Today's Press Conference details

Mr Ridsdale was joined at the press conference by Reds owner Peter Doyle, Patrick Cryne and Council Leader Steve Houghton.

Mr Doyle said: “Today brings a very special joy to me personally but going back I do not believe that anyone should make any mistake that if I did not sign up on December 4 this club would not be in existence. When I signed up there was no money in the account – it had all been spent.

“Instead of finding £100,000 per month that became £440,000 a month. Nobody gave any help to me throughout and contrary to what people are led to believe I received no help from the council.

“Against all the odds I believe that I am a 100 per cent supporter of this club and that is why we are here today. It has been a long haul but we have come through to where we are today. We are now in a position where the Football League owes this club more than £800,000 – more than any football debt. There is money in the bank both before and after paying wages and costs have been reduced by 48 per cent. With a gate of 7,500 this club will break even this season.

“We are also second in Division Two and we have not lost a league game this season. I have met with Patrick Cryne on numerous occasions but unfortunately in the past things meant we could not get together. I am very pleases and honoured now to be handing the reigns of this club over to Patrick and Peter Ridsdale. I think that I have brought this club from rough seas into calm waters and we are ready to go forward. Under the new stewardship I believe this club can reach the Premiership. My safe hands are now leaving the club, subject to one or two things being ratified”.

Mr Ridsdale added: “I am delighted to be here at Barnsley today and confirm that what we have signed is an agreement to purchase both the Football Club and the Holdings Company. The intention is that when all legal terms have been signed off I will acquire Barnsley Football Club and I will also acquire Barnsley FC Holdings.

“The intention then is to make sure the uncertainty in the town never occurs again and to guarantee continuity of football at Oakwell. We will establish a joint venture company that will be purchased by Patrick Cryne and the council.

“The Council will not be involved directly in any investment in the football club. The crucial thing is that football clubs are part of the continuity. It is crucial in a town like Barnsley to make sure it has continuity of professional football. The uncertainty has been here for the last few months and I think everybody will acknowledge the job that Peter Doyle has done to stabilise that.

“That uncertainty must not be allowed to continue that is why we are putting together a structure that will ensure the future of Barnsley Football Club and particular the right and proper use of land here at Oakwell. We intend to give back football to the community and things will not just be about professional football here at Oakwell. We will establish a community programme here to give all children in the town the opportunity to use the facilities, coaching courses and truly put this club back into the community.

“Barnsley Football Club has tremendous facilities. It has a wonderful stadium and a wonderful Academy. There are very few clubs that can match these facilities so we want to make sure the Academy thrives and that local people have the opportunity to play for this club. If they cannot do that then we will give them the opportunity to be here enjoying these facilities.

“A lot has been made of the latter part of my time at Leeds United but life is all about doing things right and learning from mistakes. I would like to feel that in five and a half years as chairman at Leeds, we did quite a lot of things right and had five years of success. I readily acknowledge that we made some mistakes but I believe that the opportunity to learn from those and build on that success ought to give Barnsley FC a real chance to thrive.

“I am grateful for the support of Patrick Cryne and the council. Without Patrick’s desire to get involved this opportunity would not have come around. I look forward, once all the legal documentation has been completed, that everybody can get involved in Barnsley Football Club – fans, supporters and investors. We want everybody to join with us and build on a very good start to the new season”.

Cllr Steve Houghton said: “The first point to make is that the council will not be involved in the running of the football club. We have made that clear from the start although we will be involved with Patrick Cryne in the establishment of a joint venture company taking ownership of the ground and all surrounding assets. We are taking that proposal to the council for approval on September 18.

“We do that for three reasons – the retention of a football club in Barnsley is very, very important to everybody. It brings business and I think the loss of the club would be extremely damaging to what we are trying to achieve in Barnsley in the next few years.

“Secondly there are some excellent community facilities. We want to see there use extended right across Barnsley, particularly for schools in terms of the sports facilities and coaching opportunities.

“Thirdly, because of the uncertainty and speculation surrounding what may or may not happen on this site with or without football. We want to put an end to that for the sake of the millions of pounds worth of investment coming into the town. There is a real danger that development on this site may not be complementary to the town and that could undermine the investment coming in elsewhere. The Council would get some control over the future of this site working for the local community and local residents.

“It has not been an easy decision for the council because we are under pressure in a lot of ways but, given what we are trying to achieve for the town in the long term, it is right to be involved in the joint venture company and not the football club. We want to secure these assets in the long term interests of the borough”.

In regards to the Football League, Mr Ridsdale added: “The League are not making any different noises to us than they have done to anyone else. They have told us that the following procedures are followed and the following monies are lodged then this club will be out of administration.

“As of today they have not been completed but we know what we need to do and are in a position to do so once the full legal documentation is complete”.

When asked about the football management side, Mr Ridsdale said: “The fact of the matter is that managers, like chairmen, stand or fall by results. We are trying to bring stability to this club not instability. I have already acknowledged that we are currently second in the league in very trying circumstances so I believe the manager should be congratulated rather than feel threatened by any involvement on our part.

“When we complete the legal niceties then I expect Gudjon Thordarson to be the manager of Barnsley Football Club and he will be judged on an ongoing basis just like any other manager. I think he has done a very, very good job to get second in the league under the circumstances. He should not feel under any threat and look forward to working with people who have the ability to support him, get the club out of administration and aid him in strengthening the team”.