An Odd Weekend of News

So I was busy for most of Sunday or all of yester not giving me a chance to contribute to the debate and gossip about the chairmanship. And now that all seems to have settled down I don’t really have much new to add to the equation.

The al-Hasawi's

But with Fawaz becoming the main man after the recent financial scandals, it does make you wonder what the actual reasons behind the moves were. There is mixed debate on this subject. Fawaz was embarrassed by the mishandling of accounts and bills being paid and wants to take direct control.

Or the other that this move was always planned for the New Year, with Omar having more expertise in the British world of business, and therefore business law etc, it would be better for a bedding in period before Fawaz took full control of what is essentially his baby.

I have no qualms with either reasoning. It isn’t to have the club splashed across the papers for being stranded without a working club credit card. Or for that matter the rumours of unpaid wages and agent fee’s, which on the surface looks appalling, but is actually quite common practice in most business for a lot of bills to have gone unpaid for a while (well everyone I’ve ever worked for anyway) But it makes good copy, especially for owners we still know relatively little about. We still aren’t sure just how wealthy they are after all.

Anyway, in the midst of all this, Fawaz announced when 24-7 had already speculated about the new big screens coming to the ground. It was a badly kept secret that these would be in for Boxing Day, all but confirmed anyway when the seats were missing in the Bridgford End last week, and pictures of cabling reading to be connected up.

This and the unconfirmed gossip about the fact we are now aiming for promotion not next season or the year after but immediately this campaign. Not sure why the change of focus. It could be they see the division as wide open and this is a good chance as any. Or it could be the much worse fact that yes, they aren’t as wealthy as we thought and it’s do or die now. If we don’t get up, we’re doomed. Which the doom merchants on Twitter love as a theory. Which is true? I don’t know. Good old conjecture though, never stops the Forest Twitter timeline churning; I don’t know the answer, let's make something up and treat it as gospel.

Stephen McLaughlin - apparently about to sign

And after all this comes the news of a signing near enough tied up. Derry City winger Stephen McLaughlin has all but been agreed it seems. The 20 year old was James McClean at Sunderland’s replacement, and he was at times a revelation last year. If this guy can do anywhere near that we may be laughing (even if McCleans form has dropped considerably) we need natural width, and if he comes it may well spell the end of Coppinger. He could, and I stress could, be our new McCleary. And by that I also mean he might take a while to bed in and get up to speed.

On that note, Coppinger, after his comments (I wanted to put outburst but it really wasn’t) that he is not enjoying his stay as he has always played 40 games a season. Well newsflash James, you just made a step up, and in terms of that you have to expect to maybe not always play. If you want to lack ambition and play every week at a lesser club then go on. Go back to Donny.

Matt Derbyshire has also said he wants to leave, which isn’t a shock in the slightest. The proof in the pudding will be if he does, where he goes. As surely it would mean a hefty drop in wages. Those trips to the Cinema don’t pay for themselves. Neither does his wife’s endless shopping trips.

There is a bit of talk around David McGoldrick too, seeing as McGoaldrought has found his scoring boots again, and is firing them in for Coventry. Another 2 this weekend, and in perfect time foe the transfer window. Surely a player isn’t improving in time for the shop window? How very cynical. If he does go, we can probably sneak a fee now as before I assumed he’d leave on a free this January. Again taking a pay cut maybe an issue, but goal shy Championship clubs might now be sniffing around. Barnsley love our ex players, why not them?

Oh and actual news where it matters, on the pitch, we drew 0-0 with Brighton. Good result on the face of it. Although apparently he performance was lacking somewhat

Financial Issues? Or More Bad Journalism?

It was reported in some gutter press this week that we hadn’t paid our players or some agent fees. This was left alluding to a financial cash flow problem at the club but not confirmed.

One report is it’s a glitch with the BAC’s payment system at the club. Whether this is the case as with most of this article is speculation at best.

There are mixed rumours on the net surrounding whether we had or hadn’t paid these wages. One person suggested on the forum it was a definite fact without actually providing anything other than hearsay, whilst another forum member (IntotheForest) cited he has a friend employed by the club in the shop, and that any issue affected paying the wages of players would surely also affect retail staff.

That is a distinct possibility. Whether there is a separation or demarcation between different divisions of the club and how wages are paid I have no idea. One thing I do know is that other clubs when in trouble generally don’t pay admin, retail or playing staff all at the same time. SO this would probably indicate it’s bollocks.

But that ascribes the same structure at other clubs to Forest. There might be a separate division or part of the “company” that pays the non essential non playing staff.

This is all pure conjecture mind you. And I tend to think it’s something that isn’t a problem. If it was why would be in the process of spending large sums on sprucing up the stadium? And up to a reported £1million on big screens and rolling adverts. This is all an expense that if there was a problem would definitely be shelved.

The only other thing was potentially a delay in transferring Kuwaiti funds over to the UK if this is true. That may have seen some arranged payments missed, but again this is all guesswork and potentially all smoke and mirrors.

The main part for me is that there hasn’t been mass hysteria about this like we would have seen last week. Seems like an attempt to make a mountain out of a molehill and make issues with our new owners again by the press.

I think we all remember the ridiculousness of the Daily Mail piece that suggested after a week of the new regime that we’d be only signing Arabic players and that because we hadn’t spent big our new owners were penniless. People just seem to want to create issues with the al-Hasawi's, thankfully its people with no bearing on matters and not the Nottingham press, but ill informed nationals.

However thanks to our friends over the river, everyone starts muttering “Munto” and thinking it could all be that. It isn’t. But it still plays into opposing fans and detractors hands.

Everything is fine