Reply With QuoteI’ve been reading through the Dunnett vs Hardy thread from a year ago. It’s all there..we’re riding high in the league..yet for 90% of the posters on that thread..alarm bells are ringing.
Trialist
^^^^Originally Posted by Sheffield Pie
This 100%
Hall Of Fame
I’ve been reading through the Dunnett vs Hardy thread from a year ago. It’s all there..we’re riding high in the league..yet for 90% of the posters on that thread..alarm bells are ringing.
Hall Of Fame
The trolls and the AH haters have got their way and are probably celebrating job done, the fickleness of some of our so called fans is beyond belief.
Alan Hardy's statment from the OS.
Notts County Football Club’s Owner and Chairman Alan Hardy has ‘very reluctantly’ put the club up for sale, citing a need to focus on his external business portfolio as the reason for his decision.
In a statement released on Sunday 27 January 2019, Hardy said: "After considerable soul-searching, I no longer feel I can continue as the owner of Notts County Football Club.
“I would like to make it clear from the outset that the club’s current league position is not a factor in this decision, nor are any of the events which have unfolded in the media this weekend.
“Everyone at Meadow Lane remains staunchly committed to preserving our proud status as the world’s oldest Football League club and, until a new buyer is found, I will continue to support that aim.
"The truth is, my efforts to restore Notts County’s fortunes over the last two years mean my other businesses have had to take a back seat. They are now in need of my full attention.
"Looking back, as a Nottingham-born man, I take huge pride in being able to say I took on the challenge of owning the world's oldest Football League club at a time when its only alternative fate, according to my predecessor, was extinction. The football-related creditors had to be paid up immediately, otherwise Notts County would have ceased to exist.
“The club was virtually down and out with huge debts, a dwindling, disengaged supporter base and staff morale at an all-time low, while suffering the worst run of consecutive defeats in its history.
"Over the following 15 months we had a truly wonderful journey.
“Initially the challenge was to avoid relegation, which we were able to achieve, and last season we qualified for the play-offs, only to lose out against Coventry in highly questionable circumstances.
"During that time we were able to double attendances, re-engage supporters and attract crowds of up to 17,000 for League Two fixtures.
"Clearly, however, this season has been an incredibly difficult challenge and one of monumental under-achievement, which has left us once again fighting for EFL survival.
"As the owner, the buck stops with me. I take ultimate responsibility for our current situation.
"But it cannot be said that our poor performance is due to a lack of investment, as is so often the case in business.
"We are currently engaged in a relegation fight alongside clubs who have one-third of the playing budget we have allocated this season.
"I have backed every manager with generous wage and transfer budgets and invested heavily in our academy, girls and ladies divisions, facilities and infrastructure.
"I readily accept there are no guarantees in football but to find ourselves at the foot of the League Two table is an incredibly bitter pill to swallow.
"My decision to sell the club does not mean I won’t be supporting our manager, Neal Ardley, in his efforts to strengthen our squad in this transfer window.
"I am not suddenly pulling up the drawbridge, nor will I be absent from matches. I continue to support this club.
"We have 17 games remaining to fight tooth and nail to save our EFL status.
"Moving forward, I am sad to say the time has come for me to pass on the baton to the next owner of Notts County.
“But I would like to reassure supporters that I will be doing my utmost to ensure this huge honour is bestowed upon someone who has the best interests of the club at heart.
"I have already held talks with two interested parties and I will keep fans informed of any future developments when appropriate.”
Interested parties are asked to contact lucy.milner@nottscountyfc.co.uk.
Hall Of Fame
Exactly, if he wanted to avoid the criticism of fans on social media there was an easy solution... Leave social media. But he didn't want to do that because he enjoyed his ego being stroked too much by the happy clappers that will applaud whatever is given.
There's a reason not many club owners give it the big I am on social media, it's because it's a stupid idea that is always going to backfire when anything goes wrong.
Hall Of Fame
Hall Of Fame
Maybe his marital problems are a factor as well
Trialist
I'll bet they are now.
International
I am generally sympathetic towards Hardy, but there are reasons why most other owners of other football clubs do not behave the way he has done on Twitter. They keep their own activities in house, and let media departments deal with optics and fan engagement, which is what they were hired to do.
Savvy use of social media can do many good things for Notts as a club, both in communicating with fans and advertising the club, EG the £2 games which I remember was advertised successfully via Facebook ads. It's just that these things need to be overseen by a professional and savvy media department. They are not best conducted by an easily trolled and often abrasive owner known to make gaffes, as this weekend's shenanigans were not Hardy's first embarrassing moment online. The sad part is that Notts fans have seen this all before with Trew, and I think we all knew it was never going to end well.
Last edited by SlockyNCFC; 27-01-2019 at 10:33 PM.
Hall Of Fame
Fair comment, Slock. I remember you from before as an excellent poster with well balanced arguments and views.
Hall Of Fame
No one would have cared about the Twitter thing, and indeed we would have loved it, if the team had been any good.
Posting Permissions