JULY 2010
This website was set up early in 2009 to give a detailed explanation of
Cullumgate, partly as a record of what had gone on (which was far from clear to
many fans) but also to give clues as to what might happen in the future as far
as the ownership of the club was concerned.
That explanation has stood the test of time. Perhaps not surprisingly, since
before publication it was endorsed as accurate by very senior figures on both
sides of the argument. That 3,500 word article, which has not been altered
since publication, can be found on the next page.
However it soon became clear that some kind of Afterword was needed, to cover
subsequent related events, not least because some fans still harboured hopes that Cullum might renew his interest in the club. So an eye needed to be kept on the performance of Towergate, his company. That Afterword, written in the summer of 2009, can be found
on the page following the main Cullumgate piece. After some of the specific
sections there are clearly-marked additional paragraphs, written in the summer of 2010, to cover even
more recent developments on those subjects.
One of my aims in this Afterword was to examine critically the view of many fans that we
were virtually alone in being unable to find investment, either through
incompetence or because the owners never really intended to sell. There was also
the linked belief that pretty much any investment was good.
It is fair to say that the last year on
Planet Football has proved extremely educational as far as those beliefs are
concerned. Events at Portsmouth and elsewhere have prompted if not a sea change
in attitudes then at least a healthy scepticism towards the unsubstantiated
promises of supposedly wealthy would-be owners.
Equally, the last year has also been a fascinating one on Planet Canary itself. A new manager, a new chief executive, a new chairman, another new director. All sorts of excitements. Some ephemeral. Some more significant.These developments are covered on the last two pages.
Finally, for those readers for whom this site is virgin territory, I should reiterate that my credentials for writing this are simple. I am a fan, a season-ticket holder (somewhere in the grand opera section of the Jarrold Stand) and a shareholder. That apart, I have absolutely no connection with the club, official or otherwise, or – as it happens – with Peter Cullum or Towergate.
PurpleCanary
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CONTENTS
PAGE ONE: CULLUMGATE (unaltered)
PAGE TWO: CULLUMGATE AFTERWORD (updated)
PAGES THREE AND FOUR: THE NEW BOARD. HOW HAS IT PERFORMED, A YEAR ON FROM THE ARRIVAL OF BOWKETT, PHILLIPS AND MCNALLY. (Updated)
