SWFC Director Geoff Hulley's Incredible Interview on BBC Radio Sheffield

On Friday night, BBC Radio Sheffield's Paul Walker contacted and interviewed SWFC Director Geoff Hulley about the current situation at Hillsborough. It proved to be an enlightening interview...for all the wrong reasons.


From Time To Go's website:

"Paul Walker does a sterling job of trying to put the facts to Geoff Hulley and get a response, unfortunately as soon as things start getting interesting, Geoff cuts the interview short.

PW: What’s the latest on the takeover?

GH: I dont’ know myself, i’m anxious to find out. I’ve heard things, but no, i’ve nothing I can tell you because as I say, no papers for oooh, 3 days and we are just making our way back now.

PW: But you’ll be aware of interest from investors wont you?

GH: I’m still aware yes, I know there was a statement about the err, Norwegian, the err the oil people but that’s all I know so far.

PW: Have you heard the proposal from the Shareholders association, from Wednesdayite?  They want you to put your shareholding up, you and Keith Addy’s shareholding to allow someone to come and rescue the club.   Wednesdayite have offered to give their shares up, are you willing to give your shares up?

GH: Well, it’s something that has to be considered.  But, don’t forget Paul the bank has a big say.  They’ve told us that there can be no shares transactions without there approval.

PW: so you would entertain that offer then would you.

GH: I would give it consideration.

PW: Do you think Keith Addy would as well?

GH: oooh I’ve no idea for Keith.  Really, I haven’t seen Keith for a few weeks now.

PW: Are you ready to do a deal and walk away, is that how you are looking at things at the moment?

GH: Well, I’ve been ready for retirement for quite a while, but the err changes err, we are asked not to make changes because of possible investing groups coming in and the bank doesn’t want to have the upheaval.

PW: Do you think the club will be saved from administration?

GH: I sincerely hope so, that’s got to be the aim.

PW: Two weeks away from it now, less then that infact.

GH: Well yes well it can be within 24 hours cant it.  yes.

PW: Because obviously we heard about Kevin Mundie who had withdrawn his interest.

GH: Yeah well that’s all I read in the paper when we were down in Cannes on Tuesday was it, Monday or Tuesday?

PW: So when are you back?

GH: I’ll be back tomorrow night.

PW: And then what do you look to do?

GH: huh, I’ll look to obviously be back at the club and find out all that’s happened and what is happening.

PW: And you guys, you and Keith in particular have come in for a lot of criticism Geoff you’ve been there for a long long time

GH: Yes, I know we have, go on.

PW: How do you feel about that?

GH: Feel sick about it, its uncalled for, they don’t realise just how big a supporter both of us are at the club, what we’ve done over the years and it’s about time that they realised that it’s not the directors that have lost football matches that it’s the players that have lost football matches.

PW: Well the players have lost football matches yes, but the mess that the club finds itself in is down to the people that have been running it, isn’t it?

GH: Well that’s interpretation. We’ve run it in a businesslike manner as much as we could

PW: But you’ve run it to a point Geoff where the club could go to the wall in less than two weeks time.

GH: No, I disagree with that.

PW: How can you disagree with it, the facts speak for themselves.  You have a winding up order, you haven’t any money in the pot left, you can’t attract investment.  Whose fault is that?

GH: Err, you say that, but I don’t know that we haven’t got any money in the pot, but listen i’m in a lot of traffic, in the centre of France on a D road, and I’m not in a position to sit and discuss things or argue with you so we’ll have to leave it at that Paul.

Not only is a club director on holiday during these grave times, his only means of finding information about the club seems to be via newspapers and he is unaware that we don’t have any money to pay the debt to the HMRC.

He blames the club’s financial woes on the players losing footbal matches and seems fairly insistant that the bank are calling a lot of shots, a claim the bank apparantly disputed when Wednesdayite interviewed them.

He also hasn’t spoke to one of his fellow 10% shareholders, an ex director “for weeks now” – surely Keith still has a vested interest in his shareholding?

Thanks for the interview Geoff.   You’ve shown exactly why we at Time to Go are pushing for change."