Bexley Times

Lions chief: Lacey vision will be costly

STEWART Till has warned Millwall fans that any compliance with dissident director Graham Lacey's wishes will only serve to undermine Kenny Jackett's purchasing power, writes Alex Leach.
The Lions grudgingly announced last Friday their intention to call an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) for Wednesday, July 2 to discuss Lacey's two resolutions.
These include his view that "the board should obtain shareholder approval for any significant deal relating to the company's main asset or the regeneration."
But Till and his other board members believe such steps will grind the League One club's operations to a virtual standstill and - with each EGM costing £50,000 a pop - Jackett's plans stand to suffer most.
"An EGM for every major decision is completely impractical," the vice-chairman explained to the Times. "The cost to the club of organising that is horrific. We've got enough claims on the club's resources on wages and buying players without having to spend in that area.
"It's a most bizarre claim and just the paperwork of organising this EGM is the equivalent of signing a player. This one event is the wage bill of a good player and it's painful.
"The emphasis should be on the team as that is what drives everything - the popularity, the income and the regeneration will have more chance of happening on the back of a successful team. That's absolutely my priority as a fan."
Major shareholder Lacey is yet to fully reveal his long-term vision for Jackett's side or the any prospective projects he's intent on pursuing off the field.
However, Till insists whatever awaits in the pipeline from Lacey, be it on the pitch or possible regeneration schemes, is destined to fail as the board support their chairman's hard-line stance on the matter.
"I don't know as I have not spoken to him (Lacey) too much at all, but my sense is that it's the regeneration that is the priority for him," he added.
"I don't think he's articulated to anyone what his plans are, but it's kind of moot anyway because John Berylson's vision is rightly the one that the club is running with."