Who Pulls The Strings

Sunday, 16 December 2001, 0:01
2 mins read

Swansea Jack 1 posed an interesting question last night on just who is in charge at the Vetch Field these days. Sure, Tony Petty is marked down as chairman but is he really the man who is pulling the strings or do we have someone else that we all loathe in charge of the club at the moment?

Michael Lewis. The man we all love to hate. An unpaid adviser on the Morfa project? Don’t make me laugh, he seems to be involved in every single activity at the Vetch these days. He has a company jag, was there when the players were ‘sacked’, was there on Boundy’s transfer the other day and as we revealed last week was heavily involved in the proposed sale of Mamady Sidibe.

As we know, Mike Lewis bought the club off Ninth Floor back in the summer for ร‚ยฃ1. He was given three months to find new investors or they could take it back. He failed. Or at least he failed until Tony Petty came on board. And Lewis signed his shares (just over 99%) over to Petty. But did he? No-one seems to have actually seen the stamp that handed the shares over to Petty so has it been done? We ask for proof of this to see that it has happened.

Petty ‘sacked’ the players. Lewis states that he thinks he can get us out of the mess he got us into and then nothing happens. Now If I was Tony Petty and I was in charge and someone tried to stab me in the back, I certainly wouldn’t keep him on at the club afterwards so we presume that was Lewis just mouthing off and he never really tried to do anything?

Sounds like it to me.So Mike Lewis is retained as an unpaid adviser. How many unpaid advisers do you know that have company cars? Not that many I suspect. Especially company cars that are draining the finances of a cash strapped football club.

We were told less than two weeks ago that Petty was ready to resign. Who talked him into staying? You guessed it, Mike Lewis. With Petty there the focus is off Lewis who we are hearing more and more rumours is involved in a heavier capacity than he would like us to believe.

Whenever something happens, Lewis is there. Whenever a decision needs to be made, Lewis is there. Whenever there is a game on, Lewis is there. Bar of course yesterday when him and Shuttleworth were notable by their absence.

We ask the question again. Who is really in charge at the moment. I suspect Mike Lewis and here is someone who needs to feel the pressure. “We want Petty out” should become “We want Lewis out” to start with. I just have this nagging feeling that Lewis is the one that is pulling the strings and if we can get him to feel that he needs to go then this mess may well be one very big step nearer the end.

I don’t know what Lewis has over Petty but surely there must be something there? Why else would this bloke still be at the club and able to take such an active part in proceedings. Maybe he sees Swansea City as his personal pension plan and uses his hold over Petty for his own gain? Who knows.

It is time for the press to start doing the club some favours and start asking some questions – here are some suggestions for questions to Lewis

1. What exactly is your role at Swansea City?

2. Why do you seem to be involved in every decision at the Football Club?

3. Have you proof that your shares were handed over to Tony Petty (i.e. the transfer stamp)

4. If you are an unpaid adviser, then why do you still have a company car?

5. Why are you very active in player transfers? Are you a registered agent/

6. When Tony Petty confided in people he was ready to walk away, why did you persuade him to stay?

7. Do you feel any guilt about selling Swansea City down the river?

Although Tony Petty is no innocent party in this, Mike Lewis appears to be the man behind ruining Swansea City as we know it and he is getting an easy ride. Time to raise the pressure.

LEWIS OUT, PETTY OUT, SHUTTLEWORTH OUT, GOSS OUT

(In That Order)

WE INVITE SWANSEA CITY TO COMMENT

Images courtesy of Getty Images, Athena Picture Agency and Swansea City Football Club.

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