Sign of the times- Sunday Herald

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Sign of the times

ABERDEEN: Pittodrie’s turnstile message may not relate to the health of the game but at least Mark McGhee has experience of the financial pitfalls of sponsorship, reports Michael Grant

ODDLY ENOUGH, if it wasn't for the lack of money in Scottish football Mark McGhee wouldn't have spent part of last week imprisoned in one of Aberdeen's most luxurious hotels. Amid the sumptuous trappings of the Malmaison, McGhee and assistant Scott Leitch fidgeted through one long hour after another waiting to be told if they had new jobs. They were ready and waiting, sitting with their suits on, checking their mobile phones for news, poised to attend a press conference "unveiling" as the management team at Pittodrie, but the green light was delayed time and time again.

 

The reason was financial: Aberdeen and Motherwell went through an interminable dance before agreeing a compensation package. By the end two multi-millionaires, Stewart Milne and John Boyle, were said to be haggling over a £25,000 difference. Another day or two's delay and that might have been McGhee and Leitch's bill for coffees and soft drinks in the Malmaison's bar.

 

Two chairmen bartering over a modest sum was a sign of the times. Aberdeen took a while to strike a deal with Motherwell, Celtic initially failed to reach WBA's asking price for Tony Mowbray, and then there was the near-death experience suffered by Setanta and the shock waves that caused around 12 nervous SPL clubs who know they will suffer dreadfully if their broadcasting income is slashed. Last week was Scottish football 2009 in a nutshell: coping with the little indignities and hardships which come with trying to live within modest means.

 

advertisementIt was illuminating to discuss the financial state of the game with McGhee. When he arrived at Motherwell two years ago it was after a 15-year career managing in England so he has seen the game's reliance on broadcasting deals in two countries. He was in charge of Millwall when the club was caught up in the collapse of ITV Digital, which was looking like a bleak precedent for Setanta until Russian oligarch Leonard Blavatnik emerged with a £20 million lifeline on Friday.

 

McGhee has known hardship and riches south of the border before returning to a Scottish scene that is unrecognisably different from how it was when he was a player with Aberdeen and Celtic. At Motherwell, he showed his ability to play the market. He exploited a contractual loophole to sign Chris Porter for nothing and the striker yielded 27 goals in 65 matches before being sold for £400,000.

 

McGhee's discussions with Aberdeen over personal terms were smooth although there was a moment when the club's own viability was mentioned.

 

"I have been assured that the club is stable and that the Setanta situation is not a threat to Aberdeen," he said. "In fact, I think there is a little bit of scare- mongering going on with regards to how the Setanta thing would affect the future of a lot of SPL clubs.

 

"Obviously, there are clubs with substantial debts. I understand that Kilmarnock have debts, Dundee United have debts, Rangers certainly do. It will affect them but I think those same clubs haven't spent their money ahead of time." In other words, they had not spent on the assumption of future earnings from the improved Setanta contract which was due to kick in from 2010.

 

"I don't think the absolute collapse - even if no-one else came in to buy the company - threatens the existence of SPL clubs. But I do think it threatens the budgets of clubs and clubs may take the opportunity, where they are losing players out of contract, not to replace them."

 

ITV Digital was different. When it collapsed in 2002 it was still due to pay Nationwide League clubs £178m of a £315m contract. Numerous clubs had spent their slice of the money in advance, saddling themselves with huge commitments they no longer had the money to finance. Several went into administration.

 

It put Millwall in real trouble. They had already suffered a huge reduction in gate receipts because of an enforced ID card scheme after their fans had rioted, and then ITV Digital's money disappeared. "Part of the problem was that a lot clubs had mortgaged for it a wee bit and spent it ahead of getting it," said McGhee. "Then it didn't come and that left a few exposed.

 

"Millwall were one who had a double whammy because of the riot consequences. So instead of going out and building on the team that I had taken to finish fourth in The Championship, a really good little team with Tim Cahill, Steven Reid, Lucas Neill, Tony Warner - all guys who went on to play in the Premier League - we couldn't hold on to them or sign others.

 

"Instead of building on that team that we thought could kick on and have a better chance of getting into the top flight the following season, we sold Cahill, sold Reid, sold Lucas and so on. So the team disbanded. Eventually I left.

 

"The difference now is that SPL clubs don't have the same sums involved. They aren't so huge that it's going to impact like that. I know that as a percentage of the overall income it is quite large but it comes in a drip-feed sort of way that doesn't really allow them to build up debt."

 

It came as an unpleasant shock and disappointment to McGhee that Motherwell's home attendances were "5000, maybe 4000 at times". Aberdeen will average 12,000 or so on average, rising by 3000 or so if his appointment is successful and stirs their imagination. "I'll be saying to the Aberdeen punters there are players and managers going south from Scotland to England, we've made a commitment to the SPL so come out and support us'. I will appeal to them a wee bit, try to emphasise that, with any loss of money through Setanta and the like, the only way we're going to maintain the levels of fourth or better is if they come out and pay at the gate.

 

I hope the crowds will be good."

 

McGhee has often been accused of being restless and nomadic and Aberdeen are his seventh club. There have been financial reasons for his transience. Initially his own ambition, more recently his belief that a manager has only a limited shelf life without the money to refresh his squad.

 

"John Boyle, Scotty Leitch and I were talking about this the other night. If you have money at a club you can make changes and play with your squad. If you don't have any financial backer you have to wait until players are out of contract or someone comes along to buy them, and that doesn't often happen.

 

"So if you can't do that you get bogged down. You're working with the same players, they've heard your message, they've heard your stories and they get enough of it so you need to move. Part of the thing in Scotland is you have to consider a shorter period at clubs when there is no financial ability to change the squad you have."

 

This might not have been exactly the message Aberdeen supporters wanted to hear from their new man at the time of his unveiling, but after a day-and-a-half holed up in the Malmaison he knows that money dictates when it's time to make a move

 

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