It’s safe to say that it would not be wise for Karl Oyston to take a casual walk down to Pleasure Beach at the moment.
Oyston became the chairman of Blackpool FC in 1999. He inherited control of the club from his father Owen, who was serving a jail sentence for rape at the time, and had chosen to resign following vehement fan-led campaigns calling for his head.
During his time at the Blackpool, Oyston has overseen a climb from the fourth tier of English football to the summit, culminating in the club’s promotion to the Premier League for the 2010/11 season. Now back in the Championship, the club has built up its reputation as a solid family institution, and perhaps, given their role in the Premier League four years ago, a classic British underdog. If you ask any football fan if they like Blackpool, the vast majority will say yes.
So why is Karl Oyston being hounded out by the Tangerines fans, much like his predecessor?
The issue is money. When Ian Holloway’s Blackpool team defeated Cardiff City 3-2 in the 2009/10 Championship Playoff Final, it was widely reported that the club would receive a £90 million windfall as a result of parachute payments from the Premier League. For a small club like Blackpool, with their modest 17,000 seat stadium and a transfer record of just £500,000 (paid for Charlie Adam the summer before), this was almost too good to be true. Speculation was rife on the terraces- which big-name signings would come in? Would there be a new stadium or, at least, an expansion of Bloomfield Road? Would the significant investment see the club grow and establish itself as a Premier League team?
There lies the problem. ‘Significant investment’- there was none. And suddenly four years on from the Premier League euphoria engulfing the city, the club are in meltdown. And everyone is blaming Karl Oyston.
Accusations claim that, along with his father (who remains as the primary shareholder of the club) Oyston has taken £35 million out of the club, in the form of wages and interest-free loans to other companies owned by the family. They put their own luxurious lifestyle before the club’s financial security and footballing matters, doubters claim, and the current situation backs up their claims.
At the time of writing, new manager Jose Riga has only eleven first-team squad members at his disposal, with the new Championship season a mere two weeks away. A squad which narrowly avoided relegation under Paul Ince and Barry Ferguson last season has been severely weakened, and the lack of urgency surrounding the club’s transfer activity has left fans resigned to a season rooted to the bottom of the table. Is such an attitude down to Karl Oyston’s reluctance to spend? It would appear so.
Combine this issue with the run down stadium and training ground, recently labelled an ’embarrasment’ by the chairman of the supporters’ trust, the increasing anger amongst the fans, and the stubborn resistance of Karl Oyston, it would appear that Blackpool are spiraling out of control.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter – @robborobson1. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at sports injury alert.
Feel free to discuss this and other footy related articles with thousands of fans at r/football.
