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Ben Robinson interview	Page One - Page Two
	'After the Lord Mayor's Show' - the recent open-top bus tour drew a disappointing response from the Burton public     Pic: brewersnet
Were you disappointed with the turnout for the open top bus tour recently? "Yes. It was a bit of a case of 'after the Lord Mayor's Show' really. Originally it was planned for 7th July, but we established that that wasn't a convenient date, because the whole of the Town Hall facilities weren't available on that day, so we had to put it back. "The problem was that the Town Hall is so much in demand, and for the whole of May and June - due to the Queen's Jubilee celebrations and other events - it was booked up.

"That was the first date we could book, otherwise obviously we would have had it in May. We feel that the Council had very kindly offered to arrange this as a recognition [of the team's achievements], and it was a most enjoyable day, but had it been held back in May then it would have attracted a lot more." You've just signed a new shirt sponsorhip deal. How much of a difference will that make to the club? "Playing in the Conference is another level for us, and add the potential for appearing on live TV... [it] presents a whole new ball game in terms of sponsorship, and how much you can negotiate. So the combined sponsorship of the two companies, Knott Ltd and Bison is well in excess of what we've received previously. Added to that, the Bison deal also includes working with them on ground improvements, to our mutual advantage, so that's a big part of their deal. "Over the years using my connections we've managed to invest considerable sums of money in the club... The share capital was increased from £255,000 to £1 million - that money was invested in facilities. Very little has been invested in the team - as you can see Nigel's only paid one fee [to Ilkeston Town for Christian Moore]. "That [the money spent on facilities] was money well spent and we're reaping the benefits of that investment. We've had tremendous success with the team and that's obviously helped the commercial side of the club." Is the club in a healthier financial state than it's ever been? "For last season we should be recording a record profit. In the past when the club has made a profit, it's always been down to transfer fees. There was a six-year spell where the club made a quarter of a million pounds in transfer fees over six years. So before when the club has had an exceptional financial year, it's usually been down to transfer fee income. When the shareholders get their accounts for last season, they'll see a substantially improved profit, partly from gate receipts and partly from commercial activities. "Quite often when a club wins a championship there's a price to pay, so to win a championship and at the same time to record a record profit, is quite an achievment. "What we will continue to do is be sensible - we've never got carried away. We'll keep our feet on the ground. It's obviously going to cost us more money to be in the Conference, and the largest item in any business is the wages. But we've got a great manager who's realistic in his approach, and believes that there's no point in spending money that you can't afford. So with his support, we'll obviously increase the wage bill, but to what should be a workable level. "If you take the increase in admission prices this season, and as long as we have a reasonable season and our attendances don't drop significantly, then the extra expenditure should be met by the income that we've achieved." How much money will the club get from the televised Sky matches such as the Barnet match on Bank Holiday Monday? "I gather it's £5,000. It's not a massive amount, but I think our big hope for next season, and I know Nigel feels the same way, is that if we can win the Fourth Qualifying Round [of the FA Cup] that wins you £20,000, and if you appear live on TV in the First Round of the FA Cup, it's £100,000." And the club will benefit from Derby County playing their reserve matches at Eton Park? "I think we should be proud that Derby County have chosen Burton Albion to play their games at our ground. We've negotiated a deal with Derby which gives us a lump sum upfront, while they also made a substantial contribution to the dressing room improvements which we've now completed... We're hoping that the attendances will be good and we'll be able to create some good revenue from those matches." There was quite a sharp increase in season ticket prices this season. Was that due to increased costs or to the club being in a higher level of football? "We've increased admission from £6 to £8, and the increase on the season tickets reflects that. We carried out a survey of all the Conference prices, and felt that the prices we came up with were reasonable and realistic. We have by far the cheapest rate for children in the Conference." You've invited several new members onto the board during the close season. What do you think they will bring to the club? "Firstly, the directors are all keen football fans - they've all got an interest in and love their football. Secondly, they're all businessmen... three quarters of the board have got their own businesses and are able to provide sponsorship. So it's a good start to have that many directors who before the season starts have commited x thousand pounds in sponsorship for the club. "And none of them are looking necessarily at getting value for money - a large portion of it is a donation. In addition to that, the new directors have got business expertise, so as we move up to a higher league and beyond, we've got more opinions and more expertise in the boardroom when we're discussing ways forward. We've got a few more brains and experiences to call on." Tell us a bit about how you first became involved with Burton Albion. "There were two directors... who were friends and clients of mine... It was December 1974 and we were having a lunch at the Riverside and a chat. From that meeting I joined the football club in January 1975, and my responsibility was to develop the club's advertising and sponsorship. "Then in December 1976 I became chairman until I resigned as chairman in 1984 and from the board entirely a few months later to start my own business. When I joined the club was in the Southern League, and then when the Conference came into being we got moved into the Northern Premier League. I was on the committee of the NPL for seven years, which was good experience." Were you aware when you announced the decision to move back to the Northern Premier League at the start of last season that many supporters felt it would be a bad move? "Yes. I know there was some reservations from supporters, but overall I thought it was the best way to go." Was it a gamble? "It was a gamble, but it wasn't one that we took lightly - we weighed up the pros and cons. That there'd be a fresh impetus of new teams, that travelling would be easier. We've always had a good relationship with the UniBond officials, many of whom I'd worked with on the management committee. "It's a very efficiently run league - for example [the way that] the UniBond... rearrange the fixtures for all the clubs, to accomodate clubs not travelling long distances in midweek. In the Southern League we had to go to places like Havant on a Tuesday night - we set off at half past one and at twenty past seven we'd just arrived, and that was without stopping." There've been a lot of changes since you joined the club - what do you think the biggest differences are between now and when you first became involved? "I can remember just after I became chairman we made a public appeal because the club was having big financial problems, and I think from the whole town we collected something like £760. But I recognise that at the time the club didn't have the profile or the following that it does now. "When I first started... the club had for many years had a credibility problem. It had relatively poor facilities - in those days we would look with envy at Stafford Rangers and Nuneaton thinking that their grounds were better than ours. Then the club didn't have the capital resources to invest - we've invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in the club in the last seven years. [At this point Robinson relates the story of how in the early 1980's the club bought back the Car Park at the ground, which a previous board had allowed to be sold off, after receiving a tip-off from a member of the local fishing club that they were about to buy the then Eton Park Social Club - now the Football Tavern - and adjoining car park, and were planning to charge the football club rent for use of the car park. Later, during his second spell at the club in 1997, Robinson paid off the six-figure debt of the Social Club, and bought the building, which allowed the club to free up the bar inside the ground - now the Albion Suite - for commercial use on matchdays.] "We've always said that the key... was owning the whole site, including the car park and that building [the Football Tavern]. Before we owned that building the supporters could only eat and drink inside the ground, which meant that if we had... companies wanting to entertain clients, we could use the whole of the Albion Suite until after the game, and let the supporters use the Football Tavern." Are plans to extend or improve the Football Tavern still on the agenda? "We've always said that we'd look at the possibility [of improving it]. We've done some work inside the Football Tavern, but outside [it] still needs it's image changing, to be more inviting. So there's still a possibility that we could look to build on. It wouldn't affect the bowling green, but there's space there to build on the front."

Turning point - Nigel Clough's appointment as manager back in October 1998

How did your involvement with Nigel Clough first come about? "What happened was he was recommended to us by a guy at the PFA, and he was told that Burton Albion was a good club with a good reputation, just down the road [from Clough's home] and a club with a lot of ambitions for all the right reasons. And that was it - we met, got on like a house on fire and have continued to do. I don't interfere, I just support him whether we win, lose or draw. That's how you've got to be." Nigel Clough has been constantly linked with other clubs ever since he arrived at Eton Park, but have you actually had any approaches from clubs or has it all been just paper talk?

"We've had no direct approaches from any Football League clubs. The thing that's worked to our advantage is the fact that Nigel has got a young family, and his priorities at the moment are spending quality time with his family and watching them grow up - that's important to him. His responsibilities with us fit into that criteria. Eventually when he feels he wants to move on to a bigger club - and I think it will be a bigger club with the right set-up and opportunity - then we'll wish him all the best." What have been the most pleasing aspects of your time at Burton Albion. "I think the great thing has been that massive investment in the club has coincided with Nigel Clough choosing to start his managerial career at Burton Albion, and obviously he's the most successful manager in the club's history. We could have had a situation whereby all this money was spent on improving the facilities, but the team didn't perform. The most important aspect of any football club is what the team achieve, and if on top of that you can support the team with improved facilities and a massive injection of capital, that's a bonus. But that's best thing for me is that all this money we've spent on improving the facilities was at a time when we saw the best manager." Any low points? "The low point for me was on Fleur's first birthday - 5th April 1975 - we got knocked out of the FA Trophy [at the semi-final stage] by Matlock Town. I can remember going to the ground on the Sunday morning after five thousand people had been there the day before, seeing all the litter and feeling so despondent at the fact that we weren't going to Wembley and they were. Apart from the financial aspect which was important, it was losing out on the experience. "I set my stall out from that day thinking 'Come on, this isn't the end of the world,' so from that point onwards whenever the club lost an important game, I was always philosophical, and that's the way you've got to be in football. You're not going to win every match, and when the downside sets in you've got to be positive and stick to your principles and objectives. Do you think you've got to be emotionally detatched to be chairman of a football club? "I think so, yes. I'm an emotional person but you've got to make decisions with your head, not with your heart." What are your future ambitions for the club? "We feel that there's no reason we can't follow Cheltenham and Kidderminster into the Football League."

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