Post by QPR Report on Sept 16, 2009 6:29:29 GMT
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"On This Day" in 1996 ..In comes Stewart Houston from Arsenal...
SEPTEMBER 16, 1996: Stewart HOUSTON Takes Over at QPR
Houston lasted at QPR from September 16th 1996 till November 10, 1997.
Soccerbase Stats
Games Won Lost Drawn
QPR 16-09-1996 10-11-1997 63 25 23 15
Arsenal 12-08-1996 16-09-1996 6 2 2 2
Arsenal 21-02-1995 08-06-1996 65 28 19 18
www.soccerbase.com/managers2.sd?managerid=1161
Wikipedia Profile of Houston - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Houston
Scottish Herald
Houston has new mission as Wenger replaces him
16th September 1996
Herald and Times archive
STEWART Houston yesterday arrived as manager at Queens Park Rangers under a barrage of television lights while Frenchman Arsene Wenger's installation as the Scot's successor in the Arsenal hotseat was being confirmed from the far side of the Pacific.
As he took charge of QPR, Houston promised to act on the lessons he learned as George Graham's right-hand man at Arsenal. He was installed as Ray Wilkins' Loftus Road successor three days after quitting his second spell as caretaker manager at Highbury and ending his 10-year association with the Gunners.
But the 47-year-old Houston, who has agreed a three-year contract with Rangers chairman Chris Wright, is determined to make the fullest use of the experience he gained working alongside Graham for almost a decade.
``Anybody who doesn't learn quickly working under George Graham is a fool,'' said former Scottish international defender Houston, who added he had made no decisions about his backroom staff.
``You've got to learn from a manager of that calibre and I gained an enormous amount of knowledge from the man.
``George was a teacher, and also a winner. That was his great strength.''
Houston said that he had spoken to Graham before accepting the QPR job, although he refused to disclose whether he had been offered the chance to team up with him again at Leeds.
He added that the opportunity to test himself as a manager was one he believed he simply had to take. ``I had a conversation with George, and he felt the timing was correct for me,'' said Houston, who had agreed to mind the Highbury hotseat for a second time after Bruce Rioch's eve-of-season sacking.
``They have been a fantastic six weeks, and the strength I have gained has been enormous. What it told me was that it was time for me to progress to a fresh challenge and have a go at being a No.1.''
What might make him feel more comfortable still is the free hand and ``substantial'' amount of transfer cash which the ``delighted'' Wright has given him.
Reports that the departed Wilkins had been told of a #9m pot were dismissed, but Wright added: ``We're not Manchester United or Arsenal, and it's less than #9m, but there is no necessity for him to sell if he wants to bring people in.''
Back at Highbury, Wenger will be handed an open chequebook to restore Arsenal's crumbling credibility.
The 47-year-old Frenchman's appointment - probably the worst-kept secret in football - was confirmed yesterday and he will take over on September 30 with a three-year contract believed to be worth more than #2m.
Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said he expects Wenger to lead the club into a shining new era.
Japanese club Grampus Eight at last rubber-stamped Wenger's move to Arsenal yesterday afternoon, having looked likely at one stage to hold him to the full term of his two-year contract, which does not expire until January.
Hill-Wood insisted: ``I don't see a crisis here, no matter what you might read, and the club is very stable.
``It is a pity we have lost Stewart Houston because he was a very good man for us, but I don't blame him for being ambitious.
``But this signals a new era for us and I believe Arsene Wenger is going to be a great success - and drag football in this country into the twentieth century.''
Wenger admitted in Japan yesterday: ``It is my dream to take over a club in a top European league and if I didn't take the opportunity now, it may never happen.''
There is little doubt that Wenger has already had a strong influence from afar at Highbury, with two French stars, Patrick Vieira and Remi Garde, joining the Gunners last month, just hours after Rioch was sacked.
Hill-Wood confirmed that coach Pat Rice, in charge until Wenger's arrival, is wanted to stay on as No.2.
www.heraldscotland.com/news/12028566.houston-has-new-mission-as-wenger-replaces-him/
.Stewart Houston Appointed QPR Manager (Shows along Arsene Wengner has been in charge!)
The Houston Departure Statement...Not the arrival
STEWART HOUSTON (AND BRUCE RIOCH)
QPR Official Site - November 10, 1997 - BOARD RELEASE HOUSTON AND RIOCH
BOSS Stewart Houston and Assistant Manager Bruce Rioch have parted company with Queens Park Rangers, after a board meeting at Loftus Road on Monday night.
A statement issued by the club read:
"Following a meeting of the Board of QPR, at which Stuart Houston was present, the club has reluctantly decided to release both Stuart Houston and Bruce Rioch.
A caretaker manager will be appointed in the interim period."
Chairman Chris Wright will issue a full statement following the AGM of Loftus Road plc tomorrow afternoon. The excusive interview will be available on this site from around 6pm GMT.
QPR Official Site - November 11, 1997 - THE WRIGHT WAY FORWARD
CHRIS WRIGHT revealed today that fan power had necessitated the removal of Stewart Houston and Bruce Rioch as the managerial team at Loftus Road
As John Hollins was installed as caretaker boss, the chairman insisted he would not be rushed into finding immediate replacements.
" I did feel it was important that Stewart carried the body of the fans with him, we had taken six points from 24 and the feeling was we were not moving in the right direction."
" I know that Stewart never really endeared himself to the fans, he didn't see that as part of his job and I felt Stewart was struggling to carry support with him."
" I wanted to give him until the end of the year, but I felt it was better to make a clean break."
Turning his attention to the fuure and the installation of the new man at the helm, Wright revealed.
" I don't want to lurch from one manager to another. I want to go into this feeling, this is the best man, rather than getting in someone tomorrow afternoon."
" It could be days, weeks, months or even the end of the season."
" Twelve months ago we felt we were a Premiership Club who would be promoted. We gave players contracts thinking we would be back in 12 months time. The reality is now we are a Division One club. To get out of this division is now a priority and we're looking for a manager capable of getting us well equipped to survive and then getting us out of the division."
" We want someone who knows about the Nationwide League and its players, who will bring the best ones to QPR to get us into the Premier League."
As the Rangers supremo laid out his plans, he apologised to Bruce Rioch over the way he had found out about his dismissal, on Ceefax rather than having been informed directly.
" Stewart was to inform Bruce. I don't know why Stewart took a little longer than we anticipated to contact him. I'm genuinely sorry Bruce found out the way he did."
Having aligned himself with popular opinion in making the managerial change, Chris made a personal plea to R's supporters to get back and stand full square behind John Hollins and the team saying.
" This is your club. It's up to you to get behind your team. You've been quiet at home, now show everybody how much you feel for the club. I know your opinions, we've acted on them, now get behind us again."
[JOHN HOLLINS]
QPR Official Site - November 18 - JOHN WANTS TOP JOB
CARETAKER boss John Hollins has expressed a keen interest in becoming the next manager of Queens Park Rangers.
John is in charge on a temporary basis, starting with Saturday's home game against Stoke. But he'd like the job permanently.
Hollins says:"It would be an honour and I'd be very pleased. First things first, though, and we've got one match on Saturday. Let's take each game as it comes and look for a Rangers victory."
"We have some great guys to work with. I want Rangers a happy place to play. Football is an enjoyable game and I enjoy working with the squad. I want these guys to have a smile on their faces, but with grit and determination in matches to make sure we win.
[Originally an AKUTRS Interview with Nick Blackburn...Taken from Boardroom Blues . Fascinating interview]
Nick Blackburn on the Houston Appointment
[After the Wilkins Departure]
CA So how did you go about selecting a new manager?
NB The whole board was involved with this. I wanted to get Alan Curbishley, who I knew, and could have got. There were also other candidates, like George Graham, who was out of work. He was short-listed but went to Leeds in this period. And there was an approach to Terry Venables, but he wasn’t interested. We also had a strong recommendation for Stewart Houston.
CA Who did that come from?
NB He had very good references from within football.
CA But Houston was a coach at that time and not a manager.
NB Well, he’d been caretaker-manager at Arsenal, which had gone well, and it was quite high-level people in the game recommending him. It was felt that because of the PLC flotation coming up, Alan Curbishley was an unknown manager. So, on balance, it was felt, particularly by Chris Wright and Clive Berlin, and I went along with it in the end, and so did everybody else, that Stewart Houston had a higher profile, and would help the flotation more in getting launched. To be fair, I didn’t think he was a bad choice. I just had a feeling about Alan Curbishley, which has since proved to be right. I knew him well. I thought he was an up-and-coming manager, but I was happy with Stewart.
CA So was it a unanimous decision, Houston as manager?
NB It was unanimous in the end, we discussed it, and on balance, we felt he was the right man, although I have to say, I was still strong for Curbishley. So we hired Stewart.
CA And then?
NB Well, Clive Berlin prepared his contract. One of the things Clive said Stewart insisted on putting in his contract was that he appointed his own number two. So we asked Stewart who he had in mind. He said: “I can’t tell you, I can’t tell you, but somebody really good.” Later, Stewart called us and he said I want to come over to Chris Wright’s office and tell you who my number two is. So we all go over. There’s Clive, me, Chris, and somebody else I can’t remember. He told us that his number two is going to be Bruce Rioch. We said: “Are you sure?” But he thought it was fantastic. We went, “Are you sure?”. But we couldn’t change it because it was in his contract that he could appoint his number two. We didn’t think it was a good idea at all.
Not because we thought Bruce was a bad manager. In fact Bruce’s track record is pretty good. But we didn’t think the chemistry between the two of them would work. We kept saying, “Are you sure, Stewart?” and he kept saying, “It’ll be fine.” I then heard that in the first training session he took, Houston called Rioch “Gaffer” in front of the players. The other thing about Stewart was that he was a remarkably honest and decent man, and I think he was a very good coach, But he was very slow to make decisions. We had Matt Jackson on loan at the time, who I thought was a decent player, and Stewart said, “I’m not going to sign him until I’ve watched him a few more times.”
So Matt said, “I’m not going to stay here on trial” and went back to Everton. I always remember, Stewart started quite well and then the club slipped down the table, yet he had money available. But he just wouldn’t sign anyone. Chris was away and he rang me up one day and said,“Tell Stewart, if he doesn’t sign anybody, I’m going to sign some Schtuping players”, because we were still slipping down the table. Eventually he signed John Spencer and Gavin Peaco**, which were good signings, although too expensive unless we’d got back up into the Premier League.
I also remember one of the first board meetings we had with him, when Stewart was talking about Alan MacDonald and was saying that Alan would need to be replaced at some stage. I said to him there’s a centre-half I’ve seen at Oxford, called Matt Elliott, so why don’t we go and get him? And he said, “No, he’s too big and clumsy.” And we all know what happened there. Elliott was a leader. He got goals. He would have been perfect for us. It’s bye the bye, but … anyway, that first season went pretty well. We finished eighth.
CA Can I interrupt you there? At this point we are spending money?
NB Yes, we’re spending money.
CA Were the Board at this point aware of the finances in general?
NB There were no proper management accounts presented at the early board meetings. One of the first things we did when we came in was to appoint a managing director for the PLC, an accountant called Stephen Oakley. He started to do the work to ensure that the Board received up-to-date accounts. The directors at the time included some very experienced businessmen, such as Bob Collier, who was a senior executive at Inter-Continental Hotels, Mark Rigby, who was a partner in Lambert Smith Hampton, Nigel Butterfield, who is a financial director at Chrysalis PLC, and Charles Levison, who was a partner at Harbottle and Lewis.
Clive Berlin was running the managing director at Queens Park Rangers and there was a separate chief executive for Wasps. So although we were non-executive directors, there was a wealth of business experience. We went to the matches and we always felt that Chris Wright would fund the club. He’s a very wealthy man. He was always positive, with a “Yes, let’s do it!” attitude, and also from the flotation there was money in the bank. But there were no real management accounts coming through until later on, probably not until around the February/March of 1997.
CA So if I just take you back to an earlier question I asked. You’ve become a director of the club. It’s not operating like a normal business environment, which you are familiar with. So give me a kind of typical agenda of a normal board meeting both then and now.
NB Well, then, the focus was doing the best we could to get Queens Park Rangers promotion, developing Wasps, and the commercial side of both clubs. Basically, what a lot of new directors do when they first come into sport. CA But was there an agenda at these meetings?
NB Yes, there was an agenda. And, yes, there were some form of accounts produced. It’s a long time ago and I can’t remember. It’s just, (long pause) it wasn’t very disciplined. I think that is the best way to put it. The financial performance was lower down in the pecking order than the performance of the team. Everybody was excited about the first team and how they were doing. Chris had money. It felt like you were with an Al Fayed, a Simon Jordan, that type of situation. It could have been done better, there’s no doubt about it.
CA So that first year, we were going along saying, “We can afford these players, we can get these players, and whoever else we might need” and the performances are slipping slightly. But as a board, you weren’t thinking that there was some kind of financial crisis pending?
NB Not then. Not in the first year. Because there was also still the feeling we could get back up as well.
CA Did you have any idea what the losses might be running at during this time?
NB We knew both Wasps and QPR were losing money. But, as I said earlier, accurate management accounts weren’t produced until the following February or March by Stephen Oakley. We also inherited a team relegated from the Premier League and we were contracted to pay Premier League wages. We believed we had a chance of going up that season, and even if we didn’t go up, we were optimistic about the following year. Everton came in for Trevor Sinclair and Clive Berlin said that they were prepared to pay £4m. I was one of the few who said sell him, because I didn’t think he was an outstanding player for us in his last season. He wanted out anyway if we didn’t go up.
CA Did Trevor ask for a transfer?
NB No, but he was restless. I said, “Take the money, he might get injured anyway.” And sure enough, we played Portsmouth, in March. We won 3-1 and he got injured and never played again that season. But Stewart thought we could go up and, at that time, he also said: “Get me Mike Sheron for next season and I’ll guarantee you promotion.” That was a huge mistake. We paid far too much for Sheron. Clive Berlin said Bolton and Birmingham were both interested and the price kept going up and up. Stewart kept saying, “Get me him, get me him. He’s the one player I want and I’ll get you promotion.”
CA So who was doing all the negotiations?
NB Clive Berlin. Clive was effectively running that side of the club, reporting directly to Chris Wright. Chris would also discuss things with me.
CA Did Chris just come along to board meetings?
NB No, he spoke to Clive. Clive would pop round to his office. Chris is very near the ground. CA And so what was your role as directors? Have you got no choice but to go along with their decisions? NB Well, Chris was the ultimate shareholder. Look, if Chris was prepared to fund it, we agreed, because it was his money. He would keep putting the money in. He put in the money to buy the training ground. That’s another of the myths. We didn’t actually own a training ground until Chris came in. It was rented. Chris lent the club the money tobuy the training ground and then bought it back at a profit for the club. I’ve always felt he’s been quite unfairly treated on that one. And he was generous enough to pay the market price, even though he lent us the money in the first place to buy it. I thought that’s something people have got totally wrong about Chris.
CA Back on the pitch, the end of your first season, the club finished eighth.
NB Yes. And the fans were pretty happy.
CA Were they?
NB Yes. I remember the last home game. We beat Tranmere Rovers 2-0 and the fans weren’t unhappy then. They were happy that Thompson had gone and that Chris was having a go.
CA Were the fans happy with Houston?
NB There was always a doubt about Houston. But we finished eighth, beaten Manchester City away and all that, and there was a feeling of optimism around the club. The last game of the season, we played Bradford City away, and they needed to win to stay up. They beat us 3-0. John Spencer ended up having a huge row with Bruce Rioch, not about the game, but supposedly because John said he didn’t want to go with the Scottish national team on a close-season tour and sit there as a reserve. Bruce Rioch told him he should be proud to represent his country, even if he carried the kit, and John told him, “You’re not a Schtuping proper Scotsman anyway.” (Much laughter).
CA There were rumours around that time about a fight between them.
NB Spencer fell out with Rioch big time, and he was never the same player after that. When Spencer came back the next season, he didn’t want to play for him. We eventually sold him to Everton for £1.7m and we had to give him some money to go.
1997-8 - managerial appointments, player transfers and agents
CA So, what happened that close season?
NB In the summer, we bought Mike Sheron, Lee Harper and Matthew Rose. But Sheron didn’t start straight away. He was injured. We lost to Tranmere away second game of the season. I remember, it was a Friday night game and I knew there were problems in the dressing-room. I had lost my driving licence for speeding at the time but I managed to get a lift back on the team coach.
So I asked Stewart to come and have breakfast with me the next morning, because Chris Wright had asked me to have a word with him. When he came to see me the next day, I told him that I didn’t think Bruce was a bad guy but that it wasn’t working between the two of them. I said, “He’s lost the dressing-room, and if you don’t get rid of him, he’s going to cost you your job.” But he rang back on the Monday and said he’d thought about it, but he wouldn’t push him out. When Sheron came into the team, we beat West Brom 2-0. Ray Harford, who was managing West Brom, then said to me, “If I had your two forwards, Spencer and Sheron, I guarantee I’d win the league.” (laughs). An interesting thing to say. We beat Portsmouth midweek and went second in the table. But after that we took a big dip and Chris decided that he had to get rid of Houston. Eventually he told him.
CA Just around the time of the very first AGM wasn’t it?
NB Yes. There was also a rumour going around at that time that Bruce had only
found out about it on Teletext, which was kind of bollocks really. We did offer to tell Bruce, but Stewart said he wanted to do it personally, didn’t get around to it, and eventually the news of his dismissal broke. But that wasn’t our fault.
CA John Hollins?
NB Yes, we then had John Hollins ..
www.boardroomblues.co.uk/blackburninterview.pdf
"On This Day" in 1996 ..In comes Stewart Houston from Arsenal...
SEPTEMBER 16, 1996: Stewart HOUSTON Takes Over at QPR
Houston lasted at QPR from September 16th 1996 till November 10, 1997.
Soccerbase Stats
Games Won Lost Drawn
QPR 16-09-1996 10-11-1997 63 25 23 15
Arsenal 12-08-1996 16-09-1996 6 2 2 2
Arsenal 21-02-1995 08-06-1996 65 28 19 18
www.soccerbase.com/managers2.sd?managerid=1161
Wikipedia Profile of Houston - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Houston
Scottish Herald
Houston has new mission as Wenger replaces him
16th September 1996
Herald and Times archive
STEWART Houston yesterday arrived as manager at Queens Park Rangers under a barrage of television lights while Frenchman Arsene Wenger's installation as the Scot's successor in the Arsenal hotseat was being confirmed from the far side of the Pacific.
As he took charge of QPR, Houston promised to act on the lessons he learned as George Graham's right-hand man at Arsenal. He was installed as Ray Wilkins' Loftus Road successor three days after quitting his second spell as caretaker manager at Highbury and ending his 10-year association with the Gunners.
But the 47-year-old Houston, who has agreed a three-year contract with Rangers chairman Chris Wright, is determined to make the fullest use of the experience he gained working alongside Graham for almost a decade.
``Anybody who doesn't learn quickly working under George Graham is a fool,'' said former Scottish international defender Houston, who added he had made no decisions about his backroom staff.
``You've got to learn from a manager of that calibre and I gained an enormous amount of knowledge from the man.
``George was a teacher, and also a winner. That was his great strength.''
Houston said that he had spoken to Graham before accepting the QPR job, although he refused to disclose whether he had been offered the chance to team up with him again at Leeds.
He added that the opportunity to test himself as a manager was one he believed he simply had to take. ``I had a conversation with George, and he felt the timing was correct for me,'' said Houston, who had agreed to mind the Highbury hotseat for a second time after Bruce Rioch's eve-of-season sacking.
``They have been a fantastic six weeks, and the strength I have gained has been enormous. What it told me was that it was time for me to progress to a fresh challenge and have a go at being a No.1.''
What might make him feel more comfortable still is the free hand and ``substantial'' amount of transfer cash which the ``delighted'' Wright has given him.
Reports that the departed Wilkins had been told of a #9m pot were dismissed, but Wright added: ``We're not Manchester United or Arsenal, and it's less than #9m, but there is no necessity for him to sell if he wants to bring people in.''
Back at Highbury, Wenger will be handed an open chequebook to restore Arsenal's crumbling credibility.
The 47-year-old Frenchman's appointment - probably the worst-kept secret in football - was confirmed yesterday and he will take over on September 30 with a three-year contract believed to be worth more than #2m.
Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said he expects Wenger to lead the club into a shining new era.
Japanese club Grampus Eight at last rubber-stamped Wenger's move to Arsenal yesterday afternoon, having looked likely at one stage to hold him to the full term of his two-year contract, which does not expire until January.
Hill-Wood insisted: ``I don't see a crisis here, no matter what you might read, and the club is very stable.
``It is a pity we have lost Stewart Houston because he was a very good man for us, but I don't blame him for being ambitious.
``But this signals a new era for us and I believe Arsene Wenger is going to be a great success - and drag football in this country into the twentieth century.''
Wenger admitted in Japan yesterday: ``It is my dream to take over a club in a top European league and if I didn't take the opportunity now, it may never happen.''
There is little doubt that Wenger has already had a strong influence from afar at Highbury, with two French stars, Patrick Vieira and Remi Garde, joining the Gunners last month, just hours after Rioch was sacked.
Hill-Wood confirmed that coach Pat Rice, in charge until Wenger's arrival, is wanted to stay on as No.2.
www.heraldscotland.com/news/12028566.houston-has-new-mission-as-wenger-replaces-him/
.Stewart Houston Appointed QPR Manager (Shows along Arsene Wengner has been in charge!)
The Houston Departure Statement...Not the arrival
STEWART HOUSTON (AND BRUCE RIOCH)
QPR Official Site - November 10, 1997 - BOARD RELEASE HOUSTON AND RIOCH
BOSS Stewart Houston and Assistant Manager Bruce Rioch have parted company with Queens Park Rangers, after a board meeting at Loftus Road on Monday night.
A statement issued by the club read:
"Following a meeting of the Board of QPR, at which Stuart Houston was present, the club has reluctantly decided to release both Stuart Houston and Bruce Rioch.
A caretaker manager will be appointed in the interim period."
Chairman Chris Wright will issue a full statement following the AGM of Loftus Road plc tomorrow afternoon. The excusive interview will be available on this site from around 6pm GMT.
QPR Official Site - November 11, 1997 - THE WRIGHT WAY FORWARD
CHRIS WRIGHT revealed today that fan power had necessitated the removal of Stewart Houston and Bruce Rioch as the managerial team at Loftus Road
As John Hollins was installed as caretaker boss, the chairman insisted he would not be rushed into finding immediate replacements.
" I did feel it was important that Stewart carried the body of the fans with him, we had taken six points from 24 and the feeling was we were not moving in the right direction."
" I know that Stewart never really endeared himself to the fans, he didn't see that as part of his job and I felt Stewart was struggling to carry support with him."
" I wanted to give him until the end of the year, but I felt it was better to make a clean break."
Turning his attention to the fuure and the installation of the new man at the helm, Wright revealed.
" I don't want to lurch from one manager to another. I want to go into this feeling, this is the best man, rather than getting in someone tomorrow afternoon."
" It could be days, weeks, months or even the end of the season."
" Twelve months ago we felt we were a Premiership Club who would be promoted. We gave players contracts thinking we would be back in 12 months time. The reality is now we are a Division One club. To get out of this division is now a priority and we're looking for a manager capable of getting us well equipped to survive and then getting us out of the division."
" We want someone who knows about the Nationwide League and its players, who will bring the best ones to QPR to get us into the Premier League."
As the Rangers supremo laid out his plans, he apologised to Bruce Rioch over the way he had found out about his dismissal, on Ceefax rather than having been informed directly.
" Stewart was to inform Bruce. I don't know why Stewart took a little longer than we anticipated to contact him. I'm genuinely sorry Bruce found out the way he did."
Having aligned himself with popular opinion in making the managerial change, Chris made a personal plea to R's supporters to get back and stand full square behind John Hollins and the team saying.
" This is your club. It's up to you to get behind your team. You've been quiet at home, now show everybody how much you feel for the club. I know your opinions, we've acted on them, now get behind us again."
[JOHN HOLLINS]
QPR Official Site - November 18 - JOHN WANTS TOP JOB
CARETAKER boss John Hollins has expressed a keen interest in becoming the next manager of Queens Park Rangers.
John is in charge on a temporary basis, starting with Saturday's home game against Stoke. But he'd like the job permanently.
Hollins says:"It would be an honour and I'd be very pleased. First things first, though, and we've got one match on Saturday. Let's take each game as it comes and look for a Rangers victory."
"We have some great guys to work with. I want Rangers a happy place to play. Football is an enjoyable game and I enjoy working with the squad. I want these guys to have a smile on their faces, but with grit and determination in matches to make sure we win.
[Originally an AKUTRS Interview with Nick Blackburn...Taken from Boardroom Blues . Fascinating interview]
Nick Blackburn on the Houston Appointment
[After the Wilkins Departure]
CA So how did you go about selecting a new manager?
NB The whole board was involved with this. I wanted to get Alan Curbishley, who I knew, and could have got. There were also other candidates, like George Graham, who was out of work. He was short-listed but went to Leeds in this period. And there was an approach to Terry Venables, but he wasn’t interested. We also had a strong recommendation for Stewart Houston.
CA Who did that come from?
NB He had very good references from within football.
CA But Houston was a coach at that time and not a manager.
NB Well, he’d been caretaker-manager at Arsenal, which had gone well, and it was quite high-level people in the game recommending him. It was felt that because of the PLC flotation coming up, Alan Curbishley was an unknown manager. So, on balance, it was felt, particularly by Chris Wright and Clive Berlin, and I went along with it in the end, and so did everybody else, that Stewart Houston had a higher profile, and would help the flotation more in getting launched. To be fair, I didn’t think he was a bad choice. I just had a feeling about Alan Curbishley, which has since proved to be right. I knew him well. I thought he was an up-and-coming manager, but I was happy with Stewart.
CA So was it a unanimous decision, Houston as manager?
NB It was unanimous in the end, we discussed it, and on balance, we felt he was the right man, although I have to say, I was still strong for Curbishley. So we hired Stewart.
CA And then?
NB Well, Clive Berlin prepared his contract. One of the things Clive said Stewart insisted on putting in his contract was that he appointed his own number two. So we asked Stewart who he had in mind. He said: “I can’t tell you, I can’t tell you, but somebody really good.” Later, Stewart called us and he said I want to come over to Chris Wright’s office and tell you who my number two is. So we all go over. There’s Clive, me, Chris, and somebody else I can’t remember. He told us that his number two is going to be Bruce Rioch. We said: “Are you sure?” But he thought it was fantastic. We went, “Are you sure?”. But we couldn’t change it because it was in his contract that he could appoint his number two. We didn’t think it was a good idea at all.
Not because we thought Bruce was a bad manager. In fact Bruce’s track record is pretty good. But we didn’t think the chemistry between the two of them would work. We kept saying, “Are you sure, Stewart?” and he kept saying, “It’ll be fine.” I then heard that in the first training session he took, Houston called Rioch “Gaffer” in front of the players. The other thing about Stewart was that he was a remarkably honest and decent man, and I think he was a very good coach, But he was very slow to make decisions. We had Matt Jackson on loan at the time, who I thought was a decent player, and Stewart said, “I’m not going to sign him until I’ve watched him a few more times.”
So Matt said, “I’m not going to stay here on trial” and went back to Everton. I always remember, Stewart started quite well and then the club slipped down the table, yet he had money available. But he just wouldn’t sign anyone. Chris was away and he rang me up one day and said,“Tell Stewart, if he doesn’t sign anybody, I’m going to sign some Schtuping players”, because we were still slipping down the table. Eventually he signed John Spencer and Gavin Peaco**, which were good signings, although too expensive unless we’d got back up into the Premier League.
I also remember one of the first board meetings we had with him, when Stewart was talking about Alan MacDonald and was saying that Alan would need to be replaced at some stage. I said to him there’s a centre-half I’ve seen at Oxford, called Matt Elliott, so why don’t we go and get him? And he said, “No, he’s too big and clumsy.” And we all know what happened there. Elliott was a leader. He got goals. He would have been perfect for us. It’s bye the bye, but … anyway, that first season went pretty well. We finished eighth.
CA Can I interrupt you there? At this point we are spending money?
NB Yes, we’re spending money.
CA Were the Board at this point aware of the finances in general?
NB There were no proper management accounts presented at the early board meetings. One of the first things we did when we came in was to appoint a managing director for the PLC, an accountant called Stephen Oakley. He started to do the work to ensure that the Board received up-to-date accounts. The directors at the time included some very experienced businessmen, such as Bob Collier, who was a senior executive at Inter-Continental Hotels, Mark Rigby, who was a partner in Lambert Smith Hampton, Nigel Butterfield, who is a financial director at Chrysalis PLC, and Charles Levison, who was a partner at Harbottle and Lewis.
Clive Berlin was running the managing director at Queens Park Rangers and there was a separate chief executive for Wasps. So although we were non-executive directors, there was a wealth of business experience. We went to the matches and we always felt that Chris Wright would fund the club. He’s a very wealthy man. He was always positive, with a “Yes, let’s do it!” attitude, and also from the flotation there was money in the bank. But there were no real management accounts coming through until later on, probably not until around the February/March of 1997.
CA So if I just take you back to an earlier question I asked. You’ve become a director of the club. It’s not operating like a normal business environment, which you are familiar with. So give me a kind of typical agenda of a normal board meeting both then and now.
NB Well, then, the focus was doing the best we could to get Queens Park Rangers promotion, developing Wasps, and the commercial side of both clubs. Basically, what a lot of new directors do when they first come into sport. CA But was there an agenda at these meetings?
NB Yes, there was an agenda. And, yes, there were some form of accounts produced. It’s a long time ago and I can’t remember. It’s just, (long pause) it wasn’t very disciplined. I think that is the best way to put it. The financial performance was lower down in the pecking order than the performance of the team. Everybody was excited about the first team and how they were doing. Chris had money. It felt like you were with an Al Fayed, a Simon Jordan, that type of situation. It could have been done better, there’s no doubt about it.
CA So that first year, we were going along saying, “We can afford these players, we can get these players, and whoever else we might need” and the performances are slipping slightly. But as a board, you weren’t thinking that there was some kind of financial crisis pending?
NB Not then. Not in the first year. Because there was also still the feeling we could get back up as well.
CA Did you have any idea what the losses might be running at during this time?
NB We knew both Wasps and QPR were losing money. But, as I said earlier, accurate management accounts weren’t produced until the following February or March by Stephen Oakley. We also inherited a team relegated from the Premier League and we were contracted to pay Premier League wages. We believed we had a chance of going up that season, and even if we didn’t go up, we were optimistic about the following year. Everton came in for Trevor Sinclair and Clive Berlin said that they were prepared to pay £4m. I was one of the few who said sell him, because I didn’t think he was an outstanding player for us in his last season. He wanted out anyway if we didn’t go up.
CA Did Trevor ask for a transfer?
NB No, but he was restless. I said, “Take the money, he might get injured anyway.” And sure enough, we played Portsmouth, in March. We won 3-1 and he got injured and never played again that season. But Stewart thought we could go up and, at that time, he also said: “Get me Mike Sheron for next season and I’ll guarantee you promotion.” That was a huge mistake. We paid far too much for Sheron. Clive Berlin said Bolton and Birmingham were both interested and the price kept going up and up. Stewart kept saying, “Get me him, get me him. He’s the one player I want and I’ll get you promotion.”
CA So who was doing all the negotiations?
NB Clive Berlin. Clive was effectively running that side of the club, reporting directly to Chris Wright. Chris would also discuss things with me.
CA Did Chris just come along to board meetings?
NB No, he spoke to Clive. Clive would pop round to his office. Chris is very near the ground. CA And so what was your role as directors? Have you got no choice but to go along with their decisions? NB Well, Chris was the ultimate shareholder. Look, if Chris was prepared to fund it, we agreed, because it was his money. He would keep putting the money in. He put in the money to buy the training ground. That’s another of the myths. We didn’t actually own a training ground until Chris came in. It was rented. Chris lent the club the money tobuy the training ground and then bought it back at a profit for the club. I’ve always felt he’s been quite unfairly treated on that one. And he was generous enough to pay the market price, even though he lent us the money in the first place to buy it. I thought that’s something people have got totally wrong about Chris.
CA Back on the pitch, the end of your first season, the club finished eighth.
NB Yes. And the fans were pretty happy.
CA Were they?
NB Yes. I remember the last home game. We beat Tranmere Rovers 2-0 and the fans weren’t unhappy then. They were happy that Thompson had gone and that Chris was having a go.
CA Were the fans happy with Houston?
NB There was always a doubt about Houston. But we finished eighth, beaten Manchester City away and all that, and there was a feeling of optimism around the club. The last game of the season, we played Bradford City away, and they needed to win to stay up. They beat us 3-0. John Spencer ended up having a huge row with Bruce Rioch, not about the game, but supposedly because John said he didn’t want to go with the Scottish national team on a close-season tour and sit there as a reserve. Bruce Rioch told him he should be proud to represent his country, even if he carried the kit, and John told him, “You’re not a Schtuping proper Scotsman anyway.” (Much laughter).
CA There were rumours around that time about a fight between them.
NB Spencer fell out with Rioch big time, and he was never the same player after that. When Spencer came back the next season, he didn’t want to play for him. We eventually sold him to Everton for £1.7m and we had to give him some money to go.
1997-8 - managerial appointments, player transfers and agents
CA So, what happened that close season?
NB In the summer, we bought Mike Sheron, Lee Harper and Matthew Rose. But Sheron didn’t start straight away. He was injured. We lost to Tranmere away second game of the season. I remember, it was a Friday night game and I knew there were problems in the dressing-room. I had lost my driving licence for speeding at the time but I managed to get a lift back on the team coach.
So I asked Stewart to come and have breakfast with me the next morning, because Chris Wright had asked me to have a word with him. When he came to see me the next day, I told him that I didn’t think Bruce was a bad guy but that it wasn’t working between the two of them. I said, “He’s lost the dressing-room, and if you don’t get rid of him, he’s going to cost you your job.” But he rang back on the Monday and said he’d thought about it, but he wouldn’t push him out. When Sheron came into the team, we beat West Brom 2-0. Ray Harford, who was managing West Brom, then said to me, “If I had your two forwards, Spencer and Sheron, I guarantee I’d win the league.” (laughs). An interesting thing to say. We beat Portsmouth midweek and went second in the table. But after that we took a big dip and Chris decided that he had to get rid of Houston. Eventually he told him.
CA Just around the time of the very first AGM wasn’t it?
NB Yes. There was also a rumour going around at that time that Bruce had only
found out about it on Teletext, which was kind of bollocks really. We did offer to tell Bruce, but Stewart said he wanted to do it personally, didn’t get around to it, and eventually the news of his dismissal broke. But that wasn’t our fault.
CA John Hollins?
NB Yes, we then had John Hollins ..
www.boardroomblues.co.uk/blackburninterview.pdf
