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Whalley Red · 05-10-2009, 15:48

Now on fishy site:

David O'Neill
Monday 5th Oct 2009

Statement
I have been accused of being quiet over the last few weeks which to some extent is true, as it seemed the more that I spoke in the press the more the attention was diverted away from raising money and saving Accrington Stanley Football Club. Over the last few weeks the fundraising has undoubtedly suffered as a result of the ongoing saga in the press, and I do feel that I have been made out to be something of a villain. Some of the criticisms may be justified, however I feel that a lot are not.

Just over twelve months ago when the club was struggling I put £100,000 of my own money in to keep the club going, and have put over half as much again since that time. On top of that I have provided cars for players and coaching staff, accommodated players without charge in my properties, and worked full time for the last two years or so without taking a penny out of the club in either wages or expenses. This isn’t about me talking myself up and I am not looking for accolades as there are many here, both staff, supporters and other volunteers, who keep this club going and make Accrington Stanley what it is. I would just like to restore a little balance in the opinions that have been formed of me.

The supporters fund offer that was tabled at the start of our fundraising campaign was not in my opinion the best way forward for our club. In many ways it would have been the easy option for me, however sometimes the easy option is not the best solution. I believe that the current team that we have here at the club are best suited to run the club, and when they have their time freed up from fighting the fires of recent weeks they will show this to be the case. As a club we were not intending to rely on the money from the supporters fund and so the withdrawal of the offer isn’t the nail in the coffin that it is perhaps being seen as.

There is a lot of work to do over the coming 23 days, and I would urge all who hold Stanley dear to work with the club and to support the fundraising events that are taking place. I will continue our discussions with HMRC and keep all informed as to our progress. In closing I am very aware of the responsibility I have to the club and to the town, and I assure you that I will not let Accrington Stanley fold again.

05-10-2009, 15:48	#3
Whalley Red Full Member+ Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 669 Liked: 82 times Rep Power: 1653	Re: Dave O'Neil statement Now on fishy site: David O'Neill Monday 5th Oct 2009 Statement I have been accused of being quiet over the last few weeks which to some extent is true, as it seemed the more that I spoke in the press the more the attention was diverted away from raising money and saving Accrington Stanley Football Club. Over the last few weeks the fundraising has undoubtedly suffered as a result of the ongoing saga in the press, and I do feel that I have been made out to be something of a villain. Some of the criticisms may be justified, however I feel that a lot are not. Just over twelve months ago when the club was struggling I put £100,000 of my own money in to keep the club going, and have put over half as much again since that time. On top of that I have provided cars for players and coaching staff, accommodated players without charge in my properties, and worked full time for the last two years or so without taking a penny out of the club in either wages or expenses. This isn’t about me talking myself up and I am not looking for accolades as there are many here, both staff, supporters and other volunteers, who keep this club going and make Accrington Stanley what it is. I would just like to restore a little balance in the opinions that have been formed of me. The supporters fund offer that was tabled at the start of our fundraising campaign was not in my opinion the best way forward for our club. In many ways it would have been the easy option for me, however sometimes the easy option is not the best solution. I believe that the current team that we have here at the club are best suited to run the club, and when they have their time freed up from fighting the fires of recent weeks they will show this to be the case. As a club we were not intending to rely on the money from the supporters fund and so the withdrawal of the offer isn’t the nail in the coffin that it is perhaps being seen as. There is a lot of work to do over the coming 23 days, and I would urge all who hold Stanley dear to work with the club and to support the fundraising events that are taking place. I will continue our discussions with HMRC and keep all informed as to our progress. In closing I am very aware of the responsibility I have to the club and to the town, and I assure you that I will not let Accrington Stanley fold again.