Interview ~ Alan Parry

Before the FA Cup match against Plymouth Argyle I spent a half an hour chatting to club director Alan Parry, this is what he had to say:

Ted: Since you’ve been a director here at Wycombe Wanderers what have you seen in the way of changes to the club?

Alan: Phenomenal changes! When I first got involved the boardroom was just a tiny little room in the back of the stand at Loakes Park. Board meetings were held in this cramped poky atmosphere and although Loakes Parks was full of history the club needed to move forward. When Ivor Beeks, Gordon Richards and Graham Peart became involved as new members of the board that was the start of the new era for Wycombe, they’re businessmen with a bit of acumen with local contacts and local knowledge. Not being disrespectful to the people who ran the club previously but that set-up had been fine for the isthmian league but a new set-up was needed for the Conference and beyond and of course bit-by-bit it all fell into place. Obviously the main thing I think was moving to Adams Park which sparked everything off. I don’t think Martin O’Neill would have come here if we hadn’t moved to a new ground. I remember the day he was interviewed for the job. We met in Ivor Beeks’ Hotel opposite the old ground and we took him up to what was then a building site but he could see what we were doing. We showed him the plans and he could see the scale of what we were trying to achieve at Adams Park an he was as excited about it as anyone. I think if we hadn’t have moved here we may have just remained a good Conference side.

Ted: How important is the Youth Set-up to Wycombe Wanderers at the moment?

Alan: I’ve always thought it was the most important thing that we do. It took awhile to become established because moving from Conference to Football League meant moving from part-time to full-time professional playing staff, which was a huge extra expense as you can imagine. Plus all the other things such as travelling and hotel bills, it was a very big financial step going into professional football and the youth policy wasn’t the main priority in the first two years. The main priority was becoming established as a football league club; of course we did much more than that as we went straight through the third division. With hindsight I wish we’d spent a bit more money then, as we would have laid the foundation stones quicker, as it happens we started a little bit behind schedule. I always say to people that apart from Macclesfield we are one of the newest clubs in the football league. The major disadvantage about that is that other clubs have had their youth systems in existence for donkey’s years. If you look through the playing squads of almost team, particularly in the lower divisions there will be loads of lads who are either local or have been through their systems so that means they don’t have to buy, they don’t have to wheel and deal. The players who come through are their own players and the day we achieve that here will be a major break-through for Wycombe Wanderers. Only now we are beginning to see the benefits with the Mo Harkin, Alan Beeton, Gary Wraight and Andrew Baird who have now come through into the first team squad and that's despite a slow start from our point of view. So I would think that in ten years time if you look at Wycombe Wanderers first team squad it will hopefully have 75% to 80% of lads who’ve come through our system and then we’ll be properly bedded in as a proper Football League club.

Ted: We’re still struggling a bit at the moment

Alan: Well we’re struggling because if we need a new player we’ve got to go out and buy one. Other clubs will say "we’ll give him a chance, he’s been playing quite well" we’re only into the third year of our youth system.
Ted: Have we found it a problem for the youth system with local youngsters trying out for clubs like Luton and Watford without really thinking about Wycombe because we are new?
Alan: He didn’t come through the youth system but signing Jermaine McSporren was a real breakthrough for this club because he could have gone to any number of clubs. Possibly to a Premiership club, certainly to the First Division or one of the good bigger Second Division clubs. He chose to come here because he thought that we are doing things the right way and he say this as a springboard to further his own career. I think that sends out a great message to people, now also we’ve signed a number lads who’ve been available to clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham at a young age who’s parents have persuaded them that the right thing to do is to come here because they see the route through to the first team as much quicker here. The more times that can happen the better it is for our club as an advert for what we are able to do.

Ted: I suppose that once they’re in the first team they can advertise they’re skills to the bigger clubs

Alan: Well yes, you have to be realistic and realize that for young players we might only be a stepping-stone and no-one blames them for that as long we get the best out of them and they are our players to begin with.

Ted: I think that we all accept that we’re a small club. We’re not Arsenal, we’re not Tottenham. We’re only a smaller club so we’re a stepping-stone. We just want them to do as well as they can while they’re here.

Alan: Well yes, but I wouldn’t by that indicated that there’s no ambition here. Wimbledon see themselves as a stepping stone in a way because all they do is go into the lower leagues, they get players, they bring them through, make them better players and then sell them to the big clubs. Being a stepping-stone doesn’t mean that you can’t achieve a lot yourself but if you haven’t got massive spending power, now more than ever in football you’re at a major disadvantage and we are and maybe always will be in that respect

Ted: What do you feel about this ‘spending power problem’. Do you find that being in the now unique position within the Football League of not having somebody at the top with a lot of money to invest in the club is a major disadvantage?

Alan: Yes! The shareholders in their wisdom chose not to go down a route that was offered to them earlier this year and I respect their views on that but all I can say on that is that if we want to raise enough finance to firstly exist, then that can only come through gate receipts or selling players. Now no-one wants to sell players, but gate receipts are down, everyone knows that the crowds have been disappointing in the last couple of years. There’s no other way to turn, money doesn’t fall off trees so I would love to see the clubs constitution changed in a way that it would be attractive to an outsider who would think "there’s a club that I could go in, invest some money in it and make it a better club". Not for his own purposes that we do see sometimes these days but someone with genuine love of the game. What we’re looking for, the ideal person is a Wanderers fanatic or a football fanatic who wants to come to a football club and spend a lot of money because he would enjoy the experience not because he would see it as a way of making a lot of money.

Ted: Perhaps somebody who would look on it almost as a hobby?

Alan: Well an obsession I hope.

Ted: Yes an obsession would be good rather than a business enterprise.

Alan: I think that in this part of the world. The Thames Valley being one of the more affluent parts of Briton there probably are people out there, they probably do exist. Only at the moment they don’t see any incentive to get involved if they can only have one share and it would take them a long time to even be voted onto the board, although there are ways around any situation. If a Multi-Millionaire came knocking on our door and said I’ll give you half my fortune and all I want is a place on the board and one vote and no more power then anyone else I think we’d try and accommodate him.

Ted: I’m not a shareholder but I think that if somebody came along like that I’m sure that the shareholders would actually go for it. I know that the number I’ve spoken to the only parts that they were those two particular points on the agenda about people being expelled without any right of appeal?

Alan: I can understand peoples suspicion if you like because if you present something new to people, they are immediately wary of it, its human nature. All I can say and I’m not an expert in this complicated company law but there was no alteria motive other than opening up the possibilities that we’ve already talked about. No one was trying to feather their own nest or protect their own interests. Personally I wouldn’t have voted for a scheme if I had thought that it was only in the best interests of the directors. I’m an unusual director in the sense that I don’t come from a business background that the others do. I think that through my job I know how football clubs work and although they won’t always agree with me and I do say things occasionally that will upset them I a believe it or not on the side of the supporters. I have always been a football supporter and I’ve always said that I’m a supporter first and a director second. I don’t want anything to happen to this club that might be better for the board but worse for the supporters.

Ted: That’s fair enough but the things that were said to me were not so much problems with the current board but if someone were to come in here a decided that they didn’t want various people around he would be able to dispose of them without right of reply. We don’t believe anybody here at the moment would do such a thing. To be honest without people like Ivor Beeks this club would not where it is now. 

Alan: I agree with that

Ted: None of us have any real grievances with anybody involved at the club only minor disagreements

Alan: On reflection, I don’t think we handled it publicly as well as we might have done. We were very careful in getting the documents together and we took good, top legal advice on it but in our presentation of it we could have done better. I think that maybe raised a few hackles and certainly aroused a few suspicions and again with that wonderful thing ‘Hindsight’ we’d do it differently. The bottom line is, it was only for the benefit of the football club that it was being suggested.

Ted: One of the things that impressed members was that when the count was done, the second one. Both Sharon and Keith Blagborough were both invited to participate in the adjudication and to make sure that when the counts were complete everything was sealed and locked. Sharon was very impressed with that, unfortunately nobody knew at the time that this would happen and they treated the writing of their names on the ballot sheets as very suspicious. 

Alan: I think that the club invited Sharon and Keith to do that indicates that there was nothing to hide and there were no suspicious motives. Moving on from that I think the club should do more of that. I would like to see the Official and the Independent Supporters Clubs perhaps nominate one person who could on a regular basis have a meeting with the football club. Perhaps twenty minutes before a board meeting or after twenty minutes after the normal business of the board meeting just to report from a supporter’s point of view any gripes, complaints or ideas that there might be.

Ted: On this subject, Ivor Beeks has actually requested that when the Official Supporters Club have their regular meetings with board members, a representative of the Independent Supporters Club be present. The Officials have a vote on this and turned it down. 

Alan: I wasn’t aware of that and I don’t know for what reasons they would turn it down. That’s very disappointing because if we can’t even get an agreement between our own supporters how are we going to achieve anything.

Ted: Generally we’ve got a fairly good relationship; it’s just this one sticking point.

Alan: I respect people wanting to stay members of their own individual clubs but it would be impracticable for the club to be constantly meeting two separate organizations.

Ted: We agree with you entirely, we would love to be part of these meeting with either Sharon, myself or another committee member attending on behalf of the Independents. 

Alan: As long as people realize that you might come up with a list of six points, it doesn’t mean that they’ll all be acted upon or solved but they’ll all be listened to and I think that if you’re a supporter that’s enough. If you know that people are listening and taking seriously what you’re talking about then you’re reasonable satisfied and if the club can act upon those things than that’s even better. I do think we ought to open the doors up a bit more and not be, not secretive but not be aloof.

Ted: Perhaps in your capacity as President of the Officials you could ask them why. 

Alan: Now that you have told me and I genuinely didn’t know. I’ll speak to Keith and find out what the background to it was.

Ted: We have improved our relationship with the Officials and we’d like to continue on that route. 

Alan: I’d like to say that in view of the unfortunate battle of words that went on between Sharon and myself in the Bucks Free Press. I want to make it clear that I’ve got no axe to grind about the Independent Supporters Club at all. The fact that I’m President of the Official Supporters Club is easily explained, its because they asked me to be and I do remember vividly when the Independents first came on the scene which was before the Officials they asked me to addend a couple of meetings which I did. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re a supporter of Wycombe then I’m with you. If Keith Blagborough had said the things that Sharon said I still would have replied in the fashion I did. I don’t have anything against the Independents whatsoever or against any of our supporters. But I will disagree with things they say from time to time and I think it’s my right to disagree. I’m lucky I suppose in that I have a platform to a degree through the newspaper or through the program. Maybe I won’t always have that platform but I’ve always said "write me a letter" if we don’t print it in the program I’ll give it to the BFP or I’ll reply to it I don’t think I’ve not replied to anyone critical or otherwise. We’re all coming from the same angle, we just approach it differently, and we’re all looking to achieve the same thing aren’t we.

Ted: Well that’s it, we’re looking for successes at this club aren’t we?

Alan: And unity on the terraces is a thing you have to have rather than factions here and factions there that’s debasing it then it’s not going to do anyone any good.

Ted: The fact that there are Official and an Independent clubs doesn’t matter as long as we are all supporters of Wycombe Wanderers.

Alan: Well I’m sure ones not going to close down because the other exists, and why should they? As long as we exist in a bit of harmony rather than as I think in the early days it was almost a battleground but that appears to have subsided now.

Ted: I think that we were just vying for a position. A bit like trying to get to the bar first.

Alan: Yes but now I think we’ve got some sensible people involved in both camps so hopefully we’ll get some sensible leads.

Ted: Well we are not looking for any antagonistic move and being on an even keel can only be good for all involved.

At this point we were informed that there were only two minutes until the teams emerged from the tunnel so we had to conclude our meeting at that point. Which was a shame as there were many things I wanted to ask i.e.: rumours re-emerging about Oxford Utd ground sharing with us next season as their new ground is not ready and they’re skint. But there was no more time so perhaps we’ll get together in the close season and talk about how we avoided relegation and where do we go from here etc.