MB may be living 120 miles from Hereford but he is feeling the pain today as much as anyone.
The devastating yet inevitable day finally arrives.
I will not even conjecture to the nature of why these people have behaved in the way they did, I will only comment on what I know to be true.
David Keyte has excruciatingly mismanaged this club from day one. Even on that first day at Crewe, amidst all the goodwill that went along with it, already there was a feeling that handing out two year contracts to the players I watched that day seemed somewhat foolhardy. In my days as a Sunday league manager I had seen more talent than some of what was on show. O’Neill Thompson especially stood out as a remarkably untalented individual, but not alone.
The way that Keyte’s complete disdain for the supporters (and more latterly the staff, players and suppliers) of this great club should have told all of us exactly what we needed to know some time ago, and many did see exactly that. The formation of the trust, for example, came from exactly this kind of dysfunctional relationship created by Keyte and the board.
The recent “sale” (has it really happened?) of the club to a man who is clearly not fit to be the owner of a football club (and no doubt fronting for other nameless people) has been a ridiculous sham from the start. Even within the last 48 hours Keyte had the gall to say Agombar was the right person to sell the club to. Yeah right.
How can this have possibly been in the best interest of the football club, to sell to someone who has no interest in the future of this football club and not even disclose to that person the true extent of the debt? How can Agombar (or whoever) not have done the due diligence that we were told was talking so long it held up the process?
Agombar and Keyte have known very well for some time that the football creditors would ned paying within a short timeframe, and that the conference would more than likely require a bond for us to continue in that league. There has clearly never been any intention to meet these requirements, and this has led to suffering and many a false dawn for the supporters (and creditors of the club)
The way these people have behaved has led me to only one conclusion, that whilst they remain part of Hereford United, they will not receive any money or assistance from me, and I urge every supporter to do likewise. If this club is under their stewardship next season and they actually manage to put a team out in whatever league, I would like to think they will be playing in an empty ground. The cost to them of maintaining football to get to whatever target they have must become so cumbersome and costly that they cannot afford it.
The supporters must put pressure on their MP, councillors, anyone that will listen to ensure that the leases in their current state cannot be used for the profit of those that own the club, and preferably to find loopholes in the lease that will mean the club can be ejected from the ground. Also important of course to ensure that the council are got on board with the trust, either in their future ownership of the club, or in support of a phoenix club to replace HUFC.
The end game of this tactic, of course, is for them to leave the club (and preferably the city) but if this cannot be achieved, to kill the club under their ownership.
One of two situations must occur
1.Forced to sell the club for a nominal fee to the supporters trust, or to an owner who has the blessing of the trust who because of the overwhelming debt will need to take the club into administration to help manage the debt. At least this would give the club a chance to survive. This could possibly happen in the first season, with a chance that the club could be starting again as high as the calor gas premier or thereabouts.
2. If one is not an option, a phoenix club must be started to replace HUFC in the hearts of the supporters and a countywide campaign to bring about as much support as possible, both in attendance and money. Big unknown on where this team could play at the moment, but this may become clear as things unfold.
One thing is for sure, there is a lot of support for professional football in this county, and the heart of this has always been greater than the sum of its parts, so we need to start here and exercise every possible pressure we can on anyone that will listen or not listen, and keep banging on until people do.
Please don’t take any action or give any money to the current incumbents. Please have the strength and the faith to believe we can have the power to change. Let us never lie down to this kind of crap again.
My first game was at home to Chelsea in the 1976-77 season, and I have had many wonderful times following the team all over the country since then, and I hope that I haven’t seen HUFC for the last time, but if that is what is necessary to achieve our aims, that is what will be.
I don’t think these people have factored in the indomitable spirit of those that do care about this football club, and I’m hopeful that they are only at the end of the beginning of finding out. Not on my watch Keyte and Agombar, not on my watch.
I will not even conjecture to the nature of why these people have behaved in the way they did, I will only comment on what I know to be true.
David Keyte has excruciatingly mismanaged this club from day one. Even on that first day at Crewe, amidst all the goodwill that went along with it, already there was a feeling that handing out two year contracts to the players I watched that day seemed somewhat foolhardy. In my days as a Sunday league manager I had seen more talent than some of what was on show. O’Neill Thompson especially stood out as a remarkably untalented individual, but not alone.
The way that Keyte’s complete disdain for the supporters (and more latterly the staff, players and suppliers) of this great club should have told all of us exactly what we needed to know some time ago, and many did see exactly that. The formation of the trust, for example, came from exactly this kind of dysfunctional relationship created by Keyte and the board.
The recent “sale” (has it really happened?) of the club to a man who is clearly not fit to be the owner of a football club (and no doubt fronting for other nameless people) has been a ridiculous sham from the start. Even within the last 48 hours Keyte had the gall to say Agombar was the right person to sell the club to. Yeah right.
How can this have possibly been in the best interest of the football club, to sell to someone who has no interest in the future of this football club and not even disclose to that person the true extent of the debt? How can Agombar (or whoever) not have done the due diligence that we were told was talking so long it held up the process?
Agombar and Keyte have known very well for some time that the football creditors would ned paying within a short timeframe, and that the conference would more than likely require a bond for us to continue in that league. There has clearly never been any intention to meet these requirements, and this has led to suffering and many a false dawn for the supporters (and creditors of the club)
The way these people have behaved has led me to only one conclusion, that whilst they remain part of Hereford United, they will not receive any money or assistance from me, and I urge every supporter to do likewise. If this club is under their stewardship next season and they actually manage to put a team out in whatever league, I would like to think they will be playing in an empty ground. The cost to them of maintaining football to get to whatever target they have must become so cumbersome and costly that they cannot afford it.
The supporters must put pressure on their MP, councillors, anyone that will listen to ensure that the leases in their current state cannot be used for the profit of those that own the club, and preferably to find loopholes in the lease that will mean the club can be ejected from the ground. Also important of course to ensure that the council are got on board with the trust, either in their future ownership of the club, or in support of a phoenix club to replace HUFC.
The end game of this tactic, of course, is for them to leave the club (and preferably the city) but if this cannot be achieved, to kill the club under their ownership.
One of two situations must occur
1.Forced to sell the club for a nominal fee to the supporters trust, or to an owner who has the blessing of the trust who because of the overwhelming debt will need to take the club into administration to help manage the debt. At least this would give the club a chance to survive. This could possibly happen in the first season, with a chance that the club could be starting again as high as the calor gas premier or thereabouts.
2. If one is not an option, a phoenix club must be started to replace HUFC in the hearts of the supporters and a countywide campaign to bring about as much support as possible, both in attendance and money. Big unknown on where this team could play at the moment, but this may become clear as things unfold.
One thing is for sure, there is a lot of support for professional football in this county, and the heart of this has always been greater than the sum of its parts, so we need to start here and exercise every possible pressure we can on anyone that will listen or not listen, and keep banging on until people do.
Please don’t take any action or give any money to the current incumbents. Please have the strength and the faith to believe we can have the power to change. Let us never lie down to this kind of crap again.
My first game was at home to Chelsea in the 1976-77 season, and I have had many wonderful times following the team all over the country since then, and I hope that I haven’t seen HUFC for the last time, but if that is what is necessary to achieve our aims, that is what will be.
I don’t think these people have factored in the indomitable spirit of those that do care about this football club, and I’m hopeful that they are only at the end of the beginning of finding out. Not on my watch Keyte and Agombar, not on my watch.