanship?
I think life means that you have ups and downs. I've had perhaps 50% of both. There's a new era now, and we've all got to support it, and hopefully we'll win through. I hope so. There's nobody wants it more than I do.
What was your biggest regret?
I don't know. Possibly the last time we won promotion and went straight down. I didn't think it was going to happen - perhaps I was a bit naive. Right until the bitter end I didn't think it was going to happen. And that was probably my biggest regret, I would say.
Describe the state of the club when you took over in 1985
Well, we were in a mess, I suppose football perhaps was in a mess. But we've all buckled down and we've all worked hard and we've got what we've got today. We've got the stands up, and I think if, as a board, we ever made the right decision it was to go for all the money we could get for the stands, which we did. All right, we borrowed money, but of course all that money now, or certainly the money we got's dried up, well, not dried up totally, but dried up somewhat, and so I think we did make the right decision, and if I'm proud of one decision I think it would be that.
How long did you think it would take to turn the club around?
Well, you never know that. You don't know whether people are staying or whether people are going or whatever. I think everybody who says they have a plan - a plan's all right, but a plan's only a guide. It's not written in stone, so to speak, and if it comes it comes. You can be unlucky - a bad decision, a penalty that shouldn't be or whatever - there's so many things that can affect you in football, you're not really masters of your own destiny.
What did you think of the way the club was run immediately before you took over?
I can't comment, because you can't comment from outside on mistakes that are being made inside, if there are mistakes, because you never know the circumstances. I mean, I can pick an England team, but I don't have to pick an England team - there's a big difference. So, as far as I'm concerned, everyone makes mistakes, I made mistakes. You've got to go on. The only thing I can say in anyone's defence as a board is that you can only do what you think's right at the time. It's the only thing you can do - if you think its right you've got to do it. If it's proved ultimately not to be, its just one of those things. That's all I can say really.
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