Open Letter to Fans from CUFC Chairman, Philip Law, on behalf of the Board

This has been a difficult few days for Cambridge United following the departure of Jimmy Quinn. I owe the fans an explanation for the way the announcement was handled and fully accept that some mistakes were made. I also hope people understand that they were made with the best of intentions.

The statement was released on Sunday evening for one simple reason. I wanted to tell the fans as soon as the decision had been reached after my conversation with Jimmy.

He asked that we afford him the opportunity to explain the reasoning firsthand and I agreed to this request, out of respect for him. However the gap between Sunday night and today when Jimmy returned to the UK allowed an information vacuum to develop that has been filled with rumour and speculation. The fans became frustrated and understandably took their frustration out on myself and the Board. In hindsight it would have been better to have waited and made the announcement and given the explanation for it at the same time.

Second, I am acutely aware that trust between past administrations of this Club and the fans has been in short supply in recent years. This Board is part of a new start. Trust between us is vital to the future of this Club. It has to be earned by the Board. It does not come by right.

As Directors of the Club we recognise that we are custodians of something very special for the city and the fans of Cambridge United. It is a responsibility we don't take lightly. We are first and foremost fans of the Club too.

Every decision that we have taken in recent weeks has been guided by one principle and one principle alone - whether we believe it is in the long term interests of Cambridge United Football Club. There is and never will be any other agenda as long as I am Chairman of the Club, and I know my fellow Directors feel the same way. We are very ambitious for Cambridge United. Sometimes in positions of responsibility it does mean making difficult decisions, and they can be unpopular. However much they might sometimes disagree with them, fans should always be assured that our decisions are made with good intentions.

Last season the Board decided to invest heavily to try and secure promotion in the second half of the season. We almost made it, but it would be unsustainable to continue with that level of financial commitment indefinitely. It will not be lost on people that at United we start each season £200,000 behind most other clubs due to our onerous rent burden.

Finally, this has been a challenging period. We now have to put it behind us and move on. I believe that we can do so with confidence for three reasons.

First, I believe we will recruit a manager worthy of this great football club who can take us to the next level.

Second, we have the nucleus of a great team and will add players to it before the start of the season to make it stronger still.

Finally, we are privileged to have the best fans in the league by a mile. That matters more than anything else.

Philip Law
Chairman

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