"My dad's not with us anymore," says Phil Neville, "but every day when [my mum] went to work, she saw a stand named after her husband"
Wednesday 28 August 2019 16:45, UK
Phil Neville has been left devastated by Bury's expulsion from the EFL and has explained the emotional toll it has taken on his family.
Bury's EFL membership was withdrawn by the governing body at 11pm on Tuesday following the collapse of a takeover, and after the club had failed to show they could pay their debts.
England Women manager Neville, born and bred in Bury, detailed how the news left his mother Jill heartbroken after 31 years of working at the club and expressed his sympathy for all Bury fans in an emotional interview.
"I'm devastated - My mum worked there for 31 years and my dad worked there for 27 years," Neville told Sky Sports. "He's got a stand named after him. My grandma, my grandad, my aunt, my uncle all worked at that football club.
"The town has had its heart ripped out, without a shadow of a doubt. You just feel sadness. Sadness for those supporters - 2,500 to 3,000 people - who bought season tickets.
"They stuck with that football club for 125 years. Passed down from family to family, and now the town doesn't have a football club. I find it unbelievable that it's happened.
"I feel sad for my mum because she has had her heart ripped out too. She gave her heart and soul to that football club. It's one of those things I find hard to comprehend. Over the last six months, I've known the severity of it.
"My mum resigned 10 days ago but she has been working every day since trying to save Bury. She went in at 6.30am this morning thinking of all the supporters who were there cleaning the seats.
"My dad's not with us anymore, but every day when she went to work, she saw a stand named after her husband. She's got unbelievable memories but her best memories were going into work with her husband every day.
"Thousands of fans, every Saturday, go down to Gigg Lane. They get a black pudding on the way down from Bury market. They go to the pub in the corner where all the Bury fans meet.
"They go to the social club after the game where the same steward has worked for 30 years. There's people at that football club who are ingrained in the brickwork, in the foundations.
"They woke up this morning with no football club. That can't be right. There is one man to blame for it and nothing can be done about it. All we can do is hope Bury have a football club in the future. How that happens, I don't know.
"Money does filter down from the Premier League, that's not the main issue. The main issue is that if you run a football club, you have to run it right.
"You go into Bury town centre. There are many things in Bury that make it the place that it is, but the football club is at the heart of it. You go to Bury now, there is a massive hole there. It's not nice, and there's nothing we can do about it."
Debbie Jevans, CEO of the EFL, said taking the decision to expel Bury from the Football League left her "absolutely devastated" but insisted "we did everything that we could".
"I'm absolutely devastated," Jevans told Sky Sports News. "Nobody - least of all myself or the board - wanted Bury to get into this situation.
"I saw you on television last night, I watched the scenes from the ground and one could sit there and burst into tears because it is raw emotion - it really is, and nobody wants to see that.
"We just had to look at ourselves and know we did everything that we could. People will always say you can do more. But if I look in the mirror, I know we did everything that we could."
MP Damian Collins has called for a full review of the EFL's role in Bury's demise.
Collins, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said new laws were needed to safeguard other clubs from potential rogue owners.
"The process run by @efl has failed fans of @buryfcofficial & may do the same to @OfficialBWFC," Collins, also MP for Folkestone and Hythe, tweeted.
"Next week @CommonsCMS will discuss how we can review the role of the football authorities in this crisis & what new powers are needed to act against bad owners and directors of clubs."
Sports Minister Nigel Adams also released a statement: "This is a very dark day for English football. It is a tragedy for the fans of Bury, the local community and everyone connected with the historic club.
"There will be a huge amount of anger and disbelief about how this happened. I have been in regular contact with the EFL and it is right that they closely review the processes at Bury to see if any lessons can be learned.
"The club's passionate fans don't deserve to go through this. I hope once the dust has settled they can begin to rebuild and take inspiration from other clubs that have done so before them."
Bury owner Steve Dale had been given until 5pm on Tuesday to come up with a plan for paying the club's debts and funding them going forward or sell them to someone who can.
It had been hoped C&N Sporting Risk would complete a takeover, but the London-based firm pulled out of the deal 90 minutes before the deadline, citing concerns over the club's confusing debt structure.
Dale then claimed he had received three new bids for the club, prompting fans, politicians and pundits to call for more time to explore these options, but, shortly after 11pm, the league confirmed its decision.
The EFL had already postponed Bury's first five scheduled league games and kicked them out of the EFL Cup, making it clear to Dale there would be no more added time after the last deadline was extended on Friday night.
League One will proceed with 23 clubs for the remainder of the season and only three clubs will be relegated in order to bring the division back to 24 teams next season.
The Professional Footballers Association said it had also done all it could to help save Bury.
"We have been in regular communication with the players, the EFL and the club over the last eight months to try and protect our members and secure a long-term future for Bury FC," a PFA statement read.
"Unfortunately, despite our efforts to support the process, the club has been unable to fulfil its financial commitments or complete a possible take-over deal.
"This will be a desperately sad time for Bury's players and staff."
The PFA said it would continue to support all its members who had been impacted by Bury's collapse, "including former players, the remaining players who are contracted at the club and also those who were hoping to sign contracts".
The PFA added: "Our thoughts in particular go out to the supporters, the town and the wider community who will be devastated by this news."
