HOT SEAT: Trevor Watkins with his book.

AFC BOURNEMOUTH chairman Trevor Watkins (pictured above) has come under fire over his controversial book, Cherries In The Red: How One Football Fan Saved His Club And Became Chairman.

Pop promoter and long-time sup-porter Mel Bush said it was a 'joke' to depict Watkins as the club's saviour. 'He has not invested any of his own money and has committed other people's money to a debt the club will have great difficulty repaying', he said.

Mr Bush - a rival bidder when the fan-based trust fund succeeding in setting up Europe's first community club two years ago - also denied the book's claim that he would have sacked manager Mel Machin and brought in ex-England stars Chris Waddle and Ray Wilkins.

"I never said that. For the record, Mel Machin is not just a good man-ager, he is a great manager. In fact, he has worked miracles in incredibly difficult circumstances and deserves to be manager of the year."

Former Dean Court commercial manager Terry Lovell also hit out at Mr Watkins, who accuses him in the book of time-wasting and seeking to protect his own job at all costs.

"Trevor seems extremely selective in his recollections, and the disparaging remarks about me and other individuals associated with the club in the recent past do nothing to justify the sense of community he claims to represent," he said.

Fans have complained about the title's emphasis on one man's contribution, and Mr Watkins went on radio before the final game of the season to make a qualified apology to John Bailey over the player's interpretation of comments in the book.

Watkins said: "Unfortunately, words are open to interpretation and can be taken out of context. My only regret is over things I did not put in the book. But I am sorry if it has caused problems for Terry and his family - there is no suggestion that he was ever anything other than honest and he was one of the few people who carried on working with a smile on his face."

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