People and Business: Truth about Palace split

DAVID BUCHLER, the partner with Buchler Phillips who withdrew as administrator of Crystal Palace on Tuesday, is incensed at how the split between himself and Palace's owner, Mark Goldberg, has been reported. Mr Buchler said it was "nonsense" that his fees for rescuing the beleaguered football club had been the reason for the split.

Mr Buchler said: "I have never had a discussion with Mark Goldberg about fees - ever. The suggestion [in the press] that we were asking for fees of pounds 300,000 is nonsense, absolute nonsense."

Mr Buchler had been asked by the Palace board to become administrator several weeks ago, and went to the High Court on Monday to have his appointment confirmed. Then on Tuesday he had a "conversation" with Mr Goldberg and decided to withdraw, he says, because Mr Goldberg wanted too much control of the rescue process.

An alternative firm of corporate rescue specialists, Moore Stephens Booth White, were appointed administrators on Wednesday in Mr Buchler's place. Simon Paterson and David Rolph of Moore Stephens now have three months to come up with a rescue plan for Palace, which has debts of pounds 22m.

Mr Paterson said Mr Buchler had been forced to pull out because Buchler Phillips had an involvement with another football club. A week ago Buchler Phillips were appointed receivers to Luton Town.

Again, Mr Buchler insisted the real reason was a breakdown in relations between himself and Mr Goldberg.

"Mr Goldberg wanted to control everything himself. I believe it would have been difficult for us to have achieved the main goal of rescuing Crystal Palace together."

He added: "Moore Stephens Booth White were his personal advisers and I wish them luck."