The Truth On The News
Thursday, 6th Mar 2003 00:00

The Truth Behind Tomorrow's Fish & Chip Wrappers

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Today it is the world devastating stories that we had six loan players in Saturday's match day squad and fringe player Paul Reid hasn't been paid. Of course, if we were to be deducted points or Paul Reid had not been paid then we should be worried but of course neither of these are strictly true.

Onto the six loan players. The new football league rule introduced this season state that you can only have five loan players in a match say squad. On Saturday, we had six. Now the papers would like you to believe that we could be deducted points and probably will face a fine. It appears from what I have heard that the club have admitted they made a mistake and named six loan players for Saturday. The team sheets were handed to the referee and the club realised their mistake. Craig Stiens was immediately told that he could not take any part in the on pitch action on Saturday although he had to stay on the bench.

I then understand that Football Secretary, Jackie Rockey, telephoned the Football League on Monday morning to admit the club's mistake. No investigation being launched as reported just the club holding up their hands to what appears to be an honest mistake. In reality this is a small mistake and, despite being a breach of league rules, gave the club no advantage whatsoever. I would be surprised if we got a fine for this, certainly no points deduction as far as I can see but maybe a warning and if it happened again then I guess we would receive a punishment. Check the subs bench for Tuesday and you will see no Craig Stiens - if the league had just spotted this then we would have made the same mistake twice.

No need for hysteria on this as far as I can see - we will not receive a points deduction.

Now then onto Mr Reid and the non-payment of wages. I am spitting blood over this one. Ask yourself if your salary/wages didn't reach your bank account on the given date who you would speak to first? I would take a good guess at your employer, possibly your union if you are a member. Not Mr Reid he takes it to the press because he knows they will be interested and quite possibly because he has a little grudge against our football club.

Why would he have a grudge? Well his friends that joined in the summer have mostly been paid up and left but he is here, not playing and maybe, just maybe, it is bugging him a little bit. Well a lot actually.

So did he get paid? In short no but let's have a look at the reason why. The club line is a problem with the BACS system. So we blame the bank. It was an administrative error from what I have learned. The sheet that was sent to the bank to make the payments had the wrong account number for Paul Reid. The payment was sent and returned, in accordance with normal banking practice, because there was no such account to credit the money to. Paul Reid was paid by cheque, unfortunately for Mr Reid after he decided that the people that needed to know were the Cardiff based media. Nice bloke don't you think. Nor me.

I read a rumour a week or so ago about a training ground bust up perhaps there is something in this rumour as well which meant that the press should know this?

I would be amazed if Paul Reid ever pulled on a Swansea shirt again and it is disappointing that a player given a chance by this club felt this to be his best course of action. Anyway another scare over I understand that this player, along with the rest, has been paid.

This club may not be perfect by any stretch of the imagination but we are doing our best with the resources available to us and everyone seems to be pulling together. Sadly, a few people based in our capital's media, and one player seem hell bent on showing us in a bad light and what's more sad is that there are too many people that believe everything they read that is bad.

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