Northwich Victoria

Discussion in 'Other Divisions' started by guizot, Apr 22, 2008.

  1. guizot

    guizot New Member

    Jun 9, 2003
    Las Vegas, NV
    Does Northwich Victoria still exist and if so, what's up with that club? Last I checked, their website was taken down and I know they had a troubling ownership situation.
     
  2. Rise

    Rise Member

    Apr 16, 2005
    Exeter, UK
    Club:
    Exeter City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Interestingly timed question.

    Indeed, the Vics are still about and still enjoying an as colourful existence as ever.

    Finished rock-bottom of the Conference in 2004, but were reprieved relegation to the newly formed Conference North by virtue of Hucknall Town's (the team penciled in for promotion the other way) ground not meeting requirements, Margate taking releagtion from mid-table because they too failed to get their ground up to scratch, and Telford going down due to bankrupcy.

    In 2005 they themselves went into administration and the manditory 10 point deduction almost relegated them through league positioning. A rather bitter pill followed however when, despite creating a 9 point cushion between themselves and the relegation zone by season's end, they were (voluntarily) demoted due to legal problems; after going into administration and reforming they failed to transfer their Conference Registration to their new-owners in time - meaning the alternate was outright expulsion from the league.

    In 2006 they won Conference North to bounce straight back up and had a respectable 2007 season finishing lower-mid-table.

    This season looked like another turbulant one however as they went back into administration in October in order to avoid an unpaid tax bill and at the end of November sat 24th of 24 yet again, amassing only 6 points from 20 games and already at that point trailing safety by 9 points. However, they bounced back and cobbled together a decent 6-month run of form (throughout March they were second in the form guide only to Champions-elect Aldershot). They sealed their fightback less than 24 hours ago in actual fact by traveling to Stevenage - who themselves needed a win to make sure they still had a chance at reaching the play-offs - and promptly winning 2-1; securing their own surivial for another season and ensuring Stevenage were out of the play-off picture, cementing the places in the process of Cambridge United, Burton Albion, and, oh, Exeter City... :)D)

    Theres a certain irony in that Vics' current manager Dino Mamaria was something of a cult icon in his couple of seasons at Stevenage.


    I tell thee, even Chelski's millions couldn't by a decent non-league script like this.
     
  3. Peakite

    Peakite Member

    Mar 27, 2000
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Halifax Town
    Their revival has helped to put us into another last day survival battle facing Stevenage.

    That being said, it's been a fantastic performance by Northwich under Maamria. After the first half of the season they should have been dead and buried.
     
  4. guizot

    guizot New Member

    Jun 9, 2003
    Las Vegas, NV
    Thanks for the reply! I only know about them from that computer game Football Manager. I bought it when it was Championship Manager 3 and the Vics were the first team I ever played as, not knowing anything about football at that time. It's not so easy to follow their fortunes from here in the States but I knew they were interesting enough. Cheers!
     
  5. Dan Loney

    Dan Loney BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 10, 2000
    Cincilluminati
    Club:
    Los Angeles Sol
    Nat'l Team:
    Philippines
    Is it safe to say that moving from the Drill Field backfired, or did that have nothing to do with it?
     
  6. M

    M Member+

    Feb 18, 2000
    Via Ventisette
  7. Rise

    Rise Member

    Apr 16, 2005
    Exeter, UK
    Club:
    Exeter City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Fair enough summery. Fairly typical of lower-league clubs from League 1 downwards; push themselves into economical meltdown due to being ripped apart by the financial gap of the past two decades, get a businessman in who either a) doesnt understand football, b) doesnt understand football finance or c) doesnt care and is looking purely for a short term personal gain (I'm in no way saying this for the Vic's chairman personally btw), and the 'saviour' ends up only compounding the problem, continues the cycle and ends up endangering the club's existence further.

    The Drill Field move was a double edged sword. On the one hand, it would have seemed the only viable option for the long-term future of the club, on the other it would have been like stepping up to a game of Russian Roulette - a gamble which had every chance of back firing with disasterous consequences.

    The club would have seen the move as a necessery evil; had they not got the Drill up to scratch they would have followed Margate into expulsion on the grounds of inadequate facilities.
    Also, as their traditional home in the top-tier of English non-league football has been invaded recently by many ex-league teams who's resources traditionally massively outstrip their own (Carlisle, Cambridge, Exeter, York, Shrewsbury, Oxford, Torquay) and with the situation only likely to get worse, they needed some means of bridging this financial gap to remain competitive. It seems new stadia with development opportunities around retail and hospitality is the conclusion every chairman arrives at.
    Of course, ground redevelopment is a costly thing, and sure enough, they have been crippled by it ever since.

    Northwich would have been faced with a conundrum 4 years ago; stick with your lot, watch other teams with higher levels of investment pass you by and accept consignment to a lower level - perhaps permanently, or take a financial gamble, try and bridge a gap in facilities and resource, and hope that you can some how carry a quick expansion through to maintain your place in a crowd that is getting bigger than it traditionally was.

    I dont know many businessman who can stomach the percieved failure of negative growth (ie, slipping down).

    Incidently, I dont have any specific detailed knowledge of Northwich above what I outlined in my post above; knowledge garnered purely from having a club in the same league as they are. But this story is all too familiar down here and its easy to guess what happened. The problem is, for every Burton Albion, football has a Telford, Hornchurch, Canvey Island, Weymouth...
     
  8. David Hankey

    David Hankey Member

    Mar 27, 2008
    Great Easton, Leicestershire, England
    Club:
    Leicester City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Northwich Victoria have against all the odds this season beaten off relegation and live to fight another day (season) in the Conference League.

    Amazingly it looked all over in January but a "Houdini" act of monumental proportions has lifted them out of the bottom four - a truly great achievement.

    Incredibly it was only two seasons ago that they amassed 91 points in winning the Conference North title a feat emulated and beaten this season by a Club close to me, Kettering Town!!:)

    David Hankey
     
  9. Peakite

    Peakite Member

    Mar 27, 2000
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Halifax Town
    From what I can read, it seems they had little choice in the move, but I'm not convinced they took the right one. If their ground was ideal for development then the sale should have involved having a new ground built prior to vacating their old one, which would avoid the need to groundshare for a while.

    Having visited both Wincham grounds (Witton Albion play a couple of hundred meters away) it's hardly an ideal choice for a club such as theirs. Off the beaten track, an industrial area, without many people within walking distance. Edge of town, rather than middle of nowhere would have been better. Of course, that does need a suitable site, but if they could have held on for a while at the Drill Field.

    Canvey was a very different situation, rich backer losing interest as the town really didn't get behind the team. Think they did the right thing and moving back down the leagues has kept it more secure (unlike Hornchurch).

    (And Northwich are an ex-League club themselves, albeit far removed from living memory)
     
  10. Barrovianhordes

    Jul 5, 2008
    LEANDER TX
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    My passion the might BARROW AFC (Whoooooo you cry) are back into the Conf Prem and will commence battle again with the Vics ;)

    I,ve not been to the new ground but lads I know say it has a certain charm to it (lego) and dont like it, these new breeze block grounds lack character but I suppose thats progress and it meets all the new H & S aspects which is a good thing.

    Our holy grail/mecca Holker St is a rundown ramshackle old football league standard ground (we were a FL club for 58 yrs) but losted our status in 1972 and have suffered since:(

    Can we get that Stanta sports channel which shows this Conf Prem as I willing to part with some Greenbacks for the service;)

    Regards Mick.

    All Bluebirds are blue.
     
  11. bdndyc

    bdndyc New Member

    Apr 14, 2007
    Did you go to Northwich?

    Absoloutely disgraceful club, the worst stewards I've ever come across, terrible ground and all round bad vibe.

    Never before have I seen such incompetant and heavy handed officials, the rumour was a bottle was thrown over the wall from the away fans car park, which nearly hit someone. I arrived later but no York fans saw it, not saying it didn't happen mind. From there the 'Jorvik Reds' coach were told they were not allowed to enter the ground because of it, to some extents that group are slightly arrogant but completely harmless and I know plenty of good lads in there, eventually they got in, but not before the police were called...

    From then on people were ejected for swearing, and a 14 year old lad was threatened to be 'nicked' by 2 policemen for the terrible crime of celebrating a goal.

    To cap it off at the end the police thought it would be fun to release a dog into the action at the end, biting a woman who had done nothing whatsoever who was taken to hospital.

    As for their fans, I've never seen so many premiership shirts in one ground. I've heard similar stories from Cambridge fans about their experiences there, hate to imagine what would happen if they somehow (not that it'll happen due to the fact they're a pathetic little club) got into the league and were faced with proper crowds every week. Rumour is Jon Batchelor wants to buy them; good, they deserve him

    Dirtly little club, I hope Batchelor takes over them, turns them into Harchester and they fold within months; disgusting.
     
  12. Barrovianhordes

    Jul 5, 2008
    LEANDER TX
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    York 1 BARROW 1 Today with 400+ Barrow fans attending.

    Did you go yersel like ?
     
  13. bdndyc

    bdndyc New Member

    Apr 14, 2007
    Aye.

    You've got a really good side, the right winger wins every header and the strikers have got a lot about them. Not sure about the defense, your captain was good but the fatty who played with him and the left back were very slow. Keeper looked a bit suspect to me under high balls, never got close to them and could'n't even claim a foul under pressure he was so far away.

    Mike Ingham made 2 amazing saves for us, but then again we missed an open goal and had a cast iron penalty not given, genuinely a game which could have been 1-1, 3-3 4-2, 1-3 or any score to either side

    But yeah, I've seen plenty of crap teams in this league and Barrow aren't one of them, got a lot about you. Whether this is just a honeymoon period or you're genuinely that good I can't say but if you play like that all season you might not be far away from the playoffs, certainly won't have to worry about relegation.

    Other thing of course is your support, top class, you'll have the added benefit of having 12 players every game if you keep that up; best support I've come across in the conference since Carlisle were down here.

    Good luck for the season, can't say you'll need it though!
     
  14. Barrovianhordes

    Jul 5, 2008
    LEANDER TX
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Thanks for that mate.

    We struggled bit time yesterday, our goalie is playing injuried as his replacement was a reserve for workington last season in the conf north playing reserve grade footie,gulp.
    Might have to field this kid on tues Vs Rushton, double gulp.

    The other player you highlighted also had a mare yesterday (do you want a job, el nostramous, lol) Paul Jones.
    We replaced the left back but he went off (hamstring) in the opening 10 mins, so the pack was shuffled, this will be our downfall playing lads out of position, playing not fully fit players, having reserves who are not good enough etc.

    But its non-league footy and thats what its all about in the Unibond/Conf North etc, the only problem is we are now a Conf Prem club and need a season 0r 3 to survive then adapt before even dreaming of progression, here,s praying.
     
  15. Barrovianhordes

    Jul 5, 2008
    LEANDER TX
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    :cool:
     
  16. Barrovianhordes

    Jul 5, 2008
    LEANDER TX
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Northwich are in big trouble having the fekking leccie turned off and Man U reserves not playing their latest game there thus losing out on the revenue stream


    BARROW played there recently and there sent for a armed response team :eek:wtf is that all about:mad:

    Another dodgy chairman ruining a footy club:confused:
     

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