Furneaux Speaks Out!

By: Richard Lord
Date: 09/09/2002

CHAIRMAN Peter Furneaux has denied reports that Grimsby Town will face a £500,000 tax bill in October that could break the club. Speaking to the Grimsby Telegraph, he also defended the decision to loan Phil Jevons to Hull City.

Furneaux said: "I know nothing about a tax problem that's caused any more problems than we had at the beginning of the season. We get a tax bill every month and we are not in arrears. Football as a whole has got a financial problem. It's nothing new.

"Our financial problems are ongoing and well documented and are being assessed the best we can. We are attempting to manage with the income we have while we still have contracts which were taken out when we thought we would get the ITV money.

"Nothing has changed from the summer when we had a £2.7-million loss. Most of the football clubs in the first division are in the same serious financial trouble."

It is understood that a large part of Jevons' contract is being paid by Hull City, underlining the financial difficulties hitting the club at present. The Chairman still stands firm that letting Jevons go was the right thing to do.

He continued: "We have brought forwards in to the club in the shape of Steven Kabba, Paul Robinson and Robert Taylor and Phil Jevons wasn't playing. If you're bringing in forwards and you're not playing the ones you've got, what do you do?

"We've only scored one goal since we started and we have to run the club in the best possible way. You don't keep expensive players who aren't playing. Hull are trying to get in a league (the second division) that they would see as a success. We're trying to avoid falling into the same league because we'd see it as a failure."

In other news, Robert Taylor has begun light training but is not expected to feature in the Chesterfield match tomorrow night. It is also unlikely that the front man will play any part in the weekend game against Coventry at Highfield Road.

Paul Groves has been keeping tabs on a Brazilian from Middlesborough by the name of Arthur Bernhardt. The 20-year old striker has been sitting in the Boro' Reserves and has joined the Mariners on trial.

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