Archived News from December 2007
|
DERRY TO STAY AS CHAIRMAN TO TRY TO SORT DEAL
|
 |
|
Derry to stay as Stags chairman - for now
CHAD.co.uk, by Tim Morriss, 3 Dec 2007 STAGS chairman James Derry is to stay at the club and continue to try to buy Mansfield Town. On Monday evening Mr Derry revealed to Chad that he had still not given up hope of his consortium taking over at Field Mill. Last week Stags owner Keith Haslam rejected a revised offer for the football club from the group of businessmen. That prompted a wave of protests from fans and left the consortium's head, Mr Derry, considering the future of the bid and his role as chairman at MTFC over the weekend. But on Monday Mr Derry told Chad: "I have decided, for the short-term, to stay as chairman. Some people have been saying I should walk away, others have said I should stay. "If I go there would be an even bigger rift between Keith (Haslam) and myself, so I am staying for now - but not indefinitely. "I believe that Keith will go, I believe that he wants to go, I believe that he needs to go for the god of the football club. "Now I need to meet him and try to see if we can still thrash a deal out. "And it would be better if I was still at the club while trying to sort out a deal." Mr Derry added: "Keith says there are other people out there interested in taking over the club. If so, I would urge them to come forward and see if we can join together. "If that means I am not chairman, then so be it. I just want what is best for the football club - I want Mansfield Town FC to move forward." The would-be owner added that he could 'fully understand' the frustrations of fans over the takeover saga. Mr Derry told Chad: "I have heard talk of boycotts at the ground and I can understand the feelings and frustrations. "They feel that this is a way of putting pressure on Keith and I suppose it will. "Sadly, of course, it will mean that some money is lost to the club forever." ------------ Derry told the Evening Post he is not yet prepared to walk away: "I spoke to Keith about things on Saturday and he said there was no point meeting again unless we put forward an improved offer. We have not done that, which means we are at an impasse. I am going to see what happens over the next week or two." Full story here ---> http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133943&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133936&contentPK=19154537&folderPk=78484&pNodeId=133959 ---------- Derry ponders future of Stags bid CHAD.co.uk, by Tim Morriss, 2 Dec 2007 WOULD-BE Stags' owner James Derry is deciding tonight (Sunday) whether he can continue to try to buy Mansfield Town Football Club. Mr Derry is heading a consortium of local businessmen who had their 'final, revised offer' for the Stags rejected by owner Keith Haslam on Thursday - after nine weeks of negotiations and a 24-hour 'stand-off'. Mr Derry confirmed to Chad on Sunday evening that there would be no meeting with Mr Haslam on Monday - as Mr Derry has first planned, but which the chief executive then dismissed on Saturday afternoon. Mr Derry told on Sunday evening: "Keith (Haslam) does not want to meet with us unless we have an improved offer. "But we have said for the past two weeks that we cannot pay him anymore. "I will decide tomorrow what I am going to do next and make a statement." Mr Derry, who also has to decide whether he can continue as Stags' chairman following the takeover saga over the past five days, added: "My inclination is to try to stay at the club and try to broker a deal at some point. But I will think about it all overnight. "I came in (in January) to try to help the football club. It would be easy to walk away now that the deal has not been accepted. "Part of me thinks that if there is anyone out there with a better deal, then I hope they come forward. But I don't think there is. "It is in the best interests of the football club for Keith to leave the football club." Fans, who are now calling for a boycott of Field Mill matches and 'all income sources' to the controversial owner, have vowed to step up their protests. There were chants - clearly heard on national TV on Sunday - together with posters at the cup tie at Harrogate Railway. The Stags won 3-2, but supporters believe that the tough Third Round draw - away at Brighton - may help to convince Mr Haslam to sell to the consortium. After the game manager Billy Dearden told BBC 1's Match Of The Day that people were fed-up with the takeover saga and that he wanted a quick resolution to the situation. He said: "If it (the consortium's deal) goes through it does, if it doesn't, it doesn't, it is as simple as that. "Really people are getting a bit fed up with it all, the sooner a final decision is done the better and then we know where we are going." Previously the manager has said that the uncertainty is not helping him, his staff and the players. |
Latest | December 2007