Lots of rejoicing today at Wrexham, where the Supporters Trust has announced that it is ready to buy the club.
This has, a little prematurely, been interpreted by most Wrexham fans to mean that the WST has bought the club; and suddenly, everything in the garden is rosy.
Colin Poole's interest in the club has ended, a turn of events probably not unconnected with a visit to Poole's country house by some Wrexham fans. You'd call that, I suppose, "Direct Action;" all' I should point out, entirely legal. Poole's wife Michelle didn't do herself, or her husband, any favours with her reference to Stephanie Booth as "That man-woman thing," let alone her "I said you should bankrupt them, Colin" remark.
Wrexham fans are delighted with the latest turn of events, but I would urge caution.
Leaving aside the fact that nothing has yet been finalised, there is the question of what the WST will do should it gain control of the club in the next couple of weeks.
First, there's the question of the Racecourse Ground itself. Will they take it over? And if so, when?
And then, there's the club's recent history of loss-making. The fans' perception that, following Tuesday's news, gates will soar, seems to me to be remarkably optimistic; should the WST have the long-term interests of the club at heart (which they clearly do) and should they act to bring costs under control, the team probably wouldn't compete for promotion from the BSP in 2011-12. I hope the rank and file supporters - by no means all of them WST members - will understand.
****
I'd promised to write something about Burscough, but nothing much seems to have happened there since last week. To summarise what has happened over the past year or so: Burscough started last season in the Northern Premier League, Premier Division; they were bankrolled largely by a single owner, Chris Lloyd. He fell ill last season, and was unable to continue financing the club; he eventually sold out to a property development firm, Chequer Properties.
Chris Lloyd died earlier this year.
Just after the end of the season, Chequer Properties fired the club's chairman and secretary (i.e. two different people) and agreed with the NPL for Burscough to groundshare next season at Skelmersdale - whose ground Chequer also own.
Burscough fans were outraged; now they are considering forming a rebel club.
Quite what this would mean for the current Burscough FC is unclear. They finished in a relegation place in the NPL in 2010-11, but have been offered a reprieve because of the closure of Ilkeston Town. I simply don't know what Burscough FC will do next season; it seems likely to me that they won't play in the NPL in 2011-12, but we could well have a situation akin to that of Bromsgrove Rovers last season.
In that case it became clear towards the end of the season that Rovers would not be able to compete in 2010-11; supporters formed their own club, hoping to take over at Bromsgrove Rovers when it closed and carrying on at step 4 in 2010-11. Rovers didn't close, but said they would play at step 4, even playing some pre-season friendlies; but they never even started the season, leaving the Southern League South & West Division with just 21 clubs. The new club, Bromsgrove Sporting, had to start in the Midland Combination, Division Two - at step 8.
There's another case of a 'rebel' club, and it's always trotted out when the issue arises elsewhere. Enfield were one of the country's most successful non-league clubs - winners of the Conference a couple of times, including in the last season before automatic promotion to the Football League was brought in - but they fell into the hands of an owner who appeared not to have the interests of the club at heart. A rebel club, Enfield Town, was formed while the old one still existed; the old Enfield struggled, went into liquidation and reformed, as Enfield 1983.
The two clubs shared a ground in the season just finished; but Enfield Town now have a new ground - and they have left, taking temporary stands they had built and paid for with them. Meaning that Enfield 1983, who won the Essex Senior League last season, now have to pass a post -season ground grading to allow them to take up their place at step 4 next season.
It's all been very rancorous, and it's all so unnecessary.
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