Tony Parkes letter special

TREACHERY - that's the only word for the sacking of Tony Parkes. In today's game it just goes to prove managers, directors and players all deserve one another. Disgusted.

MR K WALTON,

Monmouth Road, Blackburn.

IF Friday's events with Tony Parkes are a sign of thanks for 34 years loyalty in today's Premiership, I don't think I want to know any more, after holding four season tickets for a great number of years.

Surely even if there was no place for Tony within the club, which I find hard to believe, he could have been given the dignity of voluntary early retirement.

M MARTIN,

Rockcliffe Street, Blackburn.

WE have supported Blackburn Rovers for 50 years, and it was disgraceful the way they dealt with Mr Tony Parkes' departure.

To Tony, from four fans in this household a big big thank you for your loyalty, and we wish you all the luck in the world, you deserve it. We feel it is Blackburn Rovers' loss and a new club's gain.

THE HARGREAVES FAMILY,

St Albans Road, Rishton.

I WOULD like to pay tribute to Tony Parkes and at the same time express my utter anger at Mark Hughes and the Rovers board.

Tony has been loyal through and through, as well as being a great servant to the club -- saving Rovers from relegation in the six times he has stepped in.

So for Mark Hughes and the board to sack him was callous and cruel. The 34 years that Tony has been there must mean absolutely nothing.

I wish Tony every luck in the world for whatever he goes on to do. Mark Hughes should hold his head in shame. Any interest I had in Blackburn Rovers has all but gone now.

MR J KIMBERLEY,

Duddon Avenue, Darwen.

A TOTAL shambles - but what's new at Ewood?

Souness's man management skills were poor - now we find Rovers proving just when you think things can't get worse - they can. Even Burnley, in sacking Stan Ternent, knew how to handle his sacking sympathetically.

Many season ticket holders will join the exodus from Ewood. It's been downhill all the way since Jack Walker's personal influence departed. Certainly what happened to Tony Parkes would never have happened in his day.

Second to bottom of the league is down to weak management at all levels - it's time they accepted the responsibility that goes with the Premiership trappings

No direction. No ambition. And now no Tony Parkes. Sad as it is, perhaps he is well out of it. Thanks Tony for your contribution over many years.

Could neither the chief executive or the manager have found time to visit Parkes immediately after making the decision?

The honourable action would be to offer resignations - but like politicians they will weather the storm and continue to enjoy the good life at Ewood.

ANOTHER DISENCHANTED SEASON TICKET HOLDER (name supplied), Mellor

I AM disgusted at the sacking of Tony Parkes. As a fan of 26 years (including ball girl and ground cleaning duties) I hope many will join me in my decision never to attend another game.

I have donated all my merchandise to charity.

If at all possible, could you please pass on my thanks and appreciation to Tony for his service at all levels, and I wish him nothing but the very best for the future.

ELAINE HARRISON,

ex Blackburn Rovers fan

THE sacking of Tony Parkes comes as a shock. Maybe the Rovers bosses all deserve each other, and at the end of the season, when they go down, they will be saying 'where is our beloved Tony'?

FRANCO SANNA

THERE'S only one Jack Walker and there's only one Tony Parkes, and, rest assured, Jack would not have allowed this to happen. How quickly we forget.

PAUL MULROONEY,

supporter for nearly 60 years

THE man has lived and breathed Blackburn Rovers for the past 34 years, stepping in on a number of occasions and doing (on the whole) an excellent job!

I, for one, will be sad to no longer see his smiling (sometimes!) face around Ewood Park.

This is a real 'make or break' decision for Hughesy to have made, and I hope my initial instincts prove to be wrong, for the good of the club.

Thanks for all your hard work, Tony. You've been a loyal servant and it's a sad day for us all. Good luck for the future, whatever it holds.

MARK LOWE

THERE is little room for emotion or sentimentality in business, and Blackburn Rovers, like it or not, is a business.

If the manager deems it necessary to shift his backroom staff around then he must have the courage of his convictions or he will ultimately fail. Mr Hughes has been brave and made an unpopular decision based on what he thinks is best for the football club, which is his job. He would be negligent if he shied away from doing this and I think Tony would acknowledge that.

That said, you simply cannot have a football club devoid of emotion and loyalty. Tony was and still is a truly great servant of our club and I'm bitterly disappointed in BRFC that some other role could not be found for him. I cannot believe his experience and knowledge of the club cannot be put to good use elsewhere behind the scenes.

DANIEL NIELD

I THINK it's an absolutely shocking way for Tony to go. That it leaked out in the press beforehand, and Tony finding out from his daughter, is disgusting.

I am sure he feels like he's been kicked in the teeth.

John Williams and co should be ashamed.

ROB LONG

I THINK it is disgusting what Rovers have done to Tony.

I have been a fan of his for 30 years. If anyone needs to go it should be Mark Hughes - he has only been here two minutes and he has been upsetting everyone.

Tony deserved to go out in style. The club owed him that at least. We wish him all the best for the future. He will be missed by many people.

JOAN DUVAL

AS EVER, Blackburn Rovers manage to surpass all expectations about how poor their man-management skills are.

Irrespective of the rights or wrongs of sacking Tony Parkes, to let the news leak out in the press before talking to Tony is an absolute disgrace. Whoever is responsible for this should be forced to apologise and should be sacked immediately.

There is no sentiment in football and the management are duty bound to select the best staff for the job but I bet that Jack Walker is turning in his grave given the number of times that Tony Parkes has dug Blackburn Rovers out of the mire.

You can guarantee that whenever Mark Hughes leaves Blackburn Rovers, they will be crying out for someone like Tony Parkes who lives and breathes Blackburn Rovers to stabilise the ship.

There aren't many things that would cause me to question my life-long support of Blackburn Rovers but this is one of them. I'm sorry to say it, but with this sort of appalling management, they deserve to go down.

RICHARD BURKE

(an extremely unhappy fan)

I CAN'T believe it! Thirty-four years with the club, and they've let him down big style. I supported Mark Hughes as manager and know he's inherited lots of problems, but he's certainly gone down in my estimation now.

It just seems to be another symptom of "too old" when you get in your 50's.

Good luck to Tony in whatever he decides to do now. He's always seemed a genuinely decent bloke who deserved better.

P CONNELL, Darwen

An absolute disgrace to sack Tony Parkes. Reshuffle! You only need to look how the reserves are doing and that sums it up!

All the best for the future, Tony

STEPHEN, age 17

WE DO need big changes to get out of the doldrums, but not Tony Parkes - he is Blackburn Rovers! He would have still been there when Mark Hughes is long gone.

MICK SAUL

WITH regard to the sacking of Tony Parkes, we would like to say that we are thoroughly disgusted and stunned with the board and management of Blackburn Rovers Football Club.

If this is how a person is treated after 34 years of loyalty to the club, then Blackburn Rovers are not worthy of being supported. Loyalty does not mean a thing in this day and age. We would like to wish Tony Parkes all the best for the future, and thank him for all that he has done at Ewood Park.

DISGUSTED SENIOR CITIZENS