Mr Shepherd's programme notes - from official site

AS I have said before I tend not to write notes for the programme for every home match but only at times when I believe that it is appropriate to do so.

Today is such a time because today is so vitally important to us. We must also remember that in welcoming Leicester City to Oakwell today this game is as crucial to them as it is to us so it promises to be a tense and passionate encounter.

Unfortunately my wife and I will be away today so for the first time this season we will not be present at a home game. Perhaps just as well as I am not at all sure that my nerves would stand it but rest assured that we will be monitoring the team's progress throughout the afternoon. However we will both be at West Brom for the very last match of the season and I hope that by then our future will have been determined and that it will still be in the Championship. As we all know today's match against Leicester is massively crucial in achieving that goal so your vocal and moral support will be even more essential than usual in this most important of games. You really can make the difference Your vociferous and enthusiastic backing right from the kick off is essential and will make a difference.

In briefly reviewing the position you may recall that at the beginning of the season we set two clear cut objectives.

First and foremost we needed to build on our improvement towards financial stability and independence and I am pleased to report that our progress has been maintained. The massive losses of 2/3 years ago have been stemmed and the majority of our various activities are now indicating profits which is a considerable achievement due in no small part to the sterling work of our hard pressed staff and to them I offer the thanks of the Board. I can confirm that the Directors of the Club have unanimously supported this drive for financial stability and will continue to do so. Most of you will appreciate that financial stability off the field facilitates team building on the field.

Secondly, and equally importantly, we set our sights on establishing ourselves in the Championship, which, at the time of writing these notes, is not fully secure. As I have already stated today will be critical, both at Oakwell and other grounds, in determining our future status. We knew that this league would be tough and so it has proved, hopefully the lessons learned this season will help us next year and I am convinced that under Simon Davey and his management staff the team will continue to be improved.

Just to keep you informed I can confirm that a considerable amount of effort has also been put into resolving various legal issues which were both time consuming and messy but all of them were very necessary, actually one or two were critical in allowing this Club to remain as a member of the Football League. Fortunately these issues have been satisfactorily resolved and our attention can now be focussed on our mainstream activities.

May I also take this opportunity of thanking all our fans for their continued and valuable support throughout the season it has been much appreciated by everyone at the Club. During the ups and downs of a season it is not always easy to maintain that support so from the Directors and Management may I offer a huge vote of thanks to you all.

Good luck to Simon and the lads today. As recent games have proved we have shown that we have the character and skill to achieve the results that we need.

Please, please, please get behind the team today as your support will be vital.

Enjoy the game.

Gordon Shepherd

 

Cheers, Laura. Interesting stuff.