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On October 6th 2001, while most of the country was celebrating
David Beckham’s late equaliser against Greece that took England to the World
Cup, one small corner of Hertfordshire saw another little piece of footballing
history. Steve Sedgley, FA Cup winner 10 years previously, took charge of his
first ever match as a manager, as Kingstonian travelled to St Albans City.
The reasons for the quicker-than-anticipated promotion of "Sedge"
have been well documented (for those who have forgotten, no wins meant no Conference
meant no money meant no players meant no Bill Williams) but there can never have
been any doubt in the Sedgley household that this day would come. Raised on the
non-league game by his father, this was a man destined to put on a tracksuit and
stand and shout from the sidelines.
The match at Clarence Park ended in a two-two draw which, when
considering the fact that this was just hours after "The Night of the Long
Knives", was a very respectable result. The next match, at Aldershot, was
never going to be so easy - and so it proved as The Shots ran out winners by three.
But over the course of the next few weeks, Sedgley showed the
watching public how different things could have been had he taken charge from
the beginning of the season. A team which had been unable to beat an egg (sorry...)
under Bill Williams now showed that they really weren’t as bad as all that,
with wins in league and cup.
By now the team consisted mainly of youngsters. Most had, it
has to be said, been given their first chance under Williams, but many were now
given an extended run in the team. The "Sedge-lings", as they became
known, certainly grabbed their opportunities too, sending K’s into the dizzy
heights of the top half of the table as Christmas approached.
A five-one hammering by Purfleet was followed by a two-one
defeat in what proved to be Sedgley’s biggest game in charge: an away match
at Woking in the Trophy. K’s were never truly outclassed by their Conference
rivals, but a display of petulance by Dave Clarke ended any lingering hopes of
earning a replay.
After the disastrous start to the season, by the time 2002
rolled around there was little for K’s to play for. Sedgley spent the remainder
of the season trying different line-ups and different formations to make sure
that, when season 2002/3 began, his young squad would be ready for anything.
There were some impressive wins during the last few months
of the season - most notably two-one victories over both Canvey and Aldershot
at home - but it really was all about planning for next season.
Of course, just a couple of weeks before the season ended,
the Khosla family entered the equation. The family was introduced prior to the
away match at Hampton, and all of a sudden things looked brighter than they had
in the past twelve months. The team was performing well and the new owners were
promising to sort out all of the financial problems and to strengthen the squad.
Unfortunately, between the end of the season and the beginning
of the next, not all of the problems were resolved. Come August 17th, when the
Ryman League kicked off, Kingstonian were still in administration and suspended
from the league. A couple of players had arrived over the summer break (on free
transfers) - Matt Flitter from Hampton and Phil Wingfield from Sutton - but the
problems were such that nobody was quite sure whether the suspension would ever
be lifted.
Yet through it all, Steve Sedgley - without a contract or any
real budget - stayed with the club. Even though nobody could tell him for sure
when the suspension would be lifted, or how much money he would be able to spend,
he stayed at the helm.
As we now know, the suspension was lifted at the end of August,
and K’s league campaign belatedly began in September. The players certainly
did their bit, by immediately going on an eleven match unbeaten run - showing
that the managerial duo were able to motivate the players even in difficult circumstances.
Things started to go wrong when Boreham Wood knocked K’s
out of the FA Cup, but by this time there were already rumbles from behind the
scenes about problems at the top. The reserve and youth sides had played a combined
total of just five games at Kingsmeadow, and with the high usage of the pitch,
finding somewhere for the first team to train had become an important issue too.
Added to this was the fact that, according to Sedgley at least,
several of his questions to Mr Khosla had not been answered, meaning that continuing
the push from sixth position was becoming difficult.
The home form continued to be hugely impressive, whilst the
team consistently failed to produce the same form away from Kingsmeadow. By the
time December arrived K’s had dropped to tenth position, having used up
most of their games in hand. Another trip to Boreham Wood ended in another defeat,
and just four days later came the news that Sedgley had resigned.
The reasons for his departure are not for this article - the
point here is to look back at his K’s reign. And it has to be said that
it wasn’t too shabby. 23 wins out of 58 games is nothing to be ashamed of
- especially when the circumstances are considered. No money was available during
his first season in charge, and only very little in the second.
The full impact of Sedgley’s time in charge may not yet
be apparent. So many of the players will have learnt so much from a man who really
has done it all. If Kim Harris is given the nod to continue the work, then with
any luck the transition will be a smooth one. But if this team does achieve what
both he and Sedgley thought was a realistic aim then thanks must go to the man
who really did stick by his players through thick and thin.
Gary
back up top
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A VIEW FROM THE PRESS BOX
Dear God! They've asked Murphy back to give out more of
his ludicrous opinions. Will they never learn?!
The Slough of Despond
Life, eh? Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s,
a small unrepresentative group of Kingstonian supporters produced a scurrilous,
low circulation rag (known as a fan magazine or ‘fanzine’ for short)
called The Searcher. And one of their numerous petty obsessions was K’s
appalling record at Slough Town's Wexham Park ground. Every year, as the league
fixture at Slough approached, or the all-too-frequent FA Cup ties came into view,
an article would appear entitled ‘The First win at Wexham party’,
inviting all and sundry to help celebrate K’s first win at Wexham (funnily
enough) at their 12th, 13th or 14th or however many attempts it was. So often
did they bang on about it that it even got a brief mention in this year's programme.
But every year, K’s would get beaten. And every year, K’s would get
beaten 2-1. So, the party never happened. And when K’s and Slough passed
each other in the Football Pyramid, some of us thought it never would.
Fast forward to 9.20pm, a few Tuesdays ago. Back at Slough.
Not so much on top in the game as refusing to let Slough join in. I'm thinking
that, one forty yard lob over keeper Adrian Jones's head apart, everything's going
to plan. The party can begin, even though there's only a hundred or so of us and
we're all bloody freezing.
And then, as Slough spend ten minutes substituting bad players
for good ones, I remember what the plan always is. And that everything really
IS going to it. It’s 1-1, Slough are now getting on top. And there's not
long left. Sure enough, it’s going to be two-bloody-one AGAIN. There's nothing
that Lance Key can do about it after all. He's on the bench after being Bishop's
Stortford's most creative player the previous Saturday.
With my match report's first line written (‘K’s
returned to the Slough of despond at Wexham Park last Tuesday, when a late rally
by the home side saw them bow out of the Bryco Cup at the first attempt etc…’),
I allowed my mind to wander back to the bad old days. The late goals. The even
later goals. The fact that not even Geoff Chapple (my lord) could buck the trend.
I've written about them before, possibly in this magazine (although it might have
been another defunct scurrilous rag whose name, Kool for Ks, escapes me). So I
won't bore you with the details. Again. Suffice to say that, even though I know
2-1 defeat after 2-1 defeat at Slough isn't high on the list of real-life things
to get worked up about, I began to despair about it. I began to see parallels
with my own 2-1 defeat of a life. 36 years-old. No decent job. No girlfriend.
No personality. No prospect of any of them on the horizon. I began to descend
into humungous self-pity.
Of course, I was looking when Adrian Jones turned into Jerzy
Dudek before the World Cup, while their keeper turned into Jerzy Dudek since the
World Cup. And I was looking when Tim Sills did all that he had to do in the circumstances,
keep a straight face, to ensure an extra-time win. But I wasn't really seeing
it. And it wasn't how I'd imagined finally winning at Slough would be. After all,
there was only about a hundred of us there. And we were all bloody freezing.
Still, I now started seeing parallels with my own 3-1 win after
extra-time of a life. The job isn't THAT bad. I've made plenty of friends through
it. Which means I must have a personality in there SOMEwhere. And as for a girlfriend…
well, lets leave it at two out of three. It was only an extra-time victory, after
all.
H
It was pointed out to some of us recently that our well-documented
dislike of all things S*tt*n wasn't wholly reciprocated, as they reserved more
of their venom for Carshalton. And although the recent managerial departure at
Joking meant that even Chapple-istas such as myself could re-direct our bile down
the A3 again, it left me wondering whether there were other worthy hate figures
to find among our peers in non-league football. Events over the past few months
meant I didn't have far to look.
Hampton, for instance. Middlesex, for a start, which is more
than enough for any self-respecting Surrey-ite. And that palaver over the few
thousand quid owed for Peter Barnsby. At a time when the likes of the Inland Revenue
were on the club's backs for £180,000, Hampton's bleatings seemed oh-so
self-important. Some of their fans seemed to think that the money could be the
difference between their survival and their going down the pan. And some others
connected to the club seemed to relish the prospect of taking K’s down with
them. But then again, it IS only Hampton. And there's plenty to like about them,
too. So I'll only take a LITTLE extra delight if we stuff them five nothing on
Boxing Day. Heybridge Swifts meanwhile…
The boorish triumphalism of some of their players after they
won the last game of last season at Kingsmeadow was way over-the-top. Yeah, congratulations
lads on clinching twelfth place or whatever great honour it was. Definitely worth
a good few "F**k you’s" in our direction as you sped off down
the players tunnel. And whatever the poor behaviour of some K’s fans when
Heybridge returned to the Meadow this season, there was no excuse for their centre-half
to want to engage in physical confrontation with some of those supporters. If
he'd been half as willing to mix it during the game, perhaps his team wouldn't
have been so embarrassingly and hilariously beaten. But capping it all was the
following which appeared in their second home match programme of the season, reproduced
below without direct comment:
"As you will know, our match last Saturday was postponed
due to Kingstonian's suspension by the league. All I can say is rightly so. I
cannot understand how Kingstonian can have been allowed into the Ryman League
constitution for this season. Too many clubs appear to over extend themselves
to maintain or improve their league status, get into dire financial straits and
then try to avoid their debts by going into receivership, forming a new company
and starting all over again; whilst other clubs that run on an even keel continue
to pay the VAT and the tax man all that is owed. That is probably a very simplistic
view and synopsis but it happens far too often to be fair to those clubs who play
on an even keel and within their means."
Mmmm. Well, how about this for a "very simplistic view
and synopsis":
Heybridge Swifts 0 Bristol City 7. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
SO, FARWELL THEN
One week and three games to go. And a year which, for reasons more than touched
on elsewhere I'm sure, is best put behind us. But amid all the doom and gloom
were some highlights. Most recently, the Supporters Club ‘thank you’
evening to Colin Luckett, including an impressive turn-out of stars from, lest
we forget, the best team this club has ever had. Former coach lan McDonald was
right when he said the evening was a "poor substitute" for the tribute
he deserved from the club. But the Supporters Club deserves great credit for putting
on the evening.
On the pitch, the massive celebrations of K’s late winner
against Canvey in January and Tim Sills' second goal against Basingstoke stand
out as highlights. The game at Croydon in April also stood out, albeit for contrasting
reasons. But probably the best thing to take away from 2002 is the fact that despite
all the turmoil, results were actually very good. Certainly our best home record
since the very early Kingsmeadow days. Credit to managers departed and remaining
for that.
SO, FAREWELL THEN
Of course 2002 saw no more significant farewell to things Kingstonian
than that of former player, player/assistant manager, player/manager, general
manager, chief executive and managing director Christopher Miles Kelly. You know,
the guy who had NOTHING to do with our descent into financial chaos and so should
still be in charge now. Yeah, that guy. Anyway, the other day I saw a small poem
which I thought sent an appropriate message, now that the burdens of K’s
are lifted from his shoulders. I'm sure many of you will echo my sentiments in
this season of peace and goodwill. Out loud on the terraces and in the stands,
if you so wish…
Free your body and soul
Unfold your powerful wings
Climb up the highest mountains
Kick your feet up in the air
You may now relax forever
Or return to this game
Unless you feel good where you are.
Mark Murphy
back up top
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No, I have not developed a stutter. I was just looking for
an eye-catching title for what I hope will be a relatively thought provoking article.
Introduce the idea of SEX and most people will start to read. Although in general
I treat life as a bit of fun, at my age you have to, there are some issues which
I believe should be taken very seriously and this is one. Anyone expecting a bodice-ripping
tale of sexuality and fornication will be sadly disappointed. In fact, if you
are looking for a bit of titillation, you had best go elsewhere now. The title
of this piece stands for the “Financial Football Facts” etc.
No this article is about something that I care deeply about;
the death and destruction of our national game. I suppose that I should apologise
for using the Fanzine for this very personal rant, but unless we all address the
issues with some level of conviction, there will be no need for a Fanzine at all.
Any of the readers that are parents will understand the worry of seeing your child
do something that is likely to be dangerous or even fatal. Imagine how you would
feel to discover your child taking drugs? However, the millions of “so called”
football fans watch on in a state of apparent paralysis as the game tears itself
to pieces with little more than a cursory complaint. This is not a new problem
or one that has occurred over night. The sickness within our game has been apparent
for the last few years. Some may argue even longer. Some years ago I stated that
the game needed a major club to go bankrupt to bring the FA, the Football League
and others to their senses. Now the number of clubs in serious peril is well into
double figures and increasing daily. So how have we got to this state?
Older readers will remember the names, George Eastham and Jimmy
Hill. They helped to revolutionise the salary structures within our game by causing
the previous “maximum wage” to be abolished. George Eastham, a Geordie
playing for Arsenal, went on strike over the wage restrictions, which I seem to
remember were £20 per week. As a result of the abolishment, Johnny Haynes
of Fulham immediately became the first £100 per week player. But this is
too simple. The blame for the demise and financial strangulation of our game cannot
be blamed solely on the wage demands of the players. No, it goes much deeper than
that.
Football has been run for many years by enthusiastic amateurs
with little or no idea of how to run a business but who are just happy to be involved.
After all, they usually get a great seat and a drink at half and full time. Accept
it or not, football is now a very big business. However, as more and more money
is poured into the sport, the level of business acumen at Board level needs to
be far more professional than is currently apparent. Kingstonian is not alone
in this. So it is time to stop and take stock of our clubs. Perhaps, as unpalatable
as it is, a number of clubs may have to go to the wall to bring some sense of
balance back to the game.
So lets’ look at a few options. Now don’t forget
that these are my thoughts and so feel free to shout back at me if you disagree.
I am sure that many of you will anyway. However they are formed after what seems
a lifetime of watching football and twenty-eight years of running a business.
Ok. So if we accept the premise that many of the clubs are run by ignorant tossers,
how do we change that? It is my belief that football itself has to change. So
my administrative suggestions, none of which are particularly radical, are as
follows:
1. The league structure should be changed with only the
Premier, First and Second Divisions being national. All other leagues should be
regionalised and many of the players will have to revert to being part-time.
2. The FA should introduce a wage ceiling relating to income.
This is not a maximum wage but a percentage of turnover that would be reasonable
to pay towards the salary bill. For example a maximum of 60% of a club’s
turnover could be spent on wages. If a club wants to pay the players more, then
the club will have to increase its turnover by whatever legal means it has at
its disposal. Simple really! Last year, according to Deloitte Touche, Blackburn
FC was paying in excess of 150% of its income in salaries (Fulham 190% - ed).
It does not require a mathematics degree to work out that this is a formula for
bankruptcy. Inflated transfer fees will soon disappear and so the assets of a
club, in part the value of its players, will also diminish. For the record, Manchester
United currently pay less than 50% of their income on salaries despite David Beckham.
Since writing this piece the G14, (Europe’s biggest 18 clubs) have agreed
to try to introduce this but at a level of 70%. Still too high, and can anybody
tell me why eighteen clubs are called the G14?
3. All football club boards should contain at least a qualified
accountant, a professional businessman and a member of the club’s Supporters
Club. A solicitor may also come in handy too if the current number of administrations
is to continue.
4. All clubs should register their annual accounts with
the appropriate league for vetting by an independent auditor. This would throw
up early warning signals of possible financial problems. The creditors of Kingstonian,
so cruelly treated in the CVA, would have at least known what they were getting
themselves into, although business judgement would still need to play a part in
the decision making process.
Now those are the legislative actions and would solve many
of the fiscal problems. Other cures are less palatable and quantifiable. The fans
have to lower their sights and expectations. The TV money must be distributed
more fairly. Not all clubs can win the Premiership. Kingstonian will not get 1500
people through the gate every week. Once a year would be nice. The club must never
again build up an overdraft that is higher than its annual income. We must cut
the cloth to suit. We can still dream but those dreams must be founded on reality.
Clubs will still have to take the occasional risk to improve but these must be
calculated gambles. Is that a contradiction in terms I wonder? However the madness,
witnessed recently at Bradford City, must never be allowed to happen again.
So now I must apologise to any of the readers that have stayed
with me through this financial diatribe. As I said I feel strongly about it and
am saddened when I see what has happened to some of our clubs, not least of all
our own. There is a way back though through good sound management. Accrington
Stanley, at the time of writing, is sitting proudly top of the Unibond Premier
league and going like a train. Probably the only train running now in that part
of the North. So don’t give up. Tighten the belts and prepare for a long
and rocky road. If the mind is willing the body will make it.
Come on you K’s.
Rory
back up top
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I have to admit I am unfortunately being proved wrong it would
seem. With the team doing well (at the time of writing) and scoring for fun (but
sometimes defending like the keystone cops), the football has had an edge to it
and we can look to the future with optimism. From any outsider’s point of
view it would seem that the Khoslas have sorted out the club on and off the field.
Maybe so, maybe not.
Ok, so we have a lot to be grateful for - the K's simply may
not have continued to exist otherwise. Although I do ask myself if anybody actually
would have been bothered because there seemed a huge lack of interest and defeatism
from the vast majority of fans after the administrators took over. Most seemed
resigned to the fact that K's would not be playing football this season without
actually trying to do anything about it. If you look back K's fans have been taken
for mugs for years, had to endure problem after problem and have just sat back
and taken it. Now it is time for action.
When Mr Khosla first arrived at the club he was heralded as
our saviour; a man who publicly announced he would clear the debts, set a fair
Ryman League budget for Steve Sedgley and improve (i.e. fix) the facilities. Yet
six months later - Sedge has left, the toilets, Grolsch stand and various other
bits are still in desperate need of repair. Added to the list is a sprinkler system
that has broken, and not to mention the failing and flickering floodlights. Our
only signings have been on free transfers and there is no sign of improving the
squad by adding to our one available striker (having had four last season).
Love him or hate him, Alan Sugar has always said that you have
to speculate to accumulate. There is no doubt that Mr Khosla is a great businessman.
As is Sugar, but a football club needs significant investment before any long-term
profit can be made (if any). Mr Khosla is obviously not a football man - he seems
interested in the function rooms. No problem with that, except that it probably
is no longer the case that profits are being put back into the football club.
Despite having one of the best home forms in the league, our
attendances continue to dwindle. Our fans, here and gone, have been alienated
before with empty promises. 10,000 at Wembley two years in a row and we rested
on our laurels - come the next season it was the same few faces. The excuse that
this is not a football area simply won't wash any more. AFC Wimbledon get 2,500
every other week and are putting money over the bar, for very little effort on
the club’s part. But I hear from my sources that there are signs of discontent
amongst officials and that they have indeed just signed a provisional groundshare
deal with Tooting & Mitcham FC at their new ground from next season onwards.
There were reasons for the club going into administration,
which we are all too aware of. We all sat back and allowed the powers that be
to fob us off for years; we can't afford to let that happen again. Once the £'s
stop coming in from other sources will the current owner pull the plug and just
let the team gradually slide down the divisions, passing AFC en-route into obscurity.
Or, is he going to fix the flooded toilets, get some decent food in the tea bars,
fix the holes in the stand and put stuff in the club shop.
And then maybe 400 may become 500, 600 and so on. There are
a number of decent teams in the Ryman League, but the truth is that it is at it’s
worst for years – just waiting for someone with ambition to take the title.
A few new players would be nice, promotion to the Conference and then crowd swells
up to over 1,000. If you are reading this Mr Khosla, that's 50% more people buying
food, buying drinks in the bar (if they are kept at a reasonable price), buying
stuff from the club shop (If there is stuff they want) and maybe even sponsor
a game or hire the function room for an event.
So I hereby call on Mr Khosla to ‘speculate to accumulate’
and spend some money on getting the simple things right and the rest will start
to fall into place. You will always be remembered as the man who saved the club
and for that all K's fans are truly grateful... don't let yourself become known
as the man who destroyed it.
Richard
back up top
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KINGSTON A-Z
A Advertising hoardings
‘White Paint Ltd’ has fortunately purchased all but six of the sites
around the Kingsmeadow pitch, bringing in much needed revenue to the club.
B Board
Something that Kingstonian Football Club Limited does not yet have.
C Contract
As things stand, at the end of the current season Mark Jones will be the only
player who has one.
D Dorking
15 miles away from Kingsmeadow, Dorking is the latest proposed venue for the Reserve
Team (see 'R') to play.
E Excrement, Pigeon
A perennial problem at Kingsmeadow, as yet unresolved.
F Family
As in "Steve Sedgley (see 'S') wants to spend more time with his family."
G Grass
Plant species previously thought to be prevalent in the Kingston area, but now
considered to be close to extinction.
H Harris, Kim
Soon to be appointed as Steve Sedgley's (see 'S') successor. Ex-Kingstonian centre-forward.
Not as many front teeth as he'd like.
I Injury
Greg Ball's injury halved the number of available strikers at the club.
J Julian Sills
One of the players free to go to another club under the ‘Seven day’
rule.
K Khosla, The Family
As in “The Khosla Family were unavailable for comment.”
L Lights, Flood
Adapted by Air Traffic Control to signal planes coming in from mainland Europe
using Morse Code.
M Mud
Covering favoured over grass (see 'G') for the Kingsmeadow pitch (see 'P').
N Nike
New shirt suppliers to the club. This multi-national company is though unable
to supply hooped shirts as six year-old Koreans can't sew straight enough.
O One
Number of players who will have a contract (see 'C') at the end of this season.
P Pitch
Came top in a recent survey to discover which piece of land is the busiest in
the South-East of England. The main runway at Heathrow narrowly missed out.
Q Queues
Something unseen at Kingstonian home matches this season.
R Reserve Team
Have played the majority of their league matches away from home, and most assuredly
will not be playing on the Athletics Stadium pitch.
S Sedgley, Steve
Manager who resigned "to spend more time with his family" (see 'F'),
previously played for Tottenham Hotspur (see 'T') and worked without a contract
(see 'C').
T Tottenham Hotspur
Five divisions above Kingstonian, but Steve Sedgley (see 'S') expected Kingstonian
to have the same facilities as them. Like a pitch (see 'P').
U Unhappy
Something that Steve Sedgley (see 'S') apparently was not. See 'F'.
V Vic Searle
Appointed as Chief Executive, then quickly un-appointed.
W Wimbledon, AFC
Current tenants of Kingsmeadow. Rumoured to be keen to move away next season,
leaving K's with even less income than they currently enjoy.
X Xmas
As in "If the club are doing well at Xmas more money will be made available."
(Mr Khosla, pre-season).
Y Youth Team
Unbeaten in league matches - none of which have been played on the Kingsmeadow
pitch (see 'P').
Z Zero
The amount of money the club will earn if the entire squad (apart from Mark Jones
of course) leaves at the end of the season.
back up top
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