1960s crisis

[roddy]

Contary to popular belief it was not Ron Blindell who saved the club but former director Les Davey a Builders Merchant from South Harrow. Does any one know what became of him.

[Nigel Brooks]

Sadly I dn't know what happened to Mr. Davey.

I do remember however the empassioned pleas and tireless work of Peter Pond-Jones and friends. Without their engagement of a large proportion of the fan base we wouldn't have a club to support.

Peter sadly passed away some years ago, but managed, without the benefits of the internet or other 'modern' communications media to keep everyone appraised of developments.

[TOMOGP]

In fact it was Ron Blindells Cash that kept us alive and Les Davey, and Radley-Smith the Doctor who died a year or 2 back who did all the organising, yes Nigel Peter Pond-Jones did well at information BUT what was going on was very unusual at the time and newsworthy, also Alan Simpson the comedy writer was more or less at his peak and appeared on tv discussing the situation..
not like now with nearly every club up the creek, what news in the Bees with £6 mill debt or even Rangers at 10 mill when theres Leeds at £70 mill after all what info is there about Derby and there problems.
It must also be remembered that our core gate at the time was some 10K ( without checking)almost double today which you could say would double the input to BU monthly.
The buckets were out then to but again higher crowd higher take.

Everybody scoffs at the old financial thermometre outside, but it did also show exactly the problem and how it was being reduced albeit slowly.

Again the money involved is different if my memory serves me right the total debt was some £200k total with a national average wage of some £17 pw or say £900 pa. And I may well be wrong but believe the maximum wage was still in place for footballers

[roddy]

My understanding and I believe it to be true as Les Davey himself told me was this. Ron Blindell at the time was in the frame for virtually any club that came on the market. It seems that in ther case of Brentford the situation was worse than he had thought and he got cold feet. Les Davey in fact guaranteed most of the money but was content to have Mr Blindell as front man. If anyone knows different I would be interested to here.

[TOMOGP]

I would not disagree but Blindell had been at Plymouth as chair, and was looking to put his money into a club, he came on the board but not as chair, and in fact after his death his son took over and was on the board for a good number of years

[longdistancebee]

As I recall, the debt as shown on the big thermometer was £104,000. An absolute mountain to climb in those days, but we did it then, and we can do it now. And football clubs going bust weren't unheard of then either: only a few years earlier the league lost both Accrington Stanley and Gateshead due to financial difficulties, and then only a couple of years later, that mega-side north of the border, Third Lanark (what a name! bettered only by Stenhousemuir - Come on you Warriors) went down the tubes, and they went for good.

[MayenneBee]

It was £104k!

All our young supporters owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Bees of 67 who staved off the demise of our club. I am not sure about who put up what but whoever it was Mr Blindell or Mr Davey, they both should never be forgotten. PPJ was another stalwart as is my Dad and hundreds of others who 'bought' share certificates at 10/- per share to try to keep the club going.

The Brighton to Brentford walk - winner, Tommy Higginson (who else). We were a great CLUB then and we can be again.

[MayenneBee]

To continue.

Bees fans, remember this.

67 showed us that our natural enemy are that blue and white shite from Shepherds Bush. They were b4 the Rowlands affair, and always will be.

I get up an hour earlier every day so I can hate them that little bit longer.

Get yourself up an hour early one day this week to join me!

[TOMOGP]

Thats right £104 K had to be found to repay as I understood it Ron Blindell, the rest was raised including the share issue, and dead right Mayenne Loftus Rd are our natural enemies and have been for years, and I hate them as well and as I posted on another thread one club i would not be soory to see close

[Wise old Bee]

Quite right, whatever people say about Fulham or Watford, and I have a great dislike of Southend and Aldershot, those of us who were around GP in 67 can never forgive those hooped bastards for trying to take our ground and put us out of business.

[Idaho Bee]

Yes its been interesting watching this board change over the last 2 years.

Us old timers were the only ones to hate QPha with a passion and lots of people told us how we were out of touch and now it's fulham etc.

Now I see a much healthier passion against the hooped ones as each encounter takes place - and long may it continue...lol

[brooks]

I've got my share certificate from '67 and it cost me 6 pounds which was almost my weeks wages then. Of course its cost me a lot more in angst since then.

[Idaho Bee]

Originally posted by brooks
I've got my share certificate from '67 and it cost me 6 pounds which was almost my weeks wages then. Of course its cost me a lot more in angst since then.

Yeah, I've got my 10 shares too........:blush

[Stanley]

Idaho Bee is right they will always be the real enemy cus of 67.

I was too young to know what was really going on at the time but the sense of despair at our likely demise was there for all to feel.

I don't believe we have ever really recovered given the years of financial straight jacket that followed , while they have gone to be the "big" club we all know. I still get angry about it and what could have been

[Savannah Bee]

Does anyone remember the proposed merger of Brentford and Hillingdon Borough with the Bees taking up residence at Borough's ground. As a 9 year old it appealed to me at the time as we lived within a short bus ride

It's a bit vague now but I'd be interested to know more details.

[Idaho Bee]

BTW, I still have a scrap book of newspaper clippings from when the "crisis" first started, and until it was over, mainly from the Mirror.

I must bring it over next time I come, some anoraks might be interested in reading them........

:wave:

[roddy]

The recent interviews with Frank Blunstone & Steve Perryman are indicative of the negative attitude of those who have been in charge of the club. Bearing this in mind it it was perhaps inevitable that we suffered the Webb debacle. Mat I remind everyone that it has been suggested in some circles that Webb was only the fall guy acting on behalf of others.