The Gigg Lane PR machine has been in overdrive ever since promising a smarter corporate image, an overhaul of facilities and most refreshingly a much needed simplification of the pricing structure, a move which has been met with a positive response from supporters, especially as it shows a degree of understanding of where 3rd and 4th tier football should be realistically pricing itself.
The new board seem happy to enter into dialogue with interested parties and present their views of what they've found so far which is always a good sign, but there are certain elements of the last few weeks which have felt clunky at best. The branding of the 'revolution' with the inundation of posters, hashtags and clever marketing, #BuryareBack made me wonder as, thankfully down to the actions of the new owners, we hadn't been anywhere as far as I can see (even though it was mighty close). The lack of photographic evidence of who the new regime were, whilst a minor detail, made Shakers nervous, as does the perceived lack of movement on the 'players in' side of the ledger. We were promised 'exciting news' almost straight away but since then KB, like a miserable party spoiling uncle turning down our music, poured cold water on expectations warning not to expect too much, and I fear "We are 5 weeks behind" will become this years banker on Blackwell Bingo as he trots out a favoured sound byte or two.
Having had an anxious end of the season, and a start to the close season offering days at a time with a months worth of information in an afternoon, all Shakers fans need now is a period of consolidation where everyone does their bit and puts together a club we can be proud of on August 3rd, an excitement peaking at news of a new signing we've heard of or a tantalising peak at a new kit .
As I write signs are positive, fan concerns over who may be lurking on the periphery of the take over were quickly addressed, pre season has an interesting feel to it with some old (Radcliffe Boro), some new (Cornish tour) and a game v European opposition at Gigg giving the faithful something to look forward to. New sponsors are getting on board and the new guard seem to know what they should be giving them, and are working to put that in place.
My own take on the events of recent weeks is that Bury FC are obviously under very new management, new management who obviously want the best for the club and seem well placed to make that happen. The danger with any 'revolution' is that there are almost always casualties, and the possible collatoral damage of this revolution will be some of the things that make Bury FC the entertaining, infuriating but always ever present part of our lives that it has been. The club has been around for almost 130 years, not everything it has done has been wrong, out dated and needs dumping in a skip at the reception door.
Thank you massively to the board for saving our club. As fans we need to gratefully acknowledge the financial implications taken on our behalf, respectfully can we ask you to acknowledge that you have implications towards us also, in guiding something we hold extremely precious. There will be times when emotions are fraught, decisions questioned, motives doubted and minutiae scrutinised but please remember its only because we care.
Up the Shakers
