Richmond Spurs: Open Letter by Daniel Levy

Courtesy of Official Site-

An open letter to supporters from Chairman Daniel Levy.
Dear
Supporter,
Today we welcome members of our new coaching team to the Lane - Juande
Ramos and Marcos Alvarez and, in doing so, we bring to an end an unsettled two
months for our Club. Much has been written and speculated about the Club in the
past few weeks. Quite clearly there are always two sides to every story but, in
the interests of the Club, we have endured much criticism without responding or
retaliating. We have instead issued statements, when appropriate, containing
accurate and relevant information. For you, the supporters, there are two
particular issues on which I would now like to comment:
Firstly regarding
reports about Thursday evening - the first time Martin and I met to discuss his
position was after the match, there were no discussions prior and there were
none of the reported disagreements. We would not have, in any case, asked Martin
to take charge of the match under those circumstances. Media speculation which
preceded the game, inaccurately reporting Martin as having resigned, was in no
way a deliberate measure by this Club, in no way served our purposes and we have
resented any suggestion that this was the case. Leaks (which are wholly
unacceptable) and speculation accompanied the game and it is a sad and
regrettable aspect that individuals get caught in their midst. Several events
clearly did not happen as we all would have wished and I am the first to admit
that things could have been handled differently and better.
Secondly, I should like to once again outline how the acquisition and disposal of players works at the club. We have a Football Management Group which meets on a regular basis – this is constituted by myself, Damien Comolli (Sporting Director), John Alexander (Club Secretary) and the Head Coach, now Juande Ramos. This group meets to discuss, identify and acquire players in targeted positions and to
consider possible disposals. No player is brought into the Club or sold who is
not approved by the coaching staff – it would be counter-productive to buy
players that won’t be played. It is a system that Juande has worked with for
years, which allows him to specify his needs and to concentrate on coaching the
team whilst Damien and his scouting network seek options. This process clearly
relies on accurate briefing and good decision making. It has a collective
responsibility.
In conclusion, you, our supporters, should know that your Board
has always had, and will always have, the long term interests of your Club as
its sole focus. In the past six years we have accommodated many changes, some of
our own instigation and some that were thrust upon us by circumstance. I
consider it the mark of the strength of an organisation as to how it deals with
change, realigns and moves forward. We have made the changes, popular or
unpopular as they may be, that we felt were necessary and right. New
possibilities now face us, please lend us your support as we move forward
together.
Yours,
Daniel