Board Give Groves A Transfer Kitty

By: Tony Hamilton
Date: 05/08/2002

IT emerged today that the money given to Paul Groves was stumped up by the directors, Town chairman Peter Furneaux told the Grimsby Telegraph. The £250,000 fund allowed the manager to bring in new players and have Danny Coyne and Phil Jevons both taken off the transfer list.

This money enabled him to sign Darren Barnard and Steve Chettle from Barnsley, and today Groves was moving to bring a striker in to the squad. Both Coyne and Jevons were put on the list to make savings of £375,000 from the wage bill, and at the same time the gaffer was told that no new players could be signed until both players had left the club.

But that eventuality was averted when the directors put the transfer fund up out of their own pockets after a stormy board meeting last Monday morning. Dudley Ramsden and John Fenty buried the hatchet and agreed to settle their differences on how the club was run. "The money has come from the directors and they have agreed that a certain amount of money should be made available to the manager, and we have to see who we can get in at the right price" said the Chairman.

Peter Furneaux has admitted that putting both players on the transfer list had a detrimental effect on them, and he went on to say this: "We're not actively pursuing to let them go. But if opportunities come up for them they may now wish to consider because of the past few weeks.

"Like at any other time at this club, if someone comes in for a player we'd have to consider it."

The striker that Paul Groves was negotiating with is believed to be Ipswich's Richard Naylor who had already turned down a loan move to Peterborough. According to his manager George Burley: "one or two clubs have contacted us about taking Richard out on loan.

"He is considering a couple of options but there is nothing definite at the moment." It has since emerged that the loan move has broken down due to a disagreement over wages.

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