IT'S easy to blame Bury's stayaway fans for the club's current financial crisis.

But you can't make people like something they don't and if the people of Bury are not interested in their football team that is their prerogative.

It's a shame that Bury are on the brink of financial collapse because they are everything a football club should be, friendly, happy and always striving to improve themselves. And if I know Bury they will attack their problems head on and come out the other end smiling.

The new Gigg Lane hierarchy's announcement they could be going bust will send shock waves around those who follow the club. But if anyone can survive a crisis Bury can.

Make no mistake this is serious but it's nothing new. In ten years covering Bury FC I covered almost as many crises as matches. The root of the problem has always been the need for average attendances of 5,000. But Bury have not had a fan base of 5,000 for at least a generation and, unfortunately, probably never will have again.

I've lost count of the number of times Bury FC has asked whether the town wants a football club. The answer is that, apart from 2,800 of the most loyal fans in the land, it doesn't.

Here's hoping they survive and thrive once again because they deserve it.