CHAIRMAN DEFENDS ADAMS (Thursday 1st January 2004) Wanderers' Chairman Ivor Beeks has been forced to defend his under fire Manager Tony Adams. Mr Beeks was quoted in the Bucks Free Press as saying "I have no doubt that in due course he will win through because he's got that winning thing inside him. After going through what Tony Adams has been through in his life, managing Wycombe Wanderers is a doddle. But it won't happen overnight. We are going to make the odd mistake. At the moment he's struggling to take it forward but he will get there" The war of words broke out following comments made in the press conference following the 2-0 defeat to Rushden on Sunday 28th December. Tony Adams questioned whether any of his team warrant their place and singled out midfielders Michael Simpson and Darren Currie for specific criticism and infered that he thought they were resigned to relegation. The Wycombe boss also made the press eyes light up when he said "I'm going to have to sleep on it and think about my future". Later in the same press conference Adams clarified this by saying "I think you misunderstood. I consider my future in the direction that I'm taking this team. I pretty much know that I've got about seven players that may be staying next season but I think that number is going down with each game." Chairman Beeks was called in by the press following the comments and insisted the Board had not made a howler by appointing somebody with no previous managerial experience. adding "The word mistake is not even in my vocabulary. He's committed to the cause and we're committed to him. My partnership with Tony is even more solid now than on the first day when he arrived. He watches three matches a week looking for players and if that's not someone who is committed I don't know who is. The effort his is putting in is incredible. He's new into management and we've got to accept that he's going to make mistakes" However, the Bucks Free Press Sportdesk has added fuel to the debate by publishing their own 'open letter' to the Wycombe boss. It expresses concerns over whether Adams had already given up the fight for Division Two survival, suggesting "You yourself seemed a beaten man, as if Division Two survival was already a lost cause", before adding "At the very least the Club owes it to its season ticket holders who have paid up to see 46 competitive games not 22 experimental matches of building for next season." It goes on to suggest that "This not a lost cause" citing the way Bournemouth battled back from the brink ten years ago and recalling the last day escape for Wycombe at Lincoln in 1999. The Wanderers' Chairman also admitted that he had spoken to Adams about his comments to the press and he had been assured that he was fully committed to the Club, saying "He was at a low ebb after losing a match he had expected to win" Mr Beeks also backed Adams' criticism of the current squad, adding "He's inherited a team that's not good enough for the Second Division. He's being honest and perhaps it's time people here face up to reality." The Chairman then concluded his comments by insisting that neither he nor Adams had given up the fight to avoid the drop, saying "I'm not resigned to relegation and neither is he. This man does not lie down halfway through the season and I don't either. Tony is passionate for this Club as ever but he's found it difficult in terms of the difference in the quality of players he used to play with and the one he's coaching now. I'm sure he will bring in quality players and then bring them up a level." Adams has already brought in four players on loan since his arrival plus the permanent signing of 19 year old midfielder Matt Bloomfield from Ipswich Town. And Beeks says the signings may not be over, adding "He needs more players and we are trying to see what we can do" Click here for all the latest from chairboys.co.uk |
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