Marlon King Update (Thankfully Signs for Coventry)

[Macmoish]

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Coventry's decision to sign sex offender Marlon King sparks protest from female fan

By Janine Self Last updated at 12:26 AM on 22nd September 2010

Ann Lucas has been watching Coventry City for nearly half a century but she will not step inside the Ricoh Arena again until convicted sex offender Marlon King is shown the door.

The mother, grandmother and local Labour councillor believes that she has no choice but to boycott the club she loves following King's arrival on a one-year contract on Monday.

Backlash: King leaves court after facing charges of sexual assault

King, 30, was released from prison in July after serving nine months for sexual assault and Lucas is convinced that Coventry's controversial decision to sign him sends out an appalling message to women who have been the victims of similar crimes.
Wigan sacked the striker, who has a string of convictions stretching back to 1997, even though he cost £5million from Watford when he was found guilty of sexual assault and actual bodily harm last year.
'I am a season-ticket holder of 48 years, so I don't know what I'm going to do on a Saturday afternoon,' admitted Lucas.
'But I just cannot support a team which gives employment as a role model to somebody who has been convicted three times for offences against women.
'Footballers are role models whether they like it or not. I know it's a harsh role to put on them but they are and it sends out all the wrong signals. I'm ashamed of our team. If he was a teacher and there was an offence against a pupil and he was on the sex register, you would say he should never teach again.
'This guy is on the sex offenders'
register. Like a lot of clubs, Coventry are a good community club and do a lot of work in the community. Mr King cannot be part of that community work because he is on the sex offenders' register.
High price: Wigan sacked the striker even though he cost £5million from Watford

'Frankly, if you say he should work again, why shouldn't he work at Wigan? They spent £5m on him, they never got their money's worth, and they don't want to touch him; that says everything about him.'

Coventry chairman Ray Ranson gave manager Aidy Boothroyd permission to sign King even though he was aware of a potential backlash from supporters.
The player is believed to be earning £10,000 a week and if he is a success, he will be further rewarded by another deal or a move next summer.

Lucas, who supports victims of domestic violence, made her feelings known to Ranson. 'I wrote to the Coventry chairman and I didn't even get an acknowledgement,' revealed the councillor, who first started watching City in 1962 and who was speaking on BBC 5 Live.
'I have a national role in which I support the victims of domestic violence. While we're trying to protect women who've been beaten, it is clear that violence against young women by young people is still accepted.

'When they do surveys, it's amazing how many boys give reasons why it's OK to hit girls and the number of girls who say it's OK to be hit. If their role models are behaving in this manner, then walking out of prison into a very lucrative job, it's not giving out the right message.
'If King's contract is not renewed I will start watching Coventry again. I can't go while he is anything to do with them. It's breaking my heart. I mean, 48 years of support - can you imagine?'

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1314054/Coventrys-controversial-decision-sign-Marlon-King-sparks-protest-female-fan.html

[toboboly]

Well done to her. Football success shouldn't come at any price.

[blatantfowl]

I spend alot of time in the midlands and I have seen her on local news telly. She puts her points across really well.

She sets the moral standard others should follow. More fool Ranson for not even acknowledging her point of view.

[Lonegunmen]

Full respect to that lady. It'll be heart wrenching for her. We should give her a standing ovation if she comes to Loftus Road and he's not playing.

[cpr]

A season ticket holder for 48 years and doesn't even get an acknowledgement.

Let's hope they lose a few more fans to underline how wrong his signing is.


Having said that, as others have mentioned, thank f*uck it wasn't us!!!!

[Lonegunmen]

48 years a fan, that's a lot of time, obviously she wont be a true Coventry fan if she misses a game though.

[Macmoish]

When Saturday Comes (WSC) Offer a Flashback to a story they published in September 2002

Gillingham will have to persevere without their leading light in attack, as Haydn Parry reports

Gillingham will be spending the season with­out their leading scorer Marlon King, after the striker’s appeal against a conviction for hand­ling stolen goods, namely a BMW convertible, was rejected in July. King’s sentence of 18 mon­ths, initially handed down at the Inner Lon­don Crown Court on May 10, will now be­gin from the date of the appeal.

The verdict in the original case had come as a big shock to the club, even though King’s imminent appearance in court had been no secret to fans as the season drew to a close. It was the stiffest jail term given to a British foot­baller since Mickey Thomas’s conviction in 1993 for passing forged banknotes.

“None of us foresaw this,” said midfielder Simon Osborn. “I’m completely shocked. I can’t work it out.” One moment King had been the toast of Kent for his goalscoring exploits, which included a notable strike against Arse­nal in the FA Cup last February, the next his future prospects were thrown into considerable doubt. After King was sentenced, the nor­mally sanguine Gillingham chairman Paul Scal­ly said: “I am in complete shock. I gen­uine­­ly believe the sentence is excessive considering the offence... He’s been a model professional at this football club. I don’t think there’s a bad bone in Marlon King’s body.”

However, Judge Nicholas Philpott rejected defence pleas that King should be allowed to pursue his career on the football field and re­ferred to the player’s previous convictions, which were revealed to include wounding, theft and using a cloned credit card: “I have no doubt at all this offence on its own, quite apart from your previous record, is far too ser­ious for a community penalty.” King is plan­ning a second appeal. In the immediate aftermath there were inevitable debates among fans as to whether the club were aware of King’s “form”.

Now the dust has settled, supporters such as Chris Lynham of the fanzine Brian Moore’s Head are more circumspect: “I’m prepared to believe that it is possible that he got in with the wrong crowd, made a mess of things and com­pounded it by trying to cover up. But I’ve been resigned to a season without him since the day of the verdict and blanked him from my mind in the way you would a long term injury. The club’s view, I’m sure, is somewhat influenced by any potential transfer fee.”

Gillingham’s reaction been to support the player as he serves his time, with Scally insisting: “I don’t think his football career is in tat­ters. He won’t suddenly become a bad player.” From a commercial point of view, Gillingham have little choice but to stand by their man, as he is the club’s major on-field asset. The 22-year-old has scored 32 goals in 64 appearances over the last two seasons in the First Division, which raised his value as high as £5 million, by his own club’s estimation. Initially Gillingham had been optimistic that King might be eligible for early release on a tagging system. Yet when or even whether King will reappear in a blue shirt is now very uncertain.

It has all come as a major blow to the plans of Gills. Manager Andy Hessenthaler, like his chairman, has been a regular visitor to King in jail. He told the club’s website at the end of July: “He has kept his nose clean and was really looking forward to having his sentence re­duced so he could gear himself up for doing what he does best. I was hoping we might be see­ing him by Christmas, but even with good behaviour, it looks as if it will be a long time before we see him in action again.”

From WSC 187 September 2002. What was happening this month

www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/2677/29/