| FANS FORUM REPORT - PART 5
On Thursday 17th April 2003 close to 400 Wanderers' fans packed into The Vere Suite at Adams Park to hear the views of Club officials as well as having a chance to air their own opinions and questions. Chairboys on the Net has prepared a number of reports from the evening, concluding here with a few extracts from the question and answer session. 
After the speeches by Ivor Beeks, Rod Tomlin and Lawrie Sanchez the evening reverted to what was termed "open season" by the Wycombe Manager.A lengthy question from one obviously devoted but perhaps disillusioned supporter concluded by asking Sanchez why supporters should buy a season ticket? It was a question that the Wycombe Manager answered with honesty, admitting he couldn't understand why, adding "You are completely irrational. I can’t understand it for love nor money. If you support a Premiership club and can’t get in because there are 40,000 people then I can understand it but I do not understand why you buy a season ticket. But as Ivor says, this club means more to you than most things and you’re loyal fans. You are mad! But that’s what you are and I’m sure a lot of you say ‘sod the manager, sod the board’, I like watching Wycombe Wanderers, it’s my club, I’ll support them" The reply seemed to strike a chord with the 400 plus audience, however, as Sanchez went on try and explain some of his barbed comments aimed at supporters in the press, he added "You care about your club and that’s brilliant. As a footballer and a manager I’m cynical as sin about fans because you love me when I take you to Villa Park and hate me when I sell Sean Devine. That’s me, that’s why I’m cynical." Sanchez went on to accuse certain factions of supporters of undermining the club before Chairman Ivor Beeks stepped in saying "It's about time I told you one or two truths. It's wrapped around finance really. If he (Sanchez) hasn't been given the money to actually go out and find new players and been told to deal with what we've got and if like on many occasions we have a lot of injuries and some of those players are not good enough and he still stands up and takes the can for it. I honestly believe that if we had the resources to give to him what we gave to John Gregory we probably would have been in the First Division. John Gregory was able to spend something like £600,000-£700,000 during his time here. And this chap has had next to nothing. He's done it on a shoe string and he's had an awful lot of restraints put on him in respect of the finance. And I do believe if he had been given the resources we would probably be in a better position. But he hasn't said anything to you about that, he's managed the team within the resources he's been given." The comment from the Chairman brought a suggestion from a supporter that "The Board had missed the point" and suggested that it was the regular negative comments pitched at supporters from the Manager that could be a reason for the downturn in attendances and the percieved undermining of the club. Sanchez responded by saying "The easy solution to that is that I don't do press conferences. Sometimes I don't do them and I get slagged for not coming out and doing Press Conferences. I speak from my heart. I must admit when I feel things, I say them." It what is regularly regarded as a results driven industry, it obviously came as a shock to the Manager that, despite a poor run of league form, the performances on the pitch were hardly afforded a mention at the forum. The Manager commented, "I was expecting to come down here and get pillared for our results. I was expecting people to come and say we're 16th in the table. To be honest that seems secondary to my comments to certain individuals in the crowd. Now all I can say is that I will step back from criticising individuals criticising me if everybody gets behind the team. I will put my hand up now, I will not mention again in my time at this football club the fans, except in a positive way."  Fans Forum 17th April 2003 - Intro and index to other reports
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