25th March 1995

Gillingham 3-0 Exeter City 

Simon Barnes hears take-over talk and sees Gillingham beat fellow strugglers Exeter 3-0

Taste of life on the receiving end

The voice of doom takes many forms: the howling of the wolf at the door or, for a football manag- er, the vote of confidence from the board. Or, for an entire football club, the news that Freddie Starr is taking over.

Last year, the comedian was said to be making an offer for Exeter City. Exeter are now in the hands of receivers, and down in the cellarage of the Endsleigh Insurance League third division.

Last week. Starr was said to be involved with a consortium when I hear the word "consortium". I reach for my revolver-seeking to buy out Gillingham. Gillingham are in the hands of receivers and near the bottom of the third division. And so Saturday brought us the Receivership Cup, for the Freddie Starr Trophy, which, naturally, goes to the losers. Gillingham scored after 44 seconds and won 3-0, a performance of some spirit. Nice game. Interview with the managers? Few words with the man of the match? Don't be silly. I want to speak to the receivers. "We have had no concrete offer from the consortium," Tom Burton, partner with the accountants, Kidsons Impey, said. "No formal approach has been made."

Gillingham have spent the last week undergoing ordeal by farce. A group called Damned Interesting Productions announced a take-over package headed by a "major footballing celebrity". This turned out to be dear old Malcolm Allison. The name was announced at a press conference last week. but without Big Mal's real presence. Then the consor tium told us that Eric Hall, the footballing agent, was ready to join merry throng. And so was a megastar called Glen Mur phy, from London's Burning. the television drama. Credibility is smouldering a bit, too. So bring on Mick Jagger. Well, he is a Kent boy, isn't he? And he has been "approached". And no, no body has heard anything back yet. Match programmes are not famous for courting controversy, but the offering on Saturday quoted Radio Kent's suggestions for further members of the consortium: Sooty, Muffin the Mule and Noggin the Nog.

Gillingham made their manager. Mike Flanagan, re- dundant at the start of the month, to keep costs down. Neil Smillie, player-coach. has stepped up. "Difficult week." he said, meaning all weeks. "Of course it has an effect. Told the players receivers can't make the decisions on the pitch."

Foster scored the first goal and should have had four more. Pike scored from a penalty and Butler, a central defender, side-footed the last. Reasons: 1. bad goalkeeping: 2. silly defending: 3, appalling marking. Conclusion: Exeter are even worse than Gillingham, and 1 more dispirited. Terry Cooper, the Exeter manager, discussed the three goals, and the three planning applications. Exeter's rescue strategy is based on the notion of selling their nice ground in town (no doubt to become some traditional part of West of England life, like a shopping mall all with wi a Me Donald's) and to build the now-traditional aseptic stadi- um on an industrial estate.

Neither side fears demo- tion to the Vauxhall Conference: Macclesfield, who lead it by miles, do not have an adequate ground for promo- tion. . It is the financial trou- bles, an estimated £3 million or so in debt each, that keep both clubs on the edge.

Thus the demography of football changes before our eyes. You could buy both clubs with just Andy Cole, and still have change. Let us talk, then, about a new, leaner, harder, tougher tradition of unabashed elitism. And, only later, work out what we have lost. Part of football, part of England.

GILLINGHAM (4-4-2) S Banks, J.Dunne, A Butler. R Green, E. Martin, N. Smith, R.Carpenter, G. Micklewhite, P Watson, C Pike. A Foster,

EXETER CITY (4-4-2) P. Fox, J. Minett, J. Richardson M Came, M.Philips J. Brown C Anderson, M. Gavin T Morgan (sub M Cooper 78min)

Referee: P Rejer