Tweet
Reno down but not out!
Reno down but not out!
Club president charts course for future
By PAUL A REID Observer writer
Sunday, May 24, 2009
SAV-LA-MAR, Westmoreland - Despite the bitter disappointment of being relegated from the Premier League for the third time in their history, Reno FC are not about to fold up and die.
In spite of boasting a number of outstanding young talent to complement the experienced players, the Westmoreland side floundered on their way to a measly 33 points from 38 games.
They ended with a league low of six victories to finish 12th and last in this season's Digicel Premier League contest.
The former three-time champions finished a creditable third two seasons ago, but this season was perhaps the worst in the proud history of a club which enjoys arguably the most rabid community support in the island.
With this in mind, president Ransford Malcolm said it's time for serious restructuring of the club, starting with its administration.
The first order of business, he said, was to iron out "once and for all" the issue of the real owners of the club and return it to a community-based one where supporters and those involved in its day to day running can have a better say in what happens.
The ownership of Reno FC has been a hot topic for years, as the United States-based former president, Frank 'Bim' Williams, is said to own over 95 per cent of the club, with a number of local-based stakeholders owning one per cent.
A group headed by former Member of Parliament for Central Westmoreland, Dr Karl Blythe, took over the club but was stripped of any responsibilities by president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Captain Horace Burrell, in a meeting held in Montego Bay a few years ago.
That decision sent the club in a financial tailspin from which they have never recovered.
Malcolm said a meeting was planned for last Thursday to elect new executives or replace those who had dropped out during the season and to start making plans to take part in the Confederation Super League next season.
Malcolm said they had talks with first vice-president of the Westmoreland FA, Victor Wright, who is also manager of Frome in the Western Super League, to come on board and help with administrative matters.
The next move, he said, was to set up a meeting with the community and the Westmoreland FA. They have not had the best working relationship with the latter for a number of years.
"It's time Reno and the Westmoreland FA got on the same page and start working together," he said, adding that "this animosity cannot go on any longer and maybe we need to have an election and get a new president, one who would be more willing to meet with us".
Setting up an office and administrative infrastructure and improving their training facilities at Llandilo, he said, were also high on the agenda.
The most serious matter is the retention of top players, as some would want to keep playing Premier League football next season, "and we can't blame them, Premier League is where the national players are chosen from", he added.
They had met with the players prior to the end of the season and had outlined a plan where those who wanted to go to the Premier League would be sent on loan deals until January.
Malcolm said the plan was not to stay in Confed football for more than a season and they can start the Super League with the core of their team, including the Under-21 players and come January when the loaned out players returned, they could go on to win the league and "return as a stronger, more organised entity for the 2010-2011 season".
He admitted that holding onto their top players this past season was a tough task, as they had to constantly fight off approaches from other clubs trying to lure the players away with promises of more money and overseas contracts.
Malcolm said they lost their teenaged goalkeeper Dennis Taylor, who walked out on them after another club promise to double his salary.
The Reno president charged that many of their players, including midfielder Evan Taylor, were targeted while they were on national duties and on at least one occasion a United Kingdom-based agent met them and attempted to have them sign contracts.
He said the agent told them he would not sign them as long as they were at Reno and they would have to move to the club of his choice.
Taylor, he said, was already signed to an agent and is now on the books at Vancouver Whitecaps while on trial with a German outfit.
The president, who said relegation was harder on the older players, was adamant Reno would not follow the path other former national champions like Violet Kickers, but would seek to rebound quickly.
Club president charts course for future
By PAUL A REID Observer writer
Sunday, May 24, 2009
SAV-LA-MAR, Westmoreland - Despite the bitter disappointment of being relegated from the Premier League for the third time in their history, Reno FC are not about to fold up and die.
In spite of boasting a number of outstanding young talent to complement the experienced players, the Westmoreland side floundered on their way to a measly 33 points from 38 games.
They ended with a league low of six victories to finish 12th and last in this season's Digicel Premier League contest.
The former three-time champions finished a creditable third two seasons ago, but this season was perhaps the worst in the proud history of a club which enjoys arguably the most rabid community support in the island.
With this in mind, president Ransford Malcolm said it's time for serious restructuring of the club, starting with its administration.
The first order of business, he said, was to iron out "once and for all" the issue of the real owners of the club and return it to a community-based one where supporters and those involved in its day to day running can have a better say in what happens.
The ownership of Reno FC has been a hot topic for years, as the United States-based former president, Frank 'Bim' Williams, is said to own over 95 per cent of the club, with a number of local-based stakeholders owning one per cent.
A group headed by former Member of Parliament for Central Westmoreland, Dr Karl Blythe, took over the club but was stripped of any responsibilities by president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Captain Horace Burrell, in a meeting held in Montego Bay a few years ago.
That decision sent the club in a financial tailspin from which they have never recovered.
Malcolm said a meeting was planned for last Thursday to elect new executives or replace those who had dropped out during the season and to start making plans to take part in the Confederation Super League next season.
Malcolm said they had talks with first vice-president of the Westmoreland FA, Victor Wright, who is also manager of Frome in the Western Super League, to come on board and help with administrative matters.
The next move, he said, was to set up a meeting with the community and the Westmoreland FA. They have not had the best working relationship with the latter for a number of years.
"It's time Reno and the Westmoreland FA got on the same page and start working together," he said, adding that "this animosity cannot go on any longer and maybe we need to have an election and get a new president, one who would be more willing to meet with us".
Setting up an office and administrative infrastructure and improving their training facilities at Llandilo, he said, were also high on the agenda.
The most serious matter is the retention of top players, as some would want to keep playing Premier League football next season, "and we can't blame them, Premier League is where the national players are chosen from", he added.
They had met with the players prior to the end of the season and had outlined a plan where those who wanted to go to the Premier League would be sent on loan deals until January.
Malcolm said the plan was not to stay in Confed football for more than a season and they can start the Super League with the core of their team, including the Under-21 players and come January when the loaned out players returned, they could go on to win the league and "return as a stronger, more organised entity for the 2010-2011 season".
He admitted that holding onto their top players this past season was a tough task, as they had to constantly fight off approaches from other clubs trying to lure the players away with promises of more money and overseas contracts.
Malcolm said they lost their teenaged goalkeeper Dennis Taylor, who walked out on them after another club promise to double his salary.
The Reno president charged that many of their players, including midfielder Evan Taylor, were targeted while they were on national duties and on at least one occasion a United Kingdom-based agent met them and attempted to have them sign contracts.
He said the agent told them he would not sign them as long as they were at Reno and they would have to move to the club of his choice.
Taylor, he said, was already signed to an agent and is now on the books at Vancouver Whitecaps while on trial with a German outfit.
The president, who said relegation was harder on the older players, was adamant Reno would not follow the path other former national champions like Violet Kickers, but would seek to rebound quickly.
Comment