2009–10 Notts County F.C. season

Background

Notts County

In the 2009–10 season, Notts County (nicknamed the Magpies) competed in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, their sixth successive year at this level. The club's time in the fourth tier had been preceded by a serious financial crisis. Between 2002 and 2003, Notts County had spent a record 534 days in administration. Bankruptcy was prevented in a takeover largely financed by supporter Haydn Green; as part of the deal, the Notts County Supporters' Trust also gained representation on the board of directors. In 2007, shortly before his death, Green sold his stake in the club to the Trust for £75,000, making the latter the majority shareholder. The Trust were not required to pay Green upfront; instead, the £75,000 would only be paid to Green (or his estate after his death) if the Trust sold their shares in the future.

The years after exiting administration saw the team consistently struggle. It was relegated to League Two in 2004, and was in danger of relegation to non-League football before its final game of the 2005–06 season. In 2007–08, League Two safety was assured only in a 1–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the penultimate game of the season, while the following season the team finished 19th. The sustained poor on-field performance resulted in supporters becoming progressively more unhappy under Trust ownership. There were rumours that the club had taken on large loans from unknown individuals in response to financial problems, and the efforts of supporters to find out more were resisted by officials. In April 2009, John Armstrong-Holmes (the club's chairman) and Eric Kerry, the Trust's representatives on the club's board, survived a vote of no confidence, with Armstrong-Holmes arguing that his and Kerry's removal would mean "potential investment may be jeopardised".

Russell King and associates

The Munto Finance takeover of Notts County was orchestrated by Russell King, who had first been convicted of fraud in 1991 after falsely reporting his Aston Martin had been stolen to claim £600,000 in insurance. Before his involvement in Notts County, King had stolen £671,000 from Belgravia Financial Services Group, and had acquired a 49% stake in the investment bank First London by falsely claiming he was managing billions of dollars for the Bahraini royal family. The others involved were Nathan Willett and his father Peter, of whom little is known; in 2022, the makers of a BBC podcast series about the takeover were unable to locate even a forwarding address for the pair. Once the takeover was completed, Peter Trembling acted as executive chairman of Notts County; Matt Scott of The Guardian would later describe him as Munto Finance's "mouthpiece". Following the takeover's collapse, Trembling maintained that he had been deceived, and that he had lost much of his own money as a result of the affair.

Pre-season events

Takeover

While preparing for the 2009–10 season, Notts County were approached by Trembling, who indicated that Munto Finance was interested in buying the club. At a meeting, Trembling told Armstrong-Holmes that Munto Finance were a Middle East-based consortium, and that unspecified royalty was involved. A further meeting took place in Bahrain between Armstrong-Holmes and Roy Parker (a shareholder in the club and its vice chairman) and representatives of the consortium. According to Armstrong-Holmes, King was in attendance, but played no part in the talks until Armstrong-Holmes demanded a bank guarantee as a condition of a sale, which King soon produced. Unbeknown to Notts County's representatives, the guarantee, which appeared to be from First London, was worthless. It had not been approved by the bank's board and came from a part of the bank that no longer existed.

As part of the deal, Munto Finance insisted that it be given ownership of the club for nothing, and the Trust pushed its members to approve the "gift" of the Trust's shares to the consortium. As this would not be a sale, no money would need to be paid to the estate of Haydn Green. Trust members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the transfer of the shares, and Munto Finance consequently acquired the club for free. Chris Porter, who discussed the takeover in a study of fan ownership of football clubs, says that the sale "amounted to an up-front outlay from the would-be recipient of promised future riches", and that the Trust failed to ask why supposedly wealthy investors were unwilling to make a relatively modest initial outlay to buy the club. The identity of those who would be financing the club was shrouded in secrecy, but the journalist and Notts County supporter Simon Goodley was soon tipped off about the involvement of King, and he began to investigate. Also soon investigating was Matt Scott, who was encouraged to do so by a source after noting in his column that the takeover had not yet been approved.

Player transfers, arrival of Sven-Göran Eriksson

On 22 July, Notts announced the appointment of the former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson as director of football in what Stuart James of The Guardian described as "one of the game's most staggering moves of recent times". Despite Munto Finance's initially stated target of seeing Notts County promoted to the Championship, Eriksson said he wanted to see the club promoted to the Premier League. Eriksson said he was "particularly attracted to this role and the unique opportunity to help build a club over the longer term". On another occasion, David Beckham was asked by a radio journalist about the possibility of working with his old England manager. The club's final pre-season signing was that of striker Karl Hawley from Preston North End for an undisclosed fee.

Friendlies

To prepare for the new season, the Magpies played a series of friendlies. The first match after Eriksson's arrival, the game against Nottingham Forest at Notts County's Meadow Lane stadium, attracted nearly 13,000 spectators, and saw Eriksson "paraded" before the crowd prior to kick off.

Match details

Key

• In result column, Notts County's score shown first
• H = Home match
• A = Away match Results

League Two

August–October

Notts started the season strongly. Hughes scored a hat-trick on the opening day as the Magpies defeated Bradford 5–0 at home with over 9,000 spectators in attendance. The team won 4–0 at Macclesfield Town in its first away game, but then suffered its first defeat, losing 2–1 at Chesterfield. During August, the club used its apparent new-found wealth to strengthen its squad. The signing of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee believed to surpass the club record was announced on 14 August. That of Johnnie Jackson from Colchester United (also for an undisclosed fee) followed two days later. Schmeichel made his debut in a 3–0 home win over Dagenham & Redbridge on 22 August. Three days later, Notts announced the signing of England international Sol Campbell on a five-year contract: "there were offers from the Premier League but that would have been short-term. I'm thinking of the future", he told the BBC. In their final match of the month, Notts were beaten 1–0 at Barnet.

On 21 September, the Football League confirmed they were investigating the takeover. It had still not been approved by the league, who were demanding to know the identity of the new owners. The same week, King's involvement in the takeover was made public by Goodley in The Sun, though King maintained he had acted as an advisor on only "strategic and media issues" and had relinquished his role after Notts County had appointed a new communications manager. On 27 September, in an effort to satisfy the league as to the identity of the new owners, Notts named two Middle East-based families as among the club's new investors, a move soon undermined when a member of one of the families denied involvement. Scott also questioned whether King really had ceased to be involved, noting the latter's continued close connections with the companies and individuals linked with Munto Finance.

October began with two draws, the first 1–1 at Cheltenham Town, the second 2–2 at home to Torquay United, a result which left the Magpies in fifth place, four points from top spot. The day after the latter, Ian McParland was sacked as manager, replaced on an interim basis by Dave Kevan and Michael Johnson. Kevan and Johnson ultimately took charge for two matches, a 0–0 draw at Rotherham United and a 2–0 home win over Crewe Alexandra. In the meantime, on 20 October, the Football League approved the takeover, accepting Notts County's new owners as fit-and proper persons despite still not knowing who they were. With the takeover now sanctioned, Notts moved to appoint their new manager. Eriksson and Trembling held talks with Roberto Mancini, who was keen on the job, but Eriksson was by now growing concerned about the lack of investment being made in the club, and warned Mancini to wait. Ultimately, Hans Backe was appointed instead. Backe took charge of Notts County's final match of October, a 1–1 draw at home to Shrewsbury Town.

November–January

In early November it was revealed that Notts County's parent company was subject to a winding-up petition due to £400,000 of unpaid debt. This was despite assurances to the Notts County Supporters' Trust, made when the takeover was agreed, that the debts would be settled quickly. The club narrowly avoided a court hearing on the issue on 12 November, two days before the team's first league match of November, a 3–3 draw at Bury. This match saw an unusual first-half incident, when Daniel Nardiello of Bury beat Schmeichel and fired the ball towards an empty net, only to see the ball become stuck in mud before it had crossed the goal line, allowing Schmeichel enough time to run back and gather. After a 0–0 home draw with Aldershot Town, Notts travelled to Rochdale in their final league match of the month, where they fell to a 2–1 loss.

Shortly after the Rochdale match, it was revealed that the Football League had renewed its investigation into Notts County's ownership. The club's off-field position was by now deteriorating rapidly, with King seemingly having vanished, and with creditors visiting the club frequently to demand payment. Despite the mounting problems, the Magpies won their first two games of December, 4–0 at home to Darlington and 2–0 at Hereford United. In the days following the latter, it was reported that Trembling was planning a management buyout of the club, and that Eriksson was on the verge of resigning. Armstrong-Holmes also told The Guardian that he now felt he had been "hoodwinked" into handing the club over to Munto Finance. Trembling completed his takeover on 12 December, promising to look for fresh investment for the club. The same day, Notts were beaten 2–1 at home by Accrington Stanley. This proved to be Backe's final game; he resigned shortly afterwards, with Kevan resuming temporary charge. In their final match of the month, the Magpies won 4–1 at Burton with Hughes scoring a hat-trick.

Notts County's financial problems continued in the new year. Early in January, the club was served with a new winding-up petition issued by HMRC. The situation was not helped by the unusually cold winter forcing the postponement of matches and denying the club much-needed income. Trembling claimed Notts needed investment of £25 million to retain Eriksson and sustain the ambition to reach the Premier League, but the required investment had not been found by the week the club was due in court in connection with the winding-up petition. The day before the hearing, the Magpies played their first league match of the month, a 3–0 win at Dagenham. On 27 January came news that the court had been granted a 28-day extension to the club to settle its debt with HMRC, though the latter requested that this be marked as final; no further extensions would be forthcoming. The team played its final match of the month on 30 January, defeating Barnet 2–0 at home.

February–May

March began with consecutive wins over Macclesfield, Accrington, and Chesterfield; the last of these saw Notts County move up to fourth place, three points behind Bournemouth, their next opponents. A Hughes brace gave Notts 1–0 and 2–1 leads, but an injury-time equaliser for the away team earned Bournemouth a 2–2 draw. Despite the concession of a late goal, the result moved the Magpies into the top three. There then followed two away matches, the first a 1–0 win at Crewe, the second a 0–0 draw with Bradford which extended the team's unbeaten run to nine. Now in second place, Notts hosted third place Rotherham in their final match of the month. The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw entering the final minute, but a 90th minute goal from Rodgers gave the Magpies a 1–0 win, allowing them to end March in second place, with 68 points from 36 matches, 10 points behind top spot.

April began with a 5–0 home win over Bury, with five different goal scorers for the Magpies. That same afternoon, the league leaders Rochdale were beaten 2–0 at Chesterfield; these results meant Notts had reduced the gap between themselves and first place to seven points, having played a game less. Rochdale were held to a draw in their next game, allowing Notts to move within five points with a 1–0 win at Shrewsbury. Rochdale would then lose their next two matches, and Notts took first place after a 1–0 win at Northampton and a 3–1 home win over Lincoln. Promotion to League One was confirmed on 17 April with a 4–1 home win over Morecambe, Notts lost their next match at Port Vale, but then clinched the title on 27 April with a 5–0 win at Darlington. The team were presented the trophy after their final home game, a 5–0 win over Cheltenham, before the season concluded with a 0–0 draw at Torquay.

Match details

Key

• In result column, Notts County's score shown first
• H = Home match
• A = Away match
• pen. = Penalty kick
• o.g. = Own goal Results

Partial league table

Cup competitions

FA Cup

Notts County's next opponents were Premier League side Wigan Athletic, who visited Meadow Lane on 23 January. A crowd of 9,073 saw the Magpies take a 2–0 first half lead through goals from Hughes and Davies, but Wigan fought back in the second half, and a late goal from Ben Watson meant the match finished 2–2, meaning a replay would be required. With speculation ongoing about the club's future, Davies welcomed the replay as a "chance to get in the headlines for the right reasons". In the replay, a 75th minute goal from Stephen Hunt, followed shortly afterwards by an own goal from Wigan's Gary Caldwell, gave the Magpies a 2–0 win over their Premier League opponents. The victory meant Notts County progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1992. Here, the Magpies were drawn away to another Premier League club, this time Fulham. The match, coming shortly after Trew's purchase of the club, resulted in a 4–0 defeat for Notts, who were consequently eliminated from the competition.

Match details

Key

• In result column, Notts County's score shown first
• H = Home match
• A = Away match
• pen. = Penalty kick
• o.g. = Own goal Results

League Cup

As a League Two team, Notts County entered the League Cup in the first round, where they were drawn at home to Doncaster Rovers of the Championship. The Magpies lost 1–0 and were thus eliminated from the competition.

Match details

Key

• In result column, Notts County's score shown first
• H = Home match
• A = Away match
• pen. = Penalty kick
• o.g. = Own goal Results

Football League Trophy

In the first round of the Football League Trophy, a competition for League One and Two teams, Notts County were drawn away to Bradford. The match finished 2–2, requiring a penalty shootout to determine the winner. Bradford won this 3–2, and the Magpies were eliminated from the competition.

Match details

Key

• In result column, Notts County's score shown first
• H = Home match
• A = Away match
• pen. = Penalty kick
• o.g. = Own goal Results

Players

Hughes scored 33 goals across all competitions during the campaign. In doing so, he became the first Notts County player to score 30 goals in a season since Tommy Lawton in 1949–50. Davies (16), Rodgers (13) and Westcarr (11) were the other players to reach a minimum of 10 goals. setting a new club record for the most in a season.

Player statistics

;Key Pos = Playing position

Nat. = Nationality

Apps = Appearances GK = Goalkeeper

DF = Defender

MF = Midfielder

FW = Forward Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.

Source:

Aftermath and legacy

Investigations of the takeover

Investigations of the Munto Finance takeover, and the broader scheme of which it was part, continued after its collapse. One was undertaken by the BBC journalist Peter Marshall, whose investigation was broadcast in an episode of Panorama shown on BBC One in April 2011. A BBC Sounds podcast series produced by the journalist (and Notts County supporter) Ben Robinson in 2022, uncovered further information. These investigations, together with the reporting of Matt Scott, confirmed King's central role. Eriksson gave an interview to Scott shortly after the former's departure from Notts, in which Eriksson said that King had played a pivotal part in convincing him to join the club. Meanwhile, Marshall found evidence of King giving orders and approving finances at Meadow Lane, and Trembling told Marshall that King had been his boss.

The investigations revealed a complicated network of companies. Munto Finance was a subsidiary of Qadbak Investments, which was in turn closely connected to a third company, Swiss Commodity Holding (SCH), the sole directors of which were Nathan and Peter Willett.{{Efn|King himself, who said he had "never been a shareholder, director, trustee or beneficiary", was not listed as a director of SCH. Philip Sinel, a lawyer who investigated King, told Marshall that King would always try to hide his involvement in companies.). Asked by Marshall how King was able to orchestrate his schemes, Sinel explained "other people front for him". and Campbell handed a £33,000 per week "ambassadorial" contract (in addition to his contract with Notts County). The company's logo was even incorporated into Notts County's badge. King was preparing a fraudulent stock market floatation of SCH, which presented itself as a mining company with reserves of $1.9 trillion and the rights to extract the mineral wealth of North Korea (despite lacking the means of doing so). The takeover of Notts County, together with a similar attempted takeover of the BMW Sauber Formula One team, was intended to lend positive publicity to SCH and drive interest in its floatation. Had King succeeded in getting SCH listed, it would have resulted in "a fraud on a colossal scale".

King and Nathan Willett visited North Korea in October 2009, taking with them Eriksson and Abid Hyat Khan, a man introduced to Eriksson as a Bahraini prince, but in fact an alleged fraudster hiding from British police. During the visit, Eriksson was asked by North Korean officials to fix a favourable 2010 FIFA World Cup group for the North Korea team. King and his SCH colleagues held meetings with North Korean officials during the visit, during which he handed out certificates to his hosts for shares in SCH supposedly worth $2 billion. However, the delegation's departure from Pyongyang International Airport was considerably delayed, with the North Koreans apparently having grown suspicious. Eriksson described a tense wait before the flight was allowed to leave, with King and Willett "panicking and sweating". King's scheme effectively collapsed, and he fled to Bahrain. Marshall would later track him down and confront him there, but King closed the door on Marshall without speaking. Nathan Willett also disappeared.

In 2012, while still in Bahrain, King, posing as "Jack Bartholemew", provided a dossier of information to the journalists and authors Anthony Summers and Robyn Swann, purporting to demonstrate North Korea's nuclear capability; King would have received an advance from a book Summers and Swann wrote with the material, but the latter were able to establish his identity. Released in 2021, he was confronted again at his home by Alice Levine, the presenter of the BBC Sounds series, in the course of her and Robinson's investigation. He refused to come to the door, and even denied that he was Russell King.

Consequences for Notts County

"We expected it to be bad, but probably not this bad", Jim Rodwell, Notts County's new chief executive, said of the club's finances a month after Trew's takeover. At that point, the club was thought to be £6.9 million in debt. Trew later said that the final debts were in fact £7.3 million, including a six figure sum owed to a law firm and £250,000 owed to Campbell for his solitary appearance. The situation would have been worse had Eriksson not agreed to forgo £2.5 million owed to him by the club. Nevertheless, Notts were required to release Schmeichel, reportedly earning £15,000 per week, following the season's conclusion, with Trew explaining that retaining and attempting to gain a transfer fee for the goalkeeper would have been a huge risk for a club with such precarious finances.

Notts County remained in League One for five years until returning to League Two in 2015. Interest in the Munto Finance takeover has continued in the years since, particularly as the club continued to experience off-field problems. In 2016, with the club once again subject to winding up petitions, and Trew looking to sell, Harry Reardon of These Football Times wrote of the "bizarre" takeover, hoping that a proposed sale to overseas investors would "go a little better than last time". Trew sold the club to Alan Hardy, a Nottingham-based businessman, in December 2016, During the 2022–23 season, some journalists framed the club's efforts to win promotion back to the league as an attempt to recover from the off-field problems of the previous two decades, the 2009 takeover among them.

Notes

References

Infobox kits

• Home colours:
• Away colours: General

Specific

References

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