Stevie Roden from the Nottingham Evening Post reflects on a hectic few days at Meadow Lane, following Jeff Moore & Howard Wilkinson's departures.

Article reproduced from Tuesday 11th September's Nottingham Evening Post

From the manager to the chairman, from fans to staff at Meadow Lane, the key word has been stability.

Building for the future, bit by bit putting the pieces together so Notts County can finally put administration behind them.

Too long the club has languished in the bottom tier but in the summer, there was a real feeling of optimism around Meadow Lane.

Word was coming out that Notts had finally made a profit, behind the scenes a structured board had been put together and gone, it appeared, was any infighting.

But one name has blown that out of the water - Adam Pearson.

It emerged the former Hull chairman had expressed an interest in taking over the club, a £3m investment that could breathe new life into the oldest Football League club in the world.

The chairman Jeff Moore was happy with what he heard, so was Howard Wilkinson, but when the proposals went before the Trust, things ground to a halt.

What happened at that stage is not entirely clear. But one thing is for sure - Pearson's interest has stalled.

He told the Post that was now in the past and he plans no 'imminent' return to the football game. The man labelled a Messiah in Hull for leading them from the bottom rung of the Football League ladder, out of administration, to back-to-back promotions and into the new KC Stadium, has seen his enthusiasm wane.

But even if some of the decision-makers at Notts had a change of heart and wanted to take up his offer, it would be too late. They have missed the boat. Pearson is long gone.

Moore himself has used his business head to restructure Notts for the better and had to make ruthless and controversial decisions - like axing the youth set-up just after taking over - but he has done everything in order to ensure the Magpies did not go out of business and started to turn the corner.

His decision to leave his post now is because his role as chief executive of Emda was making it an impossible task.

That is the case but he left with a comment regarding no agreement being made between the Trust and Pearson.

"I sincerely hope that no one individual or group is prepared to jeopardise the future prosperity of the club to satisfy their own ends.

"We must all see the bigger picture and ask ourselves whether we are happy for the club to stay in the bottom rung of the Football League.

"Or are we prepared to challenge ourselves, put the club ahead of any one individual or group's ego and do what it takes to bring sustainable success to Notts County."

A veiled attack on the Trust? People can read into it in many different ways but Moore just wants everybody to be open minded when future investors come knocking.

The Trust is the majority shareholder and therefore is responsible for all key decisions. It is in a privileged position of power in that the fans are in charge of their own football club.

And it is a position that cannot be abused for power's sake, it must be used in the interests of the football club and all fans want success, so the Trust is entitled to go over any interest with a fine tooth-comb.

But, while Moore's reasons for leaving were work related, Wilkinson's were not. He was brutal to the point that he believes clubs whose majority shareholder is a Supporters Trust do not work. He did not mean just Notts, he meant across the country.

But his words were telling.

And after working on trying to bring Pearson's investment to the club, only to see it fail to materialise, he felt it was the final straw.

In his opinion, the club has never been in a better position to attract outside investment, such is how far it has come in the last few years.

But his resignation, along with that of Moore - not to mention a third departure in director Joanna Adams also quitting yesterday - raises plenty of questions.

Both men were responsible for bringing in Steve Thompson as manager. Now they have gone. The Trust originally opposed the appointment, although they later backtracked after a good start to last season.

Now, with his main confidants gone, he must be feeling a little anxious and lonely around Meadow Lane. Despite having a contract until 2010, he will be wondering as much as the next fan what is round the corner.

That is not to mention Wilkinson who plays more than a key role in what is going on out on the pitch.

Three resignations within a day have left everyone inside Meadow Lane guessing what will happen next.

For Moore and Wilkinson had worked on drafting Vision 2012 - a five-year blueprint designed to deliver Championship football to Meadow Lane.

It highlights the need for £5m funding to reach its objectives.

It is set to be discussed by the board and sanctioned in the near future before being made available for supporters to offer feedback.

The problem is, who will be left on the board to sanction it?

For now, the only question on everybody's lips is what on earth will happen next at Meadow Lane?