Rob Heys
 

I have just read Rob Heys's article in todays accy ob, I think we should all get behind Rob and the team going foward. He is in charge of day to day running with Don/Eric only there on match days, reading between the lines we are in skint street again due to abandoned matches. I agree with all of you who dislike the thought of cash going into the old guards pockets and as Rob says Eric wants some cash back, however Eric is not in charge of the bank account, Rob is, and as such I trust Rob to steward the club through this difficult time.

Rob is a FAN 1st and the Chief exec 2nd and all fans must stand together. I have seen many people approach him at the club and he has always tried to answer them to the best of his ability, now that he is laying the cards on the table I think we should back him to the hilt. I for one could not have carried out the work he has done over the last couple of years and still tried to keep smiling.

Loweiy

Re: Rob Heys
 

Very difficult to really comment without seeing the full extent of the article

It is something I have feared, at the end of the day as Loweiy has said there are people at the Club who still have to battle on day to day regardless of what is going on behind the scenes.

Once again a simple plea from me please just sort out the problems once and for all and let the Club and it's people move on.


I suppose the question for us all now is

What can we do as fans?

Re: Rob Heys
 

It's a shame that these threads and posts have to be made pleading to all fans when the actions of only 2 people to walk away would start to solve most of the problems.

Would have tested the patience of any saint

Re: Rob Heys
 

well its incorrect that E.W. is only yon on matchdays fer starters.:rolleyes:

Re: Rob Heys
 

ive just read the back page of this weeks accy observer and from a sometime visitor to stanley ... it makes scary reading ... think it needs sorting out ...

Re: Rob Heys
 

the most striking thing for me in that article is that for possibly the first time there was a lot of truth in it! Things that we have all pretty much known about but they have never been admitted - Eric wants money that he claims to have put into the club but there is no record of it so Ilyas and Peter are going through ALL the accounts to prove it right or wrong.

There's also a piece by Do'n saying that the fans are starting to get on his back ...

Re: Rob Heys
 

Diddums.

Re: Rob Heys
 

would never have happened if the man had been straight up n not filled people with bull, from his early days, or at least explained why things were not as he said,:rolleyes: so all i can say to that is GOOD.

Re: Rob Heys
 

I agree Lowiey,

Rob, YOU have my full support.

Just hope this means Rob has been let off the leash, and is not just being a pawn as in the past.

Re: Rob Heys
 

I also agree with Lowiey, but I do admit to feeling somewhat different in the past.

Is the article refered to availiable to read online?

Re: Rob Heys
 

So where does it leave us then?

Too many unanswered questions...

Is there sign of movement on the ownership issue?

How can it be resolved taking into account already the timescale?

How are the Club supposed to move on be it on the field or off while it still hangs over everybodies heads?

Are we expected too dig deep again likewise others?

How can the Club function?

How can us the fans make a difference and in what way?

Re: Rob Heys
 

Money which became worthless in November 2009 when one man in particular and 100's of others put their own money in

Re: Rob Heys
 

Chief executive Rob Heys admits it is getting harder and harder to run Accrington Stanley as long as the ownership issue remains unresolved.

The wrangling between major shareholder Eric Whalley, managing director Dave O’Neill and chairman Ilyas Khan, who wants to turn it into a fan-run club, has been ongoing for 18 months and nothing has really changed.

Peter Shaw is waiting to come on board as a fourth director alongside O’Neill, Khan and Peter Marsden but the problem of who actually owns the club remains up in the air.

Heys admits it is a battle just to keep the club afloat, especially with the uncertainty.

O’Neill, who tried to take over the club 18 months ago, has not been around the club day-to-day during the last month but is there on matchdays, like former chairman Whalley, who did try to sell his majority shareholding to O’Neill but the deal was never completed.

Heys said: "The ownership issue needs to be resolved and it is a real weight around the club. We continue to get some good results on the pitch; however, behind the scenes we are fighting a losing battle.

"It is getting harder and harder to get people to take the club seriously, let alone to support us in terms of sponsorship or even coming to a game.
"Finances are now tight, we are currently three games behind where we should be due to postponements and, even when they are played, rearranged match income is poor in comparison to original.

"Added to this one or two of our major sponsors have had difficulties. Our cashflow is thousands of pounds down at the moment"

Accrington millionaire Khan saved the club from being wound up by paying a £306,000 tax bill in November 2009, but is based in London.

He then donated his 12 per cent shares in the club to the fans and wants to turn the money he has since put into the club into shares which he says would give him 66 per cent shares and make him the majority owner. He wants to then find a way to let the supporters run Stanley. However, this has not been agreed behind the scenes and so the battle goes on.

The club still has to pay £30,000 a month to the tax man as well as the running costs, made worse over December and January due to the number of postponements of home games.

Heys continued: "In the past we have looked to Ilyas for support, and maybe if the situation was at its most serious we could ask for assistance. However, with no shares in the club, it is arguably not his place to be putting in the cash.

"There has been no involvement in the running of the club from those who are involved in the ownership wrangle since before Christmas.

"It is the staff behind the scenes who have been left to keep the club going, and they deserve a massive amount of credit for getting on with the job in hand despite all the difficulties. Every day is a battle and the attitude of all involved has been tremendous. Wages have been paid late, we have to fight to keep HMRC satisfied and more and more creditors are understandably pushing for money. We are fortunate that we have a great bunch of people at the club and a remarkable team spirit on and off the pitch.

"Staff and players have been patient with wages and fortunately for the time being there is an understanding of the issues we face on a daily basis."

The club wants to offer new deals to several of their players, whose contracts run out in the summer, but Heys admitted that they are hitting a brick wall due to the financial uncertainty.

"It is also having an impact on what is going to happen in the future," he said. "It is holding up negotiations for new contracts with the likes of Jimmy Ryan, Terry Gornell, Phil Edwards and others.

"There is a great squad, a real chance to do something this year, but whatever happens, we want to keep a side together for next season so we aren’t asking John Coleman and assistant Jimmy Bell to start from scratch again."

Manager Coleman, whose 17th placed side play Southend at home tomorrow, was able to sign Ian Craney on an 18-month new deal in January but Heys said: "That had conditions as I agreed with John that we would cover his wages with sending players out on loan and I expect a number to go soon after the loan window reopened on Monday."

The chief executive admitted the situation was exasperating for everyone connected with the club: "There needs to be a resolution before it is too late, whatever too late may mean.

"It would be soul-destroying to see us lose our Football League status, and it is debatable whether we would ever get it back within a lifetime.
"But the real tragedy is that if a solution can be found and a way forward agreed we have a great platform from which to build.

"We have a great young squad, an ambitious management duo, a good team of people behind the scenes who need to be given the freedom to do what they are capable of, and an inevitable swell of support that would get behind us if we could show we can get things in order.

"This club has had a lot of success in the last 10 years, and there is no reason why that shouldn’t continue.

"We could do something special with Accrington Stanley, but the situation at the top needs sorting now."

The future must be sorted - now | Accrington Observer - menmedia.co.uk

Re: Rob Heys
 

I don't know how much money Eric Whalley has put into to the club, or how much he has taken out. It would seem, given the time it's taking to sort this question out, few people, if any, actually know for sure.
But the idea that he expects to get his money back seems to me to verging on the delusional.
Stanley may be 'famous' but not as a Premiership corporation. Like it or not, we're famous for going bust. We are talking about a club that is trying to survive in a business gone mad with greed on average home gates of 1,750. A club that is so financially precarious that a few cancelled home games could tip it over the edge.
Just how does he expect to get his money back from that?
It's like fans expecting to get back the price of admission if things don;t go well at the end of the season. They 'invest' in the club too.
Whalley's return on his investment has been to see the club rise from the ashes and back into the league. For which we are all grateful. Did he really buy into Stanley expecting to get a return as if he was investing in the Footsie 100?
But by now appearing to have such unrealistic expectations (Man Buys Accie Stanley as Sound Financial Investment Shock!) he is fast losing the respect he might otherwise have deserved for helping to get the club back to where we all believe it belongs.
One of the dangers of the current boardroom stalemate, which I've long feared, is that it may only be resolved by the club going into administration, in order that a fresh start could be made. I really hope it won't come to that but, in business as in life, there's none so blind as those who will not see.

Re: Rob Heys
 

The stalemate needs to end quickly: O?Neill | Accrington Observer - menmedia.co.uk

Can somebody explain tis section of the above article to me ?

If you buy something off somebody and they don't hand over the goods how can that be an issue with a third party :confused::confused::confused:

Re: Rob Heys
 

I like Rob.

Thats my detailed + justified statement :) :) :)

Re: Rob Heys
 

I havent got a clue Dave tbh, but I cant bring myself to believe a word that man says..............however He is right when He says the 'fans are getting on my back'................somehow I dont think this statement will help in that area!!

Re: Rob Heys
 

Excellent post.
Whalley doesn't seem to care that he is pushing the club towards oblivion. If he had a shred of decency in him, he would just walk away with a nominal fee for his shares.

Re: Rob Heys
 

I recall he did walk away. All the way to Chester (RIP)

Re: Rob Heys
 

if anyone buys summat,off someone n that someone refuses to hand oer, then the only way to get the goods is buy legal action? if that was me i would be very brassed off, YET the DoN says he agrees whalley is owed money,by the club, that fact can have sod all to do wi the fact "If True" he bought the shares 18 months ago surely?:confused: summat stinks here to me, am pleased Rob Heys has finally got off the pot n spoke on this subject appreciate hes had a difficult period as piggy in the middle, now he has i just hope he aint the fall guy fer these 2 cretins. Simple Fact, If DoN HAS Paid up,Whalley should have transferred the shares, whatever his disagreements in other areas! if he had done the proper thing he would probably be held in much higher esteem i'm sure.:mad:

Re: Rob Heys
 

Somebody get a grip of reality here please

I don't care if it humple pie or pride that is swallowed nobody is bigger or has a right to be bigger than the Club!!

There are always solutions to every problem but as Excile has put in his post there are ultimate ways to bring about shock conclusions.

I can not and I will not endure what happened 18 months ago.... life is too short

Do we become bit part or main players that's down to yourselves.

Re: Rob Heys
 

FANtastic write up by Rob, open and honest, it is time that this whole thing between THEDON and EW was sorted out and I do have faith in Ilyas to sort it out...

Re: Rob Heys
 

i also have faith in ilyas, my point is though as far as i can see its a dispute between the 2 E.W. n DoN, if DoN has paid Whalley should have Transferred Simple as.:(

Re: Rob Heys
 

The cardboard Millionaire seems to be hovering over our club like the angel of death. Pay him off in buttons, lets move on. Yes I know this is too simplistic but he is yesterdays man.
I wonder what the figures are that he is owed?

Re: Rob Heys
 

Thing is if Ilyas and the people of Accrington hadn't raised that money he would be getting nothing !!! Yet the club survived no thanks to him and he now wants some money. They both need to go and I won't be changing that view, it all stinks.

Re: Rob Heys
 

Forgive me for going off topic, afterall this thread was about getting behind Rob Heys, however, the more I read O'Niel's diatribe, the more incensed I become.

I can't for the life of me see how an agreement between O'Niel and Whalley can possibly have anything to do with Ilyas! To my mind it is yet another pack of untruths from the main two protagonists.....

These two numpties are holding our club to ransom, they pleaded with the people of Accrington to help save the club without making any sizeable contribution themselves, they then proceeded to lie time after time but expected us to follow blindly. Finally they went to London with no ideas and without the last minute intervention of both messers Khan and Marsden, they would have seen the club fold.

It really is time for them both to bog off and leave the club in the hands of those that do have its best interests at heart.


Rant over :-)

Re: Rob Heys
 

If i remember rightly(and someone correct me if i'm wrong)David Onell paid Eric Whally £150,000 for the 51%of the club back in 2009. Round about the same time as this was going on Eric then made a Directors loan to the club to pay a tax bill,don't no the amount but i guess this is what the hold up is.

Re: Rob Heys
 

In that case then D'ON became the shareholder, the problem is between him and Eric regarding that issue.

Re: Rob Heys
 

Agreed Dave,wonder if any contract or paper work passed between them over this transaction.:confused:

Re: Rob Heys
 

Re: Rob Heys
 

If that is true, who's tax bill? as i remember twas ilyas n the fans etc that saved the club.

Re: Rob Heys
 

will check back on some of the old threads cashy,but i do recall something of the like pal

Re: Rob Heys
 

Accrington Stanley Football Club ( Tuesday 16th Jun 2009 )
http://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/gfx/news/ball.gifhttp://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/gfx/news/line.gif
Change at the top
http://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/g...nd%20david.jpgAccrington Stanley chairman Eric Whalley has today stepped down from his position, passing on the reigns to David O'Neill.

David first got involved with the club through his video production company, producing the match day footage from our games in the Nationwide Conference. He joined the club full time eighteen months ago, initially as commercial manager, before taking on the role of general manager last summer, all of which have been unpaid positions. The 52 year old businessman has put £150,000 into the club in the last twelve months and will now take control of the day to day running of the club with immediate effect.

Eric has been at the helm of the club since 1995, also in an unpaid role, leading the club through three promotions and back into the Football League in 2005 where we have competed for the last three seasons. Throughout his life, the 68 year old local businessman has never been far from Stanley, playing in the old reserves before going on to manage the reformed side in non-league football and then eventually buying the controlling share from his predecessor John Alty.

A deal that will see David O'Neill take the majority of the previous chairman's shareholding will be completed this week.

Pic: Outgoing chairman Eric Whalley (left) with the club's management duo John Coleman and Jimmy Bell, and new chairman David O'Neill (right), taken last month. :confused: But as we all no its still on going.....

Re: Rob Heys
 

As I recall, that £150,000 was for paying off the VAT man, if so, then the shareholding deal would be seperate.........................

"A deal that will see David O'Neill take the majority of the previous chairman's shareholding will be completed this week."
The last sentence would seem to imply that.

Re: Rob Heys
 

Spot on UK, the £150K, was put in to settle old V.A.T. Bills, it was never claimed to be part of a "Buy out deal!!!", but who knows :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Re: Rob Heys
 

Well at least while it's all fresh in the mind you have a home game today, just in case you want to get your points across ;):D

Re: Rob Heys
 

This article only tells us that DON had put the money into the club, not EW.......

Re: Rob Heys
 

I seem to recall that it was Rob Heys who was saying that the only reason work wasn't happening to the Coppice Terrace was due to the bad weather and nothing else. Then we find out that planning permission wasn't applied for until the 19th January this year and then to further antagonise the situation he allows work to start on it without getting the relevant permission and comes out with a half baked statement about having a good relationship with the Council. Is this the sign of a good leader? Rob Heys is in charge so this falls under his duress and I am sure it is difficult working there at the minute but that doesn't excuse this kind of behaviour.

Re: Rob Heys
 

As far as I'm concerned if I was Rob Heys I'd resign from the job and get another job in another sector before its too late. Desert the sinking ship like the rat he really is!

This is my opinion, I don't know Rob on a personal level but the 2 times I've had to deal face to face with him once because he never posted an item out to me for 7 weeks and once because of a missing ticket hes always been no use at all and very unintrested. If he's the true Stanley fan people say he is then he'll be better use on the terraces on a saturday afternoon than running the club.

Re: Rob Heys
 

Rob Heys was a fan long before many at ASFC. He has always been a fan first and foremost and an employee second. Seems to me that he has diplomatically towed the line thus far, probably in order to remain in a job, and keep a roof for his wife and child. Now it seems even Rob himself has been pushed too far and has seen fit to speak out.

If Rob sees fit to potentially jepordise his job, then its just a further indictment of how much the s**t has hit the proverbial fan.

Well done Rob....now lets join this protest march and get the ball rolling!!!!

Re: Rob Heys
 

Rob was a fan before some people on this board, there is no disputing the fact that he has had a difficult task in running the club. However, when all said and done Rob is in charge of the club and he is paid a wage to do this. Stating the obvious I know but yesterdays shambles comes back to his door and nobody elses.