CITY fan Ben Iles recently secured an exclusive interview with the Club's Chief Executive David McNally. Ben, a 31-year-old accountant who lives in North Essex, has been supporting the Canaries since 1997. On his interview with Mr McNally, he said: "When the opportunity came along for me to meet with and also interview the new CEO I was very honoured and excited. I hope the questions that were asked by me within this interview represent the curiosity of the entire Norwich City Football Club fanbase."
An abridged version of the interview was published in the Ability Counts booklet which was published in the programme for City's game against Brighton. The full interview is reproduced for you here.
1. Prior to becoming Chief Executive at Norwich City, you held posts at Fulham FC and Celtic FC. What first drew you to become involved in football?
It was completely out of the blue, I was working in the fast moving consumer goods world when I got the call about Celtic. I was a fan so it was an opportunity that I wasn't going to turn down, even though it was a bit out of my comfort zone. I was there for four years and it was during the Martin O'Neill era so I was very fortunate and able to develop the brand and helped double the sales in three years - it was made easier as the team were doing so well. I was there for the first treble in 30 years, three titles in five years and the UEFA cup run.
2. How does your role and responsibilities at Norwich City compare with those associated with the posts you held at Fulham and Celtic?
My role at Fulham started as the Commercial Director and soon afterwards I was made Managing Director with my main aim to ensure that the business was working effectively, which is the same as my aim here. I reported to the owner, whereas here it is to a Board of Directors. Norwich is similar to Celtic as both are big clubs and both are the heartbeat of the city. Both clubs get a similar press intensity although the main difference is that Celtic and Rangers are both Glasgow-based, whereas Norwich is the only professional club in the whole county.
Fulham is a smaller club with a much smaller fan base. In my time at Fulham we nearly doubled the amount of season ticket holders but that was only to 12,500, which is still fantastic for a club of their size. I've started my time here in Division One, with over 18,000 season tickets holders, and this will only develop more when we get back to the Championship and then in to the Premiership.
3. When you were appointed Chief Executive of Norwich City, you were asked what factors attracted you to the role and you were quoted as saying:
"It was the size of the club and knowing what a fantastic fan base it has, with so many loyal supporters, which were the main factors in me wanting to take up this challenge. The club has so much potential and so many strengths and I'm excited about working to help capitalise on that in the months and years ahead. It was also the passion of the owners and directors in the shape of Delia Smith, Michael Wynn Jones and Michael Foulger which attracted me."
In the four months since then, have these factors (amongst others) lived up to your expectations in reality?
The fan base is enormous. It is incredible - and if we do reach our target of Premiership football we will need a 35,000 - 40,000 stadium. The away support we have is the best, and the distance they travel is astonishing. Delia is such a passionate fan, she loves the Club and invests her hard-earned cash into the Club - she is a credit to the Club and a joy to work for. Her commitment is something else and in my opinion she is more committed than any other football club owner. We do not know how lucky we are to have her. We see each other at every home and away match, sometimes travelling together. She is busy at the moment with her work, which the Club is benefiting from, but we speak a lot. However the day-to-day running of the Club is between the Chairman and myself.
4. You have already stated that the focus for everyone at the Club this season should be gaining promotion back to the Championship. In your opinion, what are realistic goals for the Club in the longer term (e.g. over the next five years)?
I would not have joined this football club if I didn't believe that we could get out of League One. We have a business plan, which is aimed at being out within two years. Everyone at the Football Club is focusing on that. The summer was hard for the Club and we needed a change by getting a new Chairman, and new Chief Executive. We have a seven-year plan - two years in League One but try to get promoted in one. Three years in Championship to Premiership, and then two years to become a consistently successful Premiership club. 10th to 12th in the Premiership in seven years.
5. At the beginning of this season, the Club was very much in the national media spotlight and at that time you very much appeared to be the 'mouthpiece' of the Club, giving TV interviews and quotes for newspaper reports. Was there a deliberate intention for it to be you who did this, as opposed to Delia, Michael Wynn Jones or one of the other Directors?
Delia is very busy with her work at the moment - getting more money in for the Club. I was close to all the details, it wasn't pre-agreed that I would become the spokesperson but it was right for the business at the time. The review of the manager was not based on one game - it was a seven-month review. It was not portrayed like this in the media but that was exactly how it was - over seven months. I can understand people's concerns but if you look at the wins, performances, the fact we were relegated to the third tier in English football for the first time in 50 years and then we play the first match in League One and have our worst home defeat in our 107-year history, the evidence is compelling.
6. Amongst the Canaries fan base, your predecessor Neil Doncaster was generally recognised as trying to make himself as approachable as possible - frequently giving out his e-mail address and direct dial phone number, then taking the time to respond to fans' queries personally. Through his fortnightly newspaper column in the Eastern Daily Press, he also attempted to be as transparent as he could regarding the Club's activities. Would you consider continuing with any or all of these approaches in the future?
Everyone is different. I am approachable - we're talking today! I wander round the stadium and talk to supporters on a matchday. Personally I am less likely to write a newspaper column - I will be judged on the job that I do and the people on the Board will tell me if I'm not doing my job well. I do my job in the background and I don't need to raise my profile within the game. I think the supporters want their chief executive to be strong, assertive, consistent, honest and transparent. I am all of those things. In the past, I think we were less strong than we needed to be. This Football Club deserves a strong Board - we should not roll over and have our tummy tickled and we will not let that happen. I will always do what I believe is right. Over £2million spent on loan players last year - where are they now? That money has gone. Would I operate differently? Of course I would. The relationship between the Manager and the Chief Exec needs to be strong and very healthy and we need to agree on what players are worth - Paul, the Chairman and I are very clear on this.
7. Describe your typical routine for a match-day Saturday at Carrow Road?
Saturday mornings are a great time for me to catch up with things here. I arrive in the morning, later than normal so about 10am. The first hour is bliss as I can work on strategic matters - this morning I looked at next year's squad budget and season ticket timetable. From 11am I may catch up with the heads of department. I also speak with Paul. From about 1.30 the visiting directors arrive so I meet with them and have lunch. Then at 3pm - watch the match. Afterwards I am generally here till 7pm. Win, lose or draw I see the Manager afterwards - maybe have a drink to discuss the game and other matters arising. Matchday is the culmination of the Club's week of work - and I have a great job and I am privileged to be in this position.
8. As Chief Executive of Norwich City, do you think it is possible to learn from the experiences of other football clubs - in an attempt to both replicate their successes and avoid repeating their mistakes? Do you have contacts at other football clubs with whom you regularly communicate to share ideas etc?
My background is sales and marketing and I do believe in solid market research. It is absolutely key. You also need to know your competitors and establish best practice. We should never become blinkered, as we need to constantly evolve. I have ten years in the game so I know lots of people and I do talk to them to get their views.
9. At the Club's AGM in November 2008, Delia and Michael Wynn Jones confirmed that they were actively seeking investment from external sources. Is that search still ongoing today?
Indeed. This is undoubtedly the toughest financial challenge I have faced in my career. We know what needs doing but it is tough. One of my on-going tasks will be to help find investment. No-one has a magic wand - even though we have a lovely stadium and great fan base etc - that doesn't mean that people will want to invest in us, business is not like that. We need to give the Club some breathing space for two or three years, our financial problems are pretty stark, but if we can do this, the business will move forward. This cannot be done in three days or three weeks - it takes time. We are very happy that we have the right Board in place now to do this, our Chairman's financial knowledge and experience is a huge benefit and the rest of the Board offer a diverse range of skills which means we can cope with most challenges.
10. Many of the Club's fans were unhappy over the handling of the season ticket rebates over the summer and this was perhaps reflected by the fact that only about one-third of season-ticket holders chose not to claim their rebates. Whilst I appreciate that you were only appointed to your role after the original rebate announcement had been made, in hindsight do you think this could have been handled any differently to preserve a greater degree of goodwill and encourage a greater 'take-up rate' from fans deciding not to claim their rebates?
I thought one-third of people not taking their rebate was remarkable. Given the Club had been relegated and we are facing hard economic times it was incredible. To all season ticket holders, thank you for your support but to those who went that one step beyond and provided even more money to the Club- thank you, thank you, thank you. Relegation was a bitter pill to swallow - more so than being relegated from the Premier League. Whatever the Club had done at this time, we would have been criticised. I think the Club expected the rebate to be higher, maybe 50-50. They asked my view and, as I said, one-third is a sensational result.
11. With regard to the previous question, is it the case that one or more of the players now at the Club would not be here if Michael Foulger had not made his offer to personally match the level of season ticket rebates not claimed?
Absolutely. He has been incredibly generous and taken some pressure off Delia and Michael. Without his money we would not have been able to buy Grant Holt for example. We paid the money that Grant was worth but goalscorers cost a lot of money and so Michael helped the Club out considerably.
12. Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I've always played football - not very well! But it was always my sport and to watch too. It is not true enjoyment now as I am so involved and looking at results in different ways. The intensity of watching Norwich City play is completely different to watching other clubs play. If we win, I have a good Saturday evening, but if we lose I'll stay at home - just like other fans. Celtic is my original team and I will always follow their results, but the intensity compared to Norwich is nothing. I want Celtic to win but if you offer me 20 Celtic victories or one point for Norwich - I'd take the one point for Norwich every time. Apart from football I spend as much time with my family as possible. My children are 19 and 22. My son is doing his masters, and my daughter has just started at Kings College in London. My wife is very supportive of me at Norwich City and she never misses a game either. Other hobbies are reading and running, which I took up when I finished playing football.
