Grimsby Town - Financial difficulties?

[Ealing Bee]

Problems in Cleethorpes - and I don't just mean fishing quotas either. - It seems to involve a mixture of football, politics (small and large "P") and a very dodgy businessman/convicted fraudster, which probably isn't very good.

The Mariners are only three points above the League Two relegation zone and are on a five-game winless run. On Monday, the club stated they would not accept investment from convicted fraudster Alex May.
Chairman Phillip Day held talks with a group of three businessmen this week.
Majority shareholder John Fenty resigned from his position as deputy leader of North East Lincolnshire county council on Tuesday after his business dealings with May, formerly known as Alick Kapikanya, came to light.
In their statement, the club said May wanted to invest £1m, which would have been spent on a new training facility for the club and local community, but "in all the circumstances, the Board declined to accept the offer".
Holloway calls for Grimsby unity

This is good, too.

Now Ian Holloway has posted a long statement on Twitter about how bad things are off the pitch, though he's not running away but is instead appealing to the fans to stick with the club while the owners get their finger out:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1339601691184750592

 

[hitchinb]

I have a soft spot for Grimsby after that great interview with the French lad we picked up from them back in the mists of time, who said something like "Greemsbee, lurvly peeble but it all smell of feesh'.

 

[North London Bee]

Thomas Pinault. Another fair weather footballer who flattered to deceive.

 

[hitchinb]

Thomas Pinault. Another fair weather footballer who flattered to deceive.

That's the lad! Though if he played in Grimsby it's a bit unfair to call him 'fair weather' - it's grim up norf.

 

[Bill Benn]

Oli getting ready to replace Warburton

 

[fencer/bee]

Didnt Hollowhead buy shares in the club when he joined ?

 

[fencer/bee]

Got me thinking about Grimsby away, only been once , cant remember the result but i think Rankin was playing for them

 

[Bill Benn]

Got me thinking about Grimsby away, only been once , cant remember the result but i think Rankin was playing for them

I went but dont remember much

 

[hobbsy]

Tuesday night, I think. Dark,cold and wet.

 

[Ealing Bee]

Didnt Hollowhead buy shares in the club when he joined ?

I believe so.

Of course Owners sometimes offer shares in order to buy a Manager's silence over what's really going on in the Boardroom etc. And it's also cheaper than a conventional salary. I mean, I wonder what sort of "arrangements" there were between Noades and Webb, for instance.

Whereas Grimsby's owners might have known that Olly likes to have his say, regardless.

Fair play to him, I say.

 

[LboroBee]

Got me thinking about Grimsby away, only been once , cant remember the result but i think Rankin was playing for them

end of 03-04 season, great escape, we lost 0-1 to a Rankin header.

But then Grimsby ended up going down anyway, and we beat Bournemouth on the last day (which didn’t matter I think)

 

[Wise old Bee]

Wasn't it our last-but-one game in MA's great escape season? Isiah scored the only goal for them. Only time I've been there.

 

[Fat Bee Slim]

Yep, that's the one. They had a pitch invasion and gave it the bigun, thinking they'd done enough. He who laughs last...

 

[WarrenBee]

end of 03-04 season, great escape, we lost 0-1 to a Rankin header.

But then Grimsby ended up going down anyway, and we beat Bournemouth on the last day (which didn’t matter I think)

I thought it went in off his arse! That was my only visit there, and with the greatest respect to the people of Grimsby, I hope I never have to go there again!

 

[looneytunes]

My last trip there was their first Saturday game in the conference.
They beat favourites Crawley away, drew with York at home on the Tuesday.
Then the mighty hayes rolled into town and gave grimsby a rude awakening beating them 2-1 what a great day out. Think the official away attendance was 27 given over the tannoy.

 

[vcmazz]

Staggering. We gave them £75k for Murray Jones. What's happened to that? Bloody asset strippers.

 

[ruislip bee]

Staggering. We gave them £75k for Murray Jones. What's happened to that? Bloody asset strippers.

They've been laughing so much since no one has been able to stand up and go and bank the cheque...

 

[nick logan]

Tuesday night, I think. Dark,cold and wet.

Remember 2 night games there.

1-0 win in March 93 Bliss scored ( Evans first game back after getting injured first game of season )
1-0 win when Charlie Mcdonald scored , Paul USA gave us a lift home as we couldn't face the return coach journey with no beer

 

[hobbsy]

Remember 2 night games there.

1-0 win in March 93 Bliss scored ( Evans first game back after getting injured first game of season )
1-0 win when Charlie Mcdonald scored , Paul USA gave us a lift home as we couldn't face the return coach journey with no beer

Yes the Charlie one was the one I was referring to. I was only 11 in '93!

 

[nick logan]

Yes the Charlie one was the one I was referring to. I was only 11 in '93!

tough paper round

 

[Ruislip_Rich]

I went but dont remember much

I went there once
Did they have a high wooden fence around the away end or did i dream that?
I must of been only a kid so it would of been donkey years ago. Might of been late 70's.

 

[Bill Benn]

I went there once
Did they have a high wooden fence around the away end or did i dream that?
I must of been only a kid so it would of been donkey years ago. Might of been late 70's.

I was pissed

 

[Ruislip_Rich]

I was pissed

Did they do bottles of bud back in the day. Lol
Hope you are good mate and have nice Christmas.

 

[TW1Bee]

Went there in the early 70's when Laurie McMenemy was their manager. The North Sea wall was about 50 yrds from the main stand God it was bleak and even bleaker when we were 0-4 down at h-t. Can't remember the final score probably 0-5 or 1-5. Got there on Tony Ewers special to Grimsby then on to Cleethorps IIRC.

 

[Bill Benn]

Did they do bottles of bud back in the day. Lol
Hope you are good mate and have nice Christmas.

No think it was light and bitter same to you mate let’s hope we can all get back to normal quickly in the new year

 

[thornemariner]

Got me thinking about Grimsby away, only been once , cant remember the result but i think Rankin was playing for them

Haha! I was at that game. I support the Mariners and the Bees having lived in West London at one time. 1 0 to Town. The Bees were safe anyway and Grimsby contrived to lose at Tranmere the next week having been a goal up. We would have stayed up but Chesterfield scored in the 88th minute against Luton and that was that. Thought Rankin was great at both clubs. UTFM and COYB

 

[thornemariner]

end of 03-04 season, great escape, we lost 0-1 to a Rankin header.

But then Grimsby ended up going down anyway, and we beat Bournemouth on the last day (which didn’t matter I think)

It would have taken a mathematical fluke for the Bees to have gone down. I was living back up north but working down south alternate weeks so watched Brentford one Saturday and Grimsby the next.

 

[thornemariner]

Yep, that's the one. They had a pitch invasion and gave it the bigun, thinking they'd done enough. He who laughs last...

Martin Allen complained that the ref blew early. He did actually. Not sure I can blame him!

 

[thornemariner]

Problems in Cleethorpes - and I don't just mean fishing quotas either. - It seems to involve a mixture of football, politics (small and large "P") and a very dodgy businessman/convicted fraudster, which probably isn't very good.

The Mariners are only three points above the League Two relegation zone and are on a five-game winless run. On Monday, the club stated they would not accept investment from convicted fraudster Alex May.
Chairman Phillip Day held talks with a group of three businessmen this week.
Majority shareholder John Fenty resigned from his position as deputy leader of North East Lincolnshire county council on Tuesday after his business dealings with May, formerly known as Alick Kapikanya, came to light.
In their statement, the club said May wanted to invest £1m, which would have been spent on a new training facility for the club and local community, but "in all the circumstances, the Board declined to accept the offer".
Holloway calls for Grimsby unity

This is good, too.

Now Ian Holloway has posted a long statement on Twitter about how bad things are off the pitch, though he's not running away but is instead appealing to the fans to stick with the club while the owners get their finger out:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1339601691184750592

I'm a Grimsby fan of 40 years standing and have watched the Bees for a mere 30 by comparison. Grimsby have an abysmal board. They always did. They could have been a top flight side several times in the early to mid 80s but the club lacked ambition.

Again in the early to mid 90s we could have gone further. The collapse of the ITV football deal shafted us and up stepped the current major shareholder.

He wants all his money back £1.6m, hardly a staggering amount over nearly two decades. He runs the club like his party runs the country. Into the ground. Knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Time to go after this dubious business association. At least his political career is over.

This is the person who said that Grimsby fans' fundraiser after our Wembley playoff defeat in 2015 was the worst thing that could have happened with the expectations raised. It actually helped buy a striker who helped win us promotion the next year. Grimsby have a big away support because many don't bother with home games in an outdated stadium. In fact Town would take more to a midweek game at Eastleigh than Brentford would to the north even in a good season. The fans are very proud and deserve much better. I was going to have a season ticket for both clubs for 20-21 but knew Town would stitch up the fans and sure enough they had a no refunds policy. I do have a BFC ST which I've frozen until next season. One thing I'm glad about is that I didn't excuse them the remaining vouchers for the previous season ticket. The generosity of the fans went unrewarded and unmatched. I'm glad I got to fourteen home games at GP last season. It was a joy to watch that football at a club that is in touch with its fans though I well remember when it wasn't!

The Cod Almighty website is well worth a read. It has some good insight. I contribute now and again in features and the postbag and Brentford do get a mention as they will in something yet to go on. (Chris Smith)

 

[thornemariner]

Staggering. We gave them £75k for Murray Jones. What's happened to that? Bloody asset strippers.

I watched Murray Jones in a Grimsby and Brentford shirt. That is suffering.

 

[Ealing Bee]

I'm a Grimsby fan of 40 years standing and have watched the Bees for a mere 30 by comparison. Grimsby have an abysmal board. They always did. They could have been a top flight side several times in the early to mid 80s but the club lacked ambition.

Again in the early to mid 90s we could have gone further. The collapse of the ITV football deal shafted us and up stepped the current major shareholder.

He wants all his money back £1.6m, hardly a staggering amount over nearly two decades. He runs the club like his party runs the country. Into the ground. Knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Time to go after this dubious business association. At least his political career is over.

This is the person who said that Grimsby fans' fundraiser after our Wembley playoff defeat in 2015 was the worst thing that could have happened with the expectations raised. It actually helped buy a striker who helped win us promotion the next year. Grimsby have a big away support because many don't bother with home games in an outdated stadium. In fact Town would take more to a midweek game at Eastleigh than Brentford would to the north even in a good season. The fans are very proud and deserve much better. I was going to have a season ticket for both clubs for 20-21 but knew Town would stitch up the fans and sure enough they had a no refunds policy. I do have a BFC ST which I've frozen until next season. One thing I'm glad about is that I didn't excuse them the remaining vouchers for the previous season ticket. The generosity of the fans went unrewarded and unmatched. I'm glad I got to fourteen home games at GP last season. It was a joy to watch that football at a club that is in touch with its fans though I well remember when it wasn't!

The Cod Almighty website is well worth a read. It has some good insight. I contribute now and again in features and the postbag and Brentford do get a mention as they will in something yet to go on. (Chris Smith)

Great insight, thanks for taking the trouble to post.

Oh and good luck in your present struggles.