Post by Macmoish on Jun 28, 2010 7:31:44 GMT
Lancashire Evening Post
PNE must ‘return to sound financial management’
Darren Ferguson has described some first-team contracts as outrageous
Published on Mon Jun 28
Bryan Gray says Deepdale’s financial crisis proves Preston have been living beyond their means for too long.
The ex-North End chairman has weighed in with fresh criticism of the former Deepdale regime after manager Darren Ferguson had described some first-team contracts as ‘outrageous’.
“Having simple financial rules in any business is very important, and in recent times financial stability has been the main problem at Preston,” said Gray. “In football, not spending more on wages than you can afford is golden rule number one.
“At Preston, we always said let’s not spend more than 60 per cent of our revenue on wages. That is something that has not happened for several years.
“Okay, there are huge pressures, but there have always been huge pressures in football and perhaps we take our Championship status for granted.
“Generally football spends more than it has got, we saw that at Leeds and Bradford several years ago, and more recently at Portsmouth when they ran into serious trouble because of their huge wage bills, but you don’t have to go along with that.
“You have to stay firm, sticking to what you think is right – that’s a tough lesson we have to learn.
“Preston have to operate to a structure in future, and return to the sound financial management that Preston has been well known for in the past.”
Gray, Deepdale chief from 1994 to 2001, and the driving force behind Deepdale’s redevelopment, says new chairman Maurice Lindsay is the right man to lead Preston forward.
“Maurice is a hugely experienced figure, and we worked together on the Lancashire Lynx Rugby League project, which was based at Deepdale,” added Gray.
“He will look at things very closely and make the decisions needed, he is a very good appointment.”
Gray – now vice-president of the club – has seen managers Craig Brown, Billy Davies, Paul Simpson and Alan Irvine all come and go since his Deepdale tenure ended.
“Managerial change is not good for any business, and we’ve had too many managers at Preston in the last few years. We also have to return the focus to developing our own players, something Preston was very well known and respected for not too long ago.
“When I look back to the era of Gary Peters and David Moyes, they also did a fantastic job, steering the club to promotion, but they did a lot in promoting the community aspect of PNE, and we need to get back to that.”
Gray added: “When Baxi took over PNE in 1994, the objective was to be in the top tier of the Football League, the Championship, to develop Deepdale, and then have a tilt at the Premier League.
“We’ve had a number of tilts since then, and we’ve been in this league for nearly a decade.I’m sure we can have another go at the Premier League, but first we have to return to a sound financial footing.
“From the other clubs locally, I’m convinced that Preston has the greatest potential for crowds because, crucially, Preston is a football city and we have a great fan base. If we made it to the top flight we could be the most successful Premier League club in this part of Lancashire.”
www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/pne_must_return_to_sound_financial_management_1_794166
PNE must ‘return to sound financial management’
Darren Ferguson has described some first-team contracts as outrageous
Published on Mon Jun 28
Bryan Gray says Deepdale’s financial crisis proves Preston have been living beyond their means for too long.
The ex-North End chairman has weighed in with fresh criticism of the former Deepdale regime after manager Darren Ferguson had described some first-team contracts as ‘outrageous’.
“Having simple financial rules in any business is very important, and in recent times financial stability has been the main problem at Preston,” said Gray. “In football, not spending more on wages than you can afford is golden rule number one.
“At Preston, we always said let’s not spend more than 60 per cent of our revenue on wages. That is something that has not happened for several years.
“Okay, there are huge pressures, but there have always been huge pressures in football and perhaps we take our Championship status for granted.
“Generally football spends more than it has got, we saw that at Leeds and Bradford several years ago, and more recently at Portsmouth when they ran into serious trouble because of their huge wage bills, but you don’t have to go along with that.
“You have to stay firm, sticking to what you think is right – that’s a tough lesson we have to learn.
“Preston have to operate to a structure in future, and return to the sound financial management that Preston has been well known for in the past.”
Gray, Deepdale chief from 1994 to 2001, and the driving force behind Deepdale’s redevelopment, says new chairman Maurice Lindsay is the right man to lead Preston forward.
“Maurice is a hugely experienced figure, and we worked together on the Lancashire Lynx Rugby League project, which was based at Deepdale,” added Gray.
“He will look at things very closely and make the decisions needed, he is a very good appointment.”
Gray – now vice-president of the club – has seen managers Craig Brown, Billy Davies, Paul Simpson and Alan Irvine all come and go since his Deepdale tenure ended.
“Managerial change is not good for any business, and we’ve had too many managers at Preston in the last few years. We also have to return the focus to developing our own players, something Preston was very well known and respected for not too long ago.
“When I look back to the era of Gary Peters and David Moyes, they also did a fantastic job, steering the club to promotion, but they did a lot in promoting the community aspect of PNE, and we need to get back to that.”
Gray added: “When Baxi took over PNE in 1994, the objective was to be in the top tier of the Football League, the Championship, to develop Deepdale, and then have a tilt at the Premier League.
“We’ve had a number of tilts since then, and we’ve been in this league for nearly a decade.I’m sure we can have another go at the Premier League, but first we have to return to a sound financial footing.
“From the other clubs locally, I’m convinced that Preston has the greatest potential for crowds because, crucially, Preston is a football city and we have a great fan base. If we made it to the top flight we could be the most successful Premier League club in this part of Lancashire.”
www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/pne_must_return_to_sound_financial_management_1_794166