Rosyth chairman battles to save club
Ally McRoberts • Published 18 Feb 2010 08:30
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THE defiant chairman of juniors side Rosyth Recreation has declared the club will survive the financial crisis that has seen their manager and half their players leave.
David Ogg issued the pledge after a cash crisis prompted league bosses to give them a two-week break from fixtures to sort the club's off-field problems.
With Rosyth seemingly on the brink of collapse, management duo Jason McCrindle and Myles Allan resigned and only nine of the 18 man-squad are left - and one has a long-term injury.
But Mr Ogg said, "I can guarantee that the club will rise again. We're not prepared to let it go and it's certainly not doom and gloom.
"We will have a team on the park for our game a week on Saturday."
He continued, "The club is not going to be carrying a debt and the future is looking bright.
"I've had conversations with a couple of guys about the manager's position, there are good notes of interest and I've told them how the club will go forward.
"We'll maybe have a couple of marquee players on £10 a week but the rest we'll nurture with a three-year plan to put the club back up where it belongs."
Club secretary Alf Blair said, "We initially thought the club would fold but we're still here.
"The management duo resigned as they were getting pressure from the boys, asking when the next wage was coming in.
"We need another five or six players just to get a team on the pitch for next week and that's why the Scottish Juniors Football Association gave us a two-week amnesty."
Tom Johnston, secretary of the SJFA, confirmed, "Their game against Oakley United didn't go ahead on Saturday and the regional secretary hasn't given them a game this week to buy them some time and see if they can survive.
"It will allow them to re-appraise the situation and see if they can keep going at least until the end of the season."
He added, "Once a club goes under it's sometimes very difficult for them to come back - we've had that scenario in the past - so we've taken this action to try and help them out.
"A lot of teams are struggling, the winter weather has caught out one or two but no-one else is in quite the same critical situation as Rosyth.
"We sent all the clubs £1000 to help them financially over this difficult period so we've tried everything we can and the club are also doing their bit."
Rosyth play in the East Region Central League but the club has endured a nightmare season with three management teams having come and gone with ex-police officer Chris McGinn jailed for drugs offences when he was in charge.
Mr Ogg, who said that he had put a "five figure" sum into the club over the past few seasons, stated, "The club has got a good name, we've a cracking park and there are loads of plus points but we've been dragged through the mud this season.
"That was bad enough (when McGinn was jailed), Rosyth has never known anything like that, but we've also been hit by the worst winter in 30 years which has meant we've not played since 5th December.
"With no income coming in and too many wrong decisions at committee, management and player level, it's been very difficult."
Mr Ogg said that he felt "let down" by McCrindle and that the management pair "knew the financial status" of the club when they took charge.
He added that no-one was due money and that some players had been earning more than those appearing for teams two divisions above them.
"Contracts which were signed and offered by the previous management meant some were paid more than players get in the Super League," he said.
"You have to honour these contracts but we didn't get that support back from a number of players, who were only in it for themselves.
"They took out more than they put in but we do have eight players and I'll shake every one of them by the hand who are sticking by the club."
Rosyth have been in promotion contention for much of the season and Mr Blair said, "The push for promotion is out of the window unless we can get the right players in.
"However, the nucleus of the team that put us in promotion contention is still here so who's to say what can happen?"
The Press was unable to contact former boss McCrindle.
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