Chesterfield FC, The end of an Error? Or the start of a bright new slump?

So that's it, it's all over Chesterfield FC is no longer a Football League club, it's been a 3 year long balls up. Jack Lester, Nicky Eaden and Tommy Wright have all gone, whether they walked or if they were pushed is academic.

Looking at both ends of the league table makes a sorry sight and a sobering thought on how to run a football club, nobody said it was ever an easy thing to do, but when it goes well you take the credit when it goes pear shaped you should be big enough to take the flak.

Accrington Stanley are up and should be worthy champions and may proudly display the trophy at the Wham stadium and no doubt dine out on an McDonalds takeaway and £1 pint from their pub. Meanwhile at The Proact maybe the players could run out to the Death March or maybe “It’s Over” by Roy Orbison might be more appropriate.

Thrashed at the Wham "Stadium"

How did Accy do it with their limited budget, reported in the national press, of £15k per week to run the club and a massive crowd of over 3,000 to see them make it to League One? Well their manager John Coleman certainly knows how to pick a player and fit them into a simple system that works. They play 442, with an excellent right winger, 2 decent forwards and a team that works hard. Their main striker Billy Kee, who scored against us in both games, suffers from depression and was considering quitting football at one point, let’s hope he can crack a smile at their end of season do.

Our financially lop-sided team was initially recruited by Guy Branston and Gary Caldwell and despite recent additions still can’t fit into any formation, so we are at the bottom of the table.

Meanwhile our esteemed leader Ashley “Promotion is the only option” Carson recently said that Jack Lester is to stay at the Proact even if we get relegated-however Lester is now not at the club due to getting relegated.

I’ve lost count of how many “mistakes” have been made in the last 4 years, from not faxing the FA regards our on-loan centre back playing in the FA Cup, to Sally Swain’s recent departure, perhaps there’s someone out there who could compile a full list? Or just the Top 20 chart rundown of off-field cock-ups would do.

This is Phil Tooley's take on things http://d3d4football....by-phil-tooley/

Here goes, eyes down for a full house

1 Set up a club with too many employees

2 Have it reliant on cash flow involving selling young players on a regular basis, what if you have no-one to sell? What if you sell your best player with 2 days of the transfer window left and no time to replace him?

3 Employing Chris Turner and making sure the people who previously ran the club are ushered out of the door.

4 Promising the fans a 5 year plan, which would get the club to Championship

5 Employing a great manager in Paul Cook, but financially pulling the plug, so that we could not sign enough quality players to get to the Championship

6 Being involved in a scandal whereby someone at either Wolves or Chesterfield forgot to fax the FA about us playing a loan player. Chesterfield had to replay a cup tie, Wolves were not punished, draw your own conclusions.

7 Allowing Chris Turner on the radio sounding worse for wear. Allowing Chris Turner to say "This club does not make mistakes"

8 Alienating your fans, asking for regular attendances of 7,000, getting more than that and inferring it's the fans' fault the club does not have enough money

9 Having a fire sale of all your best players as soon as Paul Cook leaves

10 Employing Dean "3 relegations on my CV" Saunders after he impressed the Chairman at an after dinner speech and not interviewing other candidates properly, we may as well have employed Bernie Clifton.

11 Allowing Saunders to spend most of the budget on crocked players, such as Ebanks-Blake on their way down the career ladder

12 Under Danny Wilson allowing Paul Mitchell , the head of player recruitment, to leave and not replacing him

13 Signing Ched Evans, a man who would face a public court case, 3 months into his contract. The club slid down the table as soon as he was on trial.

14 Not allowing Wilson funds to sign a decent central midfielder to go alongside Jon Nolan

15 Giving Wilson the elbow and having to pay him off, only to put Gary Caldwell in charge, a man who had previously won League One, but was given the boot from Championship side Wigan who were about to be relegated.

16 Gary Caldwell having to sign a group of under performing rejects from other clubs in the January transfer window, as he had little budget, what with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake still raking in the cash whilst not being played-we get relegated to League 2

17 Liam Graham fielded as an ineligible player in the reserves, under a false name, he is easily identified

18 Starting up a youth academy which then goes bust in dubious circumstances, despite fans warning the club not to employ the people who they put in charge-An FA investigation is ongoing. Allowing Chris Turner at a public meeting to make a fool of himself, basically saying he did little to check the backgrounds of the people involved.

19 Relations between those running the club and fans going from bad to worse. One fan sends offensive messages to club employees, he claims to be warned off when someone knocks on his door, true or not? it is never denied by the club

20 Gary Caldwell then employs Steve Eyre as assistant, he doesn't last long and Caldwell replaces him with Graham Barrow.

21 Caldwell allowed a fresh start, in League 2 he gets Guy Branston in to recruit players. Despite Branston having made a mess of Notts County the previous season. County fans warn us of impending doom.

22 The club announce that Chris O'Grady has been signed and is our highest paid ever player on a reported £4,000 a week. No pressure then on O'Grady, a respected player, but one who has a career record of only 10 goals a season.

23. The team go immediately to the bottom of the entire league as Caldwell insists on playing 3-5-2 despite getting regularly beaten and it being obvious he and Branston have recruited a lop-sided squad with too many journey men midfielders, no decent full backs and little pace, many from the same agent.

24 Caldwell sacked, meaning Chesterfield is now paying off the last 3 managers and all their backroom staff.

25 Ex Player Jack Lester employed as manager he starts off brightly, but soon injuries take their toll and he has to compile half a new team in the dreaded January window, picking up a couple of decent players, but also cast-offs and crocks. He can't get the team to perform on a regular basis, there seems to be no winning formula to a team formation. We get relegated out of the league.

Fun times at Grimsby

Of course many fans would like the club to be sold. The ominous thing for us is that it may be a consortium of convenience with Ashley Carson. Mr Carson has said that there’s an interested consortium who want to buy Chesterfield. They’ve shaken hands but no deal is finalised, they speak regularly and have already appointed a Director of Football, if nothing is finalised by the final whistle of the season then the club will walk away from the deal. Based on what Mr Carson has previously said publicly and then contradicted, who knows what lies ahead?

The only ray of sunshine this season

But there's always new hope, next season we can get thrashed by more village teams, as the new season budget is £1m for players, which is average for the national league. Can someone ring up John Coleman at Accrington and see how he does it?