AS the dust settles on the Aggborough power struggle, it seems that the incumbent Kidderminster Harriers board are set to continue their tenancy.

From a stability point of view that has its merits.

However, before we become too euphoric I think the supporters deserve some explanation for the ineptitude of the last 12 months.

Mr Youngjohns has publicly accepted responsibility for the club's relegation and deserves credit for his honesty, but that still leaves a number of disturbing issues which need to be addressed.

Why, for instance, was Jan Molby allowed to dispose of some of the club's best players and then spend over a month in Portugal on media work when clearly he would have been better employed back at Aggborough recruiting replacement players?

Significantly, all this occurred with the tacit approval of the Harriers board.

By mid-October, with the club in freefall, the chairman was still insisting that Mr Molby would "turn things round".

A week later, Molby had left, whereupon the chairman promptly did an about-turn by questioning the wisdom of Molby's pre-season absence and other aspects of his tenure, having previously condoned everything.

The subsequent period of delay and indecision before the eventual appointment of Stuart Watkiss did nothing to help matters.

There then followed the embarrassment of the alleged fielding of an unregistered player, for which the club reportedly incurred a substantial financial penalty. For a club which constantly bemoans a lack of finance, this was an expensive and careless error.

Mr Youngjohns frequently asserts that he is a lifelong Harriers supporter. I applaud his obvious passion for the club, but I would respectfully point out that there are up to 2,000 or so "core" supporters who are equally committed to the cause.

They are crucial to the club's survival and their loyalty cannot be taken for granted.

Neither should they be seen as merely a ready source of income, which was the impression given when the board apparently felt it appropriate to reward the loyalty of those regular supporters by obscenely raising the price of admission for the FA Cup game against Wolves.

If the status quo at Aggborough is to continue, and the same personnel remain in office, it would be proper for the sake of the club to afford them full support. However, for their part, the board need to indicate that they acknowledge and have learned from past mistakes.

Perhaps they might also clarify why the £400,000 generously offered by local benefactors "to keep the club in local hands" was not made available a few weeks ago when it was desperately needed in the fight against relegation.

In any event, the supporters are entitled to, and deserve better than, the shambles which they have endured over the past year and there is clearly a need to restore their confidence and optimism.

These observations should not be seen as gratuitous criticism, but as a genuine concern for the future well-being of the club.

To quote Mr Youngjohns : "It's time to wake up and smell the coffee."

C FOOTITT

Blount Terrace

Kidderminster