Coleman - The Radio Lowdown
Last updated : 18 March 2008 By Deano
Many of you will have heard the interview in full on Tuesday's Football Heaven show, but for those of you who want to view it or missed a slice of the action, MillersMAD has typed up the whole interview....
Speaking to Seth Bennett on the show, Denis said: "This dinnertime we had no choice but to put the club into administration. We've worked hard over the last few days and thought we possibly had another option but the timescales just weren;t there to let us do that.
"We had interest from a consortium of people from Ireland led by a property developer and i've spent the last few days with him and his people going thropugh everything, but we just ran out of time basically.
"These people haven't just walked away though and said they aren't interested no more, they are still telling us they are. They are now speaking to the administrator and the lawyers regarding doing some due-dilegence, mainly there was a shares issue where they wanted all the shares now - the majority of us directors would give them up, but we couldn't get them released off one shareholder.
"The other problem is the lease...they weren't happy with that and they actually had brief talks with Mr Booth this morning and they weren't happy with the conditions, but these people are still there in the background so hopefully things may still happen.
"Basically going into administration now opens the door for people to have talks and negotiate - the great shame from mine and the fans point of view is the fact we lose the ten points. The administrator now becomes responsible for running the club which he's confident he can do 'til the end of the season - there's enough funds and finance in place to do so but in the meantime he's got to hope someone comes in to take over.
"The more people come through the gates the more chance we've got of surviving. We've banged that drum long enough and unfortunately hanging onto a core of three thousand isn't enough."
The Millers have now entered their second period of financial trouble in the space of two years and Seth asked Denis if it's now financially viable to have a professional football club in the town, he responded: "No its not at this level, at the current situation, with the lease situation and the rent the club is being expected to pay and the poor facilities.
"Of course it is if we had the right set up, I was at Shrewsbury the other week and their chairman todl me their turnover has tripled, thats in their first year. If you haven't got the facilities, its an impossible task."
Asked who was at fault for all this mess, Denbo continued: "I wouldn't say one person, there's alot of circumstances. If people want to blame me and my board let 'em fire away cos we've nothing to hide- people can ask whatever they want but talking to people around the town and a few idiots on MillersMAD which I hear reports about (cheers Denis!) I don't worry about those people, the genuine people relaise what we've been up against and it's those people I feel sorry for.
"Fans running the lcub is a possibility if its done by the right people. Its difficult, you need people to work hard for no money and no return, i've took 12 months off my own business and never received a penny off Rotherham United. So have the rest of the board - none of this board, contrary to what idiots put on websites and the rest of it, nobody has taken a penny from this club and the books are there to be looked at.
"Clubs at this level with no facilities have got to have directors with time and energy and also put money in there, I'm absolutely gutted as my hearts in Rotherham United. I've tried to stave this off - we knew it was coming but how can you get people in if there's nothing to offer them?? If people can't get any return on their mnoey, you're flogging a dead horse."
"I'm hopefull that somebody will take the club over with a bit of vision, and maybe people will stand back and think hang on, we can't keep draining the club we've got to change the tact on this."
"With leases and stuff like that its impossible, These leases on the ground they cannot work, and if somebody comes in and they only willing to put a few hundred grand in or whatever they're back to square one again in a couple of years. It can't keep happening."
"Sooner or later we have got to have a community facility or somebody financing a new ground somewhere or buying Millmoor - we tried that during our reign but it didn't work out."
"Somebodys got to do something because the current situation doesnt work." he added.
Dennis was then asked about the money from the sale of Lee Williamson and Will Hoskins to Watford, at the time Denis was qouted as saying that money would tide the club over for 2-3 years.
"When you look at it and by the time we come to this seasons end its 18 months ago, thats whats happened. That money helped us get through the last 18 months."
"Theres a lot of other stuff gone wrong in that period. The floods hit us hard, we had to renew 2 pitches at the training ground. We had all that kit destroyed and was short on the insurance claim."
"On top of that we've had to repair all the electrics that was in such a dangerous state before we could open the ground, we were told it was a miracle there was never a fire in the suite, we've had to repair the turnstyles. We've even had to repair the new unfinished stand. These are all things that people dont see behind the scenes what we're up against."
"Can I just that people have got the figures wrong about the Williamson / Hoskins transfers. Theres was fee's paid, there was a 20% sell on with Lee and 15% on Will so Rotherham United only received about £600k, there was some more money to come, there was money to come if Watford get back in the Prem, more money to come on appearances, unfortunately Will has'nt made those appearances. People don't always get thier facts right."
Seth then went onto the subject of small businesses who will be owed money, for the second time in as many years.
"I'm a man who has still got a small business, a few of my businesses are owed quite a bit of money by Rotherham United!" interuppted Denis. "One of my businesses last month in Febuary paid some other businesses off because the club could'nt afford to, thinking I would get it back. I'm not going to see those bills now am I?"
When asked how much he was owed, Denis replied with; "It's a large six figure sum lets put it that way. I've got to deal with it, but thats my problem and I'll deal with it my own way."
Denis was then asked if he had fallen out of love with football after his time in the game; "No I havent but I think its such a shame with all the money going to the top and not being filtered down. I've said this many times, but it makes me feel sick when I hear of premiership players arguing and bitching about £100,000 a week contracts. If just one of those gave their wages up for a month Rotherham would be out of trouble. Its stupid what is happening in our game."
With the loan transfer window closing for the season on Thursday, Denis was asked if the club would be shipping players out on loan to reduce the wage bill; "I've spoke to the administrator at lengths today and my opinion as a director is that Rotherham United have to try and get enough points from now until the end of the season to get that play off spot, if they do there could be enough money coming from an appearance at Wembley to save it. At the moment that's got to be priority for me."
Asked if the players are being paid; "Upto now all the players and staff have been paid, we have made sure that has happened, and that has happened."
"The reason we have only been able to take it this far is we wouldnt have got another 2 week extension, we could have done with another 2 weeks to talk to these people we're talking to as there was hope there but that has'nt happened. We've got to work with the administrator and do the best we can to secure the clubs future."
The players are due to be paid again in the next week, asked wether the funds are there to enable that, Denis said; "Unfortunately now that won't be mine but at the moment I think that will happen. But the administrator will have to look at the big picture and get the club through the season."
"I'm not an administrator, I don't know how they work but today we all left as sick as parrots and gutted that we weren't going to get and extension and we had to accept that it was going into administration and therefore out of our hands."
