Holt in blast at football chiefs
ACCRINGTON Stanley owner Andy Holt has hit out at the football authorities for causing many of the problems that are currently being seen within football.
Several Football League clubs are suffering from worrying financial problems at the moment, including the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Macclesfield Town and Oldham Athletic, and Holt has had his say on what needs to be done.
In a long thread, Holt tweeted: “I took over Accrington Stanley not because I loved it, supported it, nor was I a particular football fan. I’ve had a table at Man Utd so that says a lot about me. Accrington, a founder member of the football, was about to lose its club again.
“When I reluctantly took the job on, I knew that patching up the club was a waste of time. I knew that unless the outcome was a decent long term future, it might as well have died then. I have dealt with many issues in our club, it is now generat
ing more cash and slowly but surely, facilities are improving, to further facilitate this.
“We are profitable and have net assets rather than liabilities. I have grown to love the little club, which wasn’t intentional, as it was strictly business.
“The club is more than a game of football. It’s a beating heart of its community. A community I have grown to love with decent hardworking folk. They don’t care about razzmatazz, they care about each other and their club.
“An analogy I’ll use is this, you look after your kids, giving them as great start in life, then you look at their future and question the world they’re growing up in, it’s natural.
“It’s up to us parents to ensure that there’s a bright future for our kids. That is our job as parents. So, as well as looking at the health of our club, I have to look at the health of football, and it’s shocking.
“Football is in a worse state than Accrington Stanley ever was. In fact, football would have stood idly by and let us go bust again. “The EFL, FA Premier League, PFA and whoever else is responsible for our game, do not like me saying this publicly. I’ve had letters telling me of their powers to sanction me or our club.
“Let me say one thing clearly. Bolton Wanderers have not gone into administration because I tweet concerns. Bury are not on their backside because I tweet concerns.
“Macclesfield Town, Scunthorpe United, Oldham Athletic and many others are allegedly not paying wages at all, or have been late paying, because I tweet concerns. Notts County a founder member, have not gone out of the EFL because of my tweeting concerns. Blackpool fans have not gone years absent from their club because of my tweeting concerns.
“Birmingham City have not been deducted 9 points because I tweet concerns. Championship clubs are not losing over half a billion a year because I tweet concerns.
“Charlton Athletic supporters are not placarding the EFL with Coventry City and Blackpool fans because of me tweeting concerns.
“Supporters are not boycotting games in the Checkatrade Trophy because of me tweeting concerns. Championship clubs were not threatening a breakaway because I tweet concerns. I could go on for another hour on this.
“The fact is all the above and much more is down to you EFL, Premier League and FA. It’s your responsibility. It’s your job to manage and protect the framework our clubs should thrive in. The fact is, I’m tweeting my concerns, because you are failing my club and all the others.
“The fact is, you can’t hide from the mess that has been created in our game. Who else can be responsible? There is no one to voice concerns to!
“We might as well talk to the wall. We need to talk existential threats to our game.
“The first threat is inaction by the bodies looking after our clubs and football’s long term health and well being, not doing their jobs properly.”