Tuesday 22nd February 2005

STEVE Tully's refusal to apologise to fans for comments made in the Dorset Echo ultimately cost him his
job at the Wessex Stadium.

In an interview last month after the former Torquay United defender had handed in a written transfer request, he accused the club of moving in the wrong direction and lacking ambition.

He also blasted manager Steve Johnson for signing too many players and claimed the Terras weren't good enough to win promotion.

Tully was immediately dropped by the club but he won his place back in the side after holding clear the air talks with Johnson and chairman Martyn Harrison.

During that meeting last season's player of the year agreed to apologise publicly for his outburst but has since kept his silence.

Harrison explained: "You don't go slagging off your employers in the Press and we were very disappointed in Tully.

But after talking to him he quickly retracted his comments and we agreed to put the matter behind us, although I have to -say it was very reluctantly on his part.

"Part of that agreement was that he would apologise publicly to both his team mates and the fans. After the things he said about the club that was the least he could have done.

"But so far he's refused to do that and so as far as I'm concerned I don't want him in the dressing room and I'm
sure the manager and the other players feel the same way.

"We took him back on the strength of that promise and he has let us down. It's not right what he did. His team mates and the fans especially deserve an apology and he's not given them one."