Fawaz Al Hasawi Issues NFFC Statement.

With only days until the new season kicks off, the proposed sale of Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles to Newcastle has generated a formal response from Fawaz Al Hasawi via his Twitter account.

The same statement has now been added to the club’s official website.

In brief, Mr Al Hasawi reflects upon his preference to retain the club’s promising youngsters, but states that this needs to be balanced with ensuring a long term sustainable plan for the club’s future.

He re-iterates the backing he has given to Stuart Pearce since his arrival, with the signings made during pre-season – whilst also pointing out the investments made in securing and then extending contracts for the likes of Jamie Paterson, Ben Osborn and Dimitar Evtimov and the pair in question.

Pearce had stated that Darlow and Lascelles had been sold against his wishes, the Chairman’s explanation:

‘The manager and I openly discussed the proposed sale of Karl and Jamaal and he was aware of the negotiations throughout. The business side of football is changing and the requirement to increase revenue means, unfortunately, difficult decisions have to be made.’

Pearce himself admitted that he knew of the offer for the players last week, but felt that the offer was too low and suggested that the offer be declined.

Mr Al Hasawi then goes on to elaborate that the revenue generated from the sale will ‘significantly help us meet the stringent financial fair play (FFP) criteria, all the while allowing us to retain two high-quality players for the 2014-15 season, paying nothing towards their wages.’

Had the statement been made prior to his manager appearing on Radio Nottingham and had Pearce actually been told of this sale before hearing it from Lascelles heading north for a medical, then this may have served to placate some of the anger and the adverse reactions evidenced.

There is a notable change in some of the phrases now being used by the Chairman in this latest statement…. ‘there is no room for sentimentality’ and ‘balancing the books’are not unexpected, but should have been used to manage expectations long before now, rather than previous statements along the the lines of ‘there is no pressure to sell’.

There are reassurances that further additions will be made to give greater balance, whilst also trimming the squad further – so, it’s highly likely that departures will exceed arrivals in the coming weeks.

Again, this is not unexpected, as Pearce himself, stated that he wanted a smaller group of players to work with, a group with sufficient talent to feature in a top 6 side and which represent good value for the club, whilst ensuring a route to the first team for those within the club’s academy.

On the subject of Henri Lansbury, Fawaz stated: ‘He is a talented player who we don`t want to lose. He rejected my offer of a new contract earlier this year but that deal remains on the table. He has two more years to run on his current contract and we hope he will play a huge part for us this season. It is now time for Henri to make his decision.’

Lansbury continues to be linked with the newly promoted sides, QPR & Burnley – so the Premier League and the financial rewards that go with it, may prove to be sufficient to lure him away from Forest – although, I’d hope he prefers to see how a year back under Pearce’s guidance goes.

The final aspect of the statement makes reference to recent media speculation surrounding the renaming & potential sponsorship of The City Ground. He admits an openness, with FFP criteria in mind, for ‘a slight change to the stadium name.’.

In summary, there is nothing in this statement that could not have been predicted but the acknowledgement of impending FFP implications and the need to balance the books is long overdue.

Having ambitious plans for the club are fine, provided they are realistic and achievable within ours means.

Adopting a more prudent and frugal approach are equally acceptable provided it is clearly communicated to all, as this manages the expectations of supporters and helps to avoid the sort of reactions seen last night.

To read the full statement, click the following link: click here

Thanks for issuing the statement anyway Mr Chairman.

& Come On You Reds!!