Chronicle Article 14 January 2000

Mr Atkins could not be accused of mincing his words when he accepted the role of Director of Football. His views of the strength of the squad, the league position and the need for freedom to operate were nothing short of forthright. Like everyone associated with the Club, he knows that time is short and the position is desperate. He reiterated some of his opinions on Wednesday night at the fans forum. This is a welcome addition to the Club's calendar and we look forward to them on a regular basis. Direct dialogue between the Board and the fans can only be helpful to both parties and we hope the invitation to attend can be extended to all supporters.

With every game played we will be studying the league table and the results of other clubs who are within reach. All we can do is keep the faith and get behind Mr Atkins and the players. As new players are brought in to provide the right balance and perhaps give younger players a rest, they will get little time to bed down because of the urgency of the situation. This will not be helped by the absences of Angus Eve and Martin Nash for periods of international duty.

Although it has been part and parcel of the game for fans to express their disapproval of individual players, now is certainly not the time. Over the past few seasons, three who seemed to attract more barracking than most, for various reasons, were David Flitcroft, Chris Priest and John Murphy. Three players who would not make it to the top but who were very useful at this level. Their respective talents have been sorely missed this season. The phrase "conspicuous by their absence" springs to mind. Encouragement and a massive team effort are now the order of the day, home and away. Twenty-third spot will be a success.

The long running saga to obtain shares for individual fans via the ISA has now reached its end and all share applicants should have received their refunds in full. We are disappointed not to have been sending out shares, but the differences in opinion between the Club Board and the ISA committee regarding the handing over of monies has been explained and was also well aired at Wednesday's forum. We hope that the Board's suggestion in December that shares could still be offered to fans through an alternative route is carried through. This will satisfy the aims of supporters to own a portion of their club and of Mr Smith that " a football club should not be owned by one person. Ultimately it belongs to the supporters and people of Chester". There is an immediate opportunity to invest via the West Bromwich Building Society initiative.

The Newsletters have now been mailed. We apologise for the delay which was due to difficulties in production over the holiday period. The AGM will take place at the Royal Mail Club on 31st January. Nominations are required for anyone wishing to stand for the ISA Committee. The guest speaker will be announced shortly.

The Committee welcomes any comments or suggestions, and all will be dealt with. Chester City ISA, PO Box 308, Chester CH1 5ZF

Les Smith ISA chairman

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