Todd gone to Rotherham

[maccawozzagod]

no it wont

[Wynonie Harris]

So what's the alternative? Spend money we haven't got on a wage bill we can't afford in order to retain these players? It's a fact of life that a small club like ours will lose talented players from time to time. It's down to Coley and Jimmy to replace them by discovering "gems" in the lower leagues and they seem to do that very well.

[Porky]

A football club is a buisness which a lot of football supporters fail to grasp Accrington Stanley operates in the black unlike many other clubs including many in the premeriship with all their tv money and the like let's give people like Eric and his team some thank's as they do a very difficult job well. Andy Todd's moved on so what he's probaly doing what I and most of you do and that is looking after himself and his family good luck to the lad and all the best and thank;s for the memories. It's a tough job finding replacements for anybody at any level in football with money or not it's Coley's job so let him get on with it he will stand or fall by result's like most people in life come on Stanley.

[Wynonie Harris]

Our average home gate for our first season back in the football league was 2,260. There was only one other club lower than this - Boston on 2,151. However, our average was artificially inflated by the Torquay gate. I reckon the figure for that match would have been sub-2,000, if it had been pay on the gate, and our average would have been even lower. Given figures like this, would anybody care to explain how we can afford to pay good wages...and stay in the black?

[qualtrough]

The madmen in charge of the asylum strike again! It is no exaggeration to state that Stanley would now be a Conference side if not for Andy Todd's contribution towards the end of last season yet he is allowed to go. If ever there was a case for breaking the bank to retain a class player this was it. Don't bleat on about '62, the circumstances are completely different. This doesn't just say Stanley are a selling club - it says Stanley are a selling-out club. Buy a season ticket now? My Ricky Tomlinson!

[Oldgobbin]

In common with some others on the board, I think the departure of Toddy, for whatever reason, is something that we have to accept. Remember the wailing, moaning and gnashing of teeth on this board when Rory and Evil went! Yet we won promotion the following season! Yes, Toddy did well last season and I wish him luck, but he's no world-beater and no player is bigger than the club. I'm sure he'll be replaced by someone with as much, or more, talent. Let's face it, Coley hasn't let us down yet and I'm sure he won't this time. In the words of the football genius.... Keep the Faith!

[shakermaker]

It seems Stanley are at a crossroads.

It's either break the bank to get the quality players to push for league stability, or keep in the black and end up with Conference rejects; ultimately ending up back in non league quicker than you can say Justin Jackson.
Actually, that's more of a T-junction.
But the point is the same.
We need money, and in the circumstances we're in now, we ain't getting it.

Something needs to be done - quickly

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by qualtrough

The madmen in charge of the asylum strike again!

And here's "the voice of sanity"! The fan who wants John Coleman to resign! The fan who wants us to start spending money we haven't got! Is this really a wise course of action??

[Chimer]

Originally Posted by smudgie

yes but the point is we HAVENT replaced players of equal quality in the past so what makes you think we are gonna get sum1 better than Todd??

If we haven't, how come we've just survived in the highest league we've played in since 1962 ? Are the players we have (OK, had at the end of the season) not of equal quality to those we had in the Unibond ?

Of course they're not, they must be better, by definition. The club's got it right for a lot of years. Let's not whinge until it's proven they've got it wrong this time.

(Which doesn't mean I'm not nervous about how things are going so far this close season)

[BTLawson]

Yes we need to stick to a small budget as we are a small club. Having said that we can't afford to lose our best player to a free transfer to a team in the same league. What I can't understand was why a fringe player such as Tony Grant got a longer contract when a key player such as Todd wasn't offered a longer deal. I know he had to travel far and he was looking out for his family but all the same we've lost the fan's player of the year - the player that carried us for the majority of the season. More money and new players needed. At least Grant's going.

[maccawozzagod]

grants longer deal included that of player-coach

[Tin Monkey]

Originally Posted by BTLawson

More money and new players needed.

Thanks for stating the obvious. Isn't that what everyone has been saying for a long time, especially the club itself?

Where is this money coming from? It's not coming through the turnstiles and that's for sure.
I have a recording of an interview Eric gave at the beginning of last season where he is asked what will happen if the fans don't start coming through the gates. "Put my hand in my pocket again", he says. And yet people on here bleat and moan about one player being allowed to leave. It's beyond belief.

There is no magic formula for our situation in the short term. It'lll take a long time to build a new, bigger fan base and until then we need to operate within a workable budget.
We may eventually have to admit defeat and accept that Accrington can't support a league team, but at least with the current Board we're giving it a go.

[maccawozzagod]

its a pity we are a selling club isn't it imagine the team with Ormerod, Mullin and Evil up front, Gary and Toddy supplying the crosses and Craney and Barry closing down the midfield. Just three at the back needed and we could sack Coley for the option of Kevin Keegan. Maybe we'd still have Wilson and Clarke as the full backs?

[antonhill]

Well, I am a Rotherham fan and have to say that the stinger of league football is the money. We lost our 2 best players mid way through this season to Watford who paid them 8 times the salary we could afford. It is that loss that saw our slide back into relegation and subsequent drop. Our wages will probably be the highest in league 2 next season with some players being on £1500 - £2000 per week, but if we aren't in the top 3 from the off, I reckon we might be in trouble. We need at least 4000 through the turnstyles every week to sustain it. Anyway, Andy Todd sounds like a decent player, just what we need (a hard working midfielder). Do you think he is capable of playing at a higher level??

[Urban Spaceman]

I just want to say a big thank you to Toddy for all his efforts for us at Stanley and he will be missed.

Good luck at Rotherham to you and your family Andy, but please don't score or play well against us !!!