Earlier today, Bulls News made contact with Jon Hale and asked him if he had anything he’d like to say in response to the comments from Joel Nathan and Andy Lonsdale that were reported on the Hereford Times website yesterday afternoon.
Mr Hale, who is one of a group of local businessmen who have put together a business plan - which has been shared with Herefordshire Council and the HUST Board - to launch a phoenix club at Edgar Street should Hereford United (1939) Limited go into liquidation, said:
“All the members of our group have read the various comments from Mr Nathan and Mr Lonsdale with great interest but we do not feel any need to respond directly to them.
“We would, however, like to express disappointment that they have both been critical of the fans who attended the supporters’ team game at Ledbury Town on Monday night and are attempting to belittle their reasons for being there.
“I was at the game on Monday – as were several other members of our group – and it was a fantastic night. The fact that more than 650 supporters attended the match clearly demonstrated the grave concerns that a significant proportion of Hereford United’s fan base have about what has been going on at the club.
“Our position relating to the current situation remains unchanged. We believe we have a strong business plan in place to launch a phoenix club should the worst happen and Hereford United (1939) Limited cease to exist. Importantly, a significant underwritten investment remains in place to help us launch a new club and help sustain it in its early days.
“We are also confident we have all the expertise we need available to us to run a sustainable, progressive, community led football club and manage all the work that goes with it.
“We remain in contact with Herefordshire Council about our plan and they are in no doubt about how serious our proposals are and how quickly we are willing to move should the opportunity to take on the leases at Edgar Street become available.
“As I have said before, sadly our group feels that the level of debt built up by Hereford United (1939) Limited means that realistically the company has no long-term future and is simply not a viable business moving forward.
“It will give none of us any pleasure if the club we have supported all our lives goes into liquidation, but we are determined to ensure that fans of the club have a sustainable, alternative option to throw their support behind – if they wish to – should the worst case scenario actually occur.”