Barnet report Notts County to Football League

Wed 20th Apr 2011 | Football Club Management

Solicitors acting for Barnet FC have reported Notts County to The Football League and to The FA alleging an illegal approach by the League 1 club to take Martin Allen to Meadow Lane and are seeking compensation for the loss of his services.

In a statement Barnet say that Notts County only made contact through their chief executive after they had struck a deal and after Allen had told chairman Tony Kleanthous that he was leaving.

Allen was employed by Barnet on March 23 for the eight games remaining of the season. Tony Kleanthous and Director of Football Paul Fairclough agreed the deal with Allen and the details were confirmed to him by e-mail the same day from the club secretary. Allen confirmed his bank details and had already been paid direct into his account, effectively sealing his contract with the club.

After three games in charge, Allen "astonished" Tony Kleanthous in an 11.30 p.m. telephone call and a midnight meeting at a hotel by saying that he had received an approach and offer from Notts County and was leaving.

Barnet FC say that no attempt was made to contact them about approaching Allen and the claim, embarrassingly repeated in the media, that he did not have a contract was "palpably nonsensical".

The club statement adds that Barnet gave Allen his first chance in football management, but he left to join Brentford with eight games of the season in charge to go. Despite the dip in his career, they picked Allen up for a second time when he had been unemployed in football for a while.

Chairman Tony Kleanthous has not criticised Martin but shed some light on the late night conversation - "we agreed a deal with him until the end of the season and we helped and supported him throughout. I told him that we were prepared to offer a new long term deal that would certainly have provided him with a comfortable six-figure living but he made it clear that he wanted a chance to manage a team in League 1 next season, he said he wanted to take this opportunity despite the perfect happy working environment which we provided for him at Barnet FC."

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