1 February 2001

Dear First Team Players,

The effort and performance last night was not acceptable. You had an opportunity to achieve something special by progressing in a major Cup competition and several players looked in the first half like they did not even want to play.

Such underachievement and lack of effort is not acceptable in any walk of life.

In the second half you decided to play, and for fifteen minutes you were a far better team than Port Vale and they could not handle you. Then, when they got a cheap second goal the effort by us disappeared again. The way you were dominating in the second half until the second goal, you could have scored 2 goals, just like you scored 3 goals against Oxford. However, it was apparent that you did not believe that you could score twice, and so the effort dried up. Again this is not acceptable. If Manchester City had not believed in themselves in the Second Division play-off two years ago when they were 2 goals down with only a few minutes left, then they would now still be in the Second Division instead of the Premier League. Likewise, if Manchester United had not believed in themselves when they needed 2 goals to win in injury time, then history would never show Manchester United as the 1999 European Champion.

It all starts with effort and it all starts with belief. Without these two things you have nothing, and with them you have the possibility to achieve anything.

Chester City Football Club has a huge player wage budget because of our desire to win. The only way to even come close to breaking even is to do extremely well in the Cups and to be very successful in the Conference. Without Cup runs and the Conference success we lose �40,000 per month. In addition, the Club treats its players with as much sincerity and kindness as we possibly can.

Therefore, the Club cannot and will not accept performances like last night. Our players as a Team are not asking or expecting enough of themselves. There are too many players satisfied with mediocrity.

You are the best team in the Conference, and you should be at the top of the Conference, and you should be winning Cups, not just playing in them.

Lack of effort and lack of expecting greatness from yourselves is a disgrace to yourselves. You are cheating yourselves and the Club.

Anyone can be average, and anyone can be great. The only difference is setting your Goals so that you expect better out of yourself, and then working hard to reach those Goals. Success is Simple. All it requires is:

1) HIGH EXPECTATION OF YOURSELF. You should not be satisfied this year unless you Win the Conference and You Win a big Cup. With the talent and ability that you have as a Team, anything less than this you should see as a failure.

2) HARD WORK TO REACH THIS EXPECTATION LEVEL. Hard work is only wanting to do it. Anyone can work hard, and if you want something badly enough then you will want to Work Hard to achieve it.

These are the ONLY two items required for huge SUCCESS in ANY Walk Of Life.

If profesional football players do not want to do the above things, then they should either give up the Game and go do something else, or they should go find another Football Club.