THE Hereford United board was meeting this week to discuss the club's long-term future following the shock resignation of director of football Graham Turner.

Although the former Aston Villa, Wolves and Shrewsbury boss is still club chairman with a major shareholding, Turner has always said he would step aside if a suitable investor came forward.

Turner, 54 tomorrow, has battled hard to keep the debt-ridden Edgar Street club alive.

He took over the managerial hot seat in August 1995 but decided to quit as team boss on Monday following the team's disappointing start to their Nationwide Conference campaign.

Player-coach Phil Robinson, put in charge of team affairs for the foreseeable future, started with an encouraging 4-2 win on Tuesday night.

Turner said: "I found myself in the position of wearing too many hats during what has been a critical period for the club.

"It's a difficult job just keeping the club alive and at times we have been in absolute despair wondering where the next lot of money was coming from to pay the wages."

Concerning team affairs, he added: "The biggest problem is that I have been spending less and less time on the training ground and the obvious step was for me to relinquish any involvement. I ended up only talking to players and had one or two disciplinary problems over the past month. I was probably seen as a big ogre in the dressing room."

He added: "I am a football man first and foremost. There's no fun in sitting around the boardroom table discussing tax and VAT. But the next 18 to 20 months are absolutely critical in the history of Hereford United."

Turner said Robinson had been coaching the players for most of the season and he was confident he could take charge of the team.

Robinson commented: "Every-body is disappointed and feels a little responsible for what has happened - and rightly so. I am just hoping for a positive response from the players."

Hereford United Independent Supporters' Association (HUISA) chairman Kevin Wargen paid tribute to the work done by Turner and said that many supporters did not appear to realise the pressure he was under.

"There was no money for Graham and people must realise you cannot build a team to challenge for the Conference title without any money. Graham did a good job as manager and my own opinion is that the players have let him down.

"I genuinely believe Graham's the right man for chairman," he added.

Meanwhile, Herefordshire Council leader Terry James and chief executive Neil Pringle are due to meet members of HUISA and United board members tonight to discuss the future of the Edgar Street ground.

Property developers Chelverton, who hold the leases to Edgar Street and to whom United owe more than £1million, repayable by May 2003, have said that the club should consider negotiating relocation to a new stadium.