Paul Tisdale has offered his sympathy for those associated with Bury Football Club following the withdrawal of their EFL membership.
The EFL confirmed in a statement late on Tuesday evening that the Shakers would be withdrawn from Sky Bet League One with immediate effect, a move which means the division will consist of only 23 teams for the 2019/20 season and relegation places reduced to three.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash with Accrington Stanley, Tisdale spoke of his disappointment and sadness with Bury’s situation.
“I'm really disappointed and so upset for all those people at Bury – the supporters, players and staff.
“We are disappointed and empathise totally for everyone at Bury who have lost their football club.
“Now is not the time to criticise, it's more the time to show empathy and sadness for a football club - one that I have been to many a time. I have played a dozen games there during my years as a manager and it was always a tough place to go.”
He continued: “I'm a romantic when it comes to the history of the game, but we have to move forwards in terms of the business side of things and how that relates to how you run the club. If there are scary times currently, maybe it's a shift towards being accountable for the way people run their businesses.
“We have to be respectful of history, but we also have to look to the future. Football, like all other sports, needs to be contemporary on how it views the sport, industry, the entertainment, the spectators, viewers and the people who pay their money.”
