This season has been anything but plain-sailing for Floriana as financial difficulties and mismanagement seriously hampered the club’s progress but the Greens have shown encouraging signs of recovery in the last three months.
They still have a long way to go but their excellent run in the Relegation Pool, seven wins and a draw in eight matches, has given their fans hope that Floriana are back on track.
It’s been difficult but, with only a few weeks remaining till the end of the season, we’ve got through it and we hope to start next season with better organisation, on the pitch as well as off it
Such a revival looked nearly impossible as the club spent much of the first six months of the season “firefighting”, to borrow the term used by current president Steve Vaughan Jr who took over from Justin Attard in December.
Their cash crisis aside, Floriana were further handicapped by the early departure of coach Mark Wright, who was then replaced by Stephen Azzopardi, and the comings and goings of foreign players, with the likes of Francis Jeffers, Aaron Brown, Sunday Wasiu and Aman Verma leaving the club on a sour note.
Inevitably, this lack of stability added to the scepticism surrounding the input of the Vaughan family but the arrival of coach Iain Brunskill, who succeeded Azzopardi in late January, and the president’s improved efforts to address the club’s shortcomings look to have galvanised the team.
Despite the early cynicism over the Vaughans’ motives to link up with Floriana, Vaughan Jr said their intention was to sponsor the club but circumstances forced his family to take on a bigger role.
“Initially, we were doing a boxing show here and someone we knew was working with Justin Attard,” Vaughan told The Times.
“Justin told us about his interest in Floriana and invited us for lunch at the clubhouse at the Granaries.
“What we promised then was €10,000 to be the shirt sponsors. Our plan at the time was to come over two or three times a year for a holiday break.
“That’s how it all started but before the season began, we got another call from the club. They needed an extra cash to lift the transfer prohibition.
“The club were without a manager and we agreed to pay the wages of the foreign coaching staff and the foreign players.
“By doing this, we set the whole thing running. We’ve faced many difficulties but we feel that, slowly but surely, we’re resolving most of the problems.”
While admitting that mistakes were made in the early months of the season, Vaughan is confident that Floriana are turning the corner.
“We made a few mistakes but now we have an ideal mix of good foreigners and Maltese players,” Vaughan said.
“In the early months of the season, the situation spiralled out of control because people we thought were there to help us were in fact more of a hindrance.”
The financial dispute with Johan Said, Floriana’s former president, didn’t help matters as the garnishee order he issued against the club meant that the UEFA solidarity payment was withheld by the court.
Amid these travails, even the Malta FA made enquiries about the Vaughans’ intentions but their concerns look to have subsided in recent months.
“I can understand the MFA’s reservations. I mean they looked at the club and saw a couple of English guys coming in,” Vaughan said.
“They had the right to ask why we were here. Everything we’re doing is for the benefit of Floriana FC.
“We know that we’ve still got a lot of work to do but are we further than we were at the start of the season?”
Floriana have settled their dues with a number of foreign players who were on their books this season bar Verma.
“The only outstanding issue is with Aman Verma,” Vaughan said.
“We’re arguing against it because the amounts are not stacking up. The Maltese players in our squad are paid up to date.
“We’re fighting back. We are from Liverpool and we don’t give up easily when our backs are against the wall.
“It’s been difficult but, with only a few weeks remaining till the end of the season, we’ve got through it and we hope to start next season with better organisation, on the pitch as well as off it.”
Vaughan admitted that he didn’t have a sense of belonging to Floriana in the early days but that has changed since he agreed to take charge of the club.
“I had no feeling for this club,” Vaughan said.
“We were just thinking of coming here for a holiday but my life now is here. I have a Maltese girlfriend and I love the country.
“I love the people who have been very welcoming from day one I’ve been here.”
The arrival of coach Brunskill in January has transformed Floriana’s fortunes on the pitch and it’s no surprise that Vaughan is keen to secure the former Liverpool Academy coach and his assistant Gary Howard for season 2013-14.
“The most important thing is to get Iain and Gary to sign a new contract,” Vaughan said.
“They are willing to stay but both have some very good offers at home. We’re going to try our best to keep them.”
Vaughan is also eager to extend the contracts of Brazilian forward Igor Coronado and English defender Gary Roberts in light of their positive contribution to the team.
“We’ve wasted a lot of money on players this season,” Vaughan remarked.
“Players who complained from the very first minute they were here and also after they had left and taken the money.
“With regards to Igor Coronado and Gary Roberts, I think they can play for any club in the Premier League.
“We’re very close to agreeing terms with Igor, he only has to put pen to paper.
“We want to keep what we have and add two to three good players for next season.”
Floriana’s end-of-season flourish has gone some way towards convincing the fans that Vaughan and his allies are working hard to put the club back on a sound footing.
As a gesture of appreciation for their trust and support, Vaughan has taken the unusual step of offering the fans free tickets for Floriana’s penultimate league match against Ħamrun Spartans on Sunday.
Tickets can be collected from the club-house until 10am tomorrow.
“It’s our way to say thank you to the fans for supporting the club,” Vaughan said.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a strong response.”