H OY LE: We have to stay united

CHAIRMAN BACKS WAGNER AND SAYS TOWN WILL SPEND IN WINDOW

DEAN Hoyle has issued a rallying call to Town fans and promised he won’t let the club sleepwalk into relegation.

As the transfer window opened, the club chairman and lifelong fan has put out a New Year statement, indicating they will be active in the January window – but not at the financial risk of the club.

And he has promised to give head coach David Wagner all the backing he can.

Acknowledging Town have lost seven games on the trot to be bottom of the Premier League, Hoyle said: “It’s never easy when your team is losing games, as we have through December, but one of the things that has made me the proudest of our club in recent seasons has been the unbelievable, unique togetherness that we’ve shown.

“It’s allowed us to achieve some incredible things together, like promotion to the Premier League and last season’s survival campaign.

“If we lose that togetherness now, then it’s over. Simple.

“Opinions are what football is all about – we all have one – but once inside this stadium, we need to have one voice, one positive force that can spur our players on to greater heights. If we split, we have no chance.

“That isn’t to say that our Premier League status rests on you, although you do have a big part to play.

“For my part, I can only say this; I will not allow us to sleepwalk into relegation. I can promise you that we will fight with everything we have, that is my minimum expectation.

“Behind the scenes, we are constantly challenging everything that we do in a quest to improve.

“In all departments, people are under pressure to deliver. That’s how you get better.

“The January transfer window opens and that’s a big talking point in the media and for our fans, understandably.

“We will be active in this window, but not at the financial risk of the club.

“There is a balance to be struck, for sure, and we will strive to get that balance between risk and reward correct.

“We all know how far this club has come in recent years and I know every fan is proud of that, but that cannot be an excuse for not doing everything we can to be successful in the here and now.

“Having achieved what we have and reached the highest level of English football again, we cannot – and will not – give it up easily.

“As chairman, I’m delighted that David Wagner and his staff share this ethos. He’s not one for lingering on past achievements, he’s an ambitious man who wants to write another chapter in our book.

“He pushes himself as hard as anyone at this club and deserves all the backing in the world.

“I could write forever and ever on the season so far and our expectations for the rest of it, but this is not a time for waffle – it is a time for action.

“As we all know, actions speak louder than words.”