BOARD STATEMENT

A big sigh of relief went up at the final whistle on Monday with the draw that secured our place in the Blue Square Bet Premier for the 2011/12 season. It was a battling performance, as was Hayes on Saturday, with discipline and organization earning us 4 points and two clean sheets. That is the result of the hard work on the training pitch and setting newer and higher standards to get the most out of the squad.

The atmosphere at the game last Saturday was tremendous. After the red card, the support from everywhere in the ground was terrific, it lifted the players and for a change we got the "luck" that continuous hard work brings. It is battling moments like these that make being involved in football so special.

Prior to Jez being asked to step in as caretaker manager we were in freefall and the club had been forced to sell Robbie Willmott and release Wayne Gray. There were a number of reasons why change was necessary but key among those were our belief that without change we would be relegated. At that time we had conceded 19 goals in the previous 5 games and lost 4-0 at Bath in our previous outing. We have now escaped but we should all be clear how difficult the situation was and the issues that have been overcome in securing our safety.

It should be said that we did not go out and buy our way out of the situation we found ourselves in. Financially it was neutral in cost; by loaning out players and freshening up the squad with the funds this freed up. This was only achieved by Jez making some tough decisions. We have shown ourselves under Jez to be more resilient and hard to beat with just 2 defeats in the last 12 games and a far better goals against record.

My thanks go to Jez, Nolan and his team who worked incredibly hard to ensure we achieved the points total required without spending money we didn't have. A word of thanks also for those in the youth development department who have stepped up their contributions enormously whilst Jez and Nolan took on their first team duties.

Stepping back from this though, Cambridge United should not be in this position in this League as we do have the fan-base and therefore resources to do better. We must make sure it does not happen again in the future but getting better does take time.

As a Board we have met since Monday to discuss the first team management situation. Jez is a part of this discussion as Director of Football and he is acutely aware of the finances available for the squad, the contracts currently in place and the necessity to significantly reduce our football budget moving forward. We had increased the football spend this year by 100K with the addition of a first team coach and additional playing budget. The budget for this upcoming season will at least 25% lower and the second lowest we've had since the club has been in BSP in order for the club to break even. This requires that all future player contracts need to be realistic in terms of structure and length.

In summary, Jez has done an excellent job in hugely difficult circumstances over the last three months. A young squad has been galvanized to gain these points under huge pressure through his leadership. He has the qualities and knowledge we believe are necessary to unravel the very difficult situation which currently exists within the club. That role will also include developing our excellent crop of young players and continuing an overhaul of everything relating to the football side of the club.

The Board have therefore asked Jez to continue for the next season. Jez has always been clear with the Board of his intention once the season had finished to return to his previous role. However, he has agreed to at least reconsider this while the other members of the board discuss alternative options. Further discussions will take place with Jez following the final game on Saturday.

Paul Barry
Chairman

Source: cambridge-united.co.uk