You will remember we wrote to you on June 4 expressing our concern about the absence of any information from the club on the progress in recruiting a new manager. Well, surprise surprise, there is no further information and the fanbase are still in the dark. Time is moving on, critical pre-season decisions need to be made in terms of the squad which cannot happen without a manager.
It is as long ago as April 19 that Omer Riza was relieved of his duties and May 3 was the final game of the season and it is June 10 that this communication is being written with still no sign of an appointment. As the ultimate power within the Club does Vincent Tan have a sense of urgency ?
The club may say that there is no reason to panic but it is fair to say that the fanbase view the situation with some concern and anger. That fact that there has been a deafening silence from the Club has not been helpful. No attempt to allay concerns and confirm that the ship is not heading for the iceberg.
We have been in frequent contact with the club and have urged them to put out a statement to update fans as to where we are but nothing has emerged. We are led to believe that the current state of inertia/indecision is purely down to the owner and his acolyte Ken Choo.
Looking at the news section on the club website it shows no reference to manager recruitment since the end of the season. In the meantime this information vacuum has been filled with rumour and speculation in the Press and Social Media but still nothing official. This situation is intolerable and only serves to demonstrate the contempt the owner holds the fanbase in.
We have no idea where we are in the process. Are the experts employed to assist in the job of finding a new manager still in the building? Are they continuing to advise ? We hope they are but we just don’t know.
We will continue to liaise with the club to try and urge them to improve communication as fans deserve to be treated better.
Mention has already been made in this communication of the news section on the club website. It is interesting to note that, on April 28, the club won an EFL Fan Engagement award as a club who “demonstrates how it specifically involves and liaises with supporters”.
In the light of the current debacle over communication in respect of the appointment of a new manager perhaps the club might consider handing the award back.
Trust Board