Singh takes tough stance on agents

10 June 2010 12:21
Darlington chairman Raj Singh has sounded a warning that he will not be held to ransom by players' agents seeking to make a fast buck out of the club even if it means Quakers miss out on some of their summer transfer targets.[LNB] Singh revealed that he recently walked away from a deal after an agent demanded remuneration for his services to help seal a deal.[LNB] But the chairman, who has been buoyed by strong season ticket sales in recent weeks, confirmed that Darlington still have three offers on the table and are hopeful of making a breakthrough as Simon Davey builds his squad.[LNB] The manager is known to have missed out on at least one of his targets after Michael Coulson, whom Davey knew from his time in charge at Barnsley, agreed a deal with Grimsby Town.[LNB] Nevertheless, Singh insists he will not change his policy of refusing to enter into deals unless he feels they are in Darlington's best interests.[LNB] The chairman explained: We've lost out to another club on a couple of players but for very good reason. Simon knows how I do my business and he knows I won't be held to ransom by agents. We lost one player Simon was keen to bring in because his agent dropped a fee into the deal at the 11th hour. We decided to let him go.[LNB] At the end of the day we only want players who want to be here to play for Darlington and not just for the money, and it's good to have a manager who shares those beliefs.[LNB] It means we're running a strong ship and in the longterm will only benefit the club. By the same token we're still assembling what we think is a strong enough squad to win the Blue Square Bet Premier next season.[LNB] We're also negotiating sensible deals that are in the longterm interests of the club, which has not happened in the past, so fans can be assured their club is in the right hands.[LNB] The chairman says he has been delighted by the response of supporters, with around 200 new and lapsed season ticket holders signing up for the upcoming campaign.[LNB] Singh is now extending the early bird deadline to Monday June 14 to allow for holidays and the printing delay in getting the information sent out to almost 5,000 fans.[LNB] Darlington are opening their ticket office all weekend to give supporters an opportunity to benefit from the reduced price.[LNB] I'm absolutely delighted by the number of fans who have taken them out up to now, said Singh.[LNB] We're around the 800-mark now and I'd like to think we'll get another hundred or so over the next few days it would be nice to hit 1,000 by the weekend, and surpass last year's number before the start of the new season.[LNB] Simon is bringing in a high calibre of players and we're not done yet, we're looking to bring in another three or four over the next few weeks.[LNB] There are offers on the table for three players and I'd be excited if we got two of them, I know our fans would be as well.[LNB] Darlington fans originally had until tomorrow to take advantage of the 2010-11 prices, which were reduced by at least ten per cent.[LNB] The adult price of £250 works out at less than £11 a game and equates to nine free games compared to matchday prices.[LNB] Over-60s tickets are down to £155 (£6.74 per match) while the U-16s ticket is down 48 per cent to just £46 (£2 per game).[LNB] Fans now have until the close of play on Monday to take up the offer, after which they'll increase to £280 adults, £175 concessions and £69 under-16s and under- 10s. The Arena ticket office will be open 10am-3pm Saturday and 12-3pm Sunday, and usual time Monday.[LNB] Application forms are available from the club or they can be downloaded on the club's official website at www.darlington-fc.net[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo