...from a football agent.
Over the last few months, ex-football agent Peter Harrison has made a number of allegations against Phil Gartside on social networking site, Twitter. Here, in an open letter to the Bolton chairman, he explains the motives behind his actions.
Dear Phil,
Over the last few months another agent and I have attacked you on Twitter about the way you run Bolton Wanderers Football Club. You have never once replied to our accusations or tried to sue us, which seems strange given the things that have been said.
I would just like to explain to the supporters who think that I am having a go at you because I am bitter about you maybe cutting me out of a deal, or as some of them keep mentioning, because I lost Andy Carroll, (although he does not play for Bolton so that’s a bit confusing.)
No Phil, I am having a dig at you because you are an embarrassment to BWFC because of your close association with the agent Mark Curtis. This man is probably the most hated agent in football as he has tapped up so many players, many who were about to sign or had signed at your club, and nothing is ever done about it. Agents have complained time again about this, but Curtis always gets away with it. It is the belief in football amongst agents that you, through your position on the FA Panel, are protecting him.
Now, agents do lose players, but it seems to happen a lot at Bolton, and agents are frightened to put players to the club, as if they are very good, then they normally get tapped up by your mate and a blind eye is turned to this.
Phil, I was working as an agent at BWFC before you were chairman and it was an excellent, friendly club - my second club, although I liked going there so much I was there more than at my first love, Newcastle United.
I brought Eidur Gudjohnsen to the club on a free transfer, Ali Al Habsi on a free transfer and represented Gudni Bergsson, and Mick Whitlow. I brought Fredi Bobic to the club, Nakata, and of course represented Jussi for many years.
So Phil, I know and knew the club quite well. What bothers me, Phil is that I have negotiated players contracts with you, as have many other agents, and you are very good and capable at doing the negotiations. So why did you start insisting that Mark Curtis has to represent the club when negotiating a contract and therefore paying him a substantial commission.
Lots of people are talking about this Phil, and are saying that this just does not seem right. Why pay big commissions to an agent, especially one that has been in trouble so many times with the FA and fined by FIFA, when you are capable of doing it for the club and thus saving the club money.
I know you are BWFC’s biggest fan (earning £350,000 per year plus substantial bonuses) but do you not think that you need to be cutting costs at the club because of the financial problems they are having? The first thing a sensible chairman would do is cut the costs and one of the costs to be cut should be stop paying an agent money for a job that you can do.
I would gladly represent the club for free and I am sure there is a Bolton supporter out there who would love to be Chairman and not take a salary. C’mon Phil, stop all this whispering going on in football and run the club properly. Be open and honest to your fans.
If you have nothing to hide then please tell your supporters how much commission you have paid to Mark Curtis and his co Director David Bromley over the last ten years. Enough I say to have bought two players who could now be helping you fight relegation.
So Phil, what’s your reply going to be? Silence? Or maybe your mate at the FA might stick up for you like the last time. Whatever your reply, the whispering and accusations will continue unless things change in the way you run your club.
You are a FA board member Phil, the same board who after their failed World Cup bid, complained that FIFA had to be more transparent. Yes, transparent Phil, so show some leadership and come clean on how much of your supporters’ money you have given to Mark Curtis. The FA surely want to prove how transparent English Football is and to put an end to all this nudge, nudge, wink, wink that goes on when your name and Mark Curtis’s name is mentioned.
Finally Phil where has all the club money gone? When you look at your Squad you have not spent massively and your wage bill is not that big, so why is the club in so much debt? How come they are over £100 million in debt yet you have received £120 million in Sky money over the last 3 years. It does not add up Phil and hardly merits a bonus!
Something’s not right here mate. Transparency, that’s what everyone is calling for. You owe it to your fellow fans. C’mon Phil, speak.
Over to you Phil, Bolton fan and proud Chairman.
Yours,
Peter Harrison
Over the last few months, ex-football agent Peter Harrison has made a number of allegations against Phil Gartside on social networking site, Twitter. Here, in an open letter to the Bolton chairman, he explains the motives behind his actions.
Dear Phil,
Over the last few months another agent and I have attacked you on Twitter about the way you run Bolton Wanderers Football Club. You have never once replied to our accusations or tried to sue us, which seems strange given the things that have been said.
I would just like to explain to the supporters who think that I am having a go at you because I am bitter about you maybe cutting me out of a deal, or as some of them keep mentioning, because I lost Andy Carroll, (although he does not play for Bolton so that’s a bit confusing.)
No Phil, I am having a dig at you because you are an embarrassment to BWFC because of your close association with the agent Mark Curtis. This man is probably the most hated agent in football as he has tapped up so many players, many who were about to sign or had signed at your club, and nothing is ever done about it. Agents have complained time again about this, but Curtis always gets away with it. It is the belief in football amongst agents that you, through your position on the FA Panel, are protecting him.
Now, agents do lose players, but it seems to happen a lot at Bolton, and agents are frightened to put players to the club, as if they are very good, then they normally get tapped up by your mate and a blind eye is turned to this.
Phil, I was working as an agent at BWFC before you were chairman and it was an excellent, friendly club - my second club, although I liked going there so much I was there more than at my first love, Newcastle United.
I brought Eidur Gudjohnsen to the club on a free transfer, Ali Al Habsi on a free transfer and represented Gudni Bergsson, and Mick Whitlow. I brought Fredi Bobic to the club, Nakata, and of course represented Jussi for many years.
So Phil, I know and knew the club quite well. What bothers me, Phil is that I have negotiated players contracts with you, as have many other agents, and you are very good and capable at doing the negotiations. So why did you start insisting that Mark Curtis has to represent the club when negotiating a contract and therefore paying him a substantial commission.
Lots of people are talking about this Phil, and are saying that this just does not seem right. Why pay big commissions to an agent, especially one that has been in trouble so many times with the FA and fined by FIFA, when you are capable of doing it for the club and thus saving the club money.
I know you are BWFC’s biggest fan (earning £350,000 per year plus substantial bonuses) but do you not think that you need to be cutting costs at the club because of the financial problems they are having? The first thing a sensible chairman would do is cut the costs and one of the costs to be cut should be stop paying an agent money for a job that you can do.
I would gladly represent the club for free and I am sure there is a Bolton supporter out there who would love to be Chairman and not take a salary. C’mon Phil, stop all this whispering going on in football and run the club properly. Be open and honest to your fans.
If you have nothing to hide then please tell your supporters how much commission you have paid to Mark Curtis and his co Director David Bromley over the last ten years. Enough I say to have bought two players who could now be helping you fight relegation.
So Phil, what’s your reply going to be? Silence? Or maybe your mate at the FA might stick up for you like the last time. Whatever your reply, the whispering and accusations will continue unless things change in the way you run your club.
You are a FA board member Phil, the same board who after their failed World Cup bid, complained that FIFA had to be more transparent. Yes, transparent Phil, so show some leadership and come clean on how much of your supporters’ money you have given to Mark Curtis. The FA surely want to prove how transparent English Football is and to put an end to all this nudge, nudge, wink, wink that goes on when your name and Mark Curtis’s name is mentioned.
Finally Phil where has all the club money gone? When you look at your Squad you have not spent massively and your wage bill is not that big, so why is the club in so much debt? How come they are over £100 million in debt yet you have received £120 million in Sky money over the last 3 years. It does not add up Phil and hardly merits a bonus!
Something’s not right here mate. Transparency, that’s what everyone is calling for. You owe it to your fellow fans. C’mon Phil, speak.
Over to you Phil, Bolton fan and proud Chairman.
Yours,
Peter Harrison
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