Football: Sacked Fry has players' support

BARNET players rallied round their sacked manager, Barry Fry, yesterday, appealing to the football authorities to save the club from its chairman, Stan Flashman.

Fry received his dismissal notice by registered letter yesterday, and the players said in a statement: 'Action needs to be taken now or the players and the supporters will be the losers. We appeal to football followers, the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association), the Football League and the FA to take our pleas seriously.'

Fry's last act before leaving the Edgware training ground was to talk his players out of a strike, and one player said: 'That would be playing into Fat Stan's hands - we don't want to do anything that is detrimental to the club and our promotion chances.'

The players accused Flashman of making the club 'a laughing stock' in the last fortnight, after the pounds 50,000 fine for financial irregularities and Flashman's alleged clashes with photographers before and after the League hearing.

Fry called for Flashman to resign after the hearing, and this was thought to precipitate the dismissal, combined with Flashman's suspicion that his manager was involved with the pounds 1m takeover consortium, headed by the former Tottenham defender Paul Miller.

Though it is not the first time Fry has been sacked - it has happened three times this year alone - it is the first time in writing and Flashman insists there will be no more reconciliations.

'Barry Fry is finished at Barnet FC as long I'm chairman there,' Flashman said. 'He has broken all the rules of managership. He can speak to the Press within reason, but not the way he has been doing.'

Fry, who joined the club seven years ago and took them from the GM Vauxhall Conference into the Football League two years ago, said: 'I'm absolutely gutted. I'm devastated. The man is a complete and utter shit. Stan has questioned my loyalty and commitment to Barnet FC, which is unbelievable. He gave six reasons for my dismissal and they were all rubbish.'

'Anyone connected to Barnet would know how much Barry Fry loves the club and is the one person who has kept it together,' the players said. 'The reason that Barnet are second in the division and playing attractive and entertaining football must be credited to Barry Fry's dedication, enthusiasm, loyalty and all-round commitment.

'The players are extremely angry and fed up at a decision that has once again made Barnet FC and its loyal supporters a laughing stock. How much longer will this be allowed to continue?'

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