No news is...?

Good news or bad news? There has not been a lot to blog about over the last week but today sees some press coverage. Pappa Smurf was on the radio yesterday and has laid down the law as he sees it. "Vote for me or kiss goodbye to your football club" seems to be the message. It is not hard to understand why when you read an excellent article in today's Guardian which highlights the ever more labyrinthine financial plight of the club. I urge you to read it and then leave any thoughts you might have in the comments section.

For Bates to not be in control of the club after June 1st's meeting of the clubs creditors will take nothing short of a miracle. Faceless off-shore bank accounts and consortiums with unknown directors control enough of the clubs debt to veto anyone else other than Bates despite his derisory offer of just 1p in the £1. Why will they do this? No-one really knows - my hunch is they have links to Bates but so far no-one has been able to find them.

Highlights of the report sent to creditors outlining the money owed make interesting, if not downright frightening, reading. We owe everyone from Leeds Met Uni to a mobile disco company to St Johns Ambulance to, god only knows why, Danny Mills. I liked Danny, decent lad, decent player and seemed to be in the "Leeds mould" but he hasn't played for us since 2003 and we still owe him money. How did Bates not sort this out? There are more questions to ask than I have time to think of, let alone write. I have no idea how long this will take to sort out and the more I learn the more uncomfortable I begin to feel about Bates and his shadowy dealings. There are not many people who have good things to say about the man. He saved Chelsea only to nearly ruin them again before Roman stepped in with his roubles. I pray the same does not happen here.