Exclusive:Preston North End ex-chairman Bryan Gray blasts 'unsustainable' costs in football today
Gray was chairman of PNE from 1994 to 2001
Former Preston North End chairman Bryan Gray views football today as financially ‘unsustainable’ for clubs outside of the top flight.
The Lancashire Post interviewed Gray earlier this week to reflect on his seven plus years in the role at Deepdale - a time which saw the club rise from the fourth tier to within 90 minutes of the Premier League. Gray is fondly remembered by PNE supporters for the drive, vision and ambition he displayed as chairman. For him, though, the current state of the game leaves a lot to be desired.
“I think the basic principles are the same,” Gray told the Lancashire Post, when asked how he views the challenge of being a chairman today. “Football is football. What has changed for the worse is the fact it's difficult to make a profit running a football club outside the top of the Premier League, and that is wrong. It could’ve been handled differently and you have to blame, really, the football clubs themselves.
“They allowed it to happen and in particular, they allowed the players' wages to get out of control. It's so interesting how there's little criticism of what players in the top leagues are paid but actually, the size of wages is just incredible and unsustainable.
“And obviously, what's changed with football is the TV money, Sky and all those things. But in my view, it's not sustainable across the tiers of football. So, there does need to be more thought about how that works.”
The Hemmings family have made it clear they are ready to sell PNE and takeover talk still swirls around the club. Craig Hemmings, as part of a lengthy strategy update last October, admitted the ownership does not have the ‘investment firepower’ required to take on the richest in the division.
“It’s a terrible indictment,” said Gray. “I think we can be very grateful, very thankful and we should recognise that Trevor Hemmings and then his family have been fundamental to this. It was Trevor that really made it possible for Baxi to take over.
“We had many, many conversations with Trevor, who was always supportive and never interfered. I valued that relationship and the amount of money you’ve now got to put into subsidising is wrong. It's not sustainable.”
Given the successful era Gray presided over it is only natural to seek his verdict on where the club finds itself today. After 11 years in the Championship there is a feeling of stagnation among the fan base, who fear standing still and eventually going backwards. Gray does not wish to judge the job of others but believes the recipe for success is fairly simple.
“I don't think it’s for me to say,” said Gray. “You must never be a backseat driver and once you've been chairman, then you're grateful for that time. I'm very grateful that I'm made welcome here and vice president here. I'm grateful that I can still be part of the Community Education Trust and hopefully, use my knowledge and talents in that way as well.
“So, the last thing I would do is criticise anybody because I know it's a small number of people who've been chairman here and understand what's involved. It's not for me to say what others should do. I think there's nothing to stop us being a Premier League club. The principles are the same wherever you are.
“You need good people, the right team, on and off the pitch. Get that right and you actually need that bit of luck as well, don't you? We saw that with the Champions League final this week. You've just got to have that bit of luck as well. But if you have all those ingredients, then you do make your own luck and your day will come.”