Andy Pilley ready to do business for Fleetwood players but not at insulting prices

It’s no surprise that Town’s crop of young talent has attracted interest, though the chairman has not been impressed by “ridiculous” bids.

Pilley told the club’s media operation: “There have been one or two rather ridiculous offers made. I’m quite experienced as a football club owner – 18 years is a quite significant period of time. We know the value of our players and we certainly won’t be letting them go on the cheap.

“So if you are a watching football club owner or manager, we do have some outstanding players but we know their value.

“If you want to come in, I’m confident you will be buying money because these are players who will go on to play regularly in the Premier League, it’s my belief.

“But we’re not daft, so please don’t insult our intelligence. Bid what they are worth and let’s do a good deal for all parties concerned.”

The Town supremo has also hit back at any suggestions his commitment to the Highbury club is waning.

Pilley added: “There’s an inferno burning in my belly brighter than ever. I love my football. I adore Fleetwood and I’m committed to driving this football club forward.

“Relegation is not an option, failure is not an option in anything I do and certainly not at Fleetwood.

“We will climb the table, we’ll shuffle the pack and we will continue to succeed as we have always done.”

Pilley provided an update on the head coach role, praising interim boss Stephen Crainey but encouraging interested parties to apply.

Crainey has been in charge for five games since Simon Grayson’s sacking almost three weeks ago and the chairman acknowledged “there seems to be a buzz around the place” since the Under-23s boss stepped up.

Pilley insisted a decision will not be rushed and said: “We’ve had lots of applicants. I’ve spent a significant amount of time with Stephen Crainey and I’ve been very impressed so far. You can tell the players respect Stephen and he’s really fired up for this.

“I’m really pleased we managed to pick up two wins this week. We didn’t just sneak wins – I thought they were outstanding performances.

“We will take stock and make sure we do the right thing. We’re not going to make quick decisions but Stephen’s got a great opportunity to impress us.

“To external people, please keep the applications coming in if you’re a manager who thinks you’re capable of managing Fleetwood and assisting us to climb the table.”

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