
The following interview was scheduled to have been included in Issue 7.2 of WUP, but with everything that was/is going on at Chester City F.C, things were/are a bit hectic and deadlines are tough to adhere to, what with having been threatened by the Blue Square with Expulsion if debts remain unpaid after varying deadlines. Rather than the material become hopelessly outdated by the time of our next issue, we are posting this on the blog site whilst it is topical.
As Wimbledon fans became immersed in the build up to their first season in the Blue Square Premier League, an outrageous storyline was unfolding at the Deva Stadium, home of Chester City F.C.
Apathy has reigned forever in the City Of Chester, living in the shadow of larger North West based clubs, but the small band of loyal followers supporting Chester City have deserved better than the succession of dubious owners who have besmirched their good footballing name with their business dealings over the last few years. The club that spawned the likes of Ian Rush and Womble wannabe Aiden Newhouse (!) have suffered loss of league status before, albeit temporarily, and largely down to spectacular mismanagement, they find themselves again in the top tier of non league, clinging on to their very existence after falling foul of the tax man and the football authorities. A penalty of minus 25 points has been awarded for varying noncomformities, and whilst the severity of this admonishment is under appeal, any revised ruling is certain to still leave them struggling to escape the relegation mire.
WUP spoke to “Stop Our Club From Dying” orchestrator Rich Wightman on the challenges faced by the Deva diehards.
WUP: You’ve suffered at the hands of a number of dubious owners over the years – can you see a way forward from your latest predicament?
RW: To be perfectly honest at present the best thing for the future of Chester City F.C. is to liquidate so that we can get rid of all the debt and more importantly Stephen Vaughan and the rest of his Power hungry henchmen. Under this current regime there is no way forward and before long Chester City will be extinct as we know it.
WUP: Are you resigned to life in the BSN next season? Is a 25 point penalty an insurmountable barrier?
RW: When we found out that we were going to be hit with a 25 point penalty, a lot of us were at the ground at the time that it was announced, as we had a protest there to try and get answers, a lot of us couldn’t believe it at the time, but then we thought we would rather be hit with a 25 point penalty than have no football club, but having started the season a week later than everybody else, and already on Manager number 12 since Vaughan took charge, and things not really changing despite him saying that it was a fresh start for the Players, Management and Fans, as far as we can see nothing has changed – if anything things have got worse, and we don’t see that we can stay in the BSP, so yes we are resigned to the BSN next season.
WUP: Smith, Guterman, Vaughan … do you think someone up there doesn’t like you? Maybe things would have been different if that bloke from Pickerings Dairies had bought the club some years back?
RW: It would appear that somebody up there really doesn’t like Chester City F.C. and even if David Pickering had bought us all them years ago, I don’t think things would have been that different as the council don’t seem to want a football club in the city, so without their help and cooperation, it gets increasingly difficult to get the crowds through the turnstiles, however what Chester City really needs is to be marketed properly, and then we would have half a chance.
WUP: How would you feel if John Batchelor got control of CCFC?
RW: I feel that if John Batchelor got control of the club we wouldn’t be any further forward, as he is as crazy as Terry Smith was. He wants to change our team name to Harchester United, so who knows what else he would try and do, so no, I really wouldn’t like to see him in charge but things really can’t go on as they are.
WUP: How gruelling was the journey to Moss Rose every other week whilst they were building a retail park on your old ground?
RW: I didn’t actually support Chester City at the time of us playing at Moss Rose, so I cannot answer how it must have felt travelling to Macclesfield every other week. However, on the away trips that I have been on to Moss Rose, I would say that it must have been rather difficult for our fans and it is not surprising that we have lost a lot of the fanbase since that happened, and despite us gaining two promotions since we have been back in Chester, the club really hasn’t done anything to encourage new blood into the club.
WUP: How do you sustain even Conference level football, living in the shadow of Liverpool, Everton, Manchester Utd and City? Is there anything more the club could be doing to promote their status within the locality? If the ground was moved to the amphitheatre site or Grosvenor Park, would that increase your attendances?
RW: The attendance suffers quite significantly living so close to Liverpool, Everton, Both Manchester Clubs, and Tranmere to a certain extent, The only way that the fans would come back to the club is if it was taken over by somebody who actually cared for our future and also if the club was marketed properly.
WUP: Where on the scale of football rivalries would you rank your relationship with “The Goats”, Wrexham, in terms of derby match passion?
RW: Our relationship with our fiercest rivals Wrexham AFC tends to differ on how we are both achieving at the time. Unfortunately I was unable to go to our last match due to ill health, but I was told that the atmosphere was electric, and I can remember that our biggest Derby in 1995 against them was on Feb 14th when we drew 2-2 and Chester were down to 9 men, and Andy Milner scored the equaliser and the crowd went wild and the Wrexham fans were baying for our blood after that. That day is now known to all Chester City fans as St Milner’s Day. Another reason why the atmosphere may have been so electric, is that both Chester and Wrexham fans know that Chester won’t be in the same league as Wrexham next season and for quite a few seasons to come if Stephen Vaughan gets his way.
WUP: Do you harbour hopes of unleashing a new Ian Rush on the unsuspecting football world anytime soon?
RW: Unfortunately with our football academy closing down due to financial difficulties, I really don’t see us unleashing a new Ian Rush any time soon. Although to be fair we have a fair few youngsters in our team at present, who, if managed correctly, could turn into really good players in the future, especially the likes of Kevin Roberts and Lloyd Ellams.
WUP: How do you feel about your ground being in two countries, and sharing an access road with the local tip?
RW: I personally don’t mind the club being in two countries, but whenever we get away fans, they always cheer about us being Welsh, and that does get quite annoying from time to time. Also the club being on the access road to the tip is not the best, as it is at the end of an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere, and whenever we have a really big crowd, traffic congestion can be a nightmare.
WUP: Has it been difficult to mobilise the fanbase to protest about your current plight? What is the depth of feeling amongst supporters, and what steps are you able to take as “Stop Our Club From Dying” to confront the situation? How are relations between the club and the supporters currently?
RW: It has been quite easy to be honest to mobilise fans, as I came up with the idea of Stop Our Club From Dying group on Facebook, and within two days we had over 500 members and to date we have over 1800 members, which considering we don’t even get that for a match, is quite heart warming, knowing that there really are people who care about our club, and we have had quite a lot of support and publicity from the local press, Radio and Local MP. The fans are all united in wanting the same thing, and that is to get the club into the hands of the fans.
WUP: Do you yearn for a supporters trust run club or would you be worried that the Notts County situation might be replicated?
RW: I really would like the supporters to be able to run the club, but unfortunately I cannot see that happening, as there just isn’t any interest or money unless a local business or businessman comes in.
WUP: If the worst happens this season, is their intent to reform as AFC Chester and start from scratch?
RW: At present I don’t think there is an intent to start a new club from scratch, but this may have to be looked at if the worst should happen.
WUP thanks Rich for taking the time to talk to us. Since this interview was conducted, City Fans United was formed, which brought together two existing individual supporters groups under one umbrella, and after a successful launch night and having won the support of the Chester Chronicle and other local media representatives, are now holding a Protest March against Stephen Vaughan’s handling of the club before the match with AFC Wimbledon on 31st October, so please show your support for their endeavours and visit www.cityfansunited.com to find out more about the fans attempt to fight back and their fundraising efforts.