TDJ: What’s your connection with Wrexham?

SM: I’m Wrexham born and bred, had a spell with them as a player. Spent most of my time in the reserves but I did get a couple of chances with the first team. In fact, I must be one of the few people to have been given the bullet by Wrexham twice - once as a player and then as a director.

TDJ: How did you become a director?

SM: I came in around the time of Gordon Mytton. I’d seen the appeal Pryce had put out for new directors and I thought It would be a great way of getting involved with the club I love. People on the board at the time, people like Fred Tomlinson, were getting on in years and they were looking to get some new people in with fresh ideas. I ended up staying for 13 years and although the club had its ups and downs I loved every minute of it.

TDJ: What was it like working with Pryce Griffiths?

SM: Pryce is a really honorable man. He genuinely cared about the club and as directors we were made to feel a part of what was going on. We’d have board meetings every 4 or 5 weeks to discuss club matters and Brian Flynn would talk to us about how things were going on the pitch.

I suppose Pryce was what could be described as an old style businessman. He took his commitments seriously and he’d be worried sick if he thought players were going to go unpaid. I think there’s a difference with the way Mark runs things now. He’s more prepared to duck and dive and push things to the limits. Pryce always made sure the players got paid on time.

TDJ: How did you find Mark Guterman as a chairman?

SM: Well, the first thing I noticed was the lack of communication. During the time I was there he only had one board meeting and that was a bit peculiar because he obviously wasn’t used to them and didn’t quite know how they worked. I don’t think he’d held board meetings at Chester because I don’t think he even had a board.

So the meeting itself was done in an atmosphere in which he made you feel as if you had no right to be asking questions- which is obviously the point of a meeting.

TDJ: What do you think his motivation was in buying Wrexham?

SM: When you talk to him you don’t really get the impression that he’s really a football man. He said that he’d missed the involvement of being part of a football club since leaving Chester and I think he likes the prestige side of being a chairman.

That’s not a criticism, I think it’s quite natural for people to enjoy being in a focal position, especially when things are going well.

TDJ: What’s going wrong at the Racecourse?

SM: I think one of the problems is that Mark likes to run everything himself. He doesn’t seem to trust anybody. But it’s difficult to work like that when the club needs help and should be encouraging the community to lend a hand.

He keeps on getting rid of people but the trouble is there’s nobody coming in. I think all succesful clubs, and this is certainly true in the history of Wrexham, have a good solid board of directors.

TDJ: How did your time at Wrexham end?

SM: Well, myself and two other directors were given two days notice. He gave me the reason that he had other people who he wanted to bring in and who could inject money into the club. I could accept that but where are they?

It was the manner in which things were done which I thought was unnecessary. I found out that he’d banned myself and my wife from entering the boardroom on the following matchday. It’s not how people should be treated.

TDJ: How do you see the future at Wrexham FC?

SM: It doesn’t really matter who’s in charge as long as we’ve still got a club to support. It’s a worrying time. I think the idea of supporters taking an increasing control in clubs is really positive. It’s not going to instantly solve all the problems but I know it has worked for clubs like Lincoln.

It’s something I think we should be looking towards. I’d love the chance to become involved with the club again, I really would. Although I wouldn’t be too keen on getting a hat-trick of Wrexham dismissals.