14 October 2006
Former Bristol Rovers director Colin Williams has defended himself against claims that he has been trying to cash in on property deals at Bristol Rovers’ expense.
And the ex-director, one of four to quit the club over the summer, told bow he had dipped into his own pocket repeatedly during his three years on the board to help keep the club afloat.
A statement issued by the club on Wednesday claimed Williams was attempting to make £50,000 profit on two flats he purchased next to the Memorial Stadium. But he bas categorically denied the claims and says he has been hurt and saddened by what he sees as a personal attack on him and his wife by the current board.
Williams insists he bought the properties - and two houses in Alton Road - to help safeguard the club’s dream of a £30 million redevelopment of the ground.
He says the scheme, which is awaiting planning permission from Bristol City Council, would have been put at risk unless Rovers managed to purchase the two flats in Trubshaw Gardens and two Alton Road homes that impinged on the redevelopment proposals.
Williams says he bought the houses for £150,000 each in June 2005 and the two flats for f £175,000 in May this year, “Two days before the deadline for the option on the stadium redevelopment, nothing had been done about the properties which were key to the redevelopment scheme and so I said I would buy them out of my own pocket,” said Williams.
“It was agreed at board level that I would rent the flats back to the club at £750 a month. If I hadn’t bought the properties, there was no way the stadium redevelopment could have gone ahead.
“We agreed the club would buy back the houses after a year at the price paid for them, which was £150,000.
“The only reason I went through my solicitors over this is that the time period had elapsed and I had heard nothing.
“I was getting no response from the club, despite making numerous phone calls to the chief executive Bill Smith and company secretary Toni Watola. I then had a late call saying Barry Bradshaw wanted to buy the houses off m and not Bristol Rovers, so I offered them for sale at market value.
“I am not trying to make money out of Bristol Rovers and if any supported believes I am lying about that, I will happily meet them along with the Supporters Club representative David Brian and furnish them with any documentation they want to see to prove what I am saying is true.”
The board statement also said Williams was demanding repayment of loans and preferential shares in the club.
WIlliams said: “I put tens of thousands of ounds into the club while they were at Twerton Park without any thanks from the board.
“I joined the board in 2003 and a few weeks later we were running out of money so I lent them £15,000. A few months after that I lent them a further £18,000. I have never had any of that money back.
“At one time the club could not even afford to pay their wage bill, so I went to my bank and came back with £100,000 to cover the amount.
“My wife invested £40,000 in preferential shares to help the club buy the Memorial Stadium.
“The agreement was that she would be repaid in five years, but in fact she has left the money there three years longer than that. Other people on the board have had their money back but we have been told by the club that my wife will only be repaid when the club has sufficient funds.
“During my time on the board, £3 million came into the club and millions more came from the sale of players. So when is my wife going to be repaid and how does she go about it? When will the funds be available?
“What the board did this week - issuing their statement while I was out of the country on holiday - has saddened me.
“I’m not blaming any one individual but I think the board has been badly misled over this by the chairman and the company secretary. But this is the last time I’ll be commenting publicly. I’ve bought my season tickets for the year and I’ll be supporting the team, but I want nothing more to do with the way the club is run.