MP RESPONDS TO CHAIRMAN'S COMMENTS

12.00.00am GMT Wed 26th Mar 2008

In response to the ill-informed comments by the current Chairman and owner of Colchester United Football Club, who is either being badly briefed or has no knowledge of the Club's history, for the record let me point out the true position of how the U's have been able to exist as a professional League club for the past 17 years. It is extremely disappointing, and worrying, that Mr Robbie Cowling has behaved in the way he has.

At the 2007 Annual Meeting of Colchester United FC, Mr Peter Heard, the then Chairman (but no longer owner) of the Club, thanked me for all my support over the years in helping to achieve the outcome of a new stadium where the U's would play. On the occasion of my 50th Anniversary of supporting the U's, in February last year, I had the honour of being the Match Sponsor. The programme for that match (against Burnley) gave a brief resume of my involvement in helping to save Colchester United as a professional football club in April 1991 - through my crucial position as Leader of Colchester Borough Council which bought Layer Road from former owner Jonathan Crisp - and a year later getting back into the Football League as Conference Champions by securing a long lease with the Council to comply with new League regulations following the debacle of Maidstone United who had got into the League without having their own ground. Without both these key moves, then Colchester United would have ceased to exist as a professional club capable of playing in the League - and, at best, we would now be sharing Wivenhoe Town's ground in one of the lower leagues......and Layer Road would long ago have been developed with housing.

Contrary to what Mr Cowling has said, Colchester United was not in danger of going into Administration in 1991. It was simply that Mr Crisp, having invested upwards of £1 million of his own money, had had enough and wanted "out". If there were people wanting to buy non-League Colchester United, they never made themselves known publicly. Colchester United supporters were faced with the stark reality that if Colchester Borough Council had not bought Layer Road from Mr Crisp - as a future housing site, which was the only way the Council could justify paying £1 million for a site whose alternative use was residential, hence the price - then that would have been the end of Layer Road, and the end of the U's as we know them. As Leader of the Council, I was instrumental in that decision. For the next couple of years' or so I was the Landlord's (ie the Council's) "observer" on the Board of Directors, which is where I subsequently met Mr Heard when he joined the Board. We developed a close working relationship which was to prove crucial during the long journey to secure planning permission and financial support for the new Stadium at Cuckoo Farm.

A key decision was me bringing together, at a meeting held at the House of Commons with a Transport Minister, all those involved in securing agreement for a new junction from the A12 into the Cuckoo Farm site without which none of the development in this part of Colchester could proceed. This meeting was arranged as a direct result of me raising the problem during Transport Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport on the floor of the House. Later it became necessary to get special agreement to enable the Stadium to be built ahead of the junction being constructed, and I was involved in that as well.

I had hoped to continue my good working relationship with the Club, as I had with Mr Heard who kindly phoned me to give me advance notice that he had sold the Club to Mr Cowling before it was announced publicly. As the Town's MP I wrote to Mr Cowling to say "welcome" and to say that I hoped the good relationship I had had with Mr Heard would continue with him. I suggested that perhaps a meal at the House of Commons would be a good way to meet for the first time, as and when this was convenient to him. I heard nothing for weeks but eventually (after I enquired of a Director as to why I had not had a response) I did get an e-mail acknowledgement from Mr Cowling who explained that he had been very busy but, yes, he would get in touch for a chat. That has never happened, despite further letters which were all of a friendly and constructive nature towards the best interests of the Club and its supporters.

Why Mr Cowling has behaved in the way he has is astonishing. No Member of Parliament has done more to promote his local football club than I have. Wherever I go, locally and nationally, there is astonishment that the new regime at Colchester United FC (and Community Stadium) is behaving in this way towards me. In some respects I am reminded of Mr Crisp who came to the Club, threw lots of money at it, and after three years we were relegated out of the Football League. Mr Cowling has already invested more in one year than Mr Crisp did in his entire reign, and in his first year we are set to be relegated for the first time in 18 years. To my mind the ethos of Colchester United has changed for the worse. The "friendly family club" has been replaced with one where Executive Boxes and Corporate Hospitality seem to be of greater importance than the views and interests of the rank and file supporters - with whom I have a kindred association having declined, with thanks, the kind offer of the Club when I was elected MP in 1997 to take a seat in the Directors' Box. Perhaps if I had I would have met Mr Cowling, and his attitude would be different. I can only conclude that someone has been briefing against me, which with due modesty I think will not be in the long-term best interests of Colchester United FC.

Colchester United will always be the team who I want to watch, and over the next season I shall still come to some games. However, to show my disapproval of the Cowling regime and his attitude, I will not be buying a season ticket - and, from what an increasing number of fans are telling me, I will not be the only one. It is not so much what has happened on the pitch that will affect the gate next season (from memory I think they were higher in the Conference than they were in the old 4th Division) but rather the attitude of the Club towards supporters in general. I am sure that if all those who campaigned for the new Stadium had known what the outcome would be they may have felt that staying at "inadequate" Layer Road would have been better than a new Stadium where there is not even room for the official Supporters' Association although space for 24 Executive Boxes!

Following the thrashing at Norwich which makes relegation almost certain (although with six games to go, escape is still mathematically possible), here's hoping that this will bring the Club to its senses. A reality check is needed. Up the U's!

• Bob Russell, MP for Colchester, and U's supporter for 51 years