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Paul Scally, Gillingham's BHA saviour



bardo

Active member
Jul 6, 2004
712
Seaford
So, last night in a situation I have little excuse for, I find myself, a lifelong BHA supporter, in jacket and tie as the boardroom guest of CPFC before the game vs Spurs. Slicing into my juicy steak I am suddenly joined by Paul Scally, Gillingham chairman for many a year. On revealing my true allegiance I am told that rather than having been an accomplice of Bellotti, and therefore arch-enemy of BHA, he was actually our friend and saviour as he was the only chairman to offer us a ground in our darkest hour, thereby almost single-handedly saving us from going out of business. For his pains he tells me he was abused by BHA supporters and even sent through the post an explosive device, actually a genuine maiming device but with its wires embedded in a dead seagull! At this point, slightly embarrassed, and wishing all the more I had not attended this event, I apologized​ as a representative of BHA supporters that he, a true ally of BHA, had been subjected to such abuse, and tried to re-launch myself back into my now withering steak. Perhaps sensing my awkwardness he offered that Tony Bloom has recently thanked him for being a part of our success story. They were indeed dark days but in the interest of redemption in now much happier times I want to here laud maybe one of the unsung heroes of BHA success.
 

LowKarate

New member
Jan 6, 2004
2,002
Wombling free
I was discussing this with [MENTION=17963]Hampster Gull[/MENTION] on the train back from Norwich on Saturday and concluded that whilst it suited us to paint him as a money-grubbing opportunist when we were desperate, it was almost certainly unfair in as far as he did give us a place to continue playing and as a businessman he needed to do the best for his own club by bringing in as much money as he could.

With this hindsight, I have no gripe against him.

I also feel for you being in that awkward situation.
 

smudge

Up the Albion!
Jul 8, 2003
7,360
On the ocean wave
If what he says is true then fair play to him. However, it's not how it came across, & he certainly didn't come across as a friend of the Albion at that time.
Is he re-writing history now things have worked out a bit differently to how he imagined they would?

Like I say though, if all true, then thanks a million!
 

Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,093
Surrey
I have no gripe against him and he did nothing wrong, but let's not pretend he didn't act out of self interest.

If he was so concerned with the Albion's welfare, then why did he insist to Dick Knight that the whole three year rent had to be paid in full rather than just the two years we actually used after Knight got us back home that bit quicker? Scally could have saved us £200k when money was tight, but chose not to.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 

el punal

Well-known member
So, last night in a situation I have little excuse for, I find myself, a lifelong BHA supporter, in jacket and tie as the boardroom guest of CPFC before the game vs Spurs. Slicing into my juicy steak I am suddenly joined by Paul Scally, Gillingham chairman for many a year. On revealing my true allegiance I am told that rather than having been an accomplice of Bellotti, and therefore arch-enemy of BHA, he was actually our friend and saviour as he was the only chairman to offer us a ground in our darkest hour, thereby almost single-handedly saving us from going out of business. For his pains he tells me he was abused by BHA supporters and even sent through the post an explosive device, actually a genuine maiming device but with its wires embedded in a dead seagull! At this point, slightly embarrassed, and wishing all the more I had not attended this event, I apologized​ as a representative of BHA supporters that he, a true ally of BHA, had been subjected to such abuse, and tried to re-launch myself back into my now withering steak. Perhaps sensing my awkwardness he offered that Tony Bloom has recently thanked him for being a part of our success story. They were indeed dark days but in the interest of redemption in now much happier times I want to here laud maybe one of the unsung heroes of BHA success.

I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but bearing in mind where you were dining, was your steak burnt to a crisp?
 


bobbysmith01

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2015
785
The thing that always rants with me was that the FA asked all clubs not to enter in with talks with Brighton on ground share deal, whilst the arbitration talks were ongoing. Scally ignored this as he just wanted rent for his club. I wrote to him and he admitted that, but also said one of his family members was married to an old Brighton player which made him want to help ?. He is and was a business man, not a saviour to our club, will never see him as that. Graham Kelly was furious that he gave Archer and Bellotti a get out of jail
Card.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,647
Location Location
The blokes a prick.

When Gillingham had their brief soujourn in the Championship many years ago, he was lobbying for the Premier League and Championship to break away from L1 and L2 to form their own competition, so that (you've guessed it), there'd be no relegation / promotion between Championship and L1 any more. His justification for this was that L1 and L2 clubs could "outvote" everyone else, and this was somehow wrong.

Needless to say, his rancid little team slid back into the noddy leagues soon enough, and not another peep was heard on his "big idea".

Gimp.
 


Superseagull69

Active member
May 8, 2010
791
MEDWAY
The thing that always rants with me was that the FA asked all clubs not to enter in with talks with Brighton on ground share deal, whilst the arbitration talks were ongoing. Scally ignored this as he just wanted rent for his club. I wrote to him and he admitted that, but also said one of his family members was married to an old Brighton player which made him want to help ?. He is and was a business man, not a saviour to our club, will never see him as that. Graham Kelly was furious that he gave Archer and Bellotti a get out of jail
Card.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly. Paul Scally didn't save our club, he aided & abetted the attempted destruction of our club. Thankfully with a lot of hard work by genuine, honest people (of which he is not one) they failed.

To now try to claim he was our saviour is laughable. When I told my Mate who has been a Gills fan for years he almost wet himself laughing, before going into a tirade of abuse at why he is an evil little man.
 

Superseagull69

Active member
May 8, 2010
791
MEDWAY
The blokes a prick.

When Gillingham had their brief soujourn in the Championship many years ago, he was lobbying for the Premier League and Championship to break away from L1 and L2 to form their own competition, so that (you've guessed it), there'd be no relegation / promotion between Championship and L1 any more. His justification for this was that L1 and L2 clubs could "outvote" everyone else, and this was somehow wrong.

Needless to say, his rancid little team slid back into the noddy leagues soon enough, and not another peep was heard on his "big idea".

Gimp.

Was his beloved Millwall not in the Championship then too, most Gills fans I know feel he cares more about them than the team he actually owns.
 

Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,647
Location Location
Was his beloved Millwall not in the Championship then too, most Gills fans I know feel he cares more about them than the team he actually owns.

Yes, Millwall made the playoffs that year, but failed. It was 2001/02. Gillingham finished 12th that season (it was called Division One in those days). Man City went up as Champions with WBA.

They eventually went down in 2005, on 50 points. They were level on points with Crewe, but their GD was -21 to Crewe's -20. Which I thought was lovely. And they've never returned.
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,647
Location Location
Regarding the 'dead seagull device', surely if true that would have been all over the press at the time!

That does sound like absolute bobbins doesn't it. Its the first I've ever heard of it, and you can be sure rent-a-gob Scally would've been screaming for a policeman over something like that.
 

nicko31

Well-known member
Jan 7, 2010
17,488
Gods country fortnightly
We were desperate, Gillingham was better than nothing. No one else was helping us out
 


Superseagull69

Active member
May 8, 2010
791
MEDWAY
The thing that always rants with me was that the FA asked all clubs not to enter in with talks with Brighton on ground share deal, whilst the arbitration talks were ongoing. Scally ignored this as he just wanted rent for his club. I wrote to him and he admitted that, but also said one of his family members was married to an old Brighton player which made him want to help ?. He is and was a business man, not a saviour to our club, will never see him as that. Graham Kelly was furious that he gave Archer and Bellotti a get out of jail
Card.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We were desperate, Gillingham was better than nothing. No one else was helping us out

The quote by Bobbysmith might give one of the reasons why this was... Who knows, if the FA allowed it more clubs might of offered.
 

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