Backhouse may leave the board too (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Backhouse may leave the board too

6:00am Tuesday 16th October 2012 in Sport

PAOLO Di Canio has hinted that Swindon Town director Russell Backhouse could follow Jeremy Wray out the County Ground revolving door.

Wray was replaced as chairman at the behest of majority shareholder Andrew Black yesterday and, if Di Canio is to be believed, Backhouse may well not be associated with the club much longer.

The accountant, who has worked closely with Wray and former Town chairman Andrew Fitton both at SN1 and further afield, is a close ally of Di Canio within the Swindon camp.

In a statement released to the Advertiser yesterday Di Canio made reference to the fact that he is under the impression Backhouse is considering his position on the club’s board.

"I am very sad that Jeremy Wray has been replaced as the chairman of Swindon Town, as I know this is something that he didn’t want,” he said.

“I have also been informed that in view of this decision, one of the directors, Russell Backhouse may also step down from the board.

"It is important for me to have a team around me that I can trust. Jeremy Wray and Russell Backhouse, Phil Spencer and myself have worked tirelessly as a team to bring success to this club but now with Jeremy going and Russell potentially soon to depart, half of that team may soon be taken away, and, as much as I have loyalty to Swindon and its fans, I also have loyalty to Jeremy and Russell and these events have certainly changed the dynamics.

“But I am interested to learn the reasons behind this decision and what this means for me and the future of Swindon Town Football Club.”

REMAINING STFC BOARD MEMBERS

ANDREW BLACK
Co-founder of Betfair with Jeremy Wray’s brother Ed, Black is Town’s chief investor. He sits on the boards of both Swindon Town Football Company Limited (the club) and Swindon Football Holdings Limited (the holding company). Black’s interest in football is fairly limited, with racing his primary focus.
He owns a fledgling stud farm in Surrey and has a share of a Cheshire stables, a venture involving former Liverpool striker Michael Owen.

SIR MARTYN ARBIB
A former City financier and another keen race-goer, Arbib is understood to invest in the infrastructure of the club. He does not sit on the board of the club or its holding company but holds a significant chunk of shares in the latter. He set up Perpetual fund management group in 1974 and sold it 26 years later for around £1.05billion. He is worth roughly £350million.

ANDREW FITTON
The former Swindon Town chairman resigned from his post in April last year and stood down from the club’s board later in 2011. He led the consortium which bought the Robins in 2008, saving them from liquidation. He is still listed as holding a seat on the board of the holding company.

NICK WATKINS
Installed as chief executive when Andrew Fitton’s consortium took control of Swindon Town. He has a background in the entertainment industry, having worked for Chrysalis TV and Panasonic, and sits on the board of the club but not the holding company.

RUSSELL BACKHOUSE
An accountant by trade, Backhouse was brought onto the club’s board as a director to assist with the financials. He has strong links with Andrew Fitton, and still holds the role of Chief Financial Officer for United Wireless Holdings, where Fitton is chairman. He is also CFO of Velocita Wireless and Mobitex Technology AB.