DON'T SELL CLYDE DOWN THE RIVER; Brown: We need a Murray or McCann to save club I love.Byline: HUGH KEEVINS FORMER Clyde boss Craig Brown Craig Brown may refer to:
McCann's wealth stemmed initially from a golf vacation company, based in Montreal and Phoenix, Arizona. He is best known for his involvement in Celtic F.C., the football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. , a David Murray David Murray may refer to:
Brown managed Clyde for 10 years when they were based at their spiritual home of Shawfield. And the man who would go on to become Scotland manager served his apprenticeship at a club where it was boardroom philosophy never to enter the red at the bank. But Brown understands that debtridden Clyde are in such dire straits Noun 1. dire straits - a state of extreme distress desperate straits straits, strait, pass - a bad or difficult situation or state of affairs they need a business-mindedwhite knight who's prepared to watch their money go up in smoke in order to fight a fire that's raging out of control. Brown said: "I'm a traditionalist and I can't bear to see anything happen to a club who are part of the fabric of Scottish football. "But I'm also a realist and know Clyde need a financial backer who is prepared to lose money in the interests of saving the club. History "I can remember bringing Norwich owner Delia Smith to a meeting. She explained that owning a football club was like burning the biggest bundle of pounds 50 notes you could find. "That's why Clyde need someone like her or a Fergus or Sir David." Clyde now live in a home rented from North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire (Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath in Gaelic) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the north east of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. Council. The local government authority, as Record Sport revealed, want unpaid bills amounting to pounds 146,000 within the next three weeks or the doors close at Broadwood. Brown would prefer to see the club accept anybody's money rather than watch 132 years of history die. He said: "Clyde gets under your skin. I took over from Billy McNeill
"The chairman's instructions to me were to sell a player and I shifted Stevie Archibald to Aberdeen for pounds 25,000.That was the old-fashioned means of book-keeping that kept Scottish football ticking over. "Pat Nevin was getting pounds 45 a week with Clyde when we asked Chelsea to pay pounds 200,000 for him. "The case went to a tribunal and their then owner, Ken Bates, asked me how I could ask for that fee when the player was so lowly paid. "I told him we didn't pay players what they were worth, we payed what we could afford. The tribunal gave us pounds 95,000 and Clyde was allowed to go on successfully." The move from the East End of Glasgow to an adopted home in Lanarkshire has ultimately proved to have had a detrimental effect. The heart and soul might not have been ripped out of Clyde but the profit and loss accounts show ailments of another kind. And they'll prove to be fatal unless there is an immediate cash injection. Brown said: "I got a text from John Brown, the present manager, having a laugh about what the job entails. "He said,'I've revived a chant associated with Clyde, 'Brown must go'. "I know how John will be feeling now. I belonged to a part of the club's history when I could have told you the tea lady's name was Sadie and our secretary, Frances McBeth, washed the team's jerseys if we needed to save money. "It was, ironically, a time when Clyde could have afforded to turn their noses up at good money. Privilege "Hibs had started the trend of shirt sponsorship and I approached what was then known as the British Oxygen Corporation to float the idea of putting their name on our strips. "I went to a board meeting and told the directors what I'd done, only to be told Clyde's jersey, worn in three Scottish Cup wins, was sacrosanct sac·ro·sanct adj. Regarded as sacred and inviolable. [Latin sacr  s and not to be defaced.
"Then I mentioned they were willing to pay pounds 10,000 for the privilege and the offer was accepted. "The most expensive player I ever bought was Joe Fillipi from Celtic, and he cost all of pounds 5000. "But in those days it took pounds 110,000 to keep Clyde alive on a season-byseason basis. Now it will take more than that by the end of this month to prevent the club from being killed off. "That's why I'd love to see a benefactor step into the breach. "I learned man management there and that helped me when I took control of the national team. "Clyde is an institution and can't be allowed to go under." ROLL OF Barrowfield Park (1877-1904) Shawfield Stadium (1904-1989) Broadwood Stadium (1989-present day) Scottish Cup winners 1939, 1955, 1958 Second Division champions 1904-1905, 1951-1952, 1956- 1957, 1961-1962, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1981-1982, 1992- 1993, 1999-2000 HONOUR Challenge Cup winners 1994 Runners-up 2006 Record attendance 52,000 v Rangers at Shawfield, 1908 Record victory 11-1 v Cowdenbeath, 1951 Record defeat 0-11 v Dumbarton 1879, v Rangers 1878 & 1880. Most Capped Player Harry Haddock, 39 (1954-1963) Most league goals in season 32, Bill Boyd 1932-33 CAPTION(S): ON THE RECORD: We told our readers yesterday just how close Clyde are to going out of business |
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