Shaun speaks out on Terras' turmoil (From Dorset Echo)

Shaun speaks out on Terras' turmoil

8:56am Thursday 26th November 2009 in Club News By Derek Bish

SHAUN Hennessy has today revealed the reasons behind his departure from the Terras’ boardroom and his hopes for the club’s future under the potential ownership of George Rolls.

The local businessman stepped down as a director earlier this week amid chaos surrounding who out of Rolls and the Chris Ryan consortium would be given the go-ahead to purchase the crisis-hit Terras.

Ex-Cambridge United chairman Rolls was the preferred choice despite Ryan, and his advisor Steve Beasant, having a bid accepted last week.

Hennessy admits the club reached “a new low” over the past few days but is hopeful that Weymouth Football Club can be saved from its latest turmoil.

Of prospective new owner Rolls – who must meet certain criteria ahead of tomorrow’s midday deadline – and his decision to resign from the board, Hennessy said: “George Rolls is a Football man through and through and he is committed to bringing the club forward and financially making it sensible.

“I don’t think the club could find anyone as committed as George is. The football club desperately needs someone with common sense, financial controls and an interest in football.

“What it has suffered from recently is a lack of financial controls and being left by fans to run it while the suit-wearing side of the board have just carried on doing their normal role of turning up occasionally and enjoying watching matches.

“George has sat and had some pretty long meetings, discussing the future of the football club and his vision of how it should be run.

“It’s a nice vision and when he was at Cambridge he did fantastic jobs financially – he put them completely on the straight and narrow.

“We’ve gone from farce to farce in the last few weeks.

“We’ve had every kind of threat issued, accusations thrown at people, but in the background George has sat there quietly collating his bid, speaking to creditors, producing budgets – what more does the football club want?

“We might want someone to come over with an open cheque book but we know that’s not going to happen. What we’ve got is somebody who’s shown a great commitment to the club and is willing to get involved, willing to write the cheques out and willing to run the club fiscally correct.

“The one thing Weymouth fans have cried out for, for years we’ve now got. Let’s work behind it.

“I won’t be staying on the board though. I feel the last six months have taken too much out, I need some time away, I need to convince my wife to talk to me again, I need to show my staff I do exist, I need a life back.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, because boy am I looking forward to those games with Dorchester. I’m looking forward to every Saturday and that won’t change.

“What I hope now is that George will be able to build a board along with the Supporters Club and the Trust, whose representatives have worked so hard in the last few weeks and deserve thanks from every fan.

“They’re not like me and Paul Cocks, we stood up, they got elected and they’ve worked their socks off. They’re not used to sitting in board meetings, getting 70 emails a day giving them legal advice – some of which has been of an extremely threatening nature.

“Certain people previously involved with the club seem happy to send out every kind of legal threat they can lay their hands on.

“It does have a worrying effect and I defy anyone not to be scared when they’re being threatened with being sued or being held responsibility.”

Local financier Ryan was all set to assume control of the club on Monday but a midday deadline to meet certain conditions came and went before the board made a U-turn and went with Rolls instead.

Monday morning also saw former chairman Malcolm Curtis send an email to all club directors, in which he stated that he would demand immediate repayment on the £221,000 owed to him should Ryan be successful in his bid.

Hennessy added: “Monday’s fiasco was a new low, just when you thought WFC couldn’t go any lower we managed to find another hole to crawl into.

“The board was a very depleted one, made up completely of supporters’ representatives while the professional and experienced members of the board decided at the last minute to withdraw themselves from a vote that could leave them open to legal action.

“They decided that was the best form of action and the board were backed into having to approve an offer that was a good offer and one they were happy to approve.

“They feel it is the only option that gives the club a true future. The other offer that was on the table failed to deliver within time the agreed conditions and therefore could not be discussed as such.”

Hennessy is also keen to see Rolls succeed as not to let the Terras’ improvements on the field go to waste.

He said: “I think the fans really can see that on the football pitch the turnaround is outstanding. Those people who were there at Bishop’s Cleeve back in September know how bad Weymouth can be but to see the same team out there sending Dorchester home with the tail between their legs last Saturday was just phenomenal.

“Ian Hutchinson and his whole team have done fantastic. They’ve got the boys hungry and proud to be wearing claret and blue. No fan can ask for more. If they carry on like this, they can achieve safety.

“George Rolls might have his own ideas but he’s not a silly man. He can see a team working well and he’s very happy and proud.

“Part of the deal has always been Ian Hutchinson remaining as manager. Ian understands that and he’s been involved in the negotiations.”

Hennessy is now holding out hope that the club’s murky past is brought to light, and he is more than happy to assist with any criminal investigation.

He added: “The bottom line is the football club has lost everything. I personally question why the club was in a financially stable position and owned a fair amount of land but now it owns nothing and owes a fortune.

“It’s in a very precarious situation I feel. Hopefully the well-documented investigation by the fraud serious financial crimes department will get to the bottom and uncover what’s actually gone on.

“I look forward to the day when I’m asked for my view and have openly stated in emails that I have kept every email and every contact anyone has ever given me regarding the football club and I’m looking forward to the day of passing them over. I hope every other person involved with the football club can say the same.

“The strings have been pulled continually in a certain direction. I hope now that those strings won’t be pulled any further, but I don’t have much hope in that.

“I can’t say that I actually enjoyed the last six months at all, it’s been very hard work and embarrassing at times. There have been some proud moments but not as many as Paul and I had hoped. We can say we tried and we’ve done everything we can but the hole we were in was too deep.

“Now we need to ask why was that hole so deep, and let’s find out if that hole was dug in the correct foundations.”