Wilde resignation a shock to Burley (From This is Hampshire)

Wilde resignation a shock to Burley

8:24am Tuesday 27th February 2007

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George Burley has revealed his "shock at Michael Wilde's resignation.

But the Saints manager insists his chairman's departure will not derail his side's promotion push.

Wilde stunned Saints fans yesterday morning by standing down as chairman of the club's football board and vice chairman of the PLC board just nine months after ousting Rupert Lowe.

The main reason for the 54-year-old Jersey-based property tycoon's surprise decision was his failure to attract new investment into the club.

Leon Crouch has been installed as Wilde's temporary replacement as chairman of the football board. His permanent appointed must be ratified at a board meeting.

Crouch will be Burley's third chairman - an odd twist on the normal football cliché of chairmen getting through managers.

But the set-up Wilde put in place at St Mary's means chief executive Jim Hone has overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of Saints, not Crouch.

Burley paid tribute to the work Wilde has done and added he had enjoyed working with him.

He said: "It was a shock to me. I was at a board meeting on Thursday and I spoke to him then and everything seemed fine."

Full story in today's Daily Echo

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