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‘Keep us in the loop!’ is the fans’ ask as Cullum rides off into the sunset, for now…

12th July 2008 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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There is mixed opinion this weekend from two of City's biggest supporter groups as the dust begins to settle on Peter Cullum's failed takeover bid.

But both agree on one thing ? clear communication is now the key as the Canary hierarchy aim to ensure there is no backlash on the terraces.

With club officials and Cullum issuing a joint statement on Thursday night claiming that talks had been “terminated with immediate effect”, there has been anger and disappointment amongst some supporters after the man worth ?1.7 billion headed back down the A11 ? seemingly for good.

And while there could be some twists and turns to come, it seems that a line has been drawn under the 'will he, won't he?' saga for now.

Gaining control of the Canaries on the basis of writing out a ?20 million cheque to G Roeder was always going to be a big ask for the Towergate insurance chief.

And Ian Russell, chairman of the Capital Canaries, admits that the jury is still out on whether the Cullum takeover was in the best interests of the club.

“The line between a good and bad deal can be very fine,” said Russell, head of the London-based supporters group which boasts some 300 members.

“From what we know, it would appear Mr Cullum is keen to put money into Norwich City Football Club, but clearly he would wish for control in return.

“On paper, it would appear to be the perfect investment – a Norwich man, a substantial pot of cash and a respected businessman.

“Huge numbers can dazzle and excite us but, unless it's right for the football club, we may have to look elsewhere or wait until the best deal is struck.”

But Russell admitted that there was bound to be a sense of disappointment amongst the yellow and green army. All the '?20 million!' headlines made sure of that?

“Naturally, many supporters will be feeling disappointed and perhaps angry, but ultimately it boils down to if we trust in our board and whether they can convincingly communicate their stance,” continued the chief of the Capitals ? who will get the chance to quiz Canary board members in a Q&A session on August 4. That particular occasion could get interesting?.

“Whether we like it or not, football clubs need funding and every season without a healthy kitty is making the bright lights of the Premier League seemingly ever more distant.”

All City supporters seem agree on one thing ? that investment into the club is vital if we are to see the Norfolk club back in the Premier League any time soon.

But there is a real danger that the events of the past two weeks could create a real spilt in the camp; 'Team Delia' and 'Team Cullum'.

“We understand from Mr Doncaster that the club is still actively looking for an investor and there is nothing to say that the Cullum deal is completely dead in the water,” Russell added.

“With 20,000 season ticket holders and Premier League facilities I wouldn't want us selling ourselves short, but it's equally important we don't create an unnecessary and damaging split of opinion; it's down to the club to manage that.

“The wrong investor would be far more harmful than no investor at all (I doubt there's a Liverpool or Manchester United fan on the planet that is truly 100% behind their respective American owners) and no one would want us to go back to the 'bad old days'.

“If nothing else, Mr Cullum has brought the subject of investment to the forefront of our minds and I would be surprised if there aren't a few more twists still to come.”

Elsewhere, the Norwich City Supporters Trust ? who are the largest, unified bloc of joint minority shareholders – saw their dream of having a supporter representative on the board disappear for the time being after Cullum's retreat to his Kent base.

The Trust announced on Thursday that they had just purchased another ?2,400-worth of shares in Norwich City Football Club – to take them above the ?25,000 target they set themselves when they first launched in 2002.

Their idea is for such a bloc to earn one of their democratically-elected number a place on the board.

And after admitting to MFW earlier in the week that they saw a Cullum-led takeover as an important step in the evolution of the club, spokesman Mike Reynolds revealed that while they weren't apportioning any blame, they were left frustrated by Thursday's outcome.

“The Trust is disappointed that a compromise situation could not be found which could initially provide additional funds whilst allowing a new Boardroom to evolve over a period of time,” said Reynolds.

“Given the shortage of information made available to those 'stakeholders' whose interests the Club were protecting it would be wrong to apportion the breakdown of discussions to any one party.

“In the experience of the Trust business decisions, as opposed to football decisions, made by the Club have been shown in the long term to be correct.

“In the current circumstances, unless there are issues that are Commercial in Confidence, the Club needs to let the stakeholders know more details of the discussions. Certainly shareholders should be informed.”

But while their main objective is no nearer being reached, the NCST are not in any mood to throw in the towel. Quite the opposite in fact.

“The Trust will continue to try to persuade the Board of the benefits of having a democratically elected Supporter Director and in the meantime work towards increasing it's shareholding in the Football Club.”

Tom Haylett


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