Comedy Show

[Marko]

They'll be blaming us for stealing their £220,000 next.

 

[Edge]

I would have thought that Mr nutall as the owner of the club should be a little worried as well. I wonder if JR told him about this other "misunderstanding" when he agreed to take this on?

Is Derek the owner though?
According to the return from last July JR transferred his shareholding to his son. View PDF

Next annual return is due on the 10th August.

 

[Tony1874]

On hearing the news of the recent Winding up Petition, the JRFC mouth pieces changed their appearance to make an official statement.

 

[John LILBURN]

Well Colin was right.
He did say that jrfc would be in the news again shortly.
One might think that JR didn't confide in him?

 

[Kit]

Are Sky planning to run a feature on NVFC? If so is a warning email to them worth a go?

 

[John LILBURN]

I am reminded of Kenneth Williams as Julius Caesar in Carry On Cleo
"Infamy, Infamy, they all have it in fer me" as I am sure that it is all part of the anti-JR conspiracy that Colin often quotes.

There is no mention of this latest unpleasantness on the JRFC fans forum, but unfortunately for them it is Jim's private company and none of their business.

The wittoners aren't happy either.

Colin, Hello are you there?

 

[Tony1874]

It'll be this

Followed by this

 

[Alan M]

Are Sky planning to run a feature on NVFC? If so is a warning email to them worth a go?

Your wish, etc ... (apologies that a large part is a re-hash of the BBC email)

(though it is always a bit of a pain to find out how exactly to contact the appropriate people at Sky, particularly when you don't subscribe to their services - my email has gone to [email protected] )

I am led to believe that in the next few days there may be a feature/item on Sky Sports News relating to the "homecoming" to Northwich of Northwich Victoria FC, which was also the subject of a feature on BBC North West Tonight last Friday. They were somewhat hoodwinked into broadcasting that item, largely because they patently neglected to do any prior research. I would hope that Sky Sports can display a little greater professionalism and journalism skills by considering some of the background, briefly set out below.

I would not expect you to simply believe what I have written - but it is all extensively documented in various trustworthy sources on the internet, not least as of today at
https://m.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2376883/
where you will find the details of HMRC's latest winding up order against this "football club" (quotation marks used for many reasons!). I say 'latest' because it is not HMRC's first attempt to extract money from this club on behalf of the taxpayer. It is also the second winding up petition issued against the club in the past couple of months - though they wormed their way out of the last one.

Anyway, here follow brief details why I - as a former supporter of this club since the mid-60s and now a supporter of the fan-run club 1874 Northwich set up in direct protest at the way that club was run - believe that to have an item "celebrating" the return of Northwich Victora to Northwich would be tantamount to a kick in the teeth to local businesses and the many true non-league football supporters in that town.The past few years have seen repeated misery heaped on that club's creditors and anguish experienced by supporters of all ages as a result of frankly appalling mismanagement of the club's affairs off the field.

Firstly some (but by no means all - you'd need a lot of time for that) financial facts - the club was exiled from the town because the owner had proved singularly incapable of raising the funds to fulfil promises to buy the stadium from administrators and instead allowed them to sell to a local chemical company. The stadium, built partly by supporters themselves, has since been flattened - although at least one extensive section of terracing has gone to help a fan-run club and now forms part of FC United's new stadium. The owner (and his predecessors) have taken the club into successive administrations, different incarnations of the club have been dissolved/liquidated, and the current version is several hundred thousand pounds in debt (see Companies House) and (as noted above) currently subject to a HMRC winding up order. Creditors across the area, mostly small local companies and individual tradesmen, but also HMRC (and thus the entire population), have seen next to nothing of the monies owed to them. The money earned from a lucrative FA Cup run a few years ago was seen as a lifeline. Mysteriously, it disappeared into another accounting black hole almost immediately. These and other "irregularities" (to use a somewhat laughable FA term) saw the club relegated down through the non-league pyramid.

The majority of the fans who had stuck with the club through thin and thinner saw the eviction from the Victoria Stadium as the final straw. They were not prepared to follow what they saw as a shambles of a club on its nomadic existence around other grounds in the north west. Interestingly, no local club within Cheshire seemed prepared to host a club whose very touch seemed to turn everything to dust, so first they went to Stafford and then to Flixton. Few followed them. Instead, a large number decided that the only realistic path to follow was to set up a new fan-run club, and then to strive to rebuild the bridges with the local community and within non-league football which Northwich Victoria had destroyed.

This club - 1874 Northwich - was born in November 2102, and is now flourishing in the North West Counties Premier League. It has a loyal and hard-working fanbase with home attendances over 300, probably the majority of whom are former fans of Northwich Victoria. It is restoring local football fans' faith in non-league football, and beginning to win the trust of the local community. It is particularly active in fund-raising for local charitable causes. I do not know of any fans who are planning to relinquish their new club (literally theirs, as many are co-owners) in order to return to watching a discredited outfit where the management and administration lacks any transparency whatsoever. Hence why 3 times as many watched our home friendly match on Saturday as theirs.

To give credence to their "return" to Northwich as tenants of another local club, Witton Albion (themselves a generally well-run club, though it pains me from the green half of town to have to admit it!) would only serve to strengthen the belief of the few fans who still watch Northwich Victoria and of the owner and shadowy backers that they can ride roughshod over the rest of the local community in mid-Cheshire. The town of Northwich deserves better than to be in any way "represented" by this club, and I believe it should be starved of any positive publicity which fails to address the underlying situation
.

Alan Marshall

 

[John LILBURN]

"Shadowy backers" Good point, well made.

I am sure that they are philanthropic and charitable individuals whose only concern is the welfare of the whole community and a football club that reflects the interests of that community.

Oh no! sorry that will be 1874 Northwich FC

 

[Chubbs]

This club - 1874 Northwich - was born in November 2102, and is now flourishing in the North West Counties Premier League. It has a loyal and hard-working fanbase with home attendances over 300, probably the majority of whom are former fans of Northwich Victoria.

Pedantic small point of the day, otherwise eloquence personified Alan.

 

[Tony1874]

 

[Alan M]

oops

 

[Tony1874]

Oh Alan, you've upset Colin & spoilt JRFC celebrationary home coming coverage. That's it now, take down the bunting, cancel the fanfare and street parties.

 

[Alan M]

Fame at last! Nice to see their self-appointed media officer is monitoring all the important websites.

A bit of an own goal there, though, posting all of that in full on their forum.

 

[Kit]

Here's an idea, why don't they concentrate on actually paying their outgoings/debts before someone has to try and wind up the club? Does Colin not have the brain to realise that people are going to be cynical about the 'homecoming' when the club just proves that the next crisis is always just around the corner.

Great email Alan, we as a club need to fight back and show why we are here, even if we face 'sabotage' mud-slinging. We created the club for a reason and need to keep shouting about it.

 

[Edge]

In the last week JRFC have reported debts of over a quarter of a million pounds and face their third winding up order of the year.
And all you get is "woo hoo we're back in Northwich."

I think we need a head in the sand emoticon.

 

[Marko]

 

[John LILBURN]

"We don't pay taxes, only little people pay taxes"
Leonora Helmsley (Hotel Heiress)
New York Times 1989.
The tax authorities in the US threw her in jail though!

What I genuinely don't understand is why the 3 monkeys aren't as offended by the non-payment of taxes by JR Inc as I am because if he and his mystery backers don't pay their tax liability then it means more taxes for the rest of us.

It isn't a footballing matter, but a civic and legal duty or am I missing something?

 

[John LILBURN]

I couldn't help noticing that there are no reports on JRFCs last friendly against Winsford which took place yesterday prior to their triumphant return to Northwich.
I presume that it was a bit of an anti climax as Colin hasn't been gloating about their attendance as he would if hundreds had returned as promised.

Any news on the attendance? (actual rather than imagined please)

Incidentally I am curious rather than interested.

 

[Andy]

The attendance was apparently 140 with 20 Village Idiots and 120 Blues