ADAMS GONE - MORE COMMENT (Friday 12th November 2004) Three days after leaving Club, Tony Adams has so far failed to expand on the reasons why he walked out on the Wanderers. However, Club officials and players have continued to comment on his departure through the local media. The Bucks Free Press has also revealed that Adams was upset with some of the recent coverage in the newspaper. Chairman Ivor Beeks, who was snubbed by Adams on the day of his departure, tried to put a brave face on events as he commented to the press. He told the BFP "I think he made a mistake in the way he handed in his resignation and I think he could have done the job here if he'd given it time. But that's his decision. What's the point in harbouring a grudge? It doesn't get you anywhere. I just hope he's a piece with himself and he enjoys what he does." The Wanderers Chairman was said to fuming at not knowing of Adams's decision to quit after just 12 months at Wycombe and even blamed ex-player Steve Brown on spreading the news. The Chairman said on the Wanderers World subscription service "Danny Senda had spoken to Steve Brown and no doubt Steve let it out. I don't know. No disrepect to Steve but he's got some information. By the time 11'o'clock came, every man and his dog knew expect officially the Chairman and The Board of Directors and indeed our own staff, which is important." The Chairman went on to explain that he thought Adams was in turmoil with himself on the day he made the annoucement. He also revealed that he had spoken to the Manager the previous Friday and Saturday and had noticed a mood swing in the former Arsenal legend. The way the news came out was a real kick in the teeth for the Board, the Chairman adding to the BFP "He dealt with it the wrong way around and we were not happy at the time but we have to move on. Tony said he is getting married in December and wanted to spend more time with his family and that he wanted to go back to University." He added "I think Tony thought he had made a mistake coming here but I don't think we made a mistake appointing him." Recently appointed General Manager John Harrison continued the criticism of Adams, saying to the BFP. "Tony should have got up at 8am that morning and seen the Chairman before talking to anyone else. I don't know if he has made a fool out us but I would say he has made a fool out of himself. I'm very happy with way we handled the situation but I think he let himself down by handling it so badly." Officials at the Club only heard about the resignation after contact was made from the training ground at around 10am and Adams was not answering calls on his mobile phone when confirmation of the news was sought. It was over four more hours before the Club made an official response via the official website, while a further statement was issued around 6pm after a meeting between Tony Adams and Ivor Beeks. In between time Adams had issued a statement through his agent, stating 'personal reasons' for his departure. Harrison, who has no previous experience in working at a Football Club, added "His playing record hasn't been particularly strong but he had the support of the Board. There wasn't any mention of getting rid of Tony by the Board. The supporters may have discussed it but not the Board. It was a two-year plan. It was his plan. He said because the boys were new they had the ability to go up but they might need a second year and the board were happy with that." Some Wanderers followers are claiming that Adams may have left because of his disillusionment with financing under the new PLC structure. Adams was promised a playing budget of just over £1m for the current season but was claiming in recent weeks that the figure had dropped to £700,000. The Bucks Free Press added to these suggestions in their Friday 12th November edition when they claimed that Adams thought the reconstituted board might want to have a bigger input into his transfer dealings. It's an allegation which the board deny. However, BFP Sports Editor Dave Peters revealed that Adams had been upset with recent coverage in the newspaper, commenting "He blew his top last Friday a year to the day he was appointed when the Free Press printed his record of just nine league wins in 45 games. He also took exception to the newspaper printing that some fans were questioning whether he was the right man for the job. He phoned the Free Press to complain abut the story and was upset that the number of draws, 20, hadn't been included in the story." Wanderers players have apparently been offered the chance to meet up with Adams and discuss in more detail the reasons behind his departure but in the meantime, players are calling for all quarters at the Club to pull together. Injured midfielder Clint Easton commented "The manager has put down some good foundations here. Now we've got to make the best of those foundations and take it on. We've all got to stick together and win some games." The search for a new boss will begin in earnest on Monday (15th November). Wanderers have yet to advertise the post but had already received more than 25 applications by Friday morning. Talk has already started of a return for John Gorman, who is now helping out at Gillingham, while talk of recently sacked Weymouth Manager Steve Claridge coming to Wycombe in some capacity have been tempered with the news he is training with Brighton. Current Head Coach Peter Cawley has also said he wants to be considered, saying "I want the job and I don't want to be overlooked but the decision is out of my hands. I feel ready for it. I know the players and I'm up to speed with their strengths and weaknesses." The ex-Colchester United player, who was brought to the Club by Lawrie Sanchez, added "Football is a merry go round of employment. There's a lot of failures out there who get sacked but one club and then get re-employed by another. I would bring a fresh approach and a fresh attitude and I'm someone who hasn't failed somewhere else." Not surprisingly Ivor Beeks is keeping his options open at this stage, commenting "There's been a number of names that have come up and John (Gorman) is one of them. There are a number of names in the frame. Some are available and some are not. We haven't ruled anything in or anything out. We need the best person that's available." Click here for all the latest from chairboys.co.uk |
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