Source: Northern_Echo
Gibson blasts critics
A BULLISH Steve Gibson labelled individuals spreading malicious rumours about his beloved club going into administration as no friends of Middlesbrough Football Club.[LNB] The Boro chairman revealed he was at a loss to know where the damaging gossip had emanated from and has finally moved to quash any more tittle-tattle.[LNB] Gibson said: I don't know where these stories come from. It's all nonsense. People who spread these rumours are no friends of Middlesbrough Football Club.[LNB] But most people in the town are fantastic and they are behind the club and they enjoy being a part of things.[LNB] I can tell them that there is absolutely no substance to the stories that they have heard.[LNB] I wish I knew how these things start. There was one stupid comment from (Preston North End manager) Phil Brown and people jump to conclusions.[LNB] Phil Brown apologised for his remarks and Preston apologised and that should have been the end of it. We don't need people saying things about the club which are not true.[LNB] It is common knowledge Boro need to restructure their finances and get their extraordinary high wage bill down to that of their Championship counterparts.[LNB] But Gibson made it known the club is a lot healthier than idle newsmongers give it credit for.[LNB] He said: We have been the best resourced club in the Championship this season, by a long, long way. There is nothing wrong with the finances of the club.[LNB] What we do have is a huge wage bill and that's something we are dealing with.[LNB] Until the arrival of Tony Mowbray we were not getting a return on the pitch from the wage bill.[LNB] But our wage bill is unsustainable at any level.[LNB] Our wage bill is bigger than the combined wage bills of the top two clubs in this league. But it's not about how big your wage bill is, it's about getting value for money from your wage bill.[LNB] We are 18th in the Championship and that's why this situation can't continue.[LNB] But, whatever happens with regard to the wage bill, we will continue to be one of the best resourced teams in the Championship next season.[LNB] The club will be resourced to give the manager a competitive Championship squad.[LNB] Arsenal are about to become the latest in a long line of British football clubs who have accepted foreign investment and ownership. And some Boro supporters have questioned why Gibson has not sort to seek similar financial support in a bid to get the Teessiders back into the Premier League.[LNB] But the 52-year-old owner, while not ruling out such an alliance in the future, admits he is still quite happy to maintain the status quo and try and bankroll the club for the foreseeable future.[LNB] We have had no offers from foreigners wanting to put money into our club, revealed Gibson. My ethics are the same they have always been since I became chairman.[LNB] I believe that my ethics as chairman of the club reflect the town and the people in it.[LNB] This is not just a football club, it is a flagship for the town.[LNB] It is important that the club is a community asset and continues to belong to the people of the town. These things are very important to me.[LNB]
