Comment: : For Fife Flyers the Chase is over, but the fallout isn’t

The story of Chase Schaber’s fanfare return which fizzled out feels incomplete.

After two months of silence, the club’s short statement posted tonight offered no clarity or context - simply confirmation that the deal, and Schaber, were both off.

It didn’t even go out to the media, instead was posted only on the club’s website and social media platforms.

Tellingly, the club effectively turned off comments from its official Twitter and Facebook accounts.

That at least saved volunteers who man them from reaching for their tin hats and flak jackets.

But, it’s difficult to see Flyers’ fans simply accepting “some administrative complications” as the definitive final word on a signing that turned into a saga.

“Some administrative complications” says all it wanted to say - absolutely nothing.

Whether those complications arose within the club, were the fault of the player, or a third party is now left open to more speculation.

The club will certainly have good reason for taking its stance, but it doesn’t do anything to create a sense of inclusiveness with a fanbase that has long grinded its teeth in utter frustration at Flyers’ inability to fully grasp the importance of good, regular, clear communication.

And that’s completely unfair on the current core of volunteers who are doing more than ever to get the team’s name and faces out on to platforms from TikTok to Twitter - and doing a very good job.

They deserve better than “some administrative complications” and a final line that “no further comment will be made by the club.”

And that was the sound of a door being firmly slammed on the Schaber saga.

Whatever went wrong, the club ought to have found some way of giving more detail without hanging anyone out to dry or breaching confidentiality - I’ve been in the board room often enough to hear the most contentious issues thrashed out and a form of words agreed which meets the fans’ desire for clarity, but protects the people at the heart of the story.

And that statement should always have a quote from a named director or official to give it a human voice; someone the fans can connect to directly.

That ‘no further comment’ final line suggests neither will be forthcoming.

Schaber's destination, at the time of writing, was unclear – the statement only said he had signed for a club in another country.

That part of the puzzle will be resolved the minute his new team announces his arrival.

But, for Flyers, the Chase is over.

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