There To Be Shot At

Q. What's the similarity between a grouse, a goalkeeper and the Labour Party?

A. They are all there to be shot at.

The poor grouse can only trust to luck. One hit and he is done for. Goalkeepers have a better chance of survival, especially with lousy forwards and decent cover from defenders.

The Labour Party are shot at from all sides but can expect a 5 year reign. The Labour Party had it easy in opposition, when they were firing the bullets. In power, the situation has changed. Similarly, support and PR wasn't a problem for the ISA last season. We had a target and an unlimited supply of ammunition. We had the support of the public, the media, MP's, and even the Minister for Sport gave us a hearing. We had the objectives of saving Chester City and had ambitions of getting a member onto the Board. We backed Terry Smith as the only viable buyer, and the membership got the chance to speak to the man himself. We were promised seats on the Board. The Convertible Loan Stock (shares) scheme was developed resulting in a massive additional workload. The fantastic response from over 500 members has enabled the ISA to have a total of 3 seats on the Board. Mission accomplished??

At the last ISA members' meeting, Terry Smith was certainly there to be shot at after the turbulent start to the season, whilst the ISA committee also came under sniper fire. As we have tried to explain in letters and articles, there is much work required to repair the damage of recent years. There is no quick fix, and what has been done so far has been carried out under enormous pressure. Where problems have arisen, the new organisation has automatically replaced the previous Chairman as a focal point for criticism. Of course, it goes with the territory, but the ISA now has a foot in both camps and direct lines of communication. Through this unique situation it is hoped that difficulties can be overcome more easily in the future.

The ISA remains an Independent and democratic organisation. It is open to anyone and everyone, and any member is free to express his/her opinion and/or stand for the committee. The Committee and the three interim Board members expect to be under fire from time to time. Thanks to George Rogers, Alan Case and Phil Green for standing for the 3 recent vacancies. Thanks also to those people who have volunteered to help at the Stadium over the past few days to provide us with additional cover. If anyone else wants to ride shotgun, you should know where to find us by now.

The Labour party used the song, "Things can only get better". We hope that this is true for everyone associated with Chester City. We can only do our best.

Les Smith ISA secretary

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