Chester City FC

[The Red Baron]

The item below comes from Barrow's Holker Street Newsletter:


On a day when it was announced that Portsmouth had become the first Premier
League side to have been placed in administration, AFC Bournemouth had been
served with winding-up order by HM Revenue & Customs over a GBP314,000 tax bill,
it's possible the news of Chester City's demise may slip under the radar for
some people, but for followers of Barrow, Chester City and other non-League
clubs, it is the news that we were waiting for. You shouldn't shed any tears for
Chester, it was the best thing that could have happened to the club and those
who care for it. And I don't include the Vaughans in that group.

It's taken a long time for Barrow supporters to obtain justice for what Vaughan
did to Barrow AFC, and whilst in a perfect world, he would be held accountable
for his time at Holker Street, I, for one, will take this instead. Stephen
Vaughan epitomises what is wrong with football at our level, he is a deceitful,
dishonest and twisted individual, who has finally been told by his peers that
his actions are unacceptable, and he should now skulk back to the shadows, or
boxing, where he may be appreciated.

I started the Newsletter back in September 1997, at a time when Barrow were in
trouble because of Vaughan's time at Holker Street, we were lucky to come out of
it alive, but it was only due to the actions of LA14's equivalent of twelve men,
good and true, but we could have easily found ourselves in the position Chester
City supporters now are.

Before we go any further, here's the Conference statement: Following the general
meeting the Board of the Football Conference convened and declared in line with
Football Conference Rule 13.9 that Chester City's record in the Blue Square
Premier this season will be expunged. The resultant changes to the table which
will affect other club records will not be activated until any right of appeal
process has expired or such appeal dealt with. For avoidance of doubt, Chester
City FC can only appeal against the original decision of the Board in relation
to Football Conference Rule 8.6 which relates to their recommendation to member
clubs. There can be no direct appeal via the Football Association in respect of
the decision by member clubs relating to Article 5.2. Chester City FC, although
having the right to make a presentation to the member clubs against the
recommendation, did not attend the meeting. Friday's events are unparalleled in
the history of our national sport and it is with much regret these circumstances
have evolved. The Football Conference are saddened that any club should meet
such a fate and it sympathises with those who hold the club dear to their
hearts, especially after a proud heritage of 125 years. Whilst the decision of
member clubs was taken in respect of the club failing to fulfil fixtures, behind
these failures is a lesson to every club at whatever level they participate.
Clubs have to live within their means and financial prudence can be the only way
forward.

And this is the response of Chester Fans United: Today the member clubs of the
Football Conference have voted to expel Chester City FC from the competition.
City Fans United are dismayed and saddened that this situation has been allowed
to occur, however we have previously stated our belief that years of financial
mismanagement meant that this decision was inevitable. We are angry that Chester
City FC was allowed to fall into such a sorry state and we call upon the
football authorities to review their rules on the ownership and financial
control of football clubs, before the supporters of another football club are
forced to endure the pain felt by fans of Chester City FC. CFU have previously
outlined our vision for the future for football in Chester but, like all
supporters of Chester City FC, we must take some time to grieve. We believe that
125-years of footballing history will live on through and each every supporter
of Chester City FC. Rest assured that City Fans United will continue to fight
for the future of football in Chester. A further statement will be issued in due
course.

The Conference haven't announced who voted for and against the recommendation to
expel Chester City, and neither should they, when, at the end of the 1998-99
season, Barrow were the recipients of a similar vote and weren't re-elected to
the Conference, there wasn't any official statement as to who voted for and
against, but we did find out in due course, and I assume this will be the case
again.

I've never met Vaughan, hopefully never will, and at first I believed him to be
the saviour Barrow needed, but as tales emerged, and then I experienced his
strange business practices first hand, people who I trust implicitly and have
blue and white blood flowing through their veins shared their experiences with
me, my opinion of the man changed. I saw how he wrapped the local media around
his finger, and how certain members of it swallowed Vaughan's curious mix of
lies and flattery, hook, line and sinker so they couldn't see the wood for the
trees. Vaughan was never prosecuted for what happened at Barrow, and I don't
think he ever will, but we know what he did was shady at best, well, you don't
really need me to finish this sentence, do you? That's why I read of Friday's
decision at the Conference meeting with a smile on my face.

Without a League to play in, Chester City now have to go to the Royal Courts of
Justice in London for their winding-up order on 10 March over an unpaid tax bill
of GBP26,125, the club were given a six-week adjournment on 27 January, and next
month should see the corpse laid to rest. I remember when Vaughan left Barrow,
he said how badly he had been treated and he would be back, if not at Barrow
AFC, then he start his own club, and I assume he will make similar mutterings
this time, but as parts of Cheshire are well known for mining salt, perhaps the
locals can take a wee pinch of it when Vaughan starts his woe-is-me speech. Oh,
of course, he could come over all mea culpa, have an epiphany and look for the
Road to Damascus, but knowing what a toe-rag he is, I don't think that's going
to happen, is it? If he does ask, tell him the Road to Damascus is off the back
of the Mersey Ferry.

Should Chester City have been put to the sword before now? Have the Conference
allowed the clubs to do their dirty work? Not really, the Conference hierarchy
don't have the right to expel a club; they can recommend it, but their articles
of association, and that of any other League operating under the auspices of the
Football Association, make clear such a decision can only be taken by the member
cubs, all the Conference can do is recommend that a club be expelled. That's
what they did, and that's what Friday's meting at Nene Park was for, to vote on
the Conference's recommendation.

What does this all mean for Barrow? Well, the two League games we were due to
play Chester won't happen, and the clubs who have played Chester already will
have those results expunged, those are the rules. So the idiot at Stevenage who
said he would sue the Conference if this happened, can go and take a running
jump. As Barrow were due to entertain Chester on Easter Monday, we stand to lose
a lot of money, but that's the price you have to pay for doing the right thing,
and the right thing was done on Friday when the Conference clubs said enough is
enough, and expelled Chester City.

Chester City FC is dead, long live AFC Chester City.

As far as I know, there will be a period where an appeal can be made, but as the
Conference statement makes clear, this can only be made against \" the original
decision of the Board in relation to Football Conference Rule 8.6 which relates
to their recommendation to member clubs. There can be no direct appeal via the
Football Association in respect of the decision by member clubs relating to
Article 5.2.\", and then the points will be expunged, until then the table
stands, but this is what it would look like if they were whipped out now,
because I know you'd want to know, thanks to BBC Radio York for this.

1 Oxford Utd 30 66
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 Stevenage 30 60
3 York 30 57
4 Luton 29 55
5 Kettering 31 54
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6 AFC Wimbledon 31 53
7 Rushden & D 30 52
8 Mansfield 30 47
9 Crawley Town 31 45
10 Kidderminster 29 43
11 Altrincham 29 41
12 Wrexham 29 40
13 Histon 29 39
14 Hayes & Y 32 38
15 Tamworth 31 33
16 Ebbsfleet U 34 33
17 Salisbury 29 32
18 Gateshead 31 31
19 Cambridge 29 29
20 Eastbourne B 32 29
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
21 BARROW 28 28
22 Forest Green 31 24
23 Grays Athletic 31 17

As for relegation at the end of the season, three clubs will be relegated from
the Blue Square Premier, and two will come up from each the Blue Square North
and Blue Square South, and as the Blue Square North will have one less club
coming down, I assume one less club will be relegated from the BSN, which will
then be repeated down through the feeder Leagues.

Can we play AFC Chester City in a friendly before the start of the 2010-11
season? Can we, please?

The BBC website has some interesting meat on the bones to Chester's expulsion,
it says: \"due to the continued presence of the Vaughan family as the club's
owners, the Football League chose to deny Chester the discretionary (parachute)
payment due to both them and Luton Town following relegation from the Football
League. City were also overlooked for a one-off GBP30,000 hardship payment
provided to all other Conference clubs by the Premier League.\" I thought the
parachute payment was due to be made when Chester came out of administration,
and assumed the GBP30,000 from the Premier League went to all BSP sides, without
exception.

What happens now with the Danish consortium who want to buy Chester City,
goodness knows, hopefully they will throw their weight and finance behind AFC
Chester City (or whatever they are to be called), but bearing in mind the inept
comments that have come from those involved with the project, I think everyone
would be better served if they went home.

[The Red Baron]

This para struck me a VERY familiar:

I've never met Vaughan, hopefully never will, and at first I believed him to be
the saviour Barrow needed, but as tales emerged, and then I experienced his
strange business practices first hand, people who I trust implicitly and have
blue and white blood flowing through their veins shared their experiences with
me, my opinion of the man changed. I saw how he wrapped the local media around
his finger, and how certain members of it swallowed Vaughan's curious mix of
lies and flattery, hook, line and sinker so they couldn't see the wood for the
trees. Vaughan was never prosecuted for what happened at Barrow, and I don't
think he ever will, but we know what he did was shady at best, well, you don't
really need me to finish this sentence, do you? That's why I read of Friday's
decision at the Conference meeting with a smile on my face.