Rescue bid for Terras rejected
By Ben Glass

Wednesday 17th January 2007

FORMER Weymouth FC chairman Ian Ridley today tells the Echo in detail how he, along with club legend Steve Claridge, offered to return to put in place a rescue package at the crisis-hit club.

He says he was rebuffed by current chairman Martyn Harrison following a series of talks.

Ridley claims he wanted Claridge to return as a player manager and assemble a team capable of remaining competitive - at a total cost of £4,000 a week.

He says: "To implement this plan I wanted to return as chairman, with Dave Higson joining me on the board. In addition I was willing to come back to the club as an unpaid part-time chief executive to sort out the situation, thus saving the £1,200 a week wages of Gary Calder.

"Steve Claridge would have known how to find new clubs for players and get cheap ones in very quickly, as well as maintaining gate revenue by being on the pitch."

Ridley claims the club is losing money by day. He says: "Weymouth FC owes Hollybush Hotels around £2.5million and Barclays around £400,000, though it has a debenture on the club for £800,000. The club is losing around £70,000 a month, still saddled with exorbitant contracts."

He adds that initially Harrison appeared to accept the offer - 'after the one-hour meeting Martyn rang me back a few hours later and agreed to all the criteria'.

But by Monday night - four days after talks began - Harrison told Ridley he would not make that decision.

Ridley adds: "The future of the club can only remain uncertain. My fear is the land is sold along with the club."