I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten

'..And when I open them, you're still here.'

The takeover saga rolls on and on.. the loudest voice to be heard on Friday was that of ex-chairman Dave Allen. He's done his deal, accepting the consortium offer of 20 pence per share, and is giving the big hurry up to the other three main shareholders, former board member Keith Addy and director Geoff Hulley, plus fans group Wednesdayite.

Allen is claiming Addy and Hulley want more than 20 pence per share, and also directed one of his now famous tirades against Wednesdayite, insisting they should have sorted out a deal sooner. An odd comment, considering an offer wasn't put on the table until less than 3 weeks ago.

Consortium leader Geoff Sheard is showing signs of impatience: in truth it must be a logistical nightmare dealing with four separate parties in order to assume control.

He squashed the 'Alan Shearer for manager' rumour and went on to tell the Sheffield Telegraph:

'Everyone has been very patient and it's been a very difficult transaction. But I feel we're at a stage where everybody has to agree to go forward - or the club isn't going to go forward, simple as that.'

'The biggest problem is that the parties are so polarised. I'm dealing with four separate bodies, which doesn't make it easy. I was told that Mr. Allen was likely to be the most difficult and obdurate but he was first class in reaching an agreement within 24 hours of the documentation he asked for being provided.'

'To be fair, Wednesdayite haven't put up any barriers. I've answered most of the questions they asked me - to their satisfaction, as far as I know.'

'I can only do what I can do. It's been a hell of a long journey and I'm determined to finish off on this.'

'We desperately want to be in there before the start of the season and feel we can put our plans into action.'

Amen to that. Underneath this article you'll find the usual exhortation to come along to the forum and talk about this article.

But, personally speaking, I'm all talked out. I'm sure there are one or two twists and turns still to come, but I just want it to be over. Yes, I understand the difficulty. No, I don't understand what advantage is gained by sniping at other shareholders. Allen has done his deal, the Wednesdayite ballot is in motion and once more, we have to close our eyes and count to ten.

And maybe when we open them, the situation will have changed significantly, and for the better.

Join the FREE Telegraph Championship Fantasy Football League!

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.