Former Manchester City chairman leaves club
Wardle has left his position at the City of Manchester Stadium
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Wednesday, 09, Jul 2008 10:16
Former Manchester City chairman John Wardle has resigned from his current position as deputy chairman.
Wardle was chairman from 2003 until the start of last season when Thaksin Shinawatra bought the club.
Upon Shinawatra's arrival he adopted the role of deputy chairman, a post he had previously held during his time on the board. Wardle had been a member of the City board since 1998 when he became joint majority shareholder with David Mankin.
Executive chairman Garry Cook said the City fans owed Wardle a debt of gratitude for rescuing the club when they were in the third tier of league football and for helping them back into the Premier League.
Wardle said he was "proud" of his accomplishments at the club and was pleased to have provided the fans some stability.
However, the former chairman felt he had taken club as far as he could by himself and was pleased to have left City in the capable hands of Shinawatra and manager Mark Hughes.
"We had a wonderful stadium, top class training facilities and a fantastic academy system, however it was obvious that further investment was needed," explained Wardle.
"Now, with all these things in place and together with Dr Thaksin's investment, I truly believe that the club is set up for a very positive future. We have one of the brightest managers in the game and a great crop of exciting players."
Wardle spent 11 years at City and was instrumental in helping them move from Maine Road to the City of Manchester Stadium.