"I’VE had lots of discussions on a plethora of issues over the past few weeks and I am delighted with most of them. I feel very positive about the future of our club.
“Firstly, Wendy Mackie’s introduction has invigorated a lot of people at Stalybridge Celtic. None more than me. I may still have horrendously sad and private family issues at home, but Wendy has certainly given me back my Celtic mojo.
“She has impressed everyone and brought about a real change of mentality already. Wendy also sat down with manager Simon Haworth last week and had a tremendous meeting where both are singing loudly from the new hymn sheet that I’ve given them.
“The bottom line is that I can confirm Wendy as the new chief executive of the football club. Many congratulations Wendy!
“From now on, if anyone has any issues, please contact Wendy. Not me, not Syd White, not anyone else. She is the boss.
“Syd has continued to express his desire to do less as his own business is taking up so much of his time. In essence, Syd’s only real job at the club is to bring in income. We all need to support Syd in ensuring that he is just spending his time on stuff that he’s excellent at, and that the club desperately needs - bringing in fresh sponsorship.
"As you all know, I’ve always had great respect for Keith Smart. I asked him to chair B-T-B as I wanted us to reach out to those fans who felt the board was aloof and he organised that brilliantly. I subsequently asked him to become a board member, which at that time, he felt he couldn’t accept for private reasons.
“He had a tremendous meeting with Wendy last week and has now confirmed to me that he’d be honoured to accept such a role. Consequently, I’m delighted to announce that Keith will become a main board director.
“Keith has been a Celtic fan for over half a century now and has always had the club at heart. But he also brings with him two vital assets: time and experience. Keith is now retired and has already hit the ground running in the office. He was also a senior manager for a subsidiary of the Transamerica Corporation.
“He brings a good working knowledge of financial management and as a senior manager responsible for several continents, he also brings in man-management, organisational and general best-practice qualities that we have been badly missing.
“Keith will look after the day-to-day operations of the club regarding the finances and certain other matters. More records. More checks. Just more professional in how we go about our daily business.
"Welcome Keith and I’m delighted that you are joining the main board.
“I had another super-long chat with Simon Haworth on Monday. I know that he’s been a lifelong footballer, but my word he talks like a businessman. He’s very sharp, very focused, and understands the bigger picture.
“Simon is excited about both on and off-field developments and feels that we’re making progress in becoming a more professional club generally. He totally buys into both the much-needed culture change and also the need to run the club as a lean and mean business, not a Dog ’n’ Duck hobby. He sees the real potential of our club and wants to help us drive it forward.
“He is a real breath of fresh air.
“Club secretary Paul Carter has expressed his desire to step down from his role as being responsible for the stewards. I am delighted and very grateful, to Arthur Boswell, who has very kindly taken up that role. Arthur has been there, done that, and we should all be very thankful that he has kindly stepped back up the oche.
“I spoke at length to Gordon Greenwood about not only his own role going forward but also about the bigger picture and he is very happy. Gordon is a most critical cog in the whole machinery of Stalybridge Celtic Football Club and he knows how much I value him. I’m delighted that he’s fully committed. “We’ve got to run this like a business” was one of the most resonating comments that he made.
“I agree and we will.
“We still need to find an appropriate role for John Hall. He’s kindly said that he’s got time to give the club to help on specific projects. We’re short of good people and John has been a Celtic man for more than 50 years. It would be a crying shame if we could not utilise his experience, skills and love of the club.
“So, some majorly positive developments. Having Wendy and Keith on board will help transform Stalybridge Celtic, bring about much-needed change and will help propel our club forward. Simon is consolidating the team and simultaneously building for the future.
“ ‘All’ we need to do now is to increase our annual turnover from c £250,000 to £500,000 over the next few years and bring back the floating fans and it truly will be onwards and upwards.
“If the club is to prosper and drive forward, we need a change at the top. I’m excited that we’re doing that. Come gather round people. The times, they are a changin’.”