AND STILL THE SAGA RUMBLES ON - WILL MARINERS TAKEOVER ISSUE EVER BE RESOLVED?

                                                                         

Still in the dark. Will Grimsby Town ownership issue ever be resolved?

 IT ought to have come as a surprise - but it didn’t.

The man who has been fronting a campaign to oust John Fenty as shareholder-in-chief at Grimsby Town FC has himself decided to  walk.

According to a statement from the Blundell Park boardroom, Tom Shutes has cited “personal reasons” for his decision.

Mr Shutes has, for months, been flirting with the club, but, to outsiders at least, it always seemed like a bit of a game - there was always a question mark over his readiness to commit.

The takeover negotiations have been so protracted that no one - least of all the fans - had much confidence they would ever complete.

Word is that two others members of the takeover consortium remain in talks with the club, but do they have the financial firepower to afford Mr Fenty’s stake?

Here are the two official statements posted this week - on April 1! -by the club.

John Fenty: 

Dear Fans

I was rather hoping to write to you today to share with you the completion of the sale of my shares in the club and pass on my many thanks to all that have assisted me in my capacity as principal funder of the football club and particularly our great fans for sticking with the club through thick and thin like true Mariners.

Instead, I am sorry to report that once again Mr Shutes has fallen short of honouring his part of an agreement and has withdrawn from the takeover consortium.

Notwithstanding that and all of the disruption his divisive public approach in demanding a takeover of our great football club, I am working with club and the remaining consortium members positively to try to find a way forward.

I would please ask for patience at this important time and a truce from the abuse and misinformation, largely on social media, aimed towards me, including telephone death threats and the like which I believe are both unwarranted and undeserved. 

Someone’s untruths become the next person's truths and further whip up the nasty frenzy. 

Legitimate criticism is always acceptable but vile abuse and the threats mentioned above are never acceptable.

Please rest assured that, whatever the outcome, the board of directors will as always act in the best interests of the club.

In the meantime, let’s be  positive and give Paul and the players our focused support for the remaining games of the season. They need our combined support more than ever.

Kind regards and best wishes

John Fenty

Grimsby Town FC

The Club can announce that Tom Shutes has withdrawn from the consortium who were proceeding to purchase the majority shareholding of John Fenty

Chairman Philip Day commented: “We are very disappointed that, at the last minute when all terms had long been agreed, all of the necessary documentation prepared and the consent of the EFL obtained that we received an email from Tom Shutes stating that, for personal reasons, he is having to step away from the consortium’s proposal for the acquisition of the Club. 

However, we move on and are pleased to report that we are still in dialogue with Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit, also of the consortium, to move the matter forward”.

Jason added: 'Like Philip, we are terribly disappointed by Tom’s decision. 

'We are hopeful however that a solution can be found and will continue our discussions with the Club.'

There will be no further statement from either party until there is something of substance to report to shareholders."

What of Mr Shutes?

It is disappointing that he has not, as yet, issued a statement of his own. 

Many fans might see this as ungracious. 

Could he not at least have offered his best wishes to the club and its long-suffering fans?