Sadly it’s a familiar scenario that happens when an individual makes a commitment to owning a football club and for whatever reason their ambitions and hopes are dashed and the resultant quagmire affects not just them, individually, but all who have some sort of connection.
Years ago it was the owner of a local business (sometimes with a somewhat ‘dodgy’ reputation) who bought football clubs to satisfy their egos and to ‘help’ the local population and in an era when the costs were not as extreme it was easier to manage their ambitions. Nowadays the same thing is happening, but to an exponentially higher degree, especially in the UK, and the risks are much greater, too.
We can all make comments about how the particular club/business has been badly run, but when criticism goes beyond the management and involves unassociated family members then that, in my opinion, oversteps the mark and cannot be condoned. And can you imagine what Matthew’s response would be if he and his family were insulted by some overzealous individuals? He would probably say that he’s not prepared to put up with that behaviour and cut his links with the club.
I don’t know anything about Sheffield Wednesday’s owner or the owner’s family, but I do sympathise if he is trying to protect them and for him, rightly or wrongly, he’s making his own views public to those who are prepared to listen.
Unfortunately we have seen this scenario very often and, no doubt, there are and will be other clubs, too, in the same predicament.
www.swfc.co.uk
