“More clubs have got to live within their means” says Wild after Macclesfield demise

FC Halifax Town boss Pete Wild says more clubs have to start living within their means after Macclesfield Town’s demise.
Macclesfield TownMacclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town

The Silkmen were wound up on September 16 after a judge in the High Court was told they owed half a million pounds to creditors.

Owner Amar Alkadhi had sought for an adjournment after HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) applied for a winding up order.

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But Judge Sebastian Prentis turned that request down, saying he could see nothing which gave him ‘any comfort’ that the club could pay the debts.

Macclesfield were preparing for life back in the National League after being relegated from League Two last season.

“It’s really sad,” reflected Wild. “Living over the hill, Macclesfield’s one of the north-west clubs I’ve known and been around for years.

“I’ve been there as a fan watching Oldham, been there as a manager. It’s a top club, a really good little club, that’s unfortunately fallen foul to circumstances that’s out of the fans’ control.

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“It’s so sad. We’re the only country in the world that has the 92 professional clubs, but if you think of the National League, it’s probably 110, 115 full-time clubs.

“It’s hard to sustain that, which no other country in the world can.

“It’s tough out there at the moment. The birth of the foreign owner, I personally believe, doesn’t help, I think it’s a hindrance because they don’t get our society, our culture, how we do things here.

“Generally that’s where people come a cropper and I think unfortunately you’ve seen that with Macclesfield.

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“I feel sorry for Tim Flowers and the players he’s recruited, Liam Nolan who was here last year has gone there.

“I feel sorry for him. They’re good, honest blokes who want to be involved in football.

“And unfortunately, along with the fans, it looks like they’ve been sold down the river.

“I think it’s a lesson for us as a football club. We are very lucky that this club has no debt, we are very lucky that we have a chairman that lives within his means.

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“At times it might get frustrating, but we could be in a lot worse position than we are. We have a good, honest bloke at the top of the football club who has the club at heart and the right ambitions at heart.”

When asked what lessons football shoudl learn from what has happened to Macclesfield, Wild said: “I think more clubs have got to live within their means.

“I think what you’ve seen this summer is players having to learn that big money isn’t out there, those daft contracts aren’t out there, and those demands are not there anymore because players have had to accept that.

“Yes you can chase the dream of the Football League, yes you can chase the dream of moving up a division, but at what cost? If it goes wrong, the only people picking up the pieces are the fans.

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“We live within our means here. That means we’re one of the lowest budgets in the league but there’s no debt, the chairman puts his hard-earned cash into this football club and we are on a steady footing.

“There’s a lot to be said for that in the current climate.”