View attachment 437903
Pre-Season Press Conference
View attachment 437902
The scene is set for when Michael Henson takes part in his pre-season press conference ahead of the season opener against Portsmouth.
Q: How disappointing was it for you to finish 2nd to rivals Rochdale after being at the top of the league for a while?
A: Rochdale deserved to win the league as I felt that we faltered towards the back end of the season after gaining promotion against Plymouth. If we hadn't slipped up against York or Portsmouth then the title would have been ours but we did and the players know they let the fans down.
Q: There has been a large overhaul in the squad this pre-season, what is the reasoning behind this?
A: The club made a massive loss last season in SkyBet League Two so the budgets were heavily reduced for the upcoming campaign. Despite me leaving almost ?7,000 a week spare on wages last season, that amount has now disappeared so we had to get rid of a lot of players on big wages to bring in a decent standard of player.
Q: Tom Soares was sold for a very small fee despite being rated quite highly, why did you get rid of your star man?
A: His wage was quite ridiculous for a lower league player and I can only blame the previous management team. He was on ?3,200 a week and he wouldn't take a wage reduction to extend his contract so there was only one way to sort it out. I'd rather get a small amount for a player than nothing at the end of the season.
Q: Another first team player that left for ?10,000 is Liam Ridehalgh. He joined a team in the league above yet you sold him for next to nothing. How can you justify that?
A: Moving Liam on was a hard decision for me and I feel he will go far in the game. After promotion to SkyBet League One his wage went up to ?2,300 a week and, like I stated before, the budgets were reduced this season and I could get a couple of decent players on that money.
Q: Many of the players brought in are very young, do you think they can make an impact straight away?
A: Some of the may be able to, some will play in the Under 21s for a while. Alex Kemp is a very handy player and he has been with the first team squad in pre-season so will feature quite regularly this season.
Q: Danny Mayor returned to Gigg Lane on another season long loan. I take it your a big fan of him?
A: Danny is a very talented player. It surprised me when I saw him on the loan list again after he played so well for us last season. It didn't take me long to make a decision and I am delighted to have him back for the 2014/15 season.
Q: Former Rochdale striker Chris Dagnall signed for the club during pre-season, are you worried that the fans might not take to him as he played for your rivals?
A: Some may still hold a grudge against him for playing for Rochdale but I certainly don't. That's football for you. I firmly believe that Chris will score many goals for the team and that is the reason why I signed him.
Q: Do you feel that with all these changes it will disrupt your preparation as all the players will have to get to know each other again?
A: Not at all. The team has been working very hard during pre-season to get to know each other and how each other plays. The core of the defence is unchanged so that will be a huge boost to our defence and William Edjenguele has been named as captain so he will once again be a massive player for Bury.
Q: Finally, what can you achieve this season?
A: I think that we can achieve a steady mid-table finish with the players we have available to us. The Chairman wants me to avoid relegation and I fully believe that we can do that.
Pre-Season Press Conference
View attachment 437902
The scene is set for when Michael Henson takes part in his pre-season press conference ahead of the season opener against Portsmouth.
Q: How disappointing was it for you to finish 2nd to rivals Rochdale after being at the top of the league for a while?
A: Rochdale deserved to win the league as I felt that we faltered towards the back end of the season after gaining promotion against Plymouth. If we hadn't slipped up against York or Portsmouth then the title would have been ours but we did and the players know they let the fans down.
Q: There has been a large overhaul in the squad this pre-season, what is the reasoning behind this?
A: The club made a massive loss last season in SkyBet League Two so the budgets were heavily reduced for the upcoming campaign. Despite me leaving almost ?7,000 a week spare on wages last season, that amount has now disappeared so we had to get rid of a lot of players on big wages to bring in a decent standard of player.
Q: Tom Soares was sold for a very small fee despite being rated quite highly, why did you get rid of your star man?
A: His wage was quite ridiculous for a lower league player and I can only blame the previous management team. He was on ?3,200 a week and he wouldn't take a wage reduction to extend his contract so there was only one way to sort it out. I'd rather get a small amount for a player than nothing at the end of the season.
Q: Another first team player that left for ?10,000 is Liam Ridehalgh. He joined a team in the league above yet you sold him for next to nothing. How can you justify that?
A: Moving Liam on was a hard decision for me and I feel he will go far in the game. After promotion to SkyBet League One his wage went up to ?2,300 a week and, like I stated before, the budgets were reduced this season and I could get a couple of decent players on that money.
Q: Many of the players brought in are very young, do you think they can make an impact straight away?
A: Some of the may be able to, some will play in the Under 21s for a while. Alex Kemp is a very handy player and he has been with the first team squad in pre-season so will feature quite regularly this season.
Q: Danny Mayor returned to Gigg Lane on another season long loan. I take it your a big fan of him?
A: Danny is a very talented player. It surprised me when I saw him on the loan list again after he played so well for us last season. It didn't take me long to make a decision and I am delighted to have him back for the 2014/15 season.
Q: Former Rochdale striker Chris Dagnall signed for the club during pre-season, are you worried that the fans might not take to him as he played for your rivals?
A: Some may still hold a grudge against him for playing for Rochdale but I certainly don't. That's football for you. I firmly believe that Chris will score many goals for the team and that is the reason why I signed him.
Q: Do you feel that with all these changes it will disrupt your preparation as all the players will have to get to know each other again?
A: Not at all. The team has been working very hard during pre-season to get to know each other and how each other plays. The core of the defence is unchanged so that will be a huge boost to our defence and William Edjenguele has been named as captain so he will once again be a massive player for Bury.
Q: Finally, what can you achieve this season?
A: I think that we can achieve a steady mid-table finish with the players we have available to us. The Chairman wants me to avoid relegation and I fully believe that we can do that.
