I’ve been to two events recently that have convinced me our club is going in the right direction. The first was the Trust AGM, and the second was the friendly against Swansea U21s. They were both enjoyable affairs, both leaving me with many questions left unanswered, but also a sense that the club is packed with talented, determined people.
AGMs are clearly not a majority interest. I guess about 100 people turned up, and we voted on whether clause 5b (subsection 12) of the Constitution should be amended to refer to’ Pensioners’, or the more politically correct ‘Persons endowed with valuable experience ‘. That wasn’t the exact clause, but you get my drift on the tone of part of the meeting. There was however some terrifically encouraging news that really needs to be lauded.
The club is breaking even, after finishing 17th in the Conference. Read that again, it’s incredible! The budget for this season is based on us doing really badly again. I don’t think there is one interested fan who is expecting such ignominy for another season. I don’t think I would be accused of being insane if I suggested; we would hope to flirt with the playoffs, maybe win a cup game or two and make a bit of cash in the transfer market (possibly compensation when our youngsters are scouted at the end of the season). If we don’t do as badly this season, then the playing budget for next year will be bigger. I can say that with certainty, because the Trust is committing to focussing resources on the first team.
I guess AGMs will never be thrilling to most, but I really got a positive feeling from it. One of my little concerns was addressed, in that the ‘Big Red Survey’ is going to be repeated to gather fans views, and there is a definite desire to get more fans democratically involved. Bravo to the board! Now onto something more interesting.
I love pre-season friendlies, they’re so relaxed, if you’re just a fan. When I got to the ground the first thing that struck was how many new players we had. The lads on the Glyndwr University degree were out in force, and once they actually got on the pitch it was clear that there is a lot of quality. I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising considering the level of clubs they’ve come from, but to get my opinion across; I’d say our squad has around 30% more Conference-ready players than last year.
The game itself was packed with positive signs. Everybody takes different things from games: I thought the squad looked much better suited to getting the best out of Bish: more willing runners, more people able to provide service and more people to get in the box in time for the action. Louis Moult is everything you would want from a striker, he reminds me of a young Ian Rush. I had seen Connor Jennings before a few times, and it’s a puzzle to me how we managed to sign him, he could be a superb investment. A tiny, tiny negative from my viewpoint was that Durrell looks like an enigma. If Wilkin gets the best out of him we’re going to break the ‘goals scored in a season’ record.
My final positive is that I spotted Mark Griffiths in the commentary box. To my great relief it appears his transfer negotiations with Chester broke down over the frequency they were willing to dry-clean his cravats. Wrexham managed to come to an agreement whereby his undercover work for the Daily Mail could continue, and also his promotional work for the Franklin Mint (Purveyors of exquisite commemorative coins, china, and scale replicas of the Starship Enterprise).
I’m excited.
DragonHeart 