EXCLUSIVE By Nick Harrison
16 December 2004
JEFF
STELLING - one of the faces of football on Sky Sports -today called on the
game's big chiefs to improve their 'vetting procedures' on would-be buyers.
In an exclusive interview with the Evening Leader, Sky presenter and
Hartlepool-mad Stelling was speaking ahead of Wrexham's key clash with the North
Easterners at The Racecourse on Saturday.
"It's sad to see what's happening at Wrexham," said Stelling, who fronts the
Saturday afternoon results service slot on Sky. "I saw some of the fans doing
bucket collections at the Liverpool v Portsmouth game on Tuesday. It's great
that they're doing that but in all truth, they shouldn't have to be doing that.
"I don't want to sound as if I'm name dropping, but I was having lunch at The
House of Commons with Brian Mawhinney - the chairman of the Football League.
"We were talking about the 'fit and proper person test' that is conducted on
people who buy-out football clubs, I just don't know what you have to do or what
you've done in the past to fail that test.
"There needs to be better scrutiny, and I hope that's the case whenever a new
buyer is found at Wrexham."
A champion of the Football League, Stelling, a former news and sports reporter
on the Hartlepool Mail, believes the Premiership big boys are also partly to
blame for why so many smaller clubs are struggling.
"You only have to look at what Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd said about the
situation. He said he's not interested in the Football League - and that showed
a total disregard for the other clubs.
"It wasn't so long ago that Newcastle were almost in Division Two. Manchester
City have also been there.
"Also gone our the days when the big clubs used to take a gamble -and pay half a
million for a player from the lower leagues. Sometimes they did it more as a
favour to keep the selling club in business. Those days are long gone."
Turning his attention to Saturday's clash at The Racecourse, Stelling said he
will give Wrexham a big mention.
"I'll give them a mention when they score their second and the score's 3-2 to
Hartlepool," who hopes history doesn't strike twice on Saturday.
"Wrexham's record victory is 10-1 over Hartlepool, and I think Swansea slammed
eight past us once. We don't like coming to Wales!"