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Football: Leppard 'feeling positive'
By Charlie OliverNovember 05, 2009
ALDERSHOT Town acting chairman John Leppard has said that he will probably continue in the role until the end of the season — and perhaps beyond.
“The timescale is not so important,” said Leppard, speaking on Wednesday. “But until Monday the club had neither a chairman nor a manager. We have now solved one of those problems and now turn to solving the other.
"It would have been better if we had had a close season to find a new manager but that rarely happens in football."
Leppard may well have his man already, with the announcement expected in the very near future.
One manager Leppard strongly distanced the club from is Graham Westley, the former Farnborough Town owner and manager, currently in charge at Stevenage Borough.
“As far as I know [Leppard was away when the managerial seat first came vacant] there has not been any contact between Graham Westley and Aldershot Town Football Club,” said Leppard. “He has not applied.”
Nor would Aldershot be employing what Leppard described as a ‘merry-go-round’ manager.
“It would be a waste of time to appoint one of those managers who moves around from club to club every few years,” said Leppard.
“We want to maintain the style of play that Gary Waddock introduced and appoint a hungry guy who wants to be successful at Aldershot, in the long-term.”
That suggests someone who is looking to get back into management, or perhaps make the step up from assistant to manager. Of all the many names linked to the job, Kevin Dillon, who was briefly caretaker manager at Reading, before working there alongside Steve Coppell, probably fits the bill best.
The new man is expected to be in place within the next few days, to work with the squad next week, ahead of the league visit of Macclesfield, on November 14.
As for the club as a whole, Leppard was adamant that it is in a far more healthy state than many fans fear. “The club is being run well and sensibly,” said Leppard. “Yes, we have been in a recession, things have been difficult, for all businesses.
“But, hand on heart, the club is as stable as it has ever been. Some of the untrue rumours circulating about the club are upsetting to hear.”
Leppard added that the club was actively looking for new investors. “Today, after the last three weeks we’ve had, perhaps Aldershot does not look like a good club to invest in. But let’s see how the picture looks in a month’s time or so.
“Currently we are in a low patch but now we can get cracking on turning things around. The club is positive and ready to roll.
“I have been at the club for a long time and I feel I have a good relationship with people. I can't please everyone but I want to do this job properly and I believe the other directors will give their all - and want to do their best, too.”
However, while Leppard, who will certainly bring some stability to the club, played down the boardroom in-fighting that led to Leighton Moat and Tony Taylor’s departures last week, more battles may lie ahead.
Moat accused board members of ‘reneging on minuted decisions’ in a statement released last weekend and said he was ‘no longer prepared to sit around a board table’ with them.
This week, Tim Elliott, managing director of EBB Paper, the club’s chief sponsor, issued a strongly-worded statement to the News & Mail, calling for an EGM to discuss the future of the club.
“I have no confidence in the where the club is going and I am now asking serious questions about my continued involvement,” said Elliott.
“John McGinty [the former chairman, who died in August] believed fervently in ATFC but some of his successors seem to believe in themselves, instead of our very special football club.
"The management [board] team I believed in has gone, to be replaced by a collection of individuals who, in my opinion, are not fit to run the club.
“I believe an EGM is now the only solution if we are to resolve the future direction, once and for all. We have a great club, let's ensure we have the management team [in the boardroom] to take us further forward. It took 17 years to get back into the [Football] League, I fear the current board could destroy all before 2009 is out.”
Strong words, indeed, although that statement was issued before Leppard’s appointment. The two men have worked closely together in the past at Aldershot and will surely speak soon.
Under company law, shareholders can force an EGM if a sufficient percentage of them demand one. Elliott is a major shareholder. EBB have, said Elliott, sponsored ATFC to the tune of £100,000 for the current season alone.
Iain White, a local businessman, also contacted the News & Mail, calling for an ‘open vote’ to decide ‘who should be making the decisions to keep the club moving forward’.
“I had been at advanced stages of investing in the youth set-up to enable the club to have a full centre of excellence,” said White. “But I cannot continue to make the planned investment as I have no faith in the people who appear to be running the club at present.”
It is no surprise to hear that some people are very unhappy with the events in the boardroom of the last fortnight. Clearly there was a split and it was not an amicable one - and there are always two, if not more, sides to a story.
"We have a good board," said Leppard. "The people on it will give their all. We are already busy working hard on new ideas."
Leppard also said the prospect of an EGM being called did not phase him — indeed, he is fully aware that it might happen.
“The prospect of an EGM does not worry me at all,” Leppard said. “If people want to say things, let them. But it is much easier to talk than actually to get things done. Besides, there is an AGM due in the new year, anyway.”
Clearly, Leppard believes that the new board deserves to be given a chance to get working on moving the club forward and prove that they can do just that.
Of all the current board members left after last week’s re-shuffle, Leppard does appear to be the one man who can perhaps appease as many parties as is possible. He did not, for instance, rule out the possibility of Moat, the club's largest living investor, coming back into the fold. Moat is currently recovering from illness.
“Boards evolve,” said Leppard. “Aldershot Town is a good place. I feel positive. And, right now, I just want to get cracking on doing the job I am here to do.”
And, first and foremost, that means getting the manager’s chair filled.
The club needs a period of stability, with all moving in the same direction and Leppard’s appointment will surely help towards that. But it is possible that true calm may not come until after the AGM - or an EGM, if that happens.
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