Like many old jokes, it contains a kernel of truth. How do you get a small fortune? Start with a large one and get involved in running a football club. But there may be human costs as well. The chairman of St.
Like many old jokes, it contains a kernel of truth. How do you get a small fortune? Start with a large one and get involved in running a football club. But there may be human costs as well. The chairman of St. Mirren, Stewart Gilmour, feels that his ten year involvement with St.Mirren may have contributed to the breakdown of his marriage and he cites health problems encountered by chairmen of other clubs. The collapse of the Setanta deal hit Scottish clubs hard, although Gilmour considers that running a club outside the SPL may be particularly challenging.
When Gilmour and his consortium took over at the Paisley club it had run up debts of £3m and was playing in a decaying stadium. Now it has a new stadium, but the financial problems remain. The club is up for sale, but not surprisingly no buyer has appeared for a club at the lower end of the SPL.
I note that a cynical comment by a fan has already appeared on the story we have cited. No one should expect gratitude in football and Gilmour says that running the club has been ‘an interesting experience’, presumably in the sense of ‘we live in interesting times.’ However, I doubt whether anyone can ‘cash in’ on a football club as the fan suggests. Outside the very top clubs, there are very few investments that would bring a poorer return and most would involve less hassle.