Magpies close to being sold as nightmare season ends in relegation
Alan Hardy, the owner and chairman of Notts County, says he expects a deal to completed to sell the club “in the near future” despite the Magpies being relegated from the Football League on Saturday (4 May).
The favourite to buy the club is thought to be a South African consortium which has reportedly undertaken due diligence.
Notts lost 3-1 away at Swindon Town to confirm what many had thought inevitable for months, and the club will now have to face up to life outside the football league for the first time since it was formed in 1862.
Next season the Magpies will play in the FA Trophy and have to qualify for the first round proper of the FA Cup. Away attendances at Meadow Lane will plummet, as the world’s oldest professional adjusts to football outside the top four divisions.
In a statement on the Notts County website, Alan Hardy said: “Having headed into this season with every intention of challenging for automatic promotion, to find ourselves in this situation is bitterly disappointing for everyone involved with the club.
“Once again I have invested heavily in the playing budget this season, fully supporting each manager with new signings, and having had the best interests of this club at heart since my arrival two and a half years ago, I am as distraught as anybody at today’s outcome.
“But, as owner, I take ultimate responsibility and apologise to our fans, whose support has been unwavering despite the difficulties we’ve faced.
Notts County owner and chairman Alan Hardy speaking at our event last May
Last season, Notts made it to the Play-Off semi-finals, losing to Coventry. In the run up to that two-legged tie, Hardy appeared at a TheBusinessDesk.com event, at which he revealed a five-year plan for the club to reach the Championship.
He told our audience: “When the players leave the dressing room and go out onto the pitch at 3pm every Saturday afternoon, then I have absolutely no control over what happens.
He added: “So many people have a connection and a stake in this football club. I’m merely the current custodian – but of course I have a plan. I want Notts County to be in the Championship, but when that happens the money becomes serious, and that’s when I’ll assess my options.”
Notts have had three managers this season. They have won just nine game and shipped 84 goals. Hardy was embroiled in a scandal on Twitter in January when he mistakenly posted an intimate photo of himself on Twitter. It’s easy to forget that when then manager Kevin Nolan sent out his team for the first game of the 2018-19 season, they were considered one of the favourites for automatic promotion after Hardy had ploughed considerable sums into a summer spending spree. In March, Hardy’s Paragon Interiors company went into administration with all staff laid off. He has described the last six as month as the worst of his life.
Looking forward, Hardy’s statement on County’s website added: “Naturally, questions will now be raised about the club’s immediate future.
“Conversations with prospective new owners are ongoing and I expect a deal to be completed in the near future.
“I truly hope the next custodian of Notts County is able to restore our status as the world’s oldest Football League club at the earliest opportunity.”
