Should We Know All?

We Have No Right To Know Everything?

One thing that I really believe gets missed at times is the fact that a football club is also a business. As with any business, things will happen behind the scenes that are pure business decisions. This happens everywhere. Look at it this way. If you think of the place that you work. The bloke that works next to you all of a sudden leaves the company without any real warning. Would you stand at the front of your office/shop/whatever and tell all the customers that the man has gone and the reasons behind it? Doubt it, and doubt too many of them would care anyway so long as the business kept providing the same service.

Let’s have a quick look at the two instances from the Vetch this week. Peter Owen left the employment of the football club on Monday. For three years he has worked on the Official web-site and done a great job in sometimes extremely testing circumstances. I think it only fair here to credit Peter with passing me all the information on the day that Tony Petty was sacking all the players. He showed there to me that he was a fan who cared about the football club and for once a leak from the club was the right thing to do. We got the information into the public domain between us. I will also add that it was the one and only time that Peter passed me information from the club.

Anyway, I digress. Peter left the club on Monday with no formal announcement from the club itself. However, the Evening Post reported on Tuesday that Peter had left the club. Huw Jenkins said "Peter has chosen to leave the club. Part of his duties will now be taken up by people at the club." whilst Peter said "I am very sad to be leaving the football club. I have put in hear and soul for the good of Swansea City over the past three years. Unfortunately it is not such a clear cut issue as has been suggested but I am unable to comment on it further." We have had a comment from both sides and whatever happened behind the scenes then it is best left as these two clearly want it. We have no reason to know why Peter left and he clearly doesn’t want to tell us so it should be left at that?

The Tony Pennock situation is slightly different. Pennock claims that he was verbally offered a one year deal by Kevin Reeves but this was backtracked on by Brian Flynn. Unlike Peter he chose to put his side of the story via the press. Pennock said "The people who are running this club are supposed to be respected businessmen. I don’t think I want to do business with them. I just want someone to give me an answer. A phone call from the chairman would be nice. I just can’t believe these people running the club couldn’t tell me what was happening themselves. They are all there when there are big-name signings but nowhere to be seen when it’s just the squad players." A pretty damming picture of the football club and it’s owners from one player and one that I think deserves an explanation.

There is a marked difference between these two situations caused by the two reactions to the individuals. Both received contact from the Evening Post and one chose not to comment, the other one could not contain his anger. Brian Flynn is quoted in the Pennock situation as saying "It was a private matter between himself and Pennock." It may well have started that way but it was taken into the public eye and therefore we should be given an explanation on the decision. That is not saying that the decision is wrong but we need on this occasion to hear the club’s side to the story just to set the record straight?

Tony Pennock has a point especially when he refers to his family but at the same time, the club have their reasons and before that side of the story is put it is hard for anyone to pass judgement one way or the other but I will add that in the Pennock situation, silence was a problem and weakness of previous owners – the current board are above that.

We never have the right to know everything but when the club is dammed in the press a response should be forthcoming.

As someone put to me in an e-mail – if we hadn’t lost Peter Owen perhaps we would have had the statement. Touch of irony but you have to laugh.

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