Mark Weaver on his time at Doncaster Rovers (Part 1)

He is the second-most despised figure to have ever been associated with Doncaster Rovers.

Hated by supporters of all ages, Mark Weaver, second-in-command to the even more reviled former owner Ken Richardson, presided over the ultimate nadir in Rovers’ 142-year history as the club lost their Football League status in 1998 amidst a putrid stench of chaos, scandal and corruption.

In an acrimonious Belle Vue campaign during which the club was brought to its knees under the controversial ownership, there was farce upon farce (on and off the pitch), death threats, administration, pitch invasions and protests aplenty. Unsurprisingly, the eventual record of ‘Won 4, Drew 8, Lost 34’ remains the worst ever recorded by a Football League club to this day.

It's a far cry from the present time with Rovers flying high in League One and in with a very realistic chance of achieving automatic promotion come the end of this season with home nowadays being the plush 15,000-capacity Keepmoat Stadium.

After Mr Weaver's recent re-emergence on Twitter under the username @MWeaver72139842 following years out of the public eye, it provided an opportunity to put forward many pertinent questions which many fans have wondered in the time which has elapsed since that fateful period - primarily, how could an ownership deliberately attempt to rip away the heart and soul of a community and purposely destroy a football club?

There's certainly every reason to be sceptical about anything which Mark says though his acceptance of my request for an interview at least allowed the chance for many pertinent and forthright questions to be asked over the course of what turned out to be a three-hour conversation.

In the first of a three-part instalment, the former General Manager discusses how he came to be at Belle Vue in the first place, dealing with Ken Richardson's constant meddling, his time working with Kerry Dixon and the summer of 1997 which saw the club plunged into administration amidst a financial meltdown.

Mark Weaver shortly after his appointment (Photo: Yorkshire Evening Post).

Meeting Ken Richardson

Our discussion begins with me questioning how, and where exactly, Mark's relationship with Richardson began in the first instance given that the main business interests for 'Uncle Ken' (one of many colloquial names given to the one-time 'benefactor') was with East Riding Sacks where he'd become a self-made millionaire over the course of the 1970s and 1980s.

"It started in the May of 1995," explained Mark. "Martin McDonald played for Bramhall Football Club of which I was manager in the Mid-Cheshire League. 

"Earlier in the season, Macclesfield were using him on a dual-contract. He got the opportunity to go and play against Hartlepool in the FA Cup as a substitute and he came on and scored and the winner was shown on Match Of The Day.

"He stayed at Macclesfield until the end of the season then he played a few games for Bramhall. He didn't drive or have a telephone at the time and he came round one day and said 'The landlord of the local pub has said the chairman of Doncaster Rovers wants to meet me at the hotel nearest to Manchester Airport at half past one?'

"I drove him there and we had to go into the airport instead. A man introduced himself, said he was Ken [Richardson] and told me he wanted to sign Martin McDonald and assumed that I was his agent. I said 'No, he plays for me at Bramhall'.

"He had to rush to get on his plane back to the Isle Of Man. I'd given him my number at the airport but heard nothing. Then, on the following Friday I got a phone call and it was Ken and he said he'd got two players who couldn't get back and could only get a flight to Manchester. He asked me to give them a lift from the airport to the train station but I told him that they'd have no chance [of reaching wherever they were going] because there was a strike on.

"The players were Darren Moore and Duane Darby. Their cars were parked at Birmingham Airport, the motorways were 'chocker', the coaches were full and they didn't know how they were going to get back. In the end I told them that I'd run them back [to Birmingham].

"That was the biggest mistake I ever made."

Darren Moore and Duane Darby pose for the cameras shortly after signing for DRFC.

The suspicious Main Stand arson attack

With Mark, who was also working at Stockport County as a door-to-door club lottery salesperson at this time, now acquainted with Richardson, it wasn't long before he ended up at Belle Vue - albeit in an unofficial capacity which initially began in July 1995 - only weeks after the well-publicised arson attempt and a full year prior to his eventual appointment as General Manager.

I interject at this point to question what knowledge he had about his new boss' past; primarily, whether he was aware of Richardson's involvement in the Flockton Grey horse racing scandal in the 1980s or if he had any initial suspicions about the fire in the Main Stand which, by this point, was already under investigation by the police.

He claims that he wasn't aware of anything whatsoever until a chance meeting with a shareholder whilst out canvassing for Rovers' own club lottery for which Richardson had asked him to work.

"I took a team of lads with me [from Stockport] to canvass and we went knocking on doors," recalled Weaver.

"One of the lads shouts to me: 'What the f**k have you got us doing?' I asked why and he said this guy wanted to tell him something. The guy asked why we'd come from Stockport to canvass for Doncaster and said 'You're the only ones stupid enough to canvass for him!'.

"I said 'Who?' and he said 'Richardson. He's a f**king horse thief. Flockton Grey, and not only that but he was the one who set fire to the Main Stand the other week at the ground!'

"I got the lads together and we drove back and I rang him [Richardson] as soon as I got back. I said to him this guy who was a shareholder has told me you were behind Flockton Grey and you were behind the fire. He [Richardson] kept me on the phone from seven o'clock that night until four o'clock the next morning, explaining every single thing and that's how our relationship started."

Mark continued: "He told me 'I'd love you to get involved and we need football people' but I stayed away and only did little bits for him [in the 1995/96 season]. 

"Martin McDonald didn't sign for him that season on my advice. He went back to Macclesfield but Ken got back in touch, told me he still wanted to sign him and asked to meet me. I was someone who was easy to pick him up [from the airport] because I lived in Stockport so I ended up talking to him about the team and the games."

At this point I ask Mark whether he personally believes Richardson was responsible for conspiracy to commit arson - an offence for which he was convicted in March 1999 after a court case during which the defence was labelled as being 'the worst concoction of waffle, piffle and flannel' they had ever heard by the prosecution. I also suggest a potential motive for the attack could have been 'financial gain' because with no ground to play in following the fire, it could have forced the council into building a new stadium.

In the 1990s, the Belle Vue site - located opposite Doncaster Racecourse and adjacent to ASDA, was considered as being one of the most expensive anywhere in the country with an estimated redevelopment value of approaching 20 million pounds.

Before the June 1995 fire, relations between Richardson and Doncaster Council had soured to such an extent that the two parties were barely on speaking terms - something which never changed and, if anything, only got progressively worse as time passed. This was largely down to the fact that an advert had been placed in the Daily Telegraph newspaper advertising the land at Belle Vue as being for sale when it wasn't even owned by Richardson - he instead owned the leasehold.

"According to the police records, the plans were made on April 30th 1995," said Mark.

"I've no axe to grind with Ken and he swears blind to this day that he didn't do it and says that he was set-up. But what I don't understand is 'Why?' because I don't see what the club was ever going to get out of it or what he was ever going to get out of it. We'd have still had to play our games and they'd have been at wherever was offered to us, it would have meant no fans, no income, he'd have had to refund Season Ticket holders and it'd have put him further into debt.

"With some of the things that went on in that last year [the 1997/98 season] I wouldn't doubt anything because some things were beyond belief and I wondered how some things had been done, what was going on and what was really at stake."

Later in the interview, he added: "I believe in British justice and they found him guilty and from what I've heard anyone would have found him guilty based on the evidence. But I just don't understand why and I've never been able to work that out and why would an SAS man leave his phone at the ground?"

Fire damage to the Main Stand (Photo: Shaun Flannery).

Sammy Chung's sacking

Whilst Weaver and Richardson were corresponding at infrequent intervals throughout the 1995/96 campaign, on the pitch Doncaster Rovers were struggling to make headway in their efforts to get promoted from Division Three (now League Two).

Despite a bright start to the season under Sammy Chung, results tailed off after the turn of the year and a team which contained talented players such as Gary Brabin, Colin Cramb, Graeme Jones and Russ Wilcox, eventually had to settle for a mid-table position.

According to Mark, it may have been a 'passing' comment he made some months earlier that Richardson took on board which set the ball rolling and brought about the start of the end for Mr Chung.

He said: "Ken would talk to me on the way back after games and he started to get a bit annoyed [about results].

"He was pumping money into the club like there was no tomorrow. It was £25,000 per week and rising, and I told him that this wasn't sustainable and it was never going to work because if you'd have got promoted, you'd have had to pay the players a lot more money.

"He kept saying 'We need to get promoted and get a new ground' so, rightly or wrongly, I told him Sammy Chung would never get the team promoted because he was a 'has been' in my opinion. Ken took on board what I'd said and he had the chance to go for Neil Warnock who was at Plymouth at the time but wasn't sure if he'd be the right man and he still stood by Sammy."

Mark continued: "We played Fulham in a midweek game and we lost 2-0. Ken was coming back in the car with me and I said to him that we'd only got 1,400 and if they [the supporters] wouldn't come for a game to get into the top four or whatever it was, they were never coming."

During a 0-0 draw against Mansfield at Belle Vue a month later, Richardson was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson which subsequently led to the first protests about his ownership. Weaver admits 'the shutters soon came down' in terms of further investment but only after Richardson had asked him to make contact with Kerry Dixon in regards to bringing him to Doncaster Rovers and discussions took place on the very eve of the 1996/97 season.

"I got a phone call at home from Ken and he asked for a favour," he recollected. "He told me he'd spoken to Graham Carr (former football scout) and that Kerry Dixon was available, he was leaving Watford and had been paid up by them.

"It was a big thrill to me because Kerry Dixon was a big name in my day. I rung him and he was lovely man to talk to, very polite, but he said he'd never come 'up north' and it was too far. I told him that it was a chance to get into coaching and did my best to try and persuade him and he said he'd only ever come up north to be the manager.

"I rung Ken back, spoke to him, and he told me to get him to come up and meet us. We met at the Earl of Doncaster. Kerry, in his conversation, asked who I was and Ken turned round and said 'He's the General Manager' and that was the first I'd heard of it - that was me employed as General Manager."

With there being less than 48 hours before the season was due to commence, Mark then explained how Chung's consequential dismissal unfolded.

"He [Kerry] said 'I'm yet to settle my money yet with Watford. As soon as I've got my money then I'll be back.' Ken, rightly, said that he hadn't signed the contract and I told him that he couldn't do that until he'd been released from Watford," continued Mark.

"Ken said 'I can't sack Sammy this afternoon. What if Kerry doesn't come back or gets another offer or has a re-think and decides he doesn't like it. What the f**k are we going to do?' I rung Kerry throughout the Friday night to ask if he'd got his money from Watford but there was no answer. It was the same thing on the Saturday morning - no answer!

"I arrived at Doncaster about one o'clock and at about half past one Kerry f**king pulls up in the car park. We told him that we didn't know if he was definitely coming or not because he hadn't answered and there were no mobile phones. Ken then went into the portacabins and sacked Sammy Chung.

"That's exactly how it happened. Nobody would have believed they were going to get sacked an hour before kick-off on the opening day of the season but I knew it on the Friday, didn't tell anyone, and then I had to announce it. That was my welcome to football!

"I had to go into the dressing room and introduce Kerry Dixon whilst Ken was dealing with Sammy and George Foster (who was assistant manager). I sat in the dugout with Kerry and had to tell him who was who because he didn't know any of the players. The only other person [who knew the players] was the physio, Phil McLaughlin, and he was as shocked as anyone."

Mark added: "It was maybe my fault because I'd said to Ken that we needed something high profile to prove to people that we were trying to achieve something. In hindsight, Kerry was probably the wrong choice - but he was a big name!"

Sammy Chung in his office at Belle Vue (Photo: Unknown).

Uncle Ken's meddling

It was 'gainful employment' and 'the opportunity to work with my hero which fell into my lap' which Mark cites as being the reasons why he put aside any misgivings about his General Manager position.

Throughout Richardson's time at the club, it was also well known to everyone that he liked to meddle in football affairs - whether it be team selections, tactics or player recruitment. This goes as far back as Steve Beaglehole and Ian Atkins' respective reigns and is something which Sammy Chung also had to endure before his sudden and surprise dismissal in August 1996.

Whilst Mark admits that he didn't have much of a relationship with Mr Chung, he says the former Wolves manager was allowed to bring in some of his own players with Ryan Kirby and Paul Birch being two specific names mentioned, although he alleges the camp was 'split into two' with Gary Brabin and Graeme Jones, amongst others, being Richardson signings.

The benefactor could also 'veto' any prospective new arrival and his continued and persistent interference, even under new boss Kerry Dixon in 1996/97, is something which Mark quickly realised was causing plenty of problems.

"We played Exeter away in about the fourth game. Ken wasn't there," recalled Weaver.

"He wanted to know what happened and didn't want to hear it from Kerry so I told him we had Paul Birch playing. He was 34-35 and a brilliant footballer but he took every corner, every free-kick and was running about all over the place to take them. I'd never seen anything like it and in the second half, he was knackered - that's why we didn't win.

"He asked 'What did Kerry say?' and I said he was young, learning and a bit naive [to management]. Ken said 'Alright, lets try and get an assistant in, someone who can help him!' and I agreed that's what he needed.

"Ken asked me for my opinion and that was it. I was allowed to give it. Unfortunately, he then wanted assistants and he brought them in one after another. I can't even remember them all because there were that f**king many."

It was not long after this game at St James' Park that former Everton midfielder Andy King, who was available after his departure as Mansfield Town manager at the end of the 1995/96 season, came to Belle Vue to help out.

Mark continued: "He [Andy King] was a great bloke but that just made the party bigger. The three of us were like party kings - we liked to drink, we liked to bet and we liked to play cards until two in the morning. Ken found out and he wasn't very happy.

"Football-wise it wasn't great but it was the best year of my life, party-wise. I was out with Kerry Dixon and Andy King who both had great careers and it was just me with them two. I was in my element and I honestly didn't want it ever to end. Every week was like Christmas for that first six or seven months.

"But then we started a bad run of defeats and Ken wanted to bring in Colin Murphy, the long ball merchant and Kerry told me he didn't want him. By this point we still had a decent enough side but we were losing. 

"Ken knew that the drink culture that was causing the problems and he thought we were in danger of going into the bottom four. He wasn't stupid - one thing he isn't is stupid, and he had his spies [who were telling him] 'these will never win anything because they're out p**sed every night'.

"I did a deal with Kerry. I said 'Let Ken have more of a say and I'll convince Ken to help you rather than Colin Murphy' because I knew if Murphy came in we were having problems. He wanted £10,000 to keep us up, we didn't have it, and he wanted £3,000 per week to be coach.

"Kerry and Ken got to do it but, of course, Kerry got bladdered before one of the speaker evenings and told the whole f**king crowd 'I don't pick the team, Ken Richardson does' after which point I changed the team because Birchy [Paul Birch] wasn't in it and the fans wanted him back in."

When I ask Mark why he didn't try and persuade Richardson to take a back-seat in affairs, he says that he tried to on several occasions but it became 'impossible' over time. The eventual realisation that the writing was on the wall came when an article was unknowingly published in the programme for the last game of the 1996/97 season against Torquay United.

"We played Wigan who were top of the league," he said. "'Birchy' [Paul Birch] got 'Man of the Match' and we beat them 2-0 with Graeme Jones in the Wigan side. The fans turned a bit towards me and said 'You've stood up to him [Richardson] and got him in!' 

"But then there was an article in the programme, without my knowledge but done by me, saying that it was all Ken and it had nothing to do with Kerry. That was the beginning of the end. I knew when he [Ken] wrote that he didn't give a shit. 

"Kerry wanted out. He was on massive money because we'd obviously had to pay him well and it was a gamble that didn't pay off. His legs had gone, he couldn't play, the fans knew that and he was struggling and we'd paid him a big signing on fee, big bonuses - not win bonuses just loyalty bonuses.

"All of a sudden I saw the figures and realised what was happening." 

Ken Richardson in the dugout, rather than the boardroom, at Belle Vue.

The Summer of 1997

With Doncaster Rovers having done enough to stay in the Football League for another year, the summer of 1997 saw plenty of unrest at Belle Vue.

Amidst mounting debts, the club was put in administration stemming from a winding up order, served the previous February, which saw 10 players transfer listed and an embargo imposed as a consequence and there was a desperate battle to try and balance the books.

According to Weaver, what is perceived by many as a 'deliberate destruction' of the squad was in actual fact 'imperative destruction' with Darren Moore (sold to Bradford City for £310,000) and Colin Cramb (sold to Bristol City for £125,000) amongst the star players to depart and not be adequately replaced.

The former General Manager, who says he was paid £400 per week before the club entered administration and just £250 thereafter, also believes 'Uncle Ken' had, by now, simply run out of money to continue his financial support - resulting in the farce which was about to unfold in the 1997/98 season.

"Ken, clearly, could not put more money in," said Mark.

"He was paying his barristers fortunes and, being honest, I think he'd run out. He'd paid a fortune with the cost of the shares in 1993 and the other backers didn't want to know. They'd been in too long and they thought they were going to get a quick turnaround on profits - a new ground, backers, money, build it up and then sell the shares.

"To me that was it. It's like Simon Jordan at Crystal Palace. He ran out of money but nobody wants to come on television and say they've got no money otherwise all the creditors would be coming in."

Weaver also expressed bitterness towards the Football League claiming the club was 'strangled' from the point they entered administration and onwards by the Football League who would gladly have allowed it to cease to exist.

"We were, and still are, the only Football League club to have the league ladder money withheld," he said in a frustrated manner. "We had no points took off us at the start of the season for the administration, they just withheld our money. They knew they were strangling us to death.

"At the time we got about £22,000 per month. That would be nearly £300,000 over 10 months but we had that took off us and were asked to survive on £3,000 per week - money which was for me, all the players, Joan Oldale (club secretary) and the groundsman.

"It was impossible to stay up. I knew we weren't going to stay up when it got to about the end of September, early October. We had absolutely no chance and were heading 100 miles per hour [towards relegation] so I made sure we went into [non-league] with as little loss as possible."

He added: "All I was bothered about from September 1997 to May 1998 was that we fulfilled the fixtures because the minute we didn't do that, the Football League had the authority to kick us out and that would have meant the administrators didn't get the money."

Kerry Dixon in happier times as Doncaster Rovers manager (Photo: Doncaster Free Press). 

To read Part 2, where Mark Weaver discusses the fateful 1997/98 campaign - including Danny Bergara, Anton Johnson's potential takeover and signing a fat 'keeper from the Stockport Sunday League, click here.