EFL fans slam club’s ‘disgraceful’ 43-word statement on sacking boss after 25 years
ACCRINGTON STANLEY fans have criticized the club’s “disgraceful” 43-word statement after sacking their long-serving manager.
The League Two side were thumped 4-0 at Wrexham yesterday, conceding all four in the first half in North Wales.
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This left the ‘Owd Reds 16th in the table after a third straight defeat as hopes of securing a play-off spot appear to be fading.
And it marked the end for Coleman, who had been boss since 2014, and his assistant Jimmy Bell.
Before this ten-year spell, Coleman had also managed Accrington from 1999 to 2012, taking them from the Northern Premier League to the EFL – a total of almost 23 years in the What Stadium dugout.
But despite his dedicated service to the club dating back to the last century, the 61-year-old’s departure was announced with a short, blunt comment from the club.
The statement said: “Acrington Stanley can today confirm that John Coleman and Jimmy Bell have been notified that their contracts have been terminated with immediate effect.
“Everyone at the club thanks them for their long service and we wish them all the best for the future.”
However, the ridiculously short press release sparked a furious response from irate supporters on social media.
One said: “Are you taking the p***? They deserve better than that after such a brilliant and long service.”
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Another wrote: “Is this statement for two people who have served the club for almost 25 years?”
A third added: “The way this statement is horribly thought out. Two paragraphs for almost 25 years of promotions from obscurity in non-league to their weight in the EFL really leaves a very bad taste. It’s the end of a bloody great era.”
A fourth fumed: “A truly ruthless statement. John Coleman, who has been at the club for 20 years, has the respect of many in the sport and deserved better than this sloppy paragraph.”
And one end user simply responded: “Shocking.”
To make matters worse, unpopular Accrington owner Andy Holt appeared to delete his X account immediately after news of Coleman’s dismissal broke.
Holt – who famously put the club up for sale on the social media platform – regularly got into arguments online.
That included a row with Boris Johnson during Covid and Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham over ticket prices.
The Hollywood pair’s side were angry that Accrington increased prices for their fans’ visit to the Wham Stadium – and responded by cutting costs for yesterday’s return.
That led to Holt hitting out at Wrexham’s ‘stupid, mistimed statements’.
And just two weeks ago the controversial owner revealed on