Notts County chairman and owner, Alan Hardy, has decided to sell the club just hours after apologising for erroneously posting what he called an “inappropriate photo” on Twitter.
Hardy, who took over as Magpies chairman in 2017, somehow manged to post photos from his camera roll, one of which was a rather ‘intimate’ shot, the contents of which he didn’t discuss.
The embarrassed Hardy deleted the Tweet after being made aware of the mistake before Tweeting an apology and announcing that he was leaving the social network…
This morning an inappropriate photo appeared in one of my tweets. This was clearly an honest mistake as a result of my camera roll being included in a screenshot. I tried to rectify the error by deleting the tweet as soon as I noticed and I apologise for any offence caused.
— Alan Hardy (@Bigalanh5) January 27, 2019
Thank you to everyone who continues to support me through what has been a very difficult time. Later this evening I will be deleting my account as I feel this is in the best interests of the football club, my family and myself. 1/3
— Alan Hardy (@Bigalanh5) January 27, 2019
I have always seen Twitter as a way of engaging with supporters and monitoring ways we can improve as a club. I do, however, accept I have made mistakes on social media and feel now is the time to leave for good. 2/3
— Alan Hardy (@Bigalanh5) January 27, 2019
Thank you once again to everyone who is sticking by us. I will continue to communicate with you all via official club channels. Alan. 3/3
— Alan Hardy (@Bigalanh5) January 27, 2019
Not long after posting those Tweets, the 54-year-old know as “Big Alan”, announced that he was selling Notts County, saying:
After considerable soul-searching I no longer feel I can continue as the owner of Notts County Football Club,” he said in a statement on Sunday evening.
I would like to make it clear from the outset that the club’s current league position is not a factor in this decision, nor are any of the events which have unfolded in the media this weekend.
Everyone at Meadow Lane remains staunchly committed to preserving our proud status as the world’s oldest Football League club and, until a new buyer is found, I will continue to support that aim.
The truth is, my efforts to restore Notts County’s fortunes over the last two years mean my other businesses have had to take a back seat. They are now in need of my full attention.
The club currently find themselves bottom of the League Two, with Hardy revealing that he had already held talks with interested parties.
Quite a day for ‘Big Alan’!