What follows is a little something I recently posted to an unofficial but very entertaining Notts County FC mailing list.
I posted in response to a discussion as to whether, in light of the Munto Finance fiasco, Notts could be considered to have cheated their way to the upper echelons of the League Two table.
My email is copied here verbatim, so I apologise for any lack of context.
Have Notts County cheated their way to promotion?
Cheat (v): act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage.
Now, nobody would disagree that we’ve gained an advantage here. We’ve got a playing squad which is well above the standard of the division. But whether we actually cheated depends on whether we acted dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain that advantage. That depends on whether Munto Finance had any intention of fulfilling their promises. And while we can speculate on that point, we’ll probably never know for certain.
The question of whether Notts *have* cheated is, it seems, a rather short-sighted one. The question football needs to answer is whether Notts *were* cheated. Whether the game as a whole was cheated. And, more pertinently, what steps can be taken to prevent similar situations from arising in the first place. If the mystery men of Munto can pass the Football League’s fit and proper persons test, then it appears that the test itself is neither fit nor proper.
Football finances as a whole, it seems, are still firmly rooted in the realms of fantasy. Until clubs learn to live within their means, like any other business, then I worry that nothing will change.
PS: I disagree strongly with the assertion that we shouldn’t care what the fans of other clubs think. My most treasured memory in football is not anything which happened on the pitch: it’s being in the Vat & Fiddle prior to the Luton game in 2003. Seeing fans from all parts of the country – and let’s not forget those from across the river – coming together for the good of the game. In my view, the sheer arrogance shown by many Notts fans after Munto arrived has done nothing to endear us to supporters of other clubs – and who can blame them? However, if we ever find ourselves frozen out by the supporters of other clubs, then I’m afraid my biggest reason for supporting Notts will be lost to me.
Tags: Football, football finance, notts county