Transfer window will stop all these seven-day approaches, says Croydon chairman Dickson Gill

Thursday 11th December 2014

CROYDON manager/chairman Dickson Gill says he wants a change in the transfer system in non-league football.

Gill, who has named 38 players in 27 games this season, has become frustrated in recent weeks when other club’s approach his players with a seven-day approach and blasts players for their lack of loyalty towards the Southern Counties East Football League club.

Gill, 63, who has recently appointed former Guildford City manager Kevin Rayner as joint-manager to ease the burden, wants a transfer window to bring more loyalty from footballer’s right down to the Kent Invicta League.

“We’ve lost six players, it disbanded everything, that’s why I’m totally against the way The FA and all that do business,” said Mr Gill.

“We spend a lot of money (running the club) and players come and go as they want and I think (The FA) should take action like what other countries do – if they sign for us, they should be here for at least a year!

“If they want to go, they should open the window at Christmas and that’s it, just one, because it’s not fair.

“It’s costing us a lot of money and they (players) come in and take what they want and then they go. There’s nothing we can do because there’s so many leagues and it’s taken (The FA) so many years to open up this register. Why don’t we put all our players all in there and they can’t leave anywhere because it will come up (on the computer).

“It will stop all this nonsense.”

Croydon make the trip to Sevenoaks Town on Saturday, where Gill hopes to name a full squad against Micky Collins’ side.

He said: “I’d like to think we will. You won’t see my turn out. I’m 63 now. We’ll get people to come to play for us. We always get people but they come from a lower level of football, Sunday football. Most of ours are from Sunday football but we teach them.

“Ben Mankelow came from Sunday football but watch out for these clubs that are nicking our players.”

Gill refused to name the club that have made an alleged illegal approach for the highly-rated midfielder.

“I’ll give you an example,” said Gill

“Mankelow has gone to someone and I know where but I’m not going to say it and they keep telling him 'to tell Dickson to cancel your contact, he hasn’t paid you yet’.

“How can I pay him if he’s not here and he ain’t going until we do things in the right manner, just because some club’s disrespecting us. We paid him for two years’ so we don’t want to let him go.

“They can’t make a seven-day approach on a contract but they can make an interest – do it properly – they’ll soon cry when it happens to them!

“I think they should make (the transfer window) up to the step six because most clubs nowadays either cover expenses. Alright, even if you don’t cover expenses, like us we’re paying four thousand a year for our training pitches. We ain’t got a training pitch here. We pay five thousand a year (to play at Croydon Sports Arena), that’s £9,000, plus the coaches, plus the equipment, plus the balls, they’ve got to come from somewhere!

“If they put a cap on everyone and say this is it, then you’ve got somewhere to go to.

“This seven-day approach, what does seven days mean? They tap them up before the seven days!

“If they can’t leave before Christmas and they’ve got to put a request in and they decline that boy has to stay and that becomes a two way thing between you and the player.

“You just can’t say someone offers you a thousand pounds or fifty pounds and you’re just disbanding us! Like one of our other players done it the other week, disbanded us, just went because someone offered him more money. It’s not right!

“That’s why England will never, ever win the World Cup. They always talk about grassroots but what they’re going to do to get it right? Just put a little bit of money here and there? We’re the only country that doesn’t have many 3G pitches – we’re only twenty years’ behind!

“We’re the working class people and they’re all getting paid for it (at The FA) being on the board and we do it for fun and The FA will fine you and make you pay the money. It’s all rubbish and that’s why it’s all wrong!”

Croydon are now out of all cup competitions and lie in fourteenth-place in the table with 20 points from 18 games.

“We’ve got a lot of injuries. I don’t want to put my neck out and say we’re going to do this and that. We give our best and that’s all we can do.

“The league don’t lie. We are where we are but we’re very close. We lose by the odd goal as you’ve probably seen, so we’re either falling this side of the wire or that side of the wire and we were on the wrong side of the wire last night so until we stop goals and score more goals we’re always going to be there or there abouts.

“Everyone predicted that we’d be fifth in the league but since then we’ve lost six players.”

When asked what he wants on Santa’s Christmas card list, the Croydon chief replied: “What I want Santa to bring me? Seven lottery numbers will be nice and it will solve all that problem wouldn’t it?”

Visit Croydon’s website: http://www.croydonfc.com/