CRAWLEY OWNER LOVES PASSION OF FANS
NEW Crawley Town owner Ziya Eren wants the club to be playing Championship football within a decade.
The Turkish steel magnate began work at the League Two club on Thursday after earlier this week passing the Football League’s owners’ and directors test.
Eren, president of Kayseri Erciyesspor for the past ten years, said: “With the knowledge and experience I have accrued, allied to the hard work and professionalism of the existing staff, I’m sure we can succeed.
“We would love to take Crawley into the Championship within the next eight to ten years.
“It will take a lot of dedication and we will need to foster a real togetherness between the club, the players and, just as importantly, the fans, but it is possible and we have to be ambitious, to dream.
“Even in a relatively short time, I have begun to understand that our fans are as passionate about Crawley Town as those of much bigger clubs. To travel five or six hours to a game, as our fans do on a regular basis, shows an incredible loyalty, which is unique to English football and, I believe, one of its strengths.
“I want to really promote a feeling of togetherness with our existing fan-base but also to look at ways, big or small, to get more people in Crawley and the surrounding area to support the team that proudly carries the name of Crawley Town. We need to be more proactive as a club in doing that.”
Eren has immediately looked to make his mark on the squad, with mid-table Crawley signing striker Liam McAlinden on loan from Wolves until the end of the season.
The 22-year-old has made 19 appearances for Wolves and also enjoyed spells on loan at Fleetwood Town and Shrewsbury Town.