Grimsby Town owner John Fenty has told Grimsby Live that prospective buyer Tom Shutes needs to ‘put his money where his mouth is’ when it comes to acquiring the club.
Fenty is trying to sell the Mariners after several stagnant years in charge, as well as hoping to see them relocated to a different part of the town. Grimsby, who currently play in Cleethorpes, have been linked with several pieces of land over the last few years.
Fenty explained how his own personal preference was a move to Peaks Parkway, closer to the club’s Cheapside training area. That isn’t a plan that fits with the vision of the prospective buyer, leading to Fenty making the following comments.
“It’s clear that certain politicians hung their hat on the club relocating to Freeman Street, and the Freemans undertook some work to do a few visuals to gauge the appetite of the public, which was very strong in support of regenerating Freeman Street.
“The football club have then been faced with an alternative direction. Tom Shutes has an aspiration to acquire the football club and relocate it onto the fish docks, which requires filling the dock in.
“The football club aren’t precious about where it goes, but the fact is that we do need to relocate – our counterparts are enjoying higher income streams, as a result of a better business case, than we are.
“We’re challenged by the car parking and getting people here. With a new facility, in a location where you could easily get there and park in reasonable numbers, you would drive up your seven-day incomes which is an aim and objective for every football club.”
He then moved on to Shutes specifically, claiming as yet he hasn’t shown material evidence of wanting to buy the club.
“Tom Shutes has other aspirations for buildings around the town, but at this moment in time those discussions are halted by the fact that you have to put your money where your mouth is – and so far that has not yet happened.”
Shutes has been a key figure in the regeneration of Grimsby as a whole, with his grandfather having been involved in the fishing industry in the area. He’s a London-based businessman who has been heavily involved with the Greater Grimsby Town Deal which hopes to revive abandoned industrial areas in the town.
Our View
I’m not a Grimsby fan, but I find it very hard to like Mr Fenty. Maybe that’s unfair, but his interviews always seem very confrontational and very much about him. What I really didn’t like here was the line ‘the football club aren’t precious about where it goes’ when talking about a new stadium. The football club might not be, what about the fans?
Not once are they mentioned in this. They’re the lifeblood of the club. Right now, there isn’t a lot to get them enthused about their club and hearing John Fenty make rather brash public statements is not going to light the fire of hope in any way at all.
I think the relationship between him and them went sour a long while ago and the sooner everyone moves on, the better.
