Old ground this. They were interested enough once to advertise in the match programme and do contract work at Boothferry Park. I was once in one of the Healy brothers company at the old Boothferry Park when we were truly ****e, he was interested enough then although he was 'in disguise'. ( wore a baseball cap and had his collar up) I wouldn't have know who he was if wasn't in disguise. I took a phone call one Sunday from one of the lads inviting a member of my family to the private box they had then at Old Trafford. I misheard him and thought he said he was Mark Hateley. It's been covered before on here and shouted down by many but the family said a long, long time ago that they said they had no interest in becoming involved with City because of the stick the Needlers received. They didn't need it. The HDM did a front page piece on a private party they had once which also made public where they lived and to some extent the extent of their wealth.. A few weeks later they were the victims of a serious crime there. It ain't gonna happen chaps, sadly.
No. Thats why i typed 'as an example ....'. Lloyd also ended up acting a ****. Fish, well thats another story
I remember you telling the story before Phil West-Upper , I'm sure last time you said Healey himself got abuse from some City fans at a game They are pretty reclusive , would anybody actually recognise either of them if they were at a game , 'disguise' or not ? I'm sure nobody expects any interest from them at this point though , it's just interesting what people actually do (or don't do) with the multi-millions they've amassed
Its a pity they wont take the role somehow of unknown benefactor with AP left to front it, rebuild it and do something amazing for the club, the KC surrounds, the City and region. Yeah, actually what the Allam lying scum promised. Unfortunately wont happen.
I remember you telling me about the invitation at the time. And also why the Healeys didn't want to be involved. Quite understandable as neither of them seek the limelight. Investing in your local football club isn't compulsory.
Odd thing vast wealth, football club ownership and philanthropy when you think of the Needler/Chetham's, the Allam's and the Healey's.
Harold Needler wasn't as philanthropic as some think. Read an interesting article on how his investment in tbe 1960s was a fantastic tax avoidance scheme and how he was well rewarded by the reconstruction of BP through his companies. It was rumoured Manny Cussins wanted to become involved at City before joining Leeds but Needler didn't want anyone else involved. An opportunity was lost when Terry Neill was more or less told that's it after signing Knighton and Baxter. Instead of building on our most successful season and highest league finish for decades. The lack of investment was shown that for a long time FC and Rovers record transfer fees were way higher than City's.
Or you could try someone more recent and relevant. Adam Pearson? It's not a minority of fans though. We really have had a lot of knobhead owners over the years. Other than Fish and Lloyd, who you appear to think are blameless, which other owners were you considering as vindicating your claim that is all the fans fault that people won't invest in us?
Yes, don’t think the Needlers were as saintly as they made out...and were quite happy to use City as just another part of their business empire. Every owner that has come in.. Robinson, Buchanan, fish, Lloyd, Pearson have Never really had the money to invest to guarantee top flight football, Robinson was a great showman businessman...Buchanan...? Fish.. never really had any money....Lloyd... total cock....Pearson...great business man, But couldn’t get the full commitment from his investors to achieve top flight football and that’s why he he sold it on(he did manage to become even more wealthier ffrom his time at city) but all the above in some way or other got some abuse either deservedly or not!
Football fans giving owners some abuse is not unique to Hull you know, and given our number of rogue owners over the years it is a tribute to our various protest groups organising reasonable protests that real nastiness has rarely been seen.
Agree that Neil wasn't given any more cash for players after Knighton ( £60k) and Baxter (£12k) which I think was the proceeds of the FA Cup run anyhow but the bit about fc and Rovers transfer fee's being 'way higher' then City's isn't true. Rovers were spending £6k on Roger Millward when City were spending £40 and £60k on players. I believe fc's record transfer fee is about £100k and that was paid out when Lloyd was the owner and the general census at the time was that the proceeds of City's league cup game at Newcastle funded it.
I don’t blame them, or anyone, for not wanting to own a football club. I wouldn’t do if I had the money Sadly they’ve had more than their fair share of crime against them so are understandably more reclusive / private as a result
This sounds like one of these " Only City were allowed to play on Christmas Day" urban legends. Which year(s) did the rugby teams have a higher record transfer fee paid than City?
City were virtually destitute and skint when Needler bought them in 1946. He built all stands, the gym, the floodlights, the railway halt and one of the very best pitches in the land. Very few owners back then pumped that sort of investment into any football club, The only modern equivalents that spring to mind were Jack Walker at Blackburn and the feller at Wolves (Jack Hayward?). Unfortunately his son Christopher didn't share his passion and the family hung onto the club for 20 years too long bringing the club to its knees.
Wasn't much in it. Rovers paid £72,5000, a lot for a RL club when our record was £75,000 for Alf Wood. There used to be a full programme on Christmas Day. City and Grimsby were given permission NOT to play on Christmas Day if it coincided with trawler landings such was the importance of the fish landed at the two ports. How many times either club took advantage of this dispensation, if ever, I don't know.
Read what I wrote about it being a good tax avoidance scheme in the 1960s. Was a good article in one of the fanzines a few years ago.
25/12/1948 RUFC (H) att. 49,655 Fish Dock must have empty . Gateshead in 1957 seems to have been last home game on 25/12.att. 8,950 That's over 40,000 fans less. A decrease of Allamesque proportions.
