Michael McIndoe, the former Barnsley player accused in national newspapers of masterminding a fraud scheme which rocked English football, has given his side of the story in a new book which also contains some startling allegations about his time at Oakwell.
The Scotsman, who played 20 games for the Reds in 2006, says in his book Wildling that his team-mates in Andy Ritchie's squad would turn up to training hungover.He claims that he threatened to go on holiday during the season if Barnsley did not let him move to Wolverhampton Wanderers but also praises the Reds fans as well as Paul Heckingbottom who played behind him at left-back. McIndoe has been accused of conning as many as 300 fellow footballers into an investment scheme which never repaid them fully, with some allegedly losing more than £1million.
He denies those allegations and insists the money was borrowed to pay off personal debts and fund a failed nightclub which led to him being declared bankrupt in 2014.He apologises in the book to everyone he was not able to repay but points out that he has never been charged by the police. McIndoe told the Chronicle: "It's been a tough process, putting my life down on paper for this book. But it was a chance to tell the real story and I hope it is well received. It's the truth."
The book charts McIndoe's early years in a notorious Edinburgh council estate as well as his successful battle with alcoholism. After spells at Luton, Hereford and Yeovil, the winger impressed for Doncaster Rovers from 2003 to 2006. McIndoe claims in the book that, before the 2006 League One play-off final in which Barnsley played Swansea City, his agent rang him to say that whichever club won would probably be the team he signed for.
McIndoe writes: "I was hoping it would be Swansea because there was still a lot of ill feeling towards me from the Barnsley players due to previous Yorkshire derbies being a bit tasty."
The Reds won on penalties and McIndoe moved to Oakwell for £125,000. He said: "When I first walked into the dressing room, only half of the players bothered to shake my hand."
He was not impressed by what he found at Oakwell, saying in the book: "The team were so unfit and unfocused. As far as I was concerned the players got away with murder."Some days the lads would arrive late to training hungover, carrying a McDonald's breakfast."
McIndoe added to the Chronicle: "I had a good time at Barnsley and Oakwell is a great place to play football, especially in night games. The fans were good with me and they always seemed to get excited when I got on the ball. The players were a good set of lads but I had been on loan to Derby the previous season and I couldn't help but compare the two clubs. I saw things at Barnsley that I hadn't even seen in the Conference. I am not trying to be cloak and dagger, I am just being honest and open to the fans."
McIndoe writes that the Reds players 'eventually warmed to me' and particularly praised Heckingbottom – now the head coach at Oakwell – who helped him make a good start to life in the Championship. McIndoe told the Chronicle: "I had a fantastic partnership with Paul, one of the best I had in my whole career.
"He kept it simple, always looking to give you the ball which is all you want as a winger. He was very vocal and a steady character. He always seemed to have a bit more knowhow and wisdom. I'm not surprised he is doing well as a manager. He's a Barnsley person and he's doing really well for the club, especially on limited resources from what I hear."
McIndoe scored five goals in 20 matches for the Reds, including one in the 3-2 victory over Leeds United which he celebrated by running towards his agent who supported Leeds and mocking him. But McIndoe also said Barnsley, despite their promotion just months earlier, 'lacked winners' and the players 'weren't giving their all' while adding: 'I didn't believe Barnsley were good enough to get me where I wanted'.
In December, just four months after his Reds debut, Barnsley rejected a bid for McIndoe from Wolves and the player arranged a meeting with chairman Gordon Shepherd.The meeting took place on transfer deadline day and McIndoe claims Shepherd was several hours late then refused to let him go to Wolves. McIndoe says he then threatened to go on holiday and not play for the Reds if the deal did not got through. To McIndoe's surprise, Shepherd accepted a renewed offer from Wolves and the deal was done with minutes to spare before the deadline.
McIndoe spent less than a year at Wolves before moving on to Bristol City – where he played alongside close friend and former Barnsley head coach Lee Johnson – and was part of the team that lost in the 2008 play-off final to Hull City. A year later he moved to Coventry City where he claims to have been introduced by team-mate Clive Platt to the business people who he says duped him in the nightclub deal. McIndoe, now 37, concludes his book by saying he is hoping to return to football in some capacity.
