Chairman Andy Holt announces Accrington is ‘up for sale’ in outburst on social media

Chairman Andy Holt announces that Accrington Stanley is ‘up for sale’ in quite the outburst on social media late on Saturday night.

Holt said in a series of tweets hours after his side beat MK Dons that he ‘is done’ and ‘wants his weekends and life back’.

The result leaves his side sitting 7th in League Two, yet Holt, who became the club’s majority shareholder back in 2015 and cleared around £1.2million worth of debts, went on Twitter to announce that they would be up for sale.

He wrote: “So now Accrington Stanley is up for sale. I won’t let the club fail, but I’m done.”

The businessman tends to use Twitter as a way of publicly airing his thoughts, sometimes controversial and an unusual way of doing so compared to other club owners.

He once slammed Boris Johnson for the government’s restrictions on playing football matches amid the Covid pandemic, at one point threatening to withdraw the club from playing matches.

Saturday saw Shaun Whalley get the only goal of the game in the 31st minute to secure Accy’s third successive league victory as they try to get themselves back into League One, which they were relegated from last season after a five-year stay in the third tier.

A few days ago, assistant manager Jimmy Bell said his and long-serving boss John Coleman’s futures had been uncertain with their current deals set to expire at the end of the season.

Holt added on Saturday night: “I’m not the right person to take this forward. Accy needs to change and become a new club with new methods.”

Holt claimed that £90,000 had been invested in the football club in September, and when a fan questioned where would the club be without him as their owner, he responded: “They would be bust. Like most clubs. I’m not going out on a Saturday night and spending all night pretending to be happy.

“And I’m not spending millions doing something I don’t enjoy. I want my weekends and life back.

“Seriously I have no more to offer. Time for someone fresh. When we got relegated last season the first thing our managers said was ‘give us a new contract or sack us.

“There was no way their performance deserved anything but the sack.

“But their past with the club got them a “get out of jail free card”

“Had they buckled down and proved they still had the hunger and desire to rebuild the club, I would discuss new contracts.

“Instead, after a few wins (not 3 straight losses), they went to the media. They tried to use fans to pressure me. Which was a mistake.”

 

🔴 Mine [and manager John Coleman’s] contract ends in June. We have asked [owner Andy Holt] what’s happening & he said he’d get back to us. Up to now, the clock’s ticking. We love the club & the fans to bits, but I’ve got to work”#Accrington asst. boss Jimmy Bell#bbcfootball

— BBC Sport Lancashire (@BBCLancsSport) October 16, 2023

Bell said: “Me and John want to stay and we’ll do everything we can to move the club forward.

“Our contracts are running down. We’ve been here a long time – I think it’s 23 years in all. We absolutely love the club, the fans and everything about it.

“But I’ve got to work, and I would love that security again of having a four-year or three-year contract. John has to work as well, we’re not fortunate enough to just retire.

“I find it amazing that we are running down a contract now. Andy has done magnificently for the club and at some stage we’re going to have to have a chat – and I hope it’s sooner, not later.’

On their decision to speak to the BBC, Holt wrote: “They went to BBC Lancashire Sport for one or both of these reasons. To use pressure from fans to coerce me into giving new or extended contracts. To flag out publicly they’re available to other clubs.’

He goes on to say he hadn’t spoken to the manager and his assistant after the victory over MK Dons, before claiming last season’s relegation had been down to some ‘poor decisions’ made by the management and himself.

“They failed. In football getting relegated threatens a club. Last season was about p*** poor decisions and management. Including my decisions.

“I’m not replacing them. I’m replacing me.”

Here’s how Twitter users reacted as chairman Andy Holt announces Accrington Stanley is ‘up for sale’ in an outburst on social media…

@markweb73: Stanley are not in a position at this time time to lose Andy Holt , John Coleman or Jimmy Bell , this is a disaster imo #asfc

@ibboryan: I just hope the club falls into the right hands. Got a lot of respect for Accrington Stanley, a tiny club in a small town with a very good set of fans. A proper community club.

@bigforestchris: #ASFC is epic tonight. Surely Andy Holt has been hacked? Slagging the manager, and put the club up for sale in one night all on this platform? 🤣

@BoothyP: This night just keeps getting better and better..: Andy Holt losing his head on social media is glorious. Always knew he was a massive 🔔🔚

@csbol01: Andy, I’m very sad to read this. You’ve been a real inspiration in a dystopian football world. I’ll never forget your advice and example during the dark times at Blackpool FC. One thing is for sure, you’ve done an incredible job for Accrington Stanley. I wish you the very best.

@RawMilkZine: “We were a Village team.” Get to fuck. Don’t let the door but you on the way out #asfc

@Mattftfc: HAHAHAHAH. the bi-weekly Andy Holt meltdown is box office 🍿

@talkasfc: surely @AndyhHolt has been hacked? #asfc

@ChrisMartin_93: You’ve done a great job, Andy. Excellent work transforming Stanley and hopefully they’re left in good hands if this is the end.

@jamulligan78: I hope this is only the case if it’s the right thing for both you and the club. As an outsider looking in, you have always seemed like one of the good guys, and I love visiting your ground.

@Clarkeyy106: If you do go, what a job you’ve done Holty! Not an Accy fan but as an outsider I’ve seen nothing but good things!

@willorwillnot88: Shame to hear you’re done as the work you’ve done has been amazing, and a lot of other clubs fans are jealous of what you’ve done

@BigEdBanthorp: You’ve clearly done a brilliant job for Accrington, but I do wonder if in the modern day the way you conduct things isn’t always the best (you handled that morsy incident two incidents ago awfully) Clearly a brilliant bloke in terms of running a football club

@SmokeyTimRobbo: Not an Accy fan, and you & me have disagreements on here about politics over the years because you have consistently supported the current shower, but you’re one of the standup chairman in EFL. You’ve done a top top job. Take a breath, sleep, reset, and go again.

@scottkitching92: I remember my first beer 😂

@dannysmithlaaa: Fans won’t know how good they had it till it’s gone Andy. Don’t blame you pal, you’ve got Accy far further than fans ever would have imagined.

@kierons97: Has @AndyhHolt been hacked or is he just a prick putting our club up for sale on twitter ? 😂 #ASFC

@documartin: Oh look, Andy Holt has thrown his toys out of the pram. What a surprise.

@samatkin: Why do this over Twitter on a Saturday night?? Surely the fans deserve better!!!

@JoeCrosland: Andy Holt’s meltdown on here is proof that football clubs should be in the hands of their communities and not subject to the whims and vagaries of one man. Even the “good” owners can’t be trusted forever

@luxetrobur: Andy Holt is like a dog that shits on its own bed for attention

@Bluearmypfc_: I mean, Andy Holt is a knob anyway, respect that he does get some stuff out in the open about the reality of club finances but there’s some things that just shouldn’t be public

@russhrew: I had to check the date when I read this. As it’s nowhere near April I have to assume that you really are pee’d off and this is for real. I’m not an Accy fan but you are one of the reasons I tell everyone that they are my “second club” So well run and excellent engagement.

@SteveyAsp: The Andy Holt posts are interesting, he promised total transparency….I think he’s probably holding back on his opinions over his manager and assistant but he’s still having a good dig at them 🤣

@SuperShaker1980: The situation at Accrington Stanley, the Managers, and Andy Holt is quite remarkable.

@_dgallagher99: Andy Holt. 🥴

Andy never cared if he rattled people at the EFL or the Premier League. He kept making the point that the current structure of football makes it impossible to sustain long-term success without spending money clubs don’t have, which imperils the future of any non-Big 6 club.

— Martin Calladine (@uglygame) October 22, 2023

Trying to run a football club sustainably is exhausting because most of your competitors are knowingly run unsustainably. So even if, as Andy has, you put your hand in your pocket to cover losses and invest in facilities, it will never be enough.

— Martin Calladine (@uglygame) October 22, 2023