EIGHT days after the shock resignation of Terry Robinson and a takeover by the Mansport consortium has yet to materialise.

When the Bury FC chairman sensationally emptied his desk last Monday, it was hoped his decision would act as a catalyst and speed up the sale of disgraced former Shakers' owner Hugh Eaves' shareholding to the Manchester-based group.

But according to joint chairman and chief executive John Smith, who has taken over the reins at the Gigg Lane club along with fellow director Fred Mason, there has been no movement since Mr Robinson left.

"We keep hearing that the takeover is imminent, but nothing seems to be happening and, as far as I am concerned, the consortium haven't been in touch," said Mr Smith, who must combine his duties at Gigg with the running of his family haulage business.

"It's a desperate situation, but all Fred and I can do is keep the club going on a day-to-day basis until everything is finalised.

"But, in truth, there's no way we can continue the job Terry has done here for the past 18 years.

"He was a full-time soccer adminstrator and, though we know certain things about the running of the club, we have no experience of negotiating players contracts and things like that.

"The whole situation needs resolving and quickly. I'm just glad that Saturday's game against Reading wasn't postponed.

"That would have been a catastrophe for us financially, especially after the run of postponements we suffered over the Christmas holiday period."

Even if the Mansport group, who are connected to Yorkshire-based Turkish businessman Alex Tarsus, put pen to paper on a deal it would have to be ratified by the High Court -- and there's a chance that could drag the completion out weeks longer.

Any deal still depends on getting a £1 million mortgage on the Gigg Lane ground and that is what is believed to be holding up completion.

Mr Robinson is known to have struggled to put another mortgage in place after one the club secured last year was pulled from under them when the Sheffield solicitors it was taken up with were struck off for infringing Law Society regulations.

Another group, led by a Shakers' season ticket holder and backed by a handful of millionaires, are believed to be ready to step in should the Mansport deal fall through.