[Minister Onymfo]

Simple our crowds have been too small, and as long as they remain too small we will struggle to survive at this level.

I recently posted a 'back of a fag-packet' calculation of what it could cost to run Accrington Stanley and how much revenue it was likely to receive from various gate numbers. The reason we are in debt is because we had average crowds of 2200 watching us win the Conference. It would not be unreasonable for the club ie. Eric to think when we got into the League then crowds would be higher and therefore a sustainable income would be acheived. What happened.... 1000 fans per game p*ssed off somewhere else, the main sponsor goes bust and some players whom I assume got decent salaries couldn't hack it for us. Bang goes the budget and at some point during this Dave O'Neill has forked out a not insignificant amount of cash to keep us going.
I have read alot of hard words in relation to the Chairman and the Directors particularly since the weekend. I don't know Dave but I do know some of the others and what is being said about them collectively is outrageous and unfair. There are people on the board who have given their time, money and lives to the club for decades. They have walked the streets of Accrington knocking on doors 'badgering' a relatively apathetic public to buy raffle tickets, weekly draw numbers, sportsmans dinner tickets, they've painted walls (somewhere in the club there is a wall that is the same colour of red as my dinning room because one director 'scrounged' the half-full tin I had left and painted it himself), dug drains, built terracing, installed seats, sold half-time draw tickets, counted gate money, written endless letters to countless businesses, endless phone calls late on Friday nights trying to get a last minute sponsors, donating raffle prizes. Remember the Chairmen at Accrington Stanley have 'owned' the club by virtue of their majority shareholding what they say goes, 51% has it over 49% everytime. You get on with it and do your best for the club and hope the Big Man maintains a reasonable level of common sense (why would any one with any common sense want the thankless task of running a football club, it is just like being Primeminister, you've got to be barking)
This isn't Manchester 'effing' United where a place on the board means a free ride, prawn sandwiches and regular European Cup Finals. For alot of the directors past and present it has meant parting with hefty sums of cash to keep the place afloat and working damn hard for b*gg*r all other than the satisfaction of keeping the club alive, a club they love as much as anybody who pays through the gate.

I read it like this, Eric took us a stage beyond his means and was struggling to maintain the level of input the place needed. He got out. Dave under-estimated the size of the immediate task and has found himself in it up to his neck. Both these characters obviously put alot of their time and money into the place. I suspect they both have big ego's hence the reluctance to accept Ilyas's offer of help.

Remember the supporters have paid third of the tax bill, Ilyas/Peter has paid a third and the club are paying a third. We are equal partners in this and thus should work together to get the club back on it's feet and not tear it apart, some fans are already saying and doing silly things. This has got to stop before we alienate the goodwill and wishes of the majority of the floating support we have attracted during the past few months.

WE NEED THESE FLOATING FANS! At the moment when I read some of the stuff on here I am embarassed and ashamed and I feel like staying away from the games, I won't but this is the feeling I have. Imagine then what the punter who does not have that emotional tie with the club must think 'Sod going to the Stanley there all a bunch of headcase's'.

Let's get a grip and start encouraging people to come and watch the fantastic football Coley and the lads have been serving up and put all the other crap behind us.

WE NEED MORE FANS.......simples