I have written extensively over the years about experiences I have had, the eminent people I’ve met and, in many cases, become friends and colleagues with, and the behind-the-scenes challenges I’ve faced during my 37 years – and counting – in football.
One chapter in life I have not mentioned much about is the time when I thought the next stage of my football career after Charlton Athletic, The Football League and Swindon Town, would be in Italy; in Vicenza to be exact.
It was in the autumn of 1998, I was spending my days ‘firefighting’ constantly at Swindon Town as my time there was one of financial challenges, redundancies, poor staff morale, supporter unrest and a struggling team. Then one day in October I received an offer that had the potential to change my and my wife Helen’s life completely.
I took a call in my office at The County Ground from my friend and former Football League colleague Darren Venn, who told me that he was now Managing Director of ENIC, a major financial institution owned by billionaire Joe Lewis. At that time ENIC owned 40% of Glasgow Rangers and four clubs in Europe – AEK Athens, Sparta Prague, Basle, and Vicenza. Darren invited me to meet him at his office in London as he wanted to talk to me about an opportunity for me at ENIC.
I will let my diary entries for this time carry on the story……:
Tuesday October 6th, 1998:
I met Darren at his offices in Tenison Court. After catching up on old times at The League, Darren then explained to me that he was putting business managers in at each of the ENIC foreign clubs and he told me that wants me to take on one of these positions. He told me that I could effectively choose which club I wanted to work at of the four! The business manager role would offer a salary in the range of £60K a year.
I was fascinated by what Darren had to tell me, and I thanked him enormously for his belief in me. I told him that I would need to discuss this in detail with Helen, but I cannot deny that the thought of working abroad in football has great appeal. Darren promised to put the offer to me in writing and I agreed to give the matter some serious thought. As I said, the chance to work abroad really appeals, however it also scares the hell out of me. What an opportunity and what a great ‘shot in the arm’ for my confidence as well.
Monday 26th October 1998
I took a black cab to ENIC’s offices near Regent’s Street. Amazingly the taxi driver knew my old Charlton boss, Arnie Warren, which became known when he asked me what I did for a living. I had planned to explain to Darren that whilst I was flattered to be asked, the fact that I would be expected to live full-time in a foreign country away from Helen, meant that I would have to decline his very kind offer. However, before I had the chance to do this, Darren told me he would be prepared to offer the position of Business Manager at one of ENIC’s clubs to me on the basis that I worked there for ‘3 to 4 days a week’. I told him that this changed things, as it alleviated my fear of permanently leaving home. He asked me what club attracted me, to which I replied ‘Vicenza.’ Darren then told me that this was the club that he wanted me to go to. Darren really does sell the job, and I must admit that I am going to find it hard to turn down this incredible opportunity. However, I suggested that I would like to visit Vicenza with Helen – at my own expense – before accepting the role.
On the way back to my car I just could not help thinking about how on earth a former bank clerk from Plumstead could be that close to effectively becoming a senior person at a famous Italian Serie A football club!
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th November 1998
Our weekend in Vicenza!
We met Darren and his wife Shammi in the departure lounge and after a short delay, we were off and on the way to Verona Airport.
We were met at the airport by a chauffeur-driven limo and taken to the Hotel de Ville in Vicenza. We got a cab to the Vicenza ground where we met some of the club’s staff. I was not prepared for what I saw. The team are a multi-million-pound side, but the ground is worse than Vauxhall Conference standard. Darren told me that the ground is owned by the local authority and the plan is to move to another stadium. It was fascinating to see the stadium but the job for whoever takes it on, is a massive one. However, as the weekend wore on, I began to realise that I would have to go for the job if it were offered to me and the terms were right. I was also encouraged by Helen’s reaction. She clearly felt that the opportunity would be too good to miss and that we would just have to adapt our lifestyles. After going all over the ground, we then walked into the main square of Vicenza, it was fabulous and remarkably like St Mark’s Square in Venice.
Vicenza really had everything, designer shops everywhere! There was a fabulous atmosphere in the town but what struck me was that, unlike more tourist areas, the people of Vicenza did not speak much English.
We then went to a brilliant restaurant and enjoyed a great night out. Darren and Shammi were great company and Helen really enjoyed herself. After a drink back in our hotel we finally went to bed just after 11.00pm. It had been a long day but a very enjoyable one. My head was spinning with the possibilities opening to me.
We met the other two at breakfast at 9.30am and then at 11.00am we were driven back to Verona airport. I paid my own hotel bill, but Darren told me that I should not have and that ENIC were happy to settle the account. However, I was glad that I paid because I wanted to ensure that, morally, I did not owe ENIC anything if I subsequently turn down the job.
Saturday 5th December 1998
My guests at the match against Norwich today were writer Louella Miles and her husband Mike and Darren and Shammi Venn.
Whilst we did not get much time to speak at length, Darren and I agreed that, on his return from holiday at the end of December we would get together to iron out any issues and then agree my terms for joining ENIC. I therefore agreed to drop him a line to accept, subject to contract, the position of Business Manager that had formally been made to me in writing. I am really pleased that I have made this decision at last and although there are still one or two issues to clarify, it looks like I will be an international traveller by February!
As for the match, it ended 1-1 and really it looked a draw as soon as a ball was kicked at 3.00pm. Unfortunately, as our away form is so poor, we must get three points at home, so this result really did nothing for us.
My mind was working overtime on the drive home to Bexleyheath because of this whole ENIC business but I am pleased with my final decision.
Thursday 7th January 1999
I was home based today so I tried calling Darren at ENIC, but he did not return my call. It has been over a month now since I accepted the job offer. God knows what is going on there. I do feel very much in limbo now.
Friday 15th January 1999
I called Darren at ENIC and told him that things were getting difficult financially now at Swindon and the likelihood is that my stay at the club will not be a long one. I asked what was happening with the Vicenza job and he promised to come back to me ‘next week.’ Just a few weeks ago I thought I was off to a new £60K job working in Italy. Now I have no idea what is happening.
Friday 5th February 1999
Darren called. He apologised for not getting back to me. He told me that things had changed again at ENIC. He was moving positions to look after special projects and would not now be looking after the European clubs. This came as a blow to me, but it was not entirely unexpected. It was clear from the delays and ‘radio silence’ that the strategy sold to me last October was not now being implemented. I told Darren that I needed a definitive answer, was the offer that was made to me in writing, now being rescinded? To have made me a written job offer and to have flown my wife and I to Vicenza only for ENIC in all probability, to withdraw the offer Darren made me is extremely poor.
Tuesday 9th February 1999
I took a call in the early afternoon from an American guy called ‘Sesh’ from ENIC. He very formally called me ‘Stephen’! He asked me if he knew why he was calling, and I told him that it ‘probably had something to do with my many conversations with Darren Venn.’ He said that he felt it would be good if we met up and I agreed. We agreed to meet at ENIC’s offices at 3.00pm tomorrow. It was clear that the situation had changed now. I was intrigued by what this guy had to say to me but in my heart, I knew that the ENIC job would not become a reality.
Wednesday 10th February 1999
I arrived at ENIC’s offices for my meeting with Sesh. He was a young, American/Asian who spoke very slowly and deliberately. I knew what was coming. He told me that the structure at ENIC was changing and that the positions of Business Managers outlined to me by Darren were not being progressed with. He told me that they were reviewing their organisation chart. Put simply, the job that Darren offered me, now no longer existed. He then said they needed people with accountancy backgrounds and who could speak foreign languages for their new structure. He was cleverly manoeuvring me out of the picture! Clearly, he was wriggling out of the fact that an offer had been made to me in writing.
The more time I spent with him the more I knew that ENIC was not the type of company that I would enjoy working for. However, I was seething at being mucked about like this and he knew that I could go legal on them for reneging on their job offer.
I was relieved in one sense but felt angry and very let down in another.
Monday 22nd February 1999
I called my answerphone service from my mobile and I heard that Sesh from ENIC had called me. This puzzled me as I did not expect to hear from him again after our meeting. I called him back, but he was ‘unavailable.’ I don’t blame Darren as clearly his own position and status at ENIC has changed and it must have been difficult for him but I am not best pleased by how all this has been handled. However, I was glad that I would not be working so far away from Helen. I could not help thinking that ENIC were conducting ‘damage limitation’ as they knew I had their job offer letter!
After all that excitement and a flirtation with working in Italy, I returned to my role at Swindon. However, I stayed on for only a few more months, as I had agreed with Chairman Rikki Hunt to leave in April. The club’s financial situation had become increasingly precarious, and my commute from Bexleyheath to Wiltshire was becoming unsustainable.
As for the ENIC job, although I had every right to sue them, I realised it would not do me much long-term good. Quite honestly, I just wanted to move on and focus on my next role in football.
Little did I know then that my next chapter would take me back to Charlton Athletic, working alongside my friend Peter Varney. It’s a funny old game, isn’t it!
