BEHIND THE CHAIR
Good afternoon everybody and welcome to the NetDec stadium for the visit of Lancaster City. Both sides have seen significant changes since our meeting at the end of August. Both have new managers at the helm.
I’m not going to mince my words in this article. The amount of un-informed, abusive and offensive material written about recent events is completely unacceptable. As chairman, I am fair game – my family is not. So perhaps it’s time for some people to face some facts.
We have a new manager in Carl Macaulay and new assistant manager in Gary Martindale. We need to talk about them and why they were appointed rather than about someone who was not.
Carl and Gary both have excellent reputations for professional standards, on and off-field discipline and for attractive, passing football. They built Vauxhall Motors into an outfit that only relinquished Conference North status due to losing their financial backing. Their spell at Marine did not end well but that club’s chairman gave them both a ringing endorsement when I spoke to him on Sunday. They also interviewed very well and put forward a clear vision of where Witton Albion should be, and how we can get there.
As to the selection process, the board felt that it wanted to assess the calibre of all potential replacements for Scott Dundas instead of taking what so many believe was the only possible option. I’ll admit that I had to be persuaded about this myself.
However for a club that, accordingly to a recently departed colleague, people do not want to manage due to ‘interference from above’, there was no shortage of CVs, phone calls and e-mails that arrived on my desk. Should we have ignored them? Interestingly the roster of those who showed interest included not one but three ex-Witton managers.
In the end we interviewed four candidates with varying levels of experience in the non-league and professional game, including one ex-Wales international.
Was every director of the same opinion as to the right candidate from this bunch? No. However – contrary to what some believe – the board of Witton Albion is a democracy, and once a majority decision is made, everyone has to abide by it. It’s called collective responsibility.
I understand that many supporters would have preferred someone else, but many seem to have forgotten that the last time we listened to the clamour to appoint Anthony Sheehan, it didn’t end happily.
I’m not going to say any more about the selection process, other than to point out that the task facing Carl and Gary is no small one. In fact it is bigger than many think. This is reflected in the comings & goings on the playing side. Again – Rafa Benitez style – there are some facts to be imparted.
Off field discipline has been poor. There have been a number of incidents, some of which are the subject of external investigation, which were not acceptable in a club of this size. There is an infection in the dressing room that the new manager must address before we can move on. There will inevitably be casualties as we root out the bad from the good. But things will get better – they have to.
It is no surprise that the ex-Norton contingent has followed Scott Dundas out of Wincham Park (sorry, the NetDec stadium). Although Northwich hasn’t moved 10 miles further north since the Stoke-based players signed, once that group’s leader had gone, their connection to Witton Albion hadn’t been long enough to forge the kind of close bonds that might have persuaded them to stay.
When confronted by players who want to leave, there is little point forcing them to remain. Non-contract players can leave once a 7 day notice of approach has been served by another club. The receiving club can waive the seven days if we wish, but this can be a mistake if a team is struggling through injuries or suspensions. The seven days also gives an opportunity to try to persuade a player to change his mind about leaving.
If a player still decides to leave (for the club that has submitted the seven day approach) we cannot stop him. However that does not mean he has been released. Niall Green was released at his own request on the night Scott Dundas left; Kyle Diskin was also released on the same basis. It was only because they were released that they could both join the same club as FA rules prevent any club from putting in two seven day notice of approaches to the same club unless they are 28 or more days apart.
Hopefully that clarifies the difference between being released and simply signing for another club.
Both Niall Green and Kyle Diskin acted with great integrity in the way they asked to leave, and those wishes were granted. Lee Cropper did not wish to stay either, but as a contract player we insisted on getting a fee for him, which we duly negotiated and received.
Chris Baker was the subject of a 7 day approach from Kidsgrove which expired on Thursday of this week. He is now free to sign for them but cannot sign for any other club unless they too submit a formal approach. If, however, Carl Macaulay decides he wishes to allow Chris to leave, then we will release him. It’s not complicated and there are certainly no conspiracies. Players come and go, as they have since the dawn of football itself.
The same applies to Danny Roberts. We have tried very hard to keep Danny at the club, including the offer of a contract, however he wishes to move so – together with Chris Baker – we wish them every success for the future. Disappointingly we caught out two clubs making illegal approaches for our players. Both cases have been taken up with the chairmen concerned.
That just leaves Darren Chadwick. The captain has recently been promoted to Head of PE at a school in Stafford. This dramatically limits his availability and so Darren has requested a transfer. As a contract player we will require a fee that reflects his value to the club, although if Carl can persuade Darren to stay I for one would be delighted.
So much for on-field matters. There has also been much noise about the way the club is run.
If that means eight years (18 if you include Mike Worthington’s reign) of financial stability; a new, three-year stadium sponsorship deal; a new community programme that is already generating income for the football club; a social club that has been transformed in the last 6 months and a Development Squad that has already produced eight first team players… If that’s a poorly-run club, then I hope we remain poorly-run for years to come. Then there’s the prospect of expanding our facilities through the Wincham Urban Village project… Some crisis!
To the cowards who hide behind pseudonyms, do not attend matches and who do just as much damage by their actions as they claim others do by theirs, I say this - be careful what you wish for.
As I write this the kit from Tuesday’s game at Mossley is drying in our front room after your club secretary washed it and the boardroom today is being run by Adam because Pauline Spruce has kindly agreed to sponsor the match (thank you Pauline!) Reg and Judith spend hours on some many different jobs there isn’t enough space in this programme to list them all; John Salmon and Trevor give their time and expertise freely and Neil gets even less sleep than me because of the time he spends ensuring that your football club runs smoothly and professionally.
The reality is that we don’t have enough volunteers to cover the roles. So the next time you moan about something not being done correctly, or the way you’d prefer, remember this. We are all volunteers.
At this point I usually say I’m available in the bar before or after the game to discuss any aspect of how the club is run. The thing is, those who are reading this already know this. The truth isn’t out there – it’s staring you in the face.
Enjoy the match.
To those not at the game today this was the Chairman’s column in todays programme.
Well said Mr Chairman. Please don’t be disheartened by “keyboard warriors” - it’s unfortunately a fact of life these days that people will sit in the comfort of their houses and spill abuse and discontent.
UTA!
[quote=“econneely” post=61916]Well said Mr Chairman. Please don’t be disheartened by “keyboard warriors” - it’s unfortunately a fact of life these days that people will sit in the comfort of their houses and spill abuse and discontent.
UTA![/quote]if people have paid £9 to watch what as been utter crap what difference does it make if they’re on the terraces moaning,in the social club or doing it on social media.if you want to worship the chairman thats up to you but does’nt mean that i’ve got to.
Well said that person! I ain’t kissing nobody’s feet! We, as paying fans have a right to have our say, without us Mr chair you wouldn’t even have a club!
I don’t see any abuse on here, if you can’t take the heat then get out of the kitchen. You and the board have to be accountable for your actions and poor decisions and stop blaming it on others.the team clearly isn’t good enough! It doesn’t surprise me that we can’t hang on to our better players when the club is in such a mess
Don’t get me wrong you’ve done a lot for the club over the years but you have to ask yourself has your time come to an end?
[quote=“ADwarvesdinner” post=61922] Well said that person! I ain’t kissing nobody’s feet! We, as paying fans have a right to have our say, without us Mr chair you wouldn’t even have a club!
I don’t see any abuse on here, if you can’t take the heat then get out of the kitchen. You and the board have to be accountable for your actions and poor decisions and stop blaming it on others.the team clearly isn’t good enough! It doesn’t surprise me that we can’t hang on to our better players when the club is in such a mess
Don’t get me wrong you’ve done a lot for the club over the years but you have to ask yourself has your time come to an end?[/quote]
Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists
An Internet troll is someone who comes into a discussion and posts comments designed to upset or disrupt the conversation. Often, in fact, it seems like there is no real purpose behind their comments except to upset everyone else involved. Trolls will lie, exaggerate, and offend to get a response.
What kind of person would do this? Some Canadian researchers decided to find out.
They conducted two online studies with over 1,200 people, giving personality tests to each subject along with a survey about their Internet commenting behavior. They were looking for evidence that linked trolling with the “Dark Tetrad” of personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism.
They found that Dark Tetrad scores were highest among people who said trolling was their favorite Internet activity. To get an idea of how much more prevalent these traits were among Internet trolls, see this figure from the paper:
Look at how low the Dark Tetrad scores are for everyone except the trolls! Their scores for all four traits soar on the chart. The relationship between trolling and the Dark Tetrad is so significant that the authors write in their paper:
“… the associations between sadism and GAIT (Global Assessment of Internet Trolling) scores were so strong that it might be said that online trolls are prototypical everyday sadists.” [emphasis added]
Trolls truly enjoy making you feel bad. To quote the authors once more (because this is a truly quotable article): “Both trolls and sadists feel sadistic glee at the distress of others. Sadists just want to have fun … and the Internet is their playground!”
The next time you encounter a troll online, remember:
These trolls are some truly difficult people.
It is your suffering that brings them pleasure, so the best thing you can do is ignore them.
wwwitton I’d rather be an Internet troll than an Internet bully :whistle:
[quote=“econneely” post=61916]Well said Mr Chairman. Please don’t be disheartened by “keyboard warriors” - it’s unfortunately a fact of life these days that people will sit in the comfort of their houses and spill abuse and discontent.
UTA![/quote]
What a load of shite :woohoo:
I use this forum as many others do as a platform to talk to other Wittoners regarding the club, I pay my money on a Saturday and cheer when we win, and moan when we lose or abuse as you put it, the fact of the matter is in time since we gained promotion the club is back where it was but in a worse state. The chairman is accountable for that as he controls the club.