Request for Jeff Stelling to be banned from boardrooms labelled ‘shock' by fans
The 70-year-old discussed the recent situation on TalkSPORT on Wednesday morning, stating that he had been to several games on an independent basis last season.
Reflecting on an unsettled couple of days ahead of the new season, Hartlepool United Supporters Trust (HUST) and Hartlepool United Football Club Supporters' Association (HUFCSA) member Ron Harnish branded the ongoing situation as 'silly'.
Stelling stood down as honorary president of Hartlepool in May (Zac Goodwin/PA)
'The letter really (was) a shock and it hasn't put the club in a good light,' Harnish told PA news agency.
'Initially you look at it and it's very surprising, then you look and think 'why have they done this?'.
'It doesn't make any sense to a fan looking at it so they just think it's silly, it really is silly. Why would a chairman of a football club put this letter out to all the other chairmen?
'You ask any Hartlepool fan – in all honesty they should forget all about this and get on with the football.'
Hartlepool issued a statement on Wednesday stating the letter was written asking opposition not to seat Stelling in 'dignitary places'.
The statement said: 'For absolute clarity, neither the club nor chairman have asked for other clubs in the National League to exclude or ban Mr Stelling from matches at their grounds.
'The letter that the club recently sent to National League opposition simply informed opposition that Mr Stelling no longer held a formal role and considerately asked opposition not to allocate Mr Stelling dignitary places or seating, so as to avoid any unnecessary confusion or embarrassment on match days for the benefit of all parties including Mr Stelling.'
Despite being surrounded by off-the-field problems, Hartlepool's new campaign begins on Saturday with a trip to Yeovil, where Stelling will be in attendance having purchased his ticket.
Hartlepool picked up 60 points at the end of the 2024/25 campaign with 14 wins from 46 league matches and boss Simon Grayson insisted the club will 'continue to stick together' as they aim to build on last season's 11th-placed finish.
'We do have a united mentality at the club, we win together and we lose together,' Grayson told a press conference.
'I can't control what goes on away from the pitch, I can only control my department which is management and the players.
'We want supporters who may be on the fence of coming back to show their faces at the games and back the team, because at the end of the day, we are playing and fighting and competing for them.
'This club is a family, and we will continue to stick together as a unit, and we will try to be the best we can for those supporters.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
29 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Liverpool in talks with Crystal Palace over move for Marc Guehi
Arne Slot's Reds have been busy since winning last season's Premier League, with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez among the summer arrivals. Liverpool have also seen a £110million bid rejected in recent weeks for unsettled Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, but defensive reinforcements appear to be the current priority. Marc Guehi played a key role for England at Euro 2024 (Nick Potts/PA) PA understands the Anfield outfit are in discussions with Palace over a deal for England international Guehi. The 25-year-old captained the Eagles to victory against Liverpool in Sunday's Community Shield at Wembley and is out of contract next summer. Guehi starred in England's run to the Euro 2024 final and will want regular game time ahead of next summer's World Cup. Liverpool are hopeful that the former Chelsea defender wants to join them but sources have denied reports that personal terms have been agreed. PA understands Liverpool are also interested in 18-year-old defender Leoni from Parma and are in talks with the Serie A side. The Italy Under-19 international spent time with Padova and Sampdoria before moving to Emilia-Romagna last year.
Rhyl Journal
43 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Liverpool in talks with Crystal Palace over move for Marc Guehi
Arne Slot's Reds have been busy since winning last season's Premier League, with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez among the summer arrivals. Liverpool have also seen a £110million bid rejected in recent weeks for unsettled Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, but defensive reinforcements appear to be the current priority. PA understands the Anfield outfit are in discussions with Palace over a deal for England international Guehi. The 25-year-old captained the Eagles to victory against Liverpool in Sunday's Community Shield at Wembley and is out of contract next summer. Guehi starred in England's run to the Euro 2024 final and will want regular game time ahead of next summer's World Cup. Liverpool are hopeful that the former Chelsea defender wants to join them but sources have denied reports that personal terms have been agreed. A post shared by Crystal Palace Football Club (@cpfc) PA understands Liverpool are also interested in 18-year-old defender Leoni from Parma and are in talks with the Serie A side. The Italy Under-19 international spent time with Padova and Sampdoria before moving to Emilia-Romagna last year.
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
Wrexham owner makes Premier League comment for the first time as fan worries emerge
Wrexham owner makes Premier League comment for the first time as fan worries emerge Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has revealed that the club's ambitions go beyond just reaching the Premier League, as he shared the concerns some fans have raised Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds' ultimate goal is to help Wrexham lift the Premier League title (Image: Leon Bennett/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images) Rob McElhenney has unveiled an ambitious new target for Wrexham to clinch the Premier League title. The North Wales club have experienced remarkable success under the joint ownership of the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator and fellow Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds. Following their acquisition by the duo in February 2021, Wrexham have been catapulted from the National League into the Championship after securing three consecutive promotions. The celebrity owners have made their intentions crystal clear from the outset - to guide the Red Dragons all the way to the top flight. McElhenney, who has recently applied to officially change his name to Rob Mac, has now disclosed that their aspirations extend beyond merely making up the numbers, with the ultimate prize being Premier League title glory. However, whilst the 48-year-old is keen to achieve that milestone at the earliest opportunity, he emphasised during an interview with S4C that progress must be built on solid foundations. When questioned about whether Premier League status remained within reach, McElhenney said: "That's the way the pyramid is set up and why not us? Why should that be reserved for other towns, for other cities? "It doesn't mean it's going to be easy and it doesn't mean that it's just going to happen quickly. It could take many, many years for it to happen. We're going to make a push to do it as quickly as possible, because we don't know any other way to do it, but we're going to do it the right way." Article continues below Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney wants to achieve success in step with the community's wishes (Image: S4C) Whilst many supporters might relish the possibility of challenging for the top flight, McElhenney revealed how some Wrexham fans had voiced reservations to him. He explained this stemmed from the potential consequences for their club, which has never competed in the Premier League, alongside insufficient supporting infrastructure. Wrexham's home stadium, the Racecourse Ground, is currently operating at a diminished capacity of approximately 10,000 this season as construction work on a new stand takes place. Additionally, the club remains without a permanent training base following the previous loss of ownership of their former facility at Colliers Park near Wrexham. "We're going to do it [reach the Premier League] in the same way that we've been doing it from day one, which is asking the town," McElhenney said. "I sort of jumped the gun early on and just assumed that that's what the people of the town wanted for their club, and that that wasn't necessarily the case. "I had a lot of very long conversations with people that said, 'Well, we might not be ready for that. The town might not be ready for that and the club might not be ready for that.' Watch Welcome to Wrexham season 4 on Disney+ This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more from £4.99 Disney+ Get Disney+ here Product Description Welcome to Wrexham is back on Disney+ for a fourth season. Fans can watch the series with a £4.99 monthly plan, or get 12 months for the price of 10 by paying for a year upfront. Article continues below "We have to make sure that we're always checking in with the community to make sure that this is what they want. It was a crazy pipe dream four or five years ago where we got laughed at by the media and by the world, but I don't think anybody's laughing anymore." He added: "We don't want to build something that's unsustainable. As glorious as it might be to be promoted to the Premier League, it would be equally as tragic to be relegated again, because that can very quickly create that spiral downwards. "Is the ultimate goal the Premier League? Yes, of course. Is it winning the Premier League? Yes, of course. But that actually isn't the number one goal. The number one goal is building something for the next generation and leaving something behind that is sustainable for the rest of its existence."
