Well, what a difference a week can make in the world of football. Two wins and that of course bags us six points. Also included in those two games are two clean sheets and although clean sheets don’t grab you any points at the end of the day, to the team they mean so much.
So, what, and I know it is early days, turned this sudden change in our fortunes? Well, I believe it is three-fold.
1. The board felt that Brian had been dealt a lot of unfair cards in his first few months in these unprecedented times and because of this we felt he deserved a chance to really stamp his own identity on the team and the club. So, after some discussions, it was decided to give Brian a set amount of money from the club and Wessex Fantasy Football to bring in three experienced players. Then with the acquisition of some accommodation in Ferndown to introduce an extra day of training.
2. Brian, with the help of Paul Maitland, went out to find these players. This is where the club saw its first indication of what our manager was capable of. Instead of bringing in three players, he was able with his negotiating skills and contacts to bring in five players and he still hasn’t spent all the money we made available to him. For me, the most amazing one of the five is Dominic Revan the centre half from Aston Villa. Several EFL clubs were after him after his exploits against Liverpool in the FA Cup, but Brian sold the club and his visions so well that both Dominic and Aston Villa chose Weymouth FC.
3. Finally, the players who with the help of our new recruits have really stepped up to the mark. It has taken a lot of determination by them to turn this around, but we have seen it so many times from this bunch it is not a surprise and they are a real credit to our football club.
Finally, a quick update on the league itself and your club. Firstly, and this is very important for all of you to understand, the club is very safe and secure. We the board are being very careful indeed, and every step we are taking is being well thought out. These are very difficult times for all of us, but there are various people around your club from top to bottom who are doing your club proud.
Now to the league and the rest of the season. It appears from what I am seeing that there will be two votes next week; one for our league and one for the North & South. Now it certainly does look as though any funding moving forward is going to be in the shape of loans and not grants. Grants will only be given if the clubs can show that they are on the brink of going under. As I have said above, we are safe. However, my feeling on this is that the North and South may well vote to stop their season; but I believe that won’t happen with our league because a. we have some very big clubs in our league and b. the issue of promotion to the EFL. So, because of that, it will leave us with some tough decisions to make. In some ways, we will be in a no-win situation as I believe the season will continue, but again this is only my thoughts I may be wrong.
One thing I am very confident of is that we can survive this, and we will survive it and we will be in a great place and still well in our promise that we would live within our means. That is the only way it can be!
Ian White
WFC Chairman.