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Next Game: Banbury Away On Friday March 29th Kick-Off 3.00pm

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Was Turner hinting at something?

Yesterday's inept performance by Hereford United triggered quite of a lot of questions on the forums and elsewhere about why manager Graham Turner had selected Tim Sills and an unfit, according to club captain Rob Purdie, Marcus Palmer to lead the attack against Shrewsbury. Top strikers Andy Williams and Alan Connell were on the bench and Stuart Fleetwood was left out altogether.

However apart from the selection issue, Graham Turner also wrote some words in Bullseye which taken together could make some supporters think that he might be hinting at something.

In his usual leader column, Turner welcomed Shrewsbury and noted that he still took an interest in the Shropshire club he once both played at and managed.

"For me it is important to be able to go back to Club's I have been manager at and be treated with respect.

"I have had long stays at Wolves, Shrewsbury and here. The outcome is mutual at the first two clubs.

"I hope that if ever I came back to Edgar Street as manager of another Club I would be afforded the same reception."

He then reminds supporters "not that I am thinking of leaving or doing anything." which begs the question why did he mention the matter?

Turner also reveals that he becoming frustrated with the some progess being made with the redevelopment of Edgar Street. Seeing Shrewsbury's new ground taking shape won't have helped.

"I hope I'm still alive to see it (an improved Edgar Street). Come on all you officals."

Later in the programme there is an interview with Turner. In essence it is a review of his time at Hereford United. But it is the last paragraph which makes interesting reading. Turner praises both John Trewick the coach and Tony Ford the fitness trainer.

"I could probably see myself taking a bit of a back seat from the managerial side.

"But, having run the club the way I want, I could never work as a manager under another chairman here."

Graham Turner is 59 years old. He has been at Edgar Street since 1995 and was appointed a director of the club in 1998. Previously he has managed successfully at a much higher level.

He may feel he has done as much as he reasonably can at Hereford. He has steered the club from the brink of bankruptcy and restored the club to League football.

With perhaps another six or so years of work before retirement Turner may think he needs another challenge.

It can not have escaped his attention that fellow director and club secretary Joan Fennessy is past usual retirement age. She was 65 last February. They have worked together for over a decade.

So should Turner be contemplating a move this might be an opportune time.

It will all hinge on whether anyone or any group comes forward to buy Turner's 9201 shares and probably, at the same time, those 1620 owned by Mrs Fennessy as well.

In business terms, with the club having few assets and a net debt of around £800,000, the shares are worthless. But football often isn't like business.

In any case Turner would take into account the fact that he has been drawing a salary and a directors fee from the club as well as having pension contributions paid in for him by the club. However the latest available published figures say that the directors 'aggregate emoluments in respect of qualifying services were £58,567,' which is a surprisingly low figure for the two executive directors of a football club.

On the other hand any one looking to obtain a controlling interest in Hereford United could do so by purchasing Turner and Fennessy's shares. Although the club originally issued 40,000 shares, up to half appear to have gone astray. So 10,821 shares (Turner's and Fennessy's holdings added together) are probably enough.

The end of any season brings all sorts of speculation, much of it totally inaccurate. And as regards this particular piece of speculation - we will all have to wait and see.