MEL Bush has poured cold water on rumours he could be considering a bid for Cherries, should the club fall into the hands of the administrator.

The Wimborne-based music promoter purchased Cherries' Dorset neighbours Weymouth from businessman Martyn Harrison in June 2007 before selling the club on just three months later to property developer Malcolm Curtis.

And with the Cherries directors submitting a notice of intention to appoint an administrator at Bristol County Court last week, Echo sources had claimed Bush was watching the club's situation with a keen interest.

But Cherries fan Bush, who considered buying the ailing Dean Court club in 1997 and again in 2005, has distanced himself from the speculation.

When asked by Echo last night if he would be renewing his interest in Cherries for a third time, Bush replied: "No, I don't think so. I did look at it a few years ago with a couple of people and unfortunately it just didn't make sense to buy it at the price they wanted."

Bush, who at the time of his 1997 interest claimed his bid for the club was verbally accepted and then rejected by the receiver, added: "I'm not surprised by the current situation.

"It's been coming for a long time. You can't run a business with the kind of debt that AFC Bournemouth has without the income coming in.

"Unless you've got someone with really deep pockets, this is what happens.

"It's certainly disappointing for the people of Bournemouth. People should have owned up to the real situation earlier.

"You can only deal with the problem if you deal with the problem. You can't deal with the ideal.

"Too often in football people try to deal with the ideal and you can't do that."

Bush went on to insist his reason for selling the Terras so soon after his original purchase was simply because "the deal was right".

He added: "If you negotiate the right deal, football can be rewarding both as a fan and a businessman.

"When I looked at the AFC Bournemouth books 18 months to two years ago when I was looking at the club, nothing added up.

"I think any potential buyer would want to buy back the ground, but when I was looking at it the ground had already been sold and so there was a value on it which didn't add up to what they were asking for it.

"In my opinion, it shouldn't have been sold and leased back. They should have kept the ground and done an interest-only' repayment on it.

"I think too many people have been thinking with their hearts rather than their heads, which in a way, is commendable.

"But I have always believed that Bournemouth football club could be run at a profit and it could be successful."

  • Bournemouth businessman Philip Oram, who submitted an offer to buy Dean Court from property firm Structadene in 2007, has also distanced himself from any further interest, the Echo understands.