Sadly true, the whole sport is run by amateurs but some have a few more quid than others. Geography doesn't help either but it's all just excuses in the end.

what interests me is how people like Hudgell and Pearson have become millionaires but seem to be utterly clueless about some fairly basic facts, arrogance perhaps?

There's far more successful people than those two done a lot worse in sports. It's a whole different skill set, anyone truly successful in business looking to make cash would run a mile from sports clubs. Trouble with nh certainly and prob some extent ap is that being a fan really doesn't help. I've got a good job, higher than most education but I'd make crap decisions if I ran my team, emotion and decision making don't mix.

Geography didn't seem to be an issue in the late 70s/early 80s

Locals, West Riding and plenty of good New Zealanders- roughly the same mix as now (apart from the obvious).