Town Chairman: "It Was My Decision"

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 13/12/2001

GRIMSBY TOWN chairman Peter Furneaux said today that the decision not to sign Broomes was his. Nobody else's. He claims that the £150,000 cost of the deal would have put the club's finances in serious jeopardy with Broomes wanting 33 weeks pay for 20 weeks work

To the Grimsby Telegraph he said "I'm sad for the fans and I'm sad for the club, but it's my duty to ensure the club continues in business. Anything else would be irresponsible."

The GET revealed that Broomes wages would have been just under £4,000-a-week, but the add-ons, including agent's fees and accommodation, would have taken the deal closer to the £5,000 a week mark.

"The deal on offer to us was for 33 weeks pay and 20 weeks play," Furneaux said "When you put the cost together with the number of weeks he'd be playing, the cost comes back in excess of anything in our pay structure."

"We're still looking to go forward, but this deal with Broomes was not viable for us.

"I'm disappointed that the player didn't come to Grimsby Town. I made that decision, nobody else."

But Marlon Broomes accused Grimsby Town's board of failing to back the manager.

"I said to Lennie yesterday that it's a shame that the board don't show the ambition and commitment that he shows. Lennie does a really good job with limited resources, but they don't want to back him."

"Grimsby had a long time to sort this out and my agent was in with them for three hours on Tuesday. I wasn't asking for any ridiculous money, it was just the directors who dragged their feet."

On his Move to the Owls he said: "I haven't gone for big money and it's not about that at all. There's isn't much difference with the money here compared to during my loan spell at Grimsby. "I wanted to get something sorted so that I could stay at Grimsby but it didn't happen."

"I felt part of it and I wanted to do my bit to help the lads get out of it. I'm disappointed. I was settled and I know the lads really well. If we could have sorted something out I was ready to stay."

"I just hope the fans understand that I haven't gone for the money. No disrespect to Grimsby but Sheffield Wednesday are a bigger club"

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