Fleetwood owner heading to jail
https://twitter.com/ftfc/status/1659602696439988224
Been found guilty of a multi-million pound fraud and money laundering, a lot of which may well have been used to bankroll Fleetwood's climb up the leagues. Sentencing is in July but the judge has recommended a custodial sentence so he'll be locked up. He's already been appointing his family as directors at Fleetwood to keep the club going:
However, if his assets are going to be used to recoup the money he stole then Fleetwood, as well as his portfolio of other clubs including Irish club Waterford FC, UAE Third Division side Fleetwood United (based in Dubai) and his Fleetwood Town International Football Academy, may all be at risk.
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Disgraceful and depressing
We must be vigilant
Fleetwood Wanderers, huh? Everyone is secretly envious of us...
They were formed as Fleetwood Wanderers in 1997 but changed their name in 2002, just before Pilley took over. Appears their trading name never changed though.
I never knew that! I thought they were an old, existing club that just suddenly had money ploughed in.
They can trace the club back to 1908 through phoenix clubs after the previous iteration folded.
Fleetwood in every year since 1908 have had a club but Fleetwood Town is the third phoenix club and fourth in total.
Fit and proper lol.
That test doesn't exist in non-league unfortunately. Any dodgy millionaire can take over a club and plough money in as their own vanity project. It's a loophole for getting into the EFL that evades their standards testing, though of course, it tends to fall apart eventually.
Perhaps the EFL should have fit and proper tests for clubs getting promoted to the EFL. If they win the National League but it's found that the owners are incredibly shady then they get denied promotion and the runners up go up instead (provided they meet the requirements). Would definitely stop the vanity projects.
Pilley: Bail?
Lawyer: No way. He'll go to Wrexham before he plays for your lot.
Fleetwood Freeport
This is also a club that had Joey Barton as manager. So glad we ended their Champo dreams, especially when they were the form club!
Presumably he would have passed the fit and proper test previously given that he has only just been convicted of fraud.
Considering a non-existent person once passed the fit and proper test for Portsmouth, "alive and breathing" is not even a requirement!
They also employed Ched Evans
And I'm sure some other player who had some conviction for assault or similar?
Forget the name.
Sure you're not thinking of Blackpool? They had (still have, I think) Gary Madine, who was banged up for assault.
There's probably quite a few clubs that have assualters.
But no there was one guy at either a Fleetwood or an Accy or someone. I had a quick look at 2019-21 teamsheets but couldn't find him. Can see the face and thought it was Fleetwood due to the Barton and Evans combo.