Post by QPR Report on Dec 25, 2009 11:37:12 GMT
(From a couple days ago; but didn't previously see)
Daily Mail - Dec 23, 2009
EXCLUSIVE: Martin Allen's shock at being tainted as a racist - football's greatest taboo - By Neil Moxley
23rd December 2009
Martin Allen begins to recite his list. ‘The first one on the phone was Elvis Hammond,’
he says, ‘then Drissa Diallo, Justin Richards, Barry Hayles.
‘Then Isaiah Rankin, Deon Burton, Jamie Smith, Junior Lewis, Sam Sodje, Jude Stirling — I’m godfather to Jude’s daughter — Clive Platt.
‘And then there were the lads I had on my staff. George Bankole, my player-coach at Brentford and MK Dons. He’s a big bloke, George, difficult to miss. Junior Lewis, Jamie Smith helped me at MK Dons with the reserves.
‘The list of black players I’ve managed and the lads I’ve had on my staff is endless.’
And the recital goes on.
Allen isn’t looking for redemption. He’s making his point. He has been accused — and now cleared — of football’s ultimate sin. Being a racist.
Time to reflect: Allen wants to get back into football management as soon as he can
Cheltenham Town’s former manager was suspended by the club following allegations levelled at him by a doorman after an evening out that went wrong.
The allegation was investigated by Gloucestershire Police, who found there was no case to answer. The club then cleared him of the charges too after a detailed investigation.
Agreement has since been reached regarding the mutual termination of his employment and the payment of his contract. Yesterday Cheltenham appointed Mark Yates as his successor.
But Allen needs to set the record straight. You can accuse a manager of many things. He can lack a sense of humour (Rafa Benitez) or humility (Jose Mourinho). He can even dislike referees with a passion (Neil Warnock).
But not racism. Football’s dressing rooms are supposed to be the ultimate meritocracy, after all.
A nightclub doorman had refused Allen, along with his son and a group of his son’s friends, entry into a Cheltenham nightclub. Some words were exchanged. No punches were thrown, and there was no fracas.
Five weeks later, Allen is preparing to go to work when there is a knock at his door. ‘The club secretary turned up at my front door at 7.45am with a letter telling me I had been put on gardening leave,’ he said. ‘He also carried a copy of the local newspaper which told the good people of Cheltenham about the allegations. But I hadn’t even been informed.
‘The doorman had made a fresh allegation that I had made a racial comment to him. This was more than five weeks after the incident. He had made no mention at all of this alleged comment when he spoke to the club a few days after the matter. He had suddenly come up with this, out of thin air.’
To say it was a shock was an understatement. ‘I just sat at the bottom of the stairs and couldn’t believe what I was reading. It was untrue and out of the blue.
‘Two of the staff were upstairs at my house, asleep. They were staying with me to save the club some money. I told them to go to work, they had their jobs to do. Obviously, the news surfaced and my phone started ringing.’
The night out that led to Allen’s nightmare began genially enough but quickly turned sour. ‘My son came up from London with some friends for the weekend. I had arranged for VIP tickets to be put on the door of a club, but they wouldn’t hand over those tickets after they had queued up to get in.
‘I didn’t agree with the insulting manner in which the doorman spoke to my son when he went up to get those tickets. I would challenge any father not to do the same as I did. Rightly or wrongly, a few words were exchanged. It lasted no more than 30 seconds and we left.
‘Was I drunk? No. I’d had a couple of beers. Did I want to go into the club myself? No. Did I utter any language that could be in any way construed as racist? Absolutely not.
‘So, this happened on Saturday night. I spoke to the chairman on Monday and he told me to carry on as normal. Five weeks later, there’s the knock at my door.’
Emotions run high: Allen joins Brentford's celebrations as they beat Sunderland in the FA Cup in 2006 with two goals by DJ Campbell (third right)
Allen had to stomach the headlines, the whispers and the stigma. But worse was to come.
‘The most horrible and hurtful moment was when I was asked to attend a police station,’ he said. ‘I’ve only ever seen this on television... you wonder whether you are acting out a bad dream.
‘Those words, “will be taken down in evidence...” I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was shocking. Horrible.
‘The police were friendly, reasonable. The copper who investigated it never openly said as such, but it was clear to me they knew I wasn’t guilty.
‘They later confirmed there was no basis in the allegations and no action would be taken. I am considering legal action against the doorman for defamation.’
Allen needed a fresh start after become a casualty of Milan Mandaric’s regime at Leicester City. Where better than Cheltenham, where his dad, Denis, had been manager for five years in the 1970s.
‘I had a soft spot for the club,’ he said. ‘I would have been seven or eight when my dad was in charge. I was in the dressing room during the Southern League days. I was on the bench, on the team bus.
‘I travelled everywhere. Bedworth United, AP Leamington. I even went to an FA Cup tie years ago to deepest, darkest south Wales — Ton Pentre.
‘I had a lot of good memories tied up in that club. But there was a job to be done when I turned up. My brief was to change things around. The squad were quite old.
‘We had to cut the wage bill. We had to let the chief scout, fitness coach and a video analyst go. It’s not only livelihoods because they were doing good jobs. We needed the money elsewhere.
‘Lads stayed at my house to save the club money. Elvis Hammond, Drissa Diallo. I had to perform some difficult tasks. The club’s I’ve been at, Barnet were struggling,
Brentford were and it was similar at Cheltenham.
‘That’s why I was taken into those football clubs, to do what other people might not like to. MK Dons had been relegated twice. There was a big-time Charlie atmosphere in the dressing room.
‘Change upsets people.’
Back in the day: Allen takes on Newcastle's Rob Lee suring his West Ham pomp
Allen has got it off his chest, but is still upset. He’s now an out-of-work football manager.
‘It can’t sour me,’ he said. ‘I don’t feel sour and I won’t let it. The League Managers’ Association and my lawyers, Russell Jones & Walker, have been very supportive, very helpful and it has been all sorted out contractually.’
LMA chief executive Richard Bevan said: ‘Football managers are figures in the public eye and it is all too easy for untrue accusations to be made which can unfairly damage reputations.
‘Martin has always had an exemplary record of dealing with players of all ethnic origins and has been a committed champion of the Kick Racism out of Football campaign for many years.’
Allen added: ‘I want to get back to work, doing what I love and know best, being a manager.’
There just remains one puzzle to clear up. Why was it that two of his son’s friends, who stood beside him in the queue, didn’t take offence or give evidence against him? After all, they were black, too.
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1237812/EXCLUSIVE-Martin-Allens-shock-tainted-racist--footballs-greatest-taboo.html#ixzz0ahQmKuLe
Daily Mail - Dec 23, 2009
EXCLUSIVE: Martin Allen's shock at being tainted as a racist - football's greatest taboo - By Neil Moxley
23rd December 2009
Martin Allen begins to recite his list. ‘The first one on the phone was Elvis Hammond,’
he says, ‘then Drissa Diallo, Justin Richards, Barry Hayles.
‘Then Isaiah Rankin, Deon Burton, Jamie Smith, Junior Lewis, Sam Sodje, Jude Stirling — I’m godfather to Jude’s daughter — Clive Platt.
‘And then there were the lads I had on my staff. George Bankole, my player-coach at Brentford and MK Dons. He’s a big bloke, George, difficult to miss. Junior Lewis, Jamie Smith helped me at MK Dons with the reserves.
‘The list of black players I’ve managed and the lads I’ve had on my staff is endless.’
And the recital goes on.
Allen isn’t looking for redemption. He’s making his point. He has been accused — and now cleared — of football’s ultimate sin. Being a racist.
Time to reflect: Allen wants to get back into football management as soon as he can
Cheltenham Town’s former manager was suspended by the club following allegations levelled at him by a doorman after an evening out that went wrong.
The allegation was investigated by Gloucestershire Police, who found there was no case to answer. The club then cleared him of the charges too after a detailed investigation.
Agreement has since been reached regarding the mutual termination of his employment and the payment of his contract. Yesterday Cheltenham appointed Mark Yates as his successor.
But Allen needs to set the record straight. You can accuse a manager of many things. He can lack a sense of humour (Rafa Benitez) or humility (Jose Mourinho). He can even dislike referees with a passion (Neil Warnock).
But not racism. Football’s dressing rooms are supposed to be the ultimate meritocracy, after all.
A nightclub doorman had refused Allen, along with his son and a group of his son’s friends, entry into a Cheltenham nightclub. Some words were exchanged. No punches were thrown, and there was no fracas.
Five weeks later, Allen is preparing to go to work when there is a knock at his door. ‘The club secretary turned up at my front door at 7.45am with a letter telling me I had been put on gardening leave,’ he said. ‘He also carried a copy of the local newspaper which told the good people of Cheltenham about the allegations. But I hadn’t even been informed.
‘The doorman had made a fresh allegation that I had made a racial comment to him. This was more than five weeks after the incident. He had made no mention at all of this alleged comment when he spoke to the club a few days after the matter. He had suddenly come up with this, out of thin air.’
To say it was a shock was an understatement. ‘I just sat at the bottom of the stairs and couldn’t believe what I was reading. It was untrue and out of the blue.
‘Two of the staff were upstairs at my house, asleep. They were staying with me to save the club some money. I told them to go to work, they had their jobs to do. Obviously, the news surfaced and my phone started ringing.’
The night out that led to Allen’s nightmare began genially enough but quickly turned sour. ‘My son came up from London with some friends for the weekend. I had arranged for VIP tickets to be put on the door of a club, but they wouldn’t hand over those tickets after they had queued up to get in.
‘I didn’t agree with the insulting manner in which the doorman spoke to my son when he went up to get those tickets. I would challenge any father not to do the same as I did. Rightly or wrongly, a few words were exchanged. It lasted no more than 30 seconds and we left.
‘Was I drunk? No. I’d had a couple of beers. Did I want to go into the club myself? No. Did I utter any language that could be in any way construed as racist? Absolutely not.
‘So, this happened on Saturday night. I spoke to the chairman on Monday and he told me to carry on as normal. Five weeks later, there’s the knock at my door.’
Emotions run high: Allen joins Brentford's celebrations as they beat Sunderland in the FA Cup in 2006 with two goals by DJ Campbell (third right)
Allen had to stomach the headlines, the whispers and the stigma. But worse was to come.
‘The most horrible and hurtful moment was when I was asked to attend a police station,’ he said. ‘I’ve only ever seen this on television... you wonder whether you are acting out a bad dream.
‘Those words, “will be taken down in evidence...” I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was shocking. Horrible.
‘The police were friendly, reasonable. The copper who investigated it never openly said as such, but it was clear to me they knew I wasn’t guilty.
‘They later confirmed there was no basis in the allegations and no action would be taken. I am considering legal action against the doorman for defamation.’
Allen needed a fresh start after become a casualty of Milan Mandaric’s regime at Leicester City. Where better than Cheltenham, where his dad, Denis, had been manager for five years in the 1970s.
‘I had a soft spot for the club,’ he said. ‘I would have been seven or eight when my dad was in charge. I was in the dressing room during the Southern League days. I was on the bench, on the team bus.
‘I travelled everywhere. Bedworth United, AP Leamington. I even went to an FA Cup tie years ago to deepest, darkest south Wales — Ton Pentre.
‘I had a lot of good memories tied up in that club. But there was a job to be done when I turned up. My brief was to change things around. The squad were quite old.
‘We had to cut the wage bill. We had to let the chief scout, fitness coach and a video analyst go. It’s not only livelihoods because they were doing good jobs. We needed the money elsewhere.
‘Lads stayed at my house to save the club money. Elvis Hammond, Drissa Diallo. I had to perform some difficult tasks. The club’s I’ve been at, Barnet were struggling,
Brentford were and it was similar at Cheltenham.
‘That’s why I was taken into those football clubs, to do what other people might not like to. MK Dons had been relegated twice. There was a big-time Charlie atmosphere in the dressing room.
‘Change upsets people.’
Back in the day: Allen takes on Newcastle's Rob Lee suring his West Ham pomp
Allen has got it off his chest, but is still upset. He’s now an out-of-work football manager.
‘It can’t sour me,’ he said. ‘I don’t feel sour and I won’t let it. The League Managers’ Association and my lawyers, Russell Jones & Walker, have been very supportive, very helpful and it has been all sorted out contractually.’
LMA chief executive Richard Bevan said: ‘Football managers are figures in the public eye and it is all too easy for untrue accusations to be made which can unfairly damage reputations.
‘Martin has always had an exemplary record of dealing with players of all ethnic origins and has been a committed champion of the Kick Racism out of Football campaign for many years.’
Allen added: ‘I want to get back to work, doing what I love and know best, being a manager.’
There just remains one puzzle to clear up. Why was it that two of his son’s friends, who stood beside him in the queue, didn’t take offence or give evidence against him? After all, they were black, too.
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1237812/EXCLUSIVE-Martin-Allens-shock-tainted-racist--footballs-greatest-taboo.html#ixzz0ahQmKuLe