To Lead Or Be Shot At?
Wednesday, 25th Sep 2002 00:00

A Leader Or A Scapegoat?

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I have to admit that I cannot remember a football club without a chairman before. I am sure that someone out there knows whether we are the first but I certainly cannot think of one off the top of my head. And it does feel a bit strange at times. Having sat with three directors yesterday I can see their reasoning behind not having a leader, especially if the three Swansea-based directors and Brian Katzen agree on most decisions. But does it hurt us as a football club not to have a leader?

At times like Football League Chairmen meetings? What do we do then? Don Goss has attended one I believe and I am sure that somewhere in my memory bank someone else from the Vetch staff has been. But does this harm us? Does it disadvantage us at occasions like that? It's hard to see why it would disadvantage us but it's one worth thinking of.

Also on matchdays. Do you think that visiting directors look down their noses at us for not having a chairman or do you think that they look at us with envy that we have an amicable board that does not need someone at the helm to cast the deciding vote? I don't know on that one either.

So if it is not a disadvantage then why are fans questioning the lack of a leader? Is it really someone that they want to see next to the word chairman in the matchday programme or is it someone that can be the target of anger when things go wrong? I suggest that the latter would happen if we did have a chairman but is that the reason?

And then comes the question of what would we want from a chairman? No disrespect to our current board of directors but I would not want any of them to be chairman of this football club. Not because I think any of them are unsavoury characters or unable to do the job but they all have outside business interests. In my mind, a chairman of the football club should be raising the profile of the club. That, I believe is a full time job and something that someone with a bigger profile could achieve. But who? You tell me!

I don't think our situation gives a right or wrong answer. I am not alone in believing we should have a chairman but that is not to say that those who believe we don't need one are wrong. It's an interesting debate and one that if you click here, you can vote on by saying whether the football club should have a leader or not.

And now a quick idea for the existing board. Regulars on here will know that recently I moved out of Swansea but still live close by. Travelling into the centre of town today I drove past Sainsburys. (Not unusual for most but I very rarely came into town that way when I was resident!) On the wall of Sainsburys, many will have seen it, was an advert showing the next opponents for Swansea Rugby Club. Is there something that we can look at doing that would show the next football fixture as well? If it brings a hundred people through the gate it would be a worthwhile excercise? Just an idea.