Closing academy

[Northumbiron]

Interested Bystander wrote:

It never ceases to amaze me the level of arrogance by those who tell others how to behave towards a subject which they have demonstrated they know nothing about.

No shit, Sherlock! Welcome to social media.

As for posters “hiding” behind keyboards. I think you’ll find that the majority of usernames are created for a bit of fun, ie reference to a former Iron hero, a play on where they live etc. etc.

Not sure why it should be viewed as something sinister?

But hey-ho! When conspiracy theories are the flavour of the month!

[Anonymous]

So, we now have no U18 team and no U9 to U16 teams.
Proper non-league!
Living the dream!
Or, is that nightmare?

[Anonymous]

The EFL will be wanting their funding back.
Mr H v EFL.
Who’s your money on?

[Bartoniron66]

Believe they had received only a faction of the £250-0000 so probably why they have closed it down now! Before they get more money from the EFL.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely dreadful timing for those involved.
Other clubs will most likely have a full compliment of full & part time staff in readiness for the new season.
If he was intent on closing the Academy then it should have happened after the last ball had been kicked last season.
Redundancies should involve a level of empathy, compassion and respect.
Let’s hope that the redundancy payments to all are made swiftly!
It’s a major upheaval in one’s life being made redundant and a very stressful time.
Good luck to everyone affected by the decision.

[Anonymous]

U18s are scheduled to be at Burton Albion on Saturday 12th August 2023.

Has anyone seen confirmation that the game and all subsequent fixtures have gone?

[Deereyme66]

Wendi Betts on the Facebook group:

‘I can’t believe not a bean has been said about the zoom meeting Tuesday night…. All the U18 boys have been released with no notice and no pay…🤯 disgusting!’

‘Careful Wendi they will remove posts like this and ban you from the group …. Awful treatment of lads and staff … 🙃 I mentioned this a few days ago and got dogs abuse for spreading rumours …’

Rob Jubber I know I saw it! I can’t believe nothings been said…. And yes my head will be under a block 🤣not even the kind people who put them up have been paid!’

That doesn’t sound good. What price a bit of decency for sustainability?

[ironeye]

He hasn’t got a bean

[Awaywego]

Guess it was Daws fault trying to sell Hilton a lemon he should have excepted the closure with good grace.

[Anonymous]

Deereyme66 wrote:

Wendi Betts on the Facebook group:

‘I can’t believe not a bean has been said about the zoom meeting Tuesday night…. All the U18 boys have been released with no notice and no pay…🤯 disgusting!’

‘Careful Wendi they will remove posts like this and ban you from the group …. Awful treatment of lads and staff … 🙃 I mentioned this a few days ago and got dogs abuse for spreading rumours …’

Rob Jubber I know I saw it! I can’t believe nothings been said…. And yes my head will be under a block 🤣not even the kind people who put them up have been paid!’

That doesn’t sound good. What price a bit of decency for sustainability?

The Apprentices will be members of the PFA (the players Union).

Their apprenticeship is government funded via the Premier League and then ‘subbed out’ through the EFL for the lower league clubs.

Can you terminate an apprenticeship on a whim?

The EFL, Premier League and the PFA might have something to say about these developments.

The FA may even impose sanctions?

Parents may seek redress and challenge this in court?

Some of those players and parents will have devoted 8 or 9 years of their lives to the club.
To be informed of the devastating news by a zoom call is scandalous and a reproach to them.

The apprenticeship document is a legal document and their apprenticeship is for two seasons. So, the club will still have to pay the apprentices regardless, up until the end of their contract.

What a mess!

[ironfromafar]

DH has replied

David White
Wendi Betts Rob Jubber here’s the facts.
The academy has 8 scholars that’s all, with 2 of them already left for Grimsby.
We have received NO funding since June.
The Academy staff have known for weeks i had closed it.
The academy setup and administration was nothing short of a disgrace. The academy had vastly overpaid staff (substantially higher salaries than EFL) but it did not even pass an EFL audit in order to retain some sort of funding.
The academy has left the club with a six figure debt.
The academy has not one sell on despite being funded by the EFL for years.
Many children left to go to other clubs over the years with the club benefiting nothing. Where is the loyalty that everybody seems to demand from the club.
People need to stop moaning, someone had to make the difficult decision and the football club will always be my priority. The academy was failing miserably.
I have said I will support a separately run community junior section using volunteers and parents like all none league clubs do. But rather than show any interest in that is all I hear about us money money money.
There was also very much a feeling of them and us within the academy and for whatever reason it never felt unified.
I will not apologise for my decision, my only regret is not sticking to my guns in February. If the remaining 6 are good enough they will find their path.
I’m respect if wages we are closing down the academy as we speak, calculating figures and Wendi you are on the list to contact as you are one of the three who I have a figure for but I suspect it is wrong as there will be further days up to the end of last week. But coming on here slating the club that’s paid you constantly extremely good money is a prime example of why my decision to close the academy is the right one.
All staff will be paid once we gave final figures across the board and can settle everything and move on. We have been working on this for several days

[Anonymous]

Awaywego wrote:

Guess it was Daws fault trying to sell Hilton a lemon he should have excepted the closure with good grace.

The closure of the academy can only be attributed to Mr H.
The decision should have been executed at the end of last season (April/May).
His double U-Turn at this time has scuppered the hopes and dreams of the U18s.
These are still children, not hardened rough & ready experienced steel men with 30 plus years service and fifty years of life experience.
They are kids for Gods sake!
What if?
No, I won’t ask that question, it’s too dark … but what if? You know what I mean?
Hormones, stress, anxiety, depression, feelings of failure – not a good mixture for 16 & 17 year olds.

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Siderite

[Deereyme66]

Wendi replies,

‘David White the boys found out on Tuesday night! And are devastated and have had no pay! With first years and the second years there was a full team with subs’

Just another day at the circus

[Deereyme66]

And a leftfield non sequitur post on the same thread – not going well today…

‘David White I tried to send you a private message regarding the new shirts and it wouldn’t accept me I have no idea why have supported the club by buying season ticket and just wanted some information as phone calls not answered’

[Iron-awe]

ironeye wrote:

He hasn’t got a bean

Has ironinsider sobered up and returned 🤔😂

1 user thanked author for this post.

ironfromafar

[Siderite]

Deereyme66 wrote:

Wendi replies,

‘David White the boys found out on Tuesday night! And are devastated and have had no pay! With first years and the second years there was a full team with subs’

Just another day at the circus

It’s truly pathetic and I think there’s enough smoke here to have concerns. There are legitimate arguments for closing the academy with where we are, but absolutely none for refusing to pay and the way it’s been handled. No Swann to blame or ‘fans undermining’ either. He is the one who made these bad decisions. Unfortunately, I feel those unhappy about his handling of this will be slammed by those who see questioning Hilton as beyond the pale. As if none of these issues would exist if everyone just shut up about it.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Deereyme66

[ironfromafar]

Wendy n Jubber v DH

popcorn at the ready ..

Thought DH reply covered it .. yes its sad but in hindsight he should of gone with his first closure in Feb ..i take it Tony Daws bizz plan didnt work out…

Hes the owner and the tough decisions lay at his door , if the set up was as big of a disater as it seems pulling the plug is the best option.. as for paying off all concerned sounds like its in process so lets see how that goes before building gallows on the GP center circle .

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Awaywego

[Deereyme66]

Either way, it’s starting to get reminiscent of DH’s previous Twitter spats. Unsavoury and not advisable from a club owner…

‘Wendi Betts kind people that put them up 🤣
You’re on here having been paid extremely well by the club slating that very entity because you’ve lost your little earner. Stop spouting rubbish and portraying you were doing this out of the goodness of your heart to help the lads. Your motivation like most in that academy set up was financial.
You are just angry it’s come to an end.’

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SUFC_IRON_ART

[Deereyme66]

How is this a good look? Non professional.

1 user thanked author for this post.

BigLeftToe

[Siderite]

The saviour is the world’s most unfortunate man to only aggravate those after money and those with dishonest or immoral intentions and have to deal with them. It’s a good job they’re all crooked, otherwise we might have to have concerns about him.

2 users thanked author for this post.

TheJuryeffsOut, Interested Bystander

[SUFC_IRON_ART]

Deereyme66 wrote:

Either way, it’s starting to get reminiscent of DH’s previous Twitter spats. Unsavoury and not advisable from a club owner…

‘Wendi Betts kind people that put them up 🤣
You’re on here having been paid extremely well by the club slating that very entity because you’ve lost your little earner. Stop spouting rubbish and portraying you were doing this out of the goodness of your heart to help the lads. Your motivation like most in that academy set up was financial.
You are just angry it’s come to an end.’

Totally unacceptable words from a club Chairman no matter how annoyed they might be at issues being raised online.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Siderite

[Awaywego]

Wasn’t the closing of the academy announced on 14/15 july and yet people are trying so say the boys didn’t find out till the 8th of August, were they wrapped up in cotton wool?

[MK Iron]

Where is Bucks with his offer of free PR consultancy when you need him?

[Richgy]

As much as I don’t really have an opinion on Hilton , he does come over increasingly unhinged on that Facebook group – you could even say a loose cannon .

Good result at Tamworth though for The Iron , will check your result on Saturday – hopefully now the football has started focus is less on the off the field stuff .

[Iron-awe]

Spot on Richgy, we can’t affect the off field stuff anyway but we can hopefully enjoy a successful season of football from the Iron and try to put other matters to the backs of our mind.

[WonderGoals]

Richgy wrote:

As much as I don’t really have an opinion on Hilton , he does come over increasingly unhinged on that Facebook group – you could even say a loose cannon .

Not surprised at the shite flying at him on there. I took a peak on it not long back and it’s jampacked with overly emotional lunatics. As awaywego stated, I’m sure it was announced that it was closing in July so not sure how the players didn’t know ?

Hilton/White has got a point, if the group started with 8 with 2 already jumping ship and have had no funding for 2 or 3 months, it’s about time it got axed.

If we identify any young talent who we feel have got something, then we could just add them to the group and have them all training together.

We can’t keep leaking money like we are and sorry to say that decisions like this need making. As I said the other day, we’ve been run badly for far too long and it’s about time we bucked up and cut the crap.

Not getting enough funding and having to fork out for day to day running costs of something to the extent where it’s in a 6 figure debt just isn’t sustainable. In my opinion it should have been binned off when he was going to do it the first time. The only reason it wasn’t was due to Daws super plan and that was clearly a pup.

[Iron-awe]

Yep it’s a tough one but a necessary one and after years of complaining about overspending and putting the club in debt and not living within our means, we have people complaining about certain aspects of the culling process. That’s what this is a culling of practices we cannot afford in non league, hopefully as we progress back up the league structure certain practices will return but I have no problem in running as tight a ship as possible which allows us to be as viable as possible.

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another fed up fan

[ironfromafar]

Iron-awe wrote:

Yep it’s a tough one but a necessary one and after years of complaining about overspending and putting the club in debt and not living within our means, we have people complaining about certain aspects of the culling process. That’s what this is a culling of practices we cannot afford in non league, hopefully as we progress back up the league structure certain practices will return but I have no problem in running as tight a ship as possible and being as viable as possible.

BANG ON ..

[Iron-awe]

…and keeping it all in perspective spare a thought for 12000 Wilkinson workers today.

[Interested Bystander]

Siderite wrote:

The saviour is the world’s most unfortunate man to only aggravate those after money and those with dishonest or immoral intentions and have to deal with them. It’s a good job they’re all crooked, otherwise we might have to have concerns about him.

You have him in a nutshell.

As you might have noticed by now, it doesn’t take long for the mask to slip.

[Author]

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