SRU supremo Dodson goes on the defensive
SRU chief talks up national game despite calls for drastic overhaul
IN yesterday’s Sportsmail, leading management consultant Alistair Gray put forward his considered proposals to revolutionise — and, ultimately, revive — Scottish rugby. The respected 65-year-old businessman highlighted the need to increase participation numbers, create a third pro team and, perhaps most controversially, sell and lease back Murrayfield stadium to release much-needed funds for an organisation still mired in debt. Here, in response to Gray’s report, SRU chief executive Mark Dodson speaks exclusively to ROB
ROBERTSON and insists that he is still the right man to lead the governing body despite the game’s current crisis, while defending some of the more questionable aspects of his reign...
ALISTAIR GRAY SUGGESTED YOU SELL AND LEASE BACK MURRAYFIELD TO HELP REDUCE DEBT AND HELP PAY THE COSTS OF A PRO TEAM IN ABERDEEN. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SUGGESTIONS FROM SUCH AN EXPERT IN HIS FIELD?
We are not short of advice. That is one person’s opinion. I wonder if the taxpayers of Edinburgh would want to buy Murrayfield?
I have not had any encouragement from Edinburgh City Council that is what they want to do.
What I am finding is that lots of people have lots of ideas. I am listening but we have a plan we are following ourselves to reduce debt, invest in grassroots and have four district academies up and running by the end of this calendar year. Nothing will throw me off the scent.
Plus, if you do a sell and lease back, you can only spend the money you get once. If we put a third pro team in place, how do we finance it long term?
ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE MARTIN GILBERT SAID HE WOULD HELP FUND A THIRD PROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE GRANITE CITY. HAVE YOU MET HIM TO DISCUSS HIS PROPOSAL AND WHAT CHANCES ARE THERE OF ONE BEING SET UP?
I did contact him and met him and we are due to meet again. I am happy to speak to anyone who wants to invest in a pro team or a team at any level in Scotland. How f ar i t goes and what happens, I don’t know. What you have to realise is that there are clear obstacles in the way.
You have to find £7million a year for a five-year business plan, so it is a £35m underwriting of the team.
You then have to find that team somewhere to play and have to have a commercial base to support that team.
You would also need a league for a third Scottish pro team to play in. I have spoken to the RaboDirect Pro12 league and there is no passion to make it a Pro13 league because you have to share any revenue with one more team.
I would not stand in the way of anybody who would launch a third pro team in Scotland but I can’t see it happening with just the SRU and Martin Gilbert, unless of course there are other people who could invest in the team.
SOME EXPERIENCED FIGURES SUCH AS LEWIS MOODY, WHO WON THE WORLD CUP WITH ENGLAND IN 2003, AND FORMER SCOTLAND INTERNATIONAL KENNY LOGAN BELIEVE WE COULD FADE AS A MAJOR FORCE IF YOU DON’T INTRODUCE ANOTHER PRO TEAM AND GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER. IS THAT A CONCERN?
Argentina doesn’t have a pro team
at all yet they exist i n the international world. We have to deal with reality here.
We are already £11m in debt and have to deal with two loss-making pro teams. We have to show surplus at the end of the year, pay people’s wages and be t he governing body in scotland. All these things cost money but we feel we are on the right track.
HOW DAMAGING WAS THE SIX NATIONS TO THE REPUTATION OF SCOTTISH RUGBY?
Unfortunately for us, it was almost a perfect storm. There was an unforeseeable situation with the bad state of the pitch. That could have hit us any time but it did it during the six Nations.
On top of that, the performance against england was awful, totally unsatisfactory. everybody accepts that changed the whole season.
That brought this outpouring of dissatisfaction with the scotland team and rugby in general. That has hurt us badly, that one game. it tainted the whole tournament.
SIR CLIVE WOODWARD SAID AFTER THE CALCUTTA CUP MATCH HE THOUGHT SCOTLAND WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN BEATEN A CLUB SIDE FROM THE AVIVA PREMIERSHIP ON THAT PERFORMANCE AND SAID HE FELT SORRY FOR THE PLAYERS BECAUSE THINGS WERE NOT RIGHT OFF THE FIELD. WAS HE JUSTIFIED IN SUCH HEAVY CRITICISM?
There was a lot of comment after that game. sir Clive is not close to what we do up here. he is a respected coach and can make any comment he likes.
Yes, scotland were not good against england but, off-the-field, our performance has been good in that we are in a better financial shape than we have been for a generation. Off the field, he is not right.
The fact of the matter is there was a lot of interesting comments about the state of scottish rugby after the england game and some people quite enjoyed that.
DO YOU STILL STICK TO YOUR CLAIM THAT THE TARGET FOR SCOTLAND IS TO WIN THE 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP AND DO YOU REGRET EVER SETTING SUCH A GOAL?
if we said getting out of the group was our target we would be criticised for a lack of ambition. We say we want to win the tournament and get pilloried because people say it is unrealistic. We are damned if we do, damned if we don’t.
YOU HAVE COME IN FOR CRITICISM OVER THE FACT THAT SCOTT JOHNSON WAS PUT IN TEMPORARY CHARGE OF SCOTLAND FOR 14 MONTHS BECAUSE VERN COTTER WASN’T READY TO LEAVE CLERMONT AUVERGNE. WAS IT A MISTAKE TO WAIT FOR HIM?
i have no regret at not having Vern here earlier. it would have been a regret if he was not the person we wanted. everybody agreed it was a good move for scotland to get a coach of his quality and pedigree. it was a real coup to get him and we always knew we had to wait for him.
i never once had a conversation with Clermont about Vern’s early release because he declared to me and through his agent he wanted to see his time at Clermont out. he wanted to fulfil his contract and end the project he started 10 years ago, hopefully by picking up a bit of silverware.
even if i had the money to pay out the rest of Vern’s contract, it would have only come from somewhere else in scottish rugby.
ON THIS SUMMER’S TOUR, SCOTT JOHNSON, WHO IS NOW THE SRU’S DIRECTOR OF RUGBY, WILL BE ASSISTANT TO VERN COTTER IN COACHING TERMS BUT IN REALITY IS HIS BOSS. COULDN’T THAT LEAD TO PROBLEMS?
Both are going on the summer tour and, when they get back, they will decide whether they want that situation to continue. it could be Vern wants different people or wants to keep scott as attack coach. it is up to Vern.
he is a smart guy and wants to judge the quality of the folk he has here. The idea would be an information exchange and decisions made at the end of the tour.