I NOTE that Northwich Victoria owner Jim Rushe spoke out in last week’s Northwich Guardian.

As usual, he is full of bluster.

Northwich Victoria Supporters Trust gave him more than one opportunity to engage with it to help the existing club.

These overtures were almost always met with a response from Mr Rushe which, in essence, amounted to his willingness to accept financial support but no say for fans in the running of what he calls ‘his club’.

This prevarication led the trust to prepare the ground for a new club, not done ‘a long time ago’ as he asserts, but relatively recently. The split in the fan base to which he refers has not always existed. This was engineered when Mike Connett was chairman, for he wanted a fans-based organisation – in the form of the official supporters’ club – to counter the legitimate questioning of his activities by the trust. After Mr Rushe bought the club from Mr Connett, the activities of the two supporters organisations continued. I believe that the last straw for most fans has been the loss of the Victoria Stadium earlier this year.

Mr Rushe claims he was let down by financial institutions who he blames for his inability to complete a purchase of the ground. We only have his word for this. Perhaps he could make available correspondence he had with said institutions leading up to their alleged refusal to grant a loan. Fans have been assured that a deal was imminent on many occasions over the past few years, so disclosure of this information might help to dispel a feeling among them that there was never a chance of money to purchase the Victoria Stadium being made available.

DAVID STILES Northwich