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Scally: Gills would collapse if I left now

00:00, 20 March 2008

Gills chairman Paul Scally is feeling unhappy about the situation at Gillingham
Gills chairman Paul Scally is feeling unhappy about the situation at Gillingham

GILLINGHAM chairman Paul Scally has issued a stark warning as the club teeter on the brink of relegation from League 1 – without me you’re finished.

The last set of financial figures revealed that the club owed around £12million and Mr Scally has spent several years working with the club’s banker, Bank of Scotland, to restructure those finances and turn the fortunes around.

Mr Scally received a torrent of abuse during and after the defeat to Crewe last Saturday but was left reeling after the game when rocks were thrown at his car with his daughter inside.

“If I went tomorrow the club would collapse,” he said. “The bank are backing me, not the club. The restructuring that I’ve spent years working on gives the club the opportunity to bounce back again. The bank are very confident in the job I’m doing.

“I’m feeling very unhappy by it all at the minute. If it wasn’t for the backing of the bank, the staff and other people then I would have walked out on Saturday night.

“I’ve not done it because it would mean letting down the bank and the people who do believe in what I’m doing.

“My wife and my friends say to me, why do I bother when I’m letting it get me in such a state? I’m finding it harder to answer that.

“On Saturday I was sat on a plane and I was leaving behind my family again all for the sake of the football club and those scumbags who abused me for 75 minutes on Saturday. I have to ask myself why? I wanted to get off the plane at one stage and turn around.

“I said when I first came here I’ll only stay as long as the fans want me and if they don’t then I’ll go.”

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