Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Bradbury issues detailed statement
Cherries boss Lee Bradbury maintains chief scout Des Taylor has been offered a position by Burnley.[LNB] Bradbury made the claim in a detailed statement which covered a number of recent matters published on the club's official website earlier today.[LNB] His comments came after Cherries chairman Eddie Mitchell had suggested the Clarets had made an illegal approach for Taylor and accused them of being underhand and unprofessional.[LNB] In response, Burnley issued a statement on their club website to strongly refute Mitchell's claims and said they had not approached, nor offered Mr Taylor any position at Turf Moor.[LNB] Taylor announced his intention to quit Cherries earlier this week, saying a lack of ambition by the club had been behind his decision.[LNB] However, Cherries subsequently refused to accept his resignation and Taylor is understood to have been placed on gardening leave, pending a board meeting at the Seward Stadium tomorrow.[LNB] Bradbury's take on the Taylor saga, which appeared during the final paragraphs of his statement, read: Finally, the recent resignation of Des Taylor was one that disappointed me personally.[LNB] In his time with Fletch and I at the helm, Des has helped us acclimatise to the change in our daily routine and the pressures of football management.[LNB] Unfortunately, Des has made it clear that the opportunity he has been offered by Burnley was one that he could not turn down. We must look to the future though and are already in conversation with other scouts about the potential vacant position at the club.[LNB] The Daily Echo was last night unable to contact Taylor for a response to Bradbury's claims.[LNB] Bradbury's statement in full read: Fletch and I have been closely observing press coverage and public reaction to the events of the past few weeks at AFC Bournemouth.[LNB] As most are probably aware, we have stayed relatively quiet with regards to the sale and departure of some of last season's squad and backroom staff, not because we were concerned, but because we have been concentrating on building a competitive squad for the forthcoming season.[LNB] We would like to outline that the comings and goings of staff within a football club is a common thing. We have been very lucky at AFC Bournemouth considering the success of the past three seasons to keep our squad intact for such a long period of time, but things change and people have to move on. This will be our first full season as a management duo and we are looking forward to putting our own stamp on the club and its personnel.[LNB] Firstly, with regards to our playing squad, there has been no surprise with the players whom have moved on to pastures new. With regret, we had to say goodbye to Danny (Hollands), who, for family reasons, was forced to move closer to the capital.[LNB] Rhoys (Wiggins) made it clear from the moment he submitted a transfer request in March that he was no longer committed to fulfilling his contract. Fletch and I are building a squad which is fully devoted to playing for AFC Bournemouth, therefore, it was an easy decision for us to let him go.[LNB] Jason Pearce will go down as one of the finest professionals I have ever had the pleasure to work with and, personally, I would never have dreamt of standing in the way of his destiny to play at a higher level. We say goodbye to him with a heavy heart, but offer him our best wishes for the future.[LNB] With regards to the acquisitions we have made and the targets which we continue to monitor, we are very pleased with how our pre-season is panning out. We convened for our first session earlier this week and the new boys (Darryl) Flahavan, (Steven) Gregory and (Adam) Barrett fitted in seamlessly. It is clear we still need to strengthen our squad in areas, but we are very close to sealing individuals who, when we begin the season, will add to what is already a strong squad.[LNB] The departure of Joe Roach was sudden, but the club now begins to build for the future, beginning with the transformation of the centre of excellence. The final decision was mutual and we would like to thank Joe for 10 fantastic years at the club.[LNB] We now welcome Paul Groves to the club as our youth team manager who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the set-up, with recent coaching roles at Portsmouth and West Ham. Fletch and I have been privy to the redevelopment plans at every step and we are really excited about what the future holds.[LNB] Finally, the recent resignation of Des Taylor was one that disappointed me personally. In his time with Fletch and I at the helm, Des has helped us acclimatise to the change in our daily routine and the pressures of football management.[LNB] Unfortunately, Des has made it clear that the opportunity he has been offered by Burnley was one that he could not turn down. We must look to the future though, and are already in conversation with other scouts about the potential vacant position at the club.[LNB] Fletch and I are champing at the bit to get this season under way and the chairman is doing everything he can to help us acquire the last remaining bits of the jigsaw.[LNB] We have forged a strong relationship with Eddie Mitchell over the past few months and we appreciate all the support he has given us. In the four years myself and the 18 Fletch have been at the club, we have never seen it as stable as it is today.[LNB] I am certain that when my team walks out on to the pitch at the Valley on the first day of the season, we will have a fantastic squad and the burning desire to pick up where we left off in May.[LNB]
