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Good times for a change

20 September 2013

So Rob Scott has officially left the building and who can really be surprised? Sacked for too much shoutyness – the final straw being some incident at the Nuneaton game, the details of which have not been released. But if we're honest, it was only going to be a matter of time after the don't-facking-come incident.

The club has released a typically clumsy statement which seems to switch between formal and informal within a sentence. And I still can't make out what that last paragaph is trying to say.

However, GTFC have also put out a clear message that rude, arrogant and aggressive behaviour to others – whether warranted or not – is simply unacceptable. Which only leaves us wondering why Fenty is still "in the building".

Only Wednesday evening he phoned Radio Humberside to angrily berate them for being journalists. And this incident isn't an isolated one. We can go back all the way to Ambulancegate in 2003 – when, although the Telegraph wasn't blameless, the manner in which Fenty dealt with the issue was both petty and childish.

Then there's his aggressive motoring, which led to a ban for speeding in 2005, and his arrogance in complaining of the "imposition" to him as he wouldn't be able to tow his horsebox to race meetings. He then, amazingly, asked the judge if he was allowed to drive home after the court case.

It wasn't long before Town's most successful manager in recent years, Russell Slade, chose to jump ship after a squabble with Fenty – allegedly over a minor wage increase. Slade was believed by some to have sorted himself a new job before the play-off final, which would certainly explain the non-performance in Cardiff.

Alongside this was an ongoing spat with David Burns at Radio Humberside – even back then he was complaining about journalists being... journalists. He even put a complaint in to Ofcom in 2007 before they pretty much handed him his arse.

On from there were numerous clumsy statements about this and that and a string of poor decisions around managers which ended with a bust-up with Newell. Newell's sacking came just over a week after Fenty said: "Players, who think another two games and we will have a new manager and a new opportunity to hang on, must think again". Oh really?

But it didn't stop there. He repeated this trick in February 2011, releasing a statement supporting Neil Woods, and then sacking him the following day. Alongside this was the to-ing and fro-ing with Mike Parker – the only other person to look like making a substantial impact at board level. And there was still time to fit in yet another clumsy and aggressive Radio Humberside interview.

Parker left not long after, handing over his shares to the Mariners Trust, who looked for representation on the board. Fenty's response to this was to bully them into handing over their shares to him with threats to sell key players.

About the same time it came to light that the club had made an illegal approach for Shorty and Shouty while they were managing Boston. Fenty denied this at the time but was once again on the losing side in court as the Boston chairman tore him to pieces. The judge described Fenty as "acting recklessly". Wasn't it ever the case?

But still it continued with the aggressive snapping of a child's flag against Newport, and then getting one of the web's busiest supporters' messageboards shut down when he took agin a post on the Fishy.

In between all this have been other incidents half-reported, forgotten or lost in the fog of general shitness. The club is a disaster zone, a cavalcade of catastrophe, a complete fuck-uppery. Call it what you want, it has all happened under the dictatorial gaze of our glorious leader: John Shelton Fenty.

Time to go, John. But don't just take my word for it...