Local car dealer and millionaire Neville Dickens says he wants a “complete restructuring” of Wrexham Football Club with a new chief executive and board of directors should be become new owener of the struggling League One side.
Speaking for the first time since being named as the latest man to try and save the club, the businessman believes his bid will succeed where others failed because he can back up his proposals with cash - and proof he has it.
Dickens, who is bidding to buy the club from Chesire busineesman Alex Hamilton in partnership with Chester-based Geoffrey Moss, said he wants to see the day-to-day running of the club completely transformed.
Dickens, whose four car dealerships have an annual turnover of around £40m, said, “We have identified a need for a complete restructuring in the running of the club.
“We would install a chief-executive, like most clubs have done, with complete control over the marketing of the facilities.”
Dickens opened up on his takeover as Denis Smith and his side look to further their chances of remaining in League One in today’s difficult affair against league leaders
Though they have two games in hand in League One, Wrexham are eight points adrift of safety, with only five games remaining.
Dickens is confident he can turn the club around off-the-field while the club can also turn their fortunes around on the pitch, proof of which came when Wrexham won the LDV Vans Trophy earlier this month.
He added: “We would also appoint a board of directors who would work energetically with the chief executive. If we are successful, no one man would have control.
“There should be a board of directors with shares to spread around the work of the chief executive.”
Dickens said there was a number of potential candidates for the roll of chief executive, including many retired executives who may come back into the football world to run Wrexham.
Former directors Dave Bennett and Dave Griffiths, who were forced to stand down when the club entered administration almost six months ago, would be able to stay says Dickens.
“Geoff knows a few people in the football world and some names have been mentioned and we’ve had quite a few offers from retired execs that would help.
“Hopefully somebody with some ambition will take it forward – success can be measured very easily at Wrexham at the moment.”
Dickens, was a Wrexham director in the 1980s, and said his move to buy the club only came about because of his desire to keep the club at the Racecourse and prevent it going out of business.
“There is so much history around the place and nobody would like to see it go.
“There are so many people wanting to lend their support and, with everybody pulling together, maybe we can be optimistic.
“In fairness to the man, he has come out and said he has had offers, but nobody has come forward with proof of funding. Our interests will be with proof of funding, but whether it’s acceptable to the man, is down to him.”
Dickens, from Wrexham, said he wants to buy land surrounding the Racecourse before selling it off for development, as well as buying the club itself.
The move is similar to that of Andy Smith, a Surrey-based businessman, who wanted to develop the Kop end of the ground for housing and other development.
Dickens, meanwhile, said he would prefer to leave the Kop End as it is to protect the 15.500 capacity, but this decision will depend on the costs of taking on the club.
“It would be our intention to sell off the surplus land for development and, with the ongoing support of Wrexham Council, we feel we would put Wrexham on a sound financial footing."
Dickens, echoed Moss' sentiments earlier in the week, by admitting that they both decided to take up the venture because of a lack of potential buyers.
“Neither of us are really enthused about having to run the club, because we know there is a lot of energy needed and we both have businesses of our own.
“We want people to go in knowing they will have to expend a lot of energy. We will be choosing the chief executive very carefully and the board”
Wrexham currently sit eight points from safety in League One, with five games to play, the next game coming against league leaders Luton Town at the Racecourse Ground where the recently won LDV Vans Trophy will be paraded.