Writing before the Leeds game, in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Board, he gives his backing to Dave Jones and says funds will be made available to strengthen the team. U-Jiun also asks us the fans to keep faith with the team and is confident we can regain the form of earlier this season.
Happy New Year to you and I hope this email finds you well.
I share your concerns on the recent performance of our team and 8 points out of a potential 30 does not bode well. However I still feel that we are in a good position regardless of how our present form has been. We are only 3 points from second place with a game in hand (after tonight) against Swansea, and there is still half a season to go. (Also I forgive Bristol for kicking our backsides as they drew away with QPR.)
After all this league is a marathon, not a sprint and while it may be great to lead from the front all the time, this may not be a practical possibility considering the size of our squad and the backup/reserve players that we have, especially after years of squad attrition due to our finances.
We have been keeping constant contact with Dave Jones regarding this situation and he continues to receive our support during this period. I know it can be a bit unnerving, trust me it is even worse to have to deal with the uncertainty when we are so far away as well. Having said that this has been an intense period of games for our players and maybe they have not had sufficient mental and physical rest to see them through these tough times. The wear and tear, and attrition that they have had to deal with will undoubtedly take its toll. After all our back four have been more or less the same guys since the start of the season, and they will no doubt go through loss of form, it is just unfortunate that they have switched off at the same time.
We are committed to giving Dave the resources necessary to see us through this marathon and ultimately that is what a January transfer window is for, to tweak or improve the squad. It is apparent that our defence needs a big boost and even Dave had no doubts about that at the start of the season. However, it was felt that reinforcements up front we more necessary than in the back during that period.
I'm also quite excited with the arrival of Jon Parkin, as he really looks like a beast and I think he will suit our style of play very well. With a lot of luck our targets for centre back will come through, it would have been nice to get Andy O'Brien, but not everything can happen the way we want it.
I personally believe that once we shore up our defence, we will be raring to go again, as it will relieve some pressure on the midfield and allow them to open up and play our kind of attacking football.
I ask that you continue to support Dave Jones through these testing times, and that you try your best to get the fans behind him. At this moment, I feel the players and management should know that everyone is behind them. We have also made clear to Dave that the funds necessary to get suitable centre backs are there for him and hopefully that will help us regain our form.
Thank you and may this year bring good fortune and happiness to you and your family
Regards,
U-Jiun