Is Gretna fairytale to end in tragedy?

Mar 14 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

It was the fairytale to end all fairytales but, says Stuart Rayner, Gretna’s success story was always bound to end in tears

UNTIL a few years ago, Gretna’s sole claim to fame was as a wedding location for eloping couples. Since the astonishing rise of its football team in recent seasons, Gretna has remained a destination for romantics. The problem is, there has never been enough of them.

With his scruffy jeans, grey pony tail and, invariably, a cigarette in his hand, Brooks Mileson has always been an unlikely multi-millionaire. The boy from a Sunderland housing estate who transformed himself into one of the country’s most successful businessmen through insurance, construction and property has long had a soft spot for struggling football clubs.

Rumoured to be a Carlisle United fan, he once bought the now-defunct Scarborough, made donations to fans’ trusts at Carlisle, Dundee United and Berwick Rangers, is honorary vice-president of the Stockport County Supporters’ Trust, president of Whitby Town and sponsor of the Northern League, as well as providing financial assistance to an estimated 70 non-League clubs. But Gretna stole his heart and with it, he joked, his son’s inheritance.

The club’s upward rise had already begun when Mileson arrived five years ago, but he sent it into orbit. He worked a minor miracle, bankrolling consecutive promotions from Scottish Division Three to the Premier League and reaching a Scottish FA Cup Final. Ultimately, though, he could not pull off the biggest miracle of all: getting enough others along to enjoy the ride.

With a population of around 3,000, Mileson was always fighting against the odds in trying to establish the Border village as a top-flight venue. The scale of his task was highlighted by what ought to have been the highlight of the journey.

By beating Dundee 3-0 at Hampden Park on April 1, 2006, Gretna achieved a feat even the most gullible of April Fool’s Day victims would scarcely have believed. As well as reaching the Scottish FA Cup Final, the tiny Second Division club booked a place in Europe with their opponents Hearts bound for the Champions League. Derry City were their opponents in the Uefa Cup’s second qualifying round. In a sign of things to come, the first, “home” leg was at Motherwell’s Fir Park as Raydale Park did not meet Uefa standards.

More embarrassing than the 5-1 scoreline was the attendance. Just 6,040 made the trip. Around half were Irish. If this was all the support Mileson’s money could attract for an historic European debut, how would they fare when they achieved his dream of reaching the Scottish Premier League?

Twelve months later we found out. It was Groundhog Day. Again the match was at Fir Park, Raydale not considered good enough for the SPL, and again the temporary residents were humiliated. Russell Latapy, 39, and Arnau Caldentey Riera, not considered good enough for Championship Sunderland the previous season, ran the game from midfield as Falkirk strolled to a 4-0 victory.

But it was much worse than Derry. Without the Candystripes’ travelling contingent, there were just 2,731 fans in the ground, plus one angry man outside.

The serious underlying problems were dramatically highlighted by Rowan Alexander’s theatrical pre-match appearance. More than an hour before kick-off, and with a suspiciously large number of television cameras outside the Fir Park reception, Gretna’s manager – officially off work with stress since early March but to all intents and purposes waiting for his sacking to be rubber-stamped – tried to take his place in the stands but was turned away.

On the field, Gretna were very obviously out of their depth. Having reached the top division with a motley crew of past-their-best SPL veterans, they changed tack last summer, shipping in youngsters they hoped could evolve into top-flight performers. Collectively, they failed.

Once Gretna were down, Lady Luck gave them a good kicking. The club was doing a perfectly good job of haemorraging money itself without the Scottish weather joining in.

By the turn of the year, Fir Park was feeling the effects of two sides playing regularly on it. Motherwell managed well enough ground-sharing with their reserves the previous season, but once Gretna came on board the climate took a turn for the worse.

The nadir came when the SPL visit of Dundee United was postponed for a second time. With Gretna already behind schedule thanks to Rangers’ Champions League commitments and Motherwell captain Phil O’Donnell’s death, the league insisted the teams try again 48 hours later. The game went ahead in front of an embarrassing 501 supporters.

It was another big blow to absorb as the cracks in the club’s financial structure were widening. An ME sufferer, chain-smoker and recipient of two stomach operations, Mileson nevertheless insisted the club could not make payments without his authorisation. The inevitable happened.

In February, Mileson was rushed to hospital with a brain infection. Club employees did not receive their wages and within hours of the news breaking, manager Davie Irons and assistant Derek Collins were installed as the new management team at Greenock Morton, the Division One team who knocked Gretna out of the Cup in January.

Without Mileson propping it up, the club collapsed. Average gates for the season are below 2,500, less than 18% of capacity. Having been spoon-fed by a sugar daddy, the extent of the decay suddenly became obvious.

Maybe another white knight will rescue Gretna and its ailing owner but the club will never be the same again. The Gretna fairytale has become a cautionary story for any would-be football club owner who plans to build on foundations of sand.

Having been spoon-fed by a sugar daddy, the extent of the decay suddenly became obvious