Despite repeated attempts by the Guardian to get him to give a statement on the situation, he has refused, citing "legal reasons".

Asked if he would sit down and answer 20 questions, Mr Raymond at first said he would be glad to.

But then, after speaking to his lawyers, he said there would be "very little point" in doing it, as he would legally be unable to answer the questions.

It is not clear what those legal reasons are, but Mr Raymond says that he has begun legal action against Bassetlaw Council.

However the council have denied all knowledge of any such action.
Ros Theakston, director of corporate services at the council, said: "We have had nothing in terms of any paperwork."

"We simply don't know what they are proposing. We don't know what the matter is until it comes in – we are none the wiser."

Meanwhile Bassetlaw MP John Mann has challenged Mr Raymond to a public debate on the future of football in Worksop.

Angry Mr Mann says he will never set foot into 1861 Leisure's venue at Sandy Lane, or support any events held on the ground.

"I challenge Howard Raymond to a public debate on the future of football in this town," said Mr Mann.
"We have heard his big ideas and we have seen his actions, now let us see if he has the confidence to debate the future."

"Worksop Town should sit at the top of a thriving football pyramid, working with the college and schools to bring through new talent into the sport."

"Not only should a permanent and stable ground be found, or recovered, but a permanent home for all the juniors teams also prioritised."
"Is the town bothered? Well, now we will see, but for me this town needs its football club more than ever and we should fight to save it."

In his column this week (see page 9), Mr Mann branded the lock out at Sandy Lane as "a total disgrace and an embarrassment to the world of football".

"I have a meeting with the FA bigwigs in September and this outrage will be raised," he said.

"Whoever is responsible for the lockout should play no role in football in the future."

Mr Raymond brushed aside these comments by saying: "What we have here is a silly little man running around with no facts on the matter, and he doesn't know what he's talking about."

As to the challenge for a public debate, he said: "Until trial, there is nothing we can do. We have to deal with the issues before us. We can only deal with one thing at a time."

This echoes an earlier conversation Mr Raymond had with the Guardian, when he said the facts would be revealed when his claim against the council came to court.

"It will all come out in the wash," he said.