Sacked Airdrie players to appeal

Just three players will be retained

Airdrie's players are considering an appeal against the decision to have their contracts terminated.

Twenty-seven players were released on Wednesday by the club's provisional liquidator in a bid to halt the club's escalating debt.

Only three players and the manager Gary Mackay were retained.

Many of the sacked players hope that while their appeal is progressing a new owner will come in and they will be re-instated.

Archibald says the debts are covered

Former Tottenham and Scotland striker Steve Archibald outlined his increased commitment to bringing Airdrie back from the brink of closure.

Archibald calculates the Airdrie debt at nearer £3m than £2m, but he remains confident that he is the man to turn things around.

The club went into receivership at the beginning of the year and has been experiencing debts of around £10,000 a week since.

Archibald says he has lined up nine Spanish players who will be brought in if his bid to take control of the club is successful.

Liquidators' concerns

By breaking down the club's various debts, he outlined how each of those had either been settled or would be settled if he took control.

By Archibald's reckoning, the liquidators' concerns that he would be unable to manage the club's debts are unfounded.

Following Wednesday's announcement, manager Gary Mackay said he had never known circumstances like it and believed the club could be closed within the week.

Liquidators KPMG said that due to "increasingly unsustainable costs" it was with "great regret" that it was releasing 27 players and six staff.

Three players - Eddie Forrest, Alex Neil and Austin McCann - and nine staff will be kept on.

Blair Nimmo: Regrets redundancies

KMPG admitted it had made public news of the redundancies without informing all of the players.

It said a lot of staff were on holiday and it was making every effort to make contact.

Hopes were high last month that former Barcelona star Archibald would buy the club.

He was one of three who had submitted bids with the hope of taking over. But KMPG says that with time ticking on and with no deal imminent it is now concerned "Steve Archibald will not be able to deliver a solution".

New season

Provisional liquidator Blair Nimmo said the redundancies were very regrettable.

He added: "We would again encourage any interested party to come forward as a matter of urgency.

"With losses mounting daily and no income to offset them we need to move forward quickly, particularly as the new season starts in six weeks time and the players and staff need to time to make alternative plans.

"It is still our fervent hope that a buyer can be found for the club and we will be doing our utmost to find a solution that is in the best interests of the creditors, the club and its supporters."

'Third time lucky'

Archibald had had two previous bids turned down by KPMG before making a more hopeful third attempt at the beginning of May.

Any successful bid would have to win approval of the club's creditors.

Archibald had admitted he was eager to secure the ownership of the Diamonds "as soon as possible".

Airdrie's financial problems came to a head when the club's share of the gate receipts for their Scottish Cup tie at Dundee United were arrested.

Rangers chairman David Murray applied for an interdict, on behalf of his company Carnegie, for a debt of around £30,000 owed by Airdrie.