[shakermaker]

First post on here for some time after a much needed break.
As a fan of the club I think there are quite a few aspects of this unfortunate issue to consider.
The field in which I work is one that demands professional responsibility and accountability. Those in positions of power ought to realise that their conduct is scrutinised closely because of the duties they hold. A managing director of a company ought to know how he/she can/cannot act in their personal lives; how personal indulgences can affect their employer’s credibility. However in this situation there are fewer parallels to draw with Corporate Company X than may first be perceived.
Accrington Stanley Football Club, for better or worse, walks the thin line between professional football club and accessible, nostalgic, grass roots, warts & all reality of a local club – a ‘proper club’ for purists and self-masochists alike. If not for this precarious duality, the club would not be in the Football League. The appeal would never have been present for Eric Whalley to invest a large part of his life into propelling the club up the leagues, nor would the necessary spirit have been created by John Coleman and Jimmy Bell if this was ‘just another club’.
For this reason, the same expectations for Managing Director of Corporate Company X cannot possibly be expected of Rob Heys who in his part has contributed to the overall appeal of the Football Club.
My initial reaction to the charges was pure disappointment – that our club’s name would be made a mockery yet again by our peers because of the carelessness of one of our own. After reading Rob’s statement, my opinion is that his mistakes were professionally careless, irresponsible and needless, but without one single iota of menace. I refute that his bets against the team were born out of any ill-will and more part of a normal Accrington bloke having a quick & dirty punt. There are many more on our terraces and stands who have done so and continue to do the same. Whatever your personal morals, you’d have to do a lot of tar and feathering to get through them all.
That said, the responsibility of a Managing Director in whatever position does not leave Rob. His mistakes have invariably brought shame upon the club and he will be judged for that by his maker. Whether this is the end for Rob’s association with Accrington Stanley I’d find it hard to dictate. This is a man with a livelihood, not a Premier League CEO who can go back to his holding company with his tail between his legs and a seven-figure pay-cheque.
Whatever happens in his own role, I personally believe that the punishment is unprecedented (see Cameron Jerome’s meagre fine) and unfairly harsh. The length of ban handed out doesn’t seem to add up when measured against others and for that reason I hope Rob’s appeal is considered fairly.
Lastly I believe it is unbecoming for fans of a club such as ours to tear apart one of our own. As Rob says, the Stanley family shows its real strength in times of struggle.
Just my opinion.