The News & Star listed key dates in the nine weeks since John Courtenay started negotiations with Michael Knighton. Despite numerous assurances from Courtenay that a deal was imminent and several deadlines, the deal has not yet been completed. A planned press conference on February 25 was cancelled. Supporters have grown sceptical that the deal will be done after initially rallying to the call of Irish businessman Courtenay to turn out for home games. Over 10,000 attended the two games against Darlington and Exeter City last month but numbers have dwindled since the process hit fresh delays. Only 3,349 were present on Saturday when the Cumbrians defeated Swansea City 3-1. Courtenay was still insisting yesterday that everything was on track. He has maintained that only legal issues are holding up the takeover, even though both men appeared committed to a quick conclusion back in January when their negotiations began. Mr Knighton placed a six-day deadline on Courtenay's team to complete due diligence following the Irishman's insistence that the whole deal be completed within three weeks. It has now been over two months since the talks began. Courtenay said : "We are still negotiating and trying to get the final bits and pieces done. There has been no breakdown. We are progressing bit by bit, but a lot slower than we had anticipated. I am determined not to walk away." Mr Knighton first held negotiations with Brooks Mileson and Paul Harrison in the spring of 1999. Since then there have been a whole catalogue of bids, including the failed 'takeover' by mystery Gibraltar concern Mamcarr Investments and the Peebles-based conman Stephen Brown in January 2001. Both Collins and Courtenay seemed to indicate that there would be no further comment on the takeover following Collins's aborted attempt to resign a fortnight ago. He subsequently met Mr Knighton and left satisfied that the deal was still on. Independent watchdog is not enough, says city MP Carlisle's Labour MP Eric Martlew says the new Independent Football Commission (IFC) doesn't go far enough in protecting clubs like Carlisle United from individuals like current owner Michael Knighton. He said that the new body, set up by the Government in consultation with the football authorities could not prevent people like Mr Knighton taking control of smaller clubs and failed to establish the right of supporters to own a portion of their clubs. Mr Martlew, who is a member of the Carlisle & Cumbria United Independent Supporters' Trust (CCUIST), said: "The IFC will be an improvement on what goes on now, but I would like to have seen a proper ombudsman for the fans. That would have been very difficult because football clubs are private businesses and have shareholders, but the fans have got to become more involved. "I suspect the future is for fans to form themselves into trusts, as at Carlisle United, but their efforts could still be frustrated by the will of a strong individual." The IFC will be funded by the FA, the Premier League and the Football League and will have three full-time staff based at the University of Middlesbrough. Picture from News & Star |
