A PR Opportunity that can’t be wasted

By Neil Ravenscroft
October 1 2002

I have e mailed the text of this column to Roy Whalley, to give him a chance to reply, as the whole Fitzroy Simpson episode has once again thrown into relief the terrible PR at Walsall Football Club.

Fitzroy, when being interviewed after the game on Saturday, launched into an attack on the Board, asking for justice and a new contract, saying that he had a family to feed and was even having to pay for his own petrol to get to games and training.

Colin Lee on Monday expressed sympathy with Fitz, saying that he has done all he can, in that, while he came back to play for nothing, the Club had insisted that Simpson should receive appearance money and win and draw bonuses, but that there was no budget available to offer him a Contract.

Anyone spot the strange thing here?

I don't know, other than expenses and security, what else a contract would give him.

This begs the question of :-

a) why the club won't do it, considering it would seem cost very little more and
b) why he's so upset anyway?

Is this a question of the extra finances a player would cost (is he covered by insurance or not, that sort of thing)? Do any of us really have any idea what this sort of expense comes to? This is surely a chance for Roy Whalley to explain to the fans what sort of expenses players do receive over and above their appearance money and bonuses and what the hidden expenses are for a club in employing any player (in general terms, of course,as the specific of Fitz's case are confidential). Then we might be able to understand better a situation that to the average fan is completely inexplicable.

Come on, Roy, let’s have some communication with the fans this time!