English Football League

Subterms

    More stories

    • 263 Shares159 Views

      in Soccer

      Football fans forced to travel to another county for HOME games in neutral venue as fans ask ‘who’s footing the bill?’

      by

      SHOCKED fans wonder “who will foot the bill?” after FC Halifax Town switched two home games to Accrington Stanley – 26 miles away.The move from Yorkshire to traditional fierce-rival county Lancashire follows dreadful problems all season at Halifax’s Shay ground.Accrington have been praised for helping Halifax outCredit: GettyHalifax’s clash with Oldham was off due to a waterlogged pitchCredit: PAStorm Kathleen meant Wednesday’s National League clash against Oldham was postponed – no surprise as the pitch is shared with rugby league team Halifax Panthers.Now the promotion-chasing Shaymen face “home” clashes with Barnet on Saturday and Ebbsfleet United next Tuesday at League Two Accrington.That’s left fans fuming over extra costs, including for any away supporters from the two South East clubs who have already paid for their trip.One wrote: “Feel for any fans with train tickets to Halifax. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”You need to book months in advance so you don’t have to remortgage your house to get a cheapish ticket, and then get screwed when it is moved ‘down the road’. “I wonder if they will lower the cost of matchday pay on gate for change of venue??”Other supporters hope Calderdale Council are forced into action as Halifax’s pitch and drainage system have been criticised all season.One said of the double switch to Accrington: “If THAT doesn’t absolutely SHAME @Calderdale to finally fix the pitch, nothing ever will! Shame on them!!! 52 MILE RETURN DRIVE.”Most read in FootballThe Shaymen will now make a 52-mile round trip twice to play ‘home’ matches over the county border at AccringtonCredit: RexThe Halifax Courier say the council are promising “intensive improvements” in the summer.Town themselves stated “the difficult decision” was made to move the two games “following recent issues with the pitch at the Shay”.Match off at Dundee’s SPFL ground – but city’s amateur games get the go aheadHalifax and fans of all the clubs involved have praised Accrington for stepping in to help.Stanley chairman Andy Holt posted: “Happy to help out wherever possible.”The Shaymen are seventh in the NL – the final play-off spot – with four games remaining.Eight-placed Aldershot are their main challengers – a point behind, having played a game more.Ironically, the Shots saw Tuesday’s 606-mile round trip to Gateshead called off just 25 minutes before kick-off due to a rain-hit pitch. More

    • 138 Shares159 Views

      in Soccer

      Abandoned non-league clash given never-before-seen result as National League release statement

      by

      THE National League has awarded an unprecedented victory to Slough Town after their match against Bath City was abandoned.Slough were 4-2 in front when a medical emergency affecting a spectator occurred during the second half last month.Slough manager Scott Davies will be happy with the verdict to award his team with the pointsCredit: GettySlough Town’s match with Batch City was abandoned after a fan collapsedAs time went by, the referee decided that the game should be abandoned in the 70th minute, as some 25 minutes of stoppage time had elapsed.While the match was called off, many supporters were left in the dark over whether the result would stand or a replay would take place.But now the National League has issued a statement with a never-before-seen decision.The non-league body has decided to award all three points to Slough who were leading by two goals at the time the match was cancelled.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSHowever, the goals scored in the match will NOT count towards either team’s goal difference in the league table.The National League statement read: “We can confirm a decision has been reached following the abandonment of the match between Slough Town and Bath City.”It has been decided that the game is not to be replayed, and the match has been awarded to Slough Town in accordance with League rules.”Slough were 4-2 in front when a medical emergency affecting a supporter occurred during the second half of the match at Arbour Park last month.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER”Tables will be updated accordingly. Regulations state that while the home club are awarded three points, goals for and against are not to be added.”Slough manager Scott Davies will be happy, as he initially described the decision to abandon the match as a ‘disgrace’, because the fan was in his words “fine” after five minutes.Football’s weirdest contract clauses revealed including non-Arsenal agreement and a private jet promiseA Slough Town statement after the match accused Bath of refusing to restart the match after the fan fell ill, despite match officials being happy to continue.It read: “Regretfully, our National League South match against Bath City today was abandoned in the second half of the game, with Slough Town leading 4-2.“A medical emergency affecting a Slough Town supporter occurred during the second half, which led to a pause in the game and the teams leaving the pitch.“Following the pause in the game, the match officials confirmed that despite them being happy to resume the match, the Bath City management refused, which led to the abandonment.”The decision leaves Bath in sixth, within the play-off places for promotion.It means Slough sit in 12th – a comfortable 15 points above the relegation zone.One fan wrote: “Feel sorry for the supporters who made the trip to Arbour Park. Bath had the momentum but Jerry threw in the towel. Disgraceful behaviour.”Another said: “Well that’s embarrassing isn’t it.”READ MORE SUN STORIESA third said: “Justice has been done👊🏼.”A fourth declared: “Absolutely the right decision made by NL. The stoppage was only 20min. The Slough supporter had recovered by then!” More

    • 200 Shares129 Views

      in Soccer

      Norwich incredibly copy Man City’s cheeky tactic to a tee against Leicester leaving fans in awe

      by

      NORWICH took a leaf out of Manchester City’s playbook as they took the lead at Leicester.David Wagner’s play-off chasers stunned the stuttering Foxes with a clever corner routine in the 20th minute, before they went on to lose 3-1 at the King Power Stadium.Ben Gibson muscled Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall out of the wayGabriel Sara was left with a tap inJohn Stones scored a similar goal against LiverpoolCredit: AFPAlexis Mac Allister had been blocked off on that occasionThe Canaries have been set-piece kings this Easter, having netted twice from corners against Plymouth Argyle on Good Friday.They repeated the trick this afternoon, by using a similar tactic to Man City.Pep Guardiola’s men scored from a smart corner routine against Liverpool last month.Nathan Ake blocked off Alexis Mac Allister at the near post, leaving John Stones free to prod home Kevin De Bruyne’s whipped delivery from close range.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLOn this occasion it was Ben Gibson who manhandled Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall out of the way, with Gabriel Sara pouncing to score for the visitors.After Stones’ goal last month, Gary Neville labelled the routine as “genius”.Guardiola, 53, later deferred the credit to City’s set-piece coach Carlos Vicens.Stones himself said: “We’ve worked hard on it all week. We spotted something yesterday, worked on it, and it came off.”Most read in ChampionshipBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERFans were quick to point out the similarities between the two goals.One wrote on social media: “Copied Man City’s goal against Liverpool carbon copy Norwich there.”Animated Pep Guardiola berates Jack Grealish at full-time after Man City are frustrated by Arsenal in title showdown While a second exclaimed: “Norwich just pinched Man City’s corner routine for the goal there!”A third commented: “No way Norwich just scored the same corner Man City scored against Liverpool.”And another added: “Norwich scoring the Man City corner there. Leicester are in free fall.”The Canaries’ lead did not last long.On 33 minutes Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall levelled for the home side, nodding in Stephy Mavididi’s header across goal.Stephy Mavididi then gave Leicester a second-half lead, before Jamie Vardy added a third to put Enzo Maresca’s side back on top of the Championship table.Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall equalised for LeicesterCredit: ReutersJamie Vardy added the third in a comeback win for LeicesterCredit: Reuters More

    • 188 Shares149 Views

      in Soccer

      Premier League club’s owner launches stinging attack on Championship and fumes ‘why should we pay’

      by

      DAVID SULLIVAN has blasted Championship clubs who pay players £40,000 a week and managers £1million a year.And the West Ham co-owner asks: “Why should the Premier League pay for that?”West Ham owner David Sullivan has launched a stinging attack on the ChampionshipCredit: 2023 DeFodi ImagesEFL chairman Rick Parry has claimed the Premier League pays £2billion more in wages than the other four major European leaguesCredit: RexThe EFL receives £130m-a-season in solidarity payments from the top flight — but Prem chiefs have failed to vote on a new six-year £995m deal.Sullivan, 75, claims EFL clubs or incompetent owners have racked up debts because they do not live within their means.And he dismissed EFL chairman Rick Parry’s claim the top flight pays  £2BILLION more in wages than the other four major European leagues.Businessman Sullivan came out fighting to SunSport after reading our Monday EFL column which criticised his failure to agree more Prem funding.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHe argued: “The flaw in the system is the Championship. These clubs are having financial problems because they’re paying too high wages and agent fees and some have managers on £1MILLION a year.“If you look at Serie B [Italy’s second tier], the managers don’t earn that nor are players on £30,000, £40,000 a week!“If the EFL can’t work with the funds we give them now, what suggests they can work with another £50m or £100m?“They should manage their finances better and stop paying silly money.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS“But they don’t want to because they’re competing to get into the Premier League.“If we give to the EFL what they want, in five years we’ll be exactly where we are today.”Why More Penalties Are Being ScoredSullivan blames owners who have proved incompetent, or stopped pouring money into chasing the dream of promotion to the Premier League.He said: “Some EFL owners are richer than those in the Premier League.“Yet some clubs have got into trouble because their owners have gone for promotion but got fed up.“Then there’s my old club, Birmingham. They sacked a good manager, John Eustace, when they were on the verge of the play-offs to bring in a flagship name in Wayne Rooney. It messed it up.“Why should we subsidise their incompetence?”Sullivan insists promotion-chasing Ipswich should be used as a model.He added: “They’re a flag bearer for everything that’s good.“They’ve done it within their budget.Parry believes parachute payments are causing a huge imbalanceCredit: Rex“They’re a well-supported club, which helps. But then look at Bradford, who’re getting almost 20,000 in League Two and cannot do better on the pitch.“There’s Stoke, who could go down to League One with one of the richest owners.”EFL chairman Parry believes parachutes cause a huge imbalance in the Championship.A relegated club receives £55m in their first season, another £45m for the second and, if that team was in the Prem for more than a year before relegation, £20m in the third.That adds up to a whopping £120m. In the same period, a normal Championship side gets £8.2m-a-season, totalling just £24.6m. Parry says relegated teams also benefit from receiving bumper transfer fees.Leicester banked £92m from selling James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Timothy Castagne and George Hirst last summer, immediately after their relegation.Sullivan said: “In the Premier League, if you’re on TV it’s £900,000-a-game but drops to £100,000 in the Championship.“Our sponsors give us £10m a year — but that’d fall to £1m. Total income drops by 75-80 per cent.Sullivan fumed ‘why should we pay’ amid the row over EFL fundingCredit: Rex“Some players you go down with are assets — for example Maddison.“But you have others who’ve got injured or aren’t in-form and you’re paying them £100,000-a-week. You can’t give these players away.“You might have paid £30m for a player on a five-year deal, he’s had a disastrous season and you’re forced to get him off the wage bill by releasing him for nothing. That’s £24m written off!“You can’t put relegation clauses in their contracts that get them to drop their pay by 75-80 per cent.”Sullivan says withdrawing parachute payments would weaken top-flight competitiveness.He argues promoted teams will not risk investing in their squads — because there is no buffer if they go down.And he added: “Those clubs wouldn’t spend a penny because they’d go bankrupt as soon as they were relegated.“Around half of the Premier League teams would not take on overheads in a bid to compete with top clubs.”Sullivan urged clubs to follow the model of Championship high-flyers IpswichCredit: AlamySullivan believes a regulator will take £10m-a-year out of the game.The Government wants to grant powers to an independent body to oversee clubs in the top five tiers.They will be tasked with deciding how much money the Premier League should filter into the EFL and National League.Multi-millionaire Sullivan fumed: “It’s going to cost £10m-a-year with 50 staff to run this Quango. They’ll operate from home three days a week because they can’t get the Civil Service to work.”Sullivan fears if the Premier League pays more money, the gap between the clubs who have qualified for Europe and those who have not will widen.He said: “If they want another £100m-a-year, the top clubs want everyone to contribute the same, while the rest want those in Europe to pay more. You need 14 teams to agree — that’s unlikely.“So it ends up being divided equally.  If you take £5m off Manchester City,  it’s not much. If you take that from a bottom club, it’s significant.“There’ll be a bias to big sides when you’re trying to make it competitive.”Stoke were singled out by the West Ham owner as they battle against relegationCredit: RexEFL chairman Parry dismisses Sullivan’s claims the Prem could lose their status as the best in the world.He argues top-flight clubs pay £2bn more wages per season, according to figures from accountants Deloitte, than Germany, Italy, Spain and France — so extra  revenue paid to the EFL would not dilute their power.But Sullivan said: “That figure is exaggerated. We don’t pay £100m-a club more.“I accept we overall pay higher but in Italy they’ve 28 per cent top-rate tax, Portugal 25 per cent. Here it’s 45.“It’s easier sometimes for them to attract top players.“But we have a more competitive league because there are more clubs who can pay higher wages.“In Spain, it’s Real Madrid and Barcelona. In Scotland, Rangers and Celtic.“Here, you’ve got Newcastle and Aston Villa breaking into those top places.“There’s not a successful business in the world which is forced to pay money to their competitors.READ MORE SUN STORIES“We could damage the Premier League — which is the golden goose.“If that happens, we won’t get the  TV money we do, everything declines and we won’t have the cash to filter down anyway.” More

    • 238 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      Justin Allen: Shelf-ish West Ham chief Sullivan shows he doesn’t live in real world with bizarre EFL supermarket analogy

      by

      DAVID SULLIVAN likened the Premier League to Tesco and the EFL as a small supermarket chain.And the West Ham owner argued that the retail giants don’t pay out a subsidy to the little shops. he questions why should the top flight pour more money into the three lower divisions?David Sullivan does not back the Premier League paying more to the EFLCredit: GettyI don’t know if Sullivan ventures much into our high streets.But if he does, he will see that they have mostly been destroyed by retail giants. He will see boarded-up windows all over the place.Little shops were, and still should be, at the heart of communities… as should our EFL clubs.Sullivan can afford to shop at Harrods and Selfridges while most of us have to scour the shelves for bargains at Aldi or Lidl.READ MORE ON EFLJust like West Ham can afford to pay more than £50million for Brazil international Lucas Paqueta while the EFL’s bottom club Sutton United are a team packed of freebies.The Hammers chief does not seem to live in the real world – or appears at least detached from it.Does he care much about the loss of things such as our independent greengrocers, butchers and bakers?And does he give a damn about what has happened to clubs like Bury and Macclesfield as well as what is unfolding at Reading?Most read in EFLBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERIf he does, Sullivan should be front and centre of a Premier League campaign to safeguard the EFL for generations to come.He should be sticking up for the little guys because once upon a time he himself heralded from humble beginnings.Sky Sports Soccer Saturday crew burst out laughing after mascot’s hilarious reaction to being shoved in EFL clashSullivan was brought up in a council house and should understand the value of things.The West Ham owner has rightly been receiving widespread stick for his ridiculous comments and has been accused of being selfish.His remarks smacked of “I’m alright Jack, pull up the ladder”.What Sullivan failed to mention is that EFL clubs, and non-league ones for that matter, are vital to the health of the Premier League.I wonder if it dawned on him in Prague in May when West Ham lifted the Europa Conference League trophy that matchwinner Jarrod Bowen started his career in non-league with Hereford and then honed his skills in the EFL at Hull City.And key frontman Michail Antonio also did the non-league yards with Tooting and Mitcham before touring the EFL with the likes of Reading, Cheltenham, Southampton when they were in League One, Colchester, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest.Without these clubs and lower divisions, neither player would have developed to become Premier League household names.Sullivan’s central argument is against introducing an independent football regulator to clean up our national game – and oversee a fairer distribution of funds across all levels of football.He believes that redistributing more funds out of the Premier League clubs’ ever-expanding coffers would threaten its status as the best football division on the planet.EFL chief executive Rick Parry pointed out clubs dining at English football’s top table pay more than £2BILLION more in wages than the four other major European leagues.Jarrod Bowen with the Conference League Trophy he won with West HamWest Ham’s Jarrod Bowen started in non-league with HerefordMichail Antonio also started his career in non-league and the EFL before West HamSo the notion that the Premier League will somehow be overtaken by other countries is fanciful and for the birds.What peeves me about the likes of Sullivan is his seemingly complete ignorance to the fact that the Premier League do not OWN our national gameThey are simply top of a highly-successful English football pyramid system that has been around for more than a century,Nowhere else in the world do you see a fourth-tier club like Bradford pulling in average gates of almost 18,000, apart from when Rangers were booted down to Scotland’s bottom division in 2012 of course.Or do you see elsewhere a cup competition for third and fourth-division clubs (the EFL Trophy) that in recent years have seen attendances at Wembley finals of 85,021 in 2019 for Charlton v Portsmouth and 79,839 for Bolton v Plymouth last April?Since the Premier League was formed in 1992, West Ham have only spent four seasons of the 32 in the second tier.Sullivan has experienced relegation from the top flight in East London and twice while he co-owned Birmingham with the late David Gold.So he knows first-hand how huge the disparity is between the Championship and Premier League.Sullivan does not want the parachute payment system to stop.Simple solution, David: manage your finances and contracts better then.But something has got to give. It is not right that clubs like Leeds, Leicester and Southampton should this season have received around £55m each while the other Championship clubs, apart from those still getting parachutes, receive just £8.2million. The West Ham owner does not think it is right for clubs like his to help those lower down the food chain who have mismanaged their finances.But then he contradicts himself by saying parachute payments are “not big enough” to help support teams that get relegated. He argues going down to the Championship would be “horrendous”.Well, simple solution, David: manage your finances and contracts better then.All deals should have relegation clauses in them where wages MUST drop as a result. I’m afraid Premier League footballers should also start living in the real world.If you fail, your wages must be cut accordingly.The Premier League right now have an opportunity to avoid a regulator coming in – but they want to play with the ball all to themselves.READ MORE SUN STORIESSo I am afraid it’s time for an adult to enter the room, crack their heads together and tell them to play fairly with the others.That will be the best way to make sure the EFL doesn’t turn into a little shop of horrors.Bury fans during the run-up of the Shakers being booted out of the EFL in 2019Macclesfield supporter protests about his club’s woesThe future of Reading is under threat More

    • 225 Shares109 Views

      in Soccer

      Leicester SUING Premier League and EFL as they launch damning statement after being charged with alleged FFP breaches

      by

      LEICESTER have launched legal proceedings against the Premier League and EFL.The Championship promotion hopefuls were yesterday charged with breaching the Prem’s Financial Fair Play rules.Leicester are second in the Championship tableCredit: PAThe Foxes, who sit second in the Championship, could face a points deduction next season, should they return to the top flight.Earlier this season Everton were deducted six points and Nottingham Forest four over FFP breaches.Leicester are accused of breaching financial rules during their last three Premier League campaigns.Enzo Maresca’s side are also facing a separate investigation from the EFL.Read More Football StoriesConfirming their intention to take legal action, the Foxes wrote in a club statement: “LCFC has been compelled today to issue two urgent legal proceedings against the Premier League and the EFL.”LCFC will be seeking that each of these proceedings is determined by an appropriate and fully independent legal panel.”The Club is committed to ensure that any charges against it are properly and proportionately determined, in accordance with the applicable rules, by the right bodies, and at the right time.”Leicester have also been placed under a player registration embargo by the EFL due to allegedly breaking P&S rulesMost read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERThe Foxes are one of two teams in the EFL to have been placed under such an embargo, with the other being Morecambe.Leicester’s accounts for the 2022-23 season have not yet been made publicly available.What is FFP? How Financial Fair Play is affecting Man Utd and Arsenal in January transfer windowBut in the year prior, up to May 2022, they made a club-record £92.5million loss.Top flight clubs are permitted to make losses of no more than £105m over three years.Yesterday, the Foxes vowed: “LCFC remains willing and eager to engage constructively with the Premier League and the EFL to seek the proper resolution of any potential charges, by the right bodies, and at the right time.”The Club continues to take careful advice about its position.”Leicester’s statement in full
      LCFC has been compelled today to issue two urgent legal proceedings against the Premier League and the EFL. LCFC will be seeking that each of these proceedings is determined by an appropriate and fully independent legal panel.
      The Club is committed to ensure that any charges against it are properly and proportionately determined, in accordance with the applicable rules, by the right bodies, and at the right time.
      While LCFC would prefer the proceedings to be in public, so its supporters and the wider world can be informed about the important issues of football governance that will be considered, the relevant rules require that these proceedings are conducted confidentially, and LCFC will therefore not be able to comment further about them at this stage.
      We reaffirm the Club’s position that we will continue to fight for the right of Leicester City and all clubs to pursue their ambitions, particularly where these have been reasonably and fairly established through sustained sporting achievement.
      The Club further notes that at 4pm today the EFL issued a public notification that LCFC has been placed under a registration embargo pursuant to its P&S rules. The EFL is aware that LCFC has disputed the EFL’s entitlement to impose this constraint, which is both restrictive and premature, with more than a quarter of the Club’s 2023/24 reporting period remaining.

      Leicester are the latest side to be hit by FFP charges by the Premier League.Everton were hit with an initial ten-point deduction, later reduced to six upon appeal, for exceeding the maximum loss in a three-year period by £19.5m.Forest were also charged and slapped with a four-point deduction after being found to have been £34.5m above the permitted losses.Nuno Espirito Santo’s side could appeal their deduction, although this may potentially lead to their deduction being increased.Chelsea and Manchester City have been warned that they could face being kicked out of the Premier League if found guilty of breaking FFP rules.City strongly deny 115 charges brought against them in February 2023.While Chelsea are yet to be charged, despite an ongoing investigation after club chiefs flagged up illicit payments made to agents and others during the Roman Abramovich era.Leicester have spent much of this season at the top of the Championship.READ MORE SUN STORIESThey were overtaken by Leeds last weekend, although do still possess a game in hand on Daniel Farke’s side.The Foxes are just a point above third-placed Ipswich in what’s set to be a tight promotion tussle.Enzo Maresca’s side are in a tight battle for promotionCredit: PA More

    • 200 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      EFL owner ready to sell club’s training ground as furious fans demand action over ‘asset stripping’

      by

      READING fans are demanding action after accusing owner Dai Yongge of asset stripping.The Royals are up for sale after months of crisis which saw the club relegated from the Championship last season before receiving a points deduction for financial irregularities this term.Dai Yongge has placed Reading’s training ground up for saleCredit: Rex FeaturesThe Royals train at Bearwood ParkCredit: GettyOwner Yongge is now willing to sell after months of protests which saw games delayed and one even suspended.He has now stated he will continue funding the club until a new owner is found – but he has now placed the training ground up for sale.Reading released a statement confirming the news from Yongge and CEO Dayong Pang.It read: “Mr Dai is currently evaluating every option at present to secure sufficient funding until new ownership is confirmed. In doing so, he is open to the sale of Bearwood Park, should an appropriate offer be received.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”Whilst dialogue with potential new ownership groups are progressing, as of today no single party has been granted exclusivity. “Mr Dai and representatives will continue to liaise with interested parties and hope to move forward at the earliest possible opportunity.”Further communication with substantive developments will come as appropriate.”But the statement has been met with backlash as fans have accused the owner of asset stripping.Most read in EFLCHELTENHAM BETTING OFFERS – BEST FREE BET DEALS FOR THE FESTIVAL It comes after Reading flogged a number of promising young talents in January.One fan said: “Congratulations. You’ve just openly announced your intentions and willingness to asset strip the club. Utter, club, killers, the both of you.”Every Premier League stadium ranked by the number of pubs nearby with one boasting over 130 local boozersAnother added: “Nowhere near a sale, very near to the end of this football club. Asset thieving fraudsters.”And a third wrote: “Yeah we’re completely f****d. Asset stripping at its finest. Just sell the club.” More

    • 150 Shares169 Views

      in Soccer

      EFL club chairman SACKS manager by WhatsApp… before releasing bizarre 1,105-word statement

      by

      ACCRINGTON STANLEY chairman Andy Holt has released a 1,105 word statement defending his decision to sack long-serving manage John Coleman via WhatsApp.Fans were outraged at the manner of the decision, despite Accrington’s performances this season having them sitting 16th in League Two.Accrington chairman Andy Holt has written a remarkable statement defending his decision to sack John ColemanCredit: RexColeman has been Accrington manager for a total of 22 yearsCredit: RexTheir poor performance this season follows relegation from League One last time out, but Accrington supporters have generally remained fiercely loyal to Coleman and his assistant Jimmy Bell.The manager served as Accrington manager for 12-and-a-half years between 1999 and 2012.Following spells at Rochdale, Southport and Sligo he then rejoined Accrington in September 2014 and was sacked on Monday.Despite Coleman’s two long-term stints he was told he had lost his job by WhatsApp and his departure was announced with a short 43-word statement which fans labelled “disgraceful”.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLOutraged fans attacked the chairman’s brutal decision online which led to Holt deleting his X account.He has now circumvented that self-imposed exile by taking to the club’s website to release a statement.The remarkable outburstwas titled: “STATEMENT: Chairman, Andy Holt, in His Own Words and Unedited.”Among a littany of complaints about Coleman and Bell, he defended his chance to sack them by WhatsApp by saying: “Both messages to them and that put out by the club may be used against the club, so it had to be simple, straightforward and seemingly cold.Most read in FootballCHELTENHAM BETTING OFFERS – BEST FREE BET DEALS FOR THE FESTIVAL “I have worked with John and Jimmy and most of the time it was great, and fun. They performed badly in our relegation season, I didn’t sack them like every other owner would have.“They made serious mistakes and despite this, I didn’t want it to end. They went public and divided our fanbase probably forever, an action that I did not deserve, having looked after them extremely well in my time at the club.Southampton’s St Mary’s stadium evacuated as it’s engulfed in smoke after huge fire breaks out hours before match“I knew without retraction our relationship was over. Despite having months and months to do this, they didn’t. It was a combination of poor performance and the public disagreements that resulted in the end.“Their performances led to losses last season of £600,000 followed by this season of £1m. Losses that I have a choice, either fund the club or put administrators in. “I chose to fund the losses because I still believe Accrington deserves and desperately needs a great club. But the continued funding of these losses stops at the end of this season.” More