Club Statement

FINALLY. Something I and many others have been crying out for for ages. A professional statement from the club on the new boardroom structure after the resignation of Mary and Tony Gibbons last week.

Look out for Animo Et Fide making a reappearance as well.

On Wednesday 18th May there was a meeting of the shareholders and the directors of the club at which a wide range of topics were discussed. The club would now like to update the fans with the following statement.

Mary & Tony Gibbons

Mary and Tony Gibbons tendered their resignations from the board to the other directors and shareholders at the start of the meeting. A detailed statement has already been issued by Mary & Tony and this has been posted on the website. The statement clearly and eloquently expresses the feelings and the disappointments that they, and all fans, have experienced over the last few months and there is certainly little that the board and shareholders could add to it.

However the board and shareholders did express their thanks privately to Mary & Tony and would also like to do this publicly through this statement. Both Mary & Tony have worked tirelessly for the club in the period immediately prior to, and after the takeover. They have given freely of their time, energy and money to see that the club survived a near disastrous period of administration. Without their tireless effort it is clear that the club would not have survived and the board, all the shareholders and we believe all supporters would like to express their gratitude and appreciation. We are sure Mary & Tony will, as usual, be at every match in the coming seasons and have already graciously committed to support the club in every way they can. We are pleased that they will continue to be shareholders.

Board Changes

As planned the directors of the holding company, Stockport Community Leisure Company Limited, and Stockport County 2010 Limited offered their resignations and nominations for board members were made. As a result the following structure was put into position for the next 12 months:

Stockport Community Leisure Company Limited: Ken Graham, Chairman.

Mike Clark, Stewart Vann, Richard Park, Kevan Taylor, Directors.

The board of the holding company will now concentrate on the strategic development of the company and planning of the football club.

Stockport County 2010 Limited: Ken Graham, Chairman.

Lord Peter Snape, Mike Clarke, Kevan Taylor, Directors.

The football club board has specific responsibility for all aspects of the running of the club on a day to day basis together with the development of football and commercial activities. Graham Shaw and Tony Whiteside will also be attending board meetings in their respective roles of Chief Executive and Club Secretary.

It is anticipated that as the club moves forward additional directors with specific areas of expertise will be added to both boards, along with specialist input from shareholders as required.

Football Manager Update

Initial interviews for the vital position of Football Manager have been held over the last two weeks and the feedback from these interviews was discussed during the meeting on 18th May. There has been much speculation as to who the next manager will be, however we are sure supporters will appreciate that as this is a personnel issue the club cannot issue details until interview process is concluded. There will be further interviews in the coming days and details of the appointment will appear on this website before being announced elsewhere. The appointment of any manager is an important decision and especially so for Stockport County at this time, however the board feel that whilst speed is crucial we need to ensure that the best possible candidate is selected.

Takeover

The club has issued previous statements advising supporters about approaches that the club has received. Discussions continue to take place with a number of potential investors regarding a range of opportunities. These discussions are complex, wide ranging and involve other parties which the football club and potential parties are working with.

It is not possible to report any conclusions at this stage other than to state these discussions are serious and meaningful but will not be resolved in a very short time scale.

Communications:

With the new board structure, planning for a new manager and a new season ahead of us, there is much work to do. Not least amongst this work needs be an improved dialogue with all the parties who support the club so superbly. The board recognises that this dialogue has suffered greatly during the past year with the limited management resources that were available. However it is crucial that if the club is to prosper and grow, forging new and improved links with fans’ groups, sponsors and all parties interested in the future of the club is essential. Graham Shaw has been charged with focussing on this critical role to ensure that all those who are in a position to help the club have the opportunity to do so, and that proper communication flows back to all supporters.

Animo et Fide

The Board

A well-written and thought-out statement. Finally. Informative, positive and honest.

ANIMO ET FIDE.