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Har Har Urchins Soap Opera Rolls On by Hardy on 12/01/2005 Events in the last couple of days at Hornchurch FC are reminiscent of the best of TV's Dallas. Urchins Soap Opera Rolls On Events in the last couple of days at Hornchurch FC are reminiscent of the best of TV's Dallas with JR (Karl Williams) returning from the dead to take over the running of the club just two months after the money pit dried up. And on JR's return he has swept away friends and enemies alike. Sacked or resigned? Despite the end of the gravy train that was signalled by the demise of the Carthium Group in early November Hornchurch Football Club Ltd's ownership has never changed and the owners have appointed three new directors to the board of the club at least two of whom have strong links with Karl Williams. The move resulted in a parting of the ways with club Chairman Gary Calder and Secretary Mick Ewen who had stood by the club after the money dried up and done their best to see the club continue despite the loss of most of the first team. There is a public dispute now running on the Hornchurch message board regarding whether they walked or were fired. Karl Williams stated in the announcement of the departure (6:45pm 10/1/05): Neither Gary Calder nor Mick Ewan (sic) have been sacked. This morning the shareholders appointed three new Directors to the Board of HFC, Mr Brian Eagling, Miss Jennifer Cliff and Mr Jon Smith. As a result of those appointments, Mr Calder is considering his position as Chairman of HFC (he has been asked to continue) and in that respect we have a meeting with him in the morning. Mick Ewan was an appointment made by Gary Calder and as far as we understand was never a member of staff. Apparently Mick Ewan walked out after hearing the news of the three new Directors and unless we hear otherwise we shall consider that he has resigned. Gary Hill (sic) continues as Club Manager.  Brian Eagling was named in the Observer's look in to the finances at Bridge Avenue in September 2004 as part of the Bryco/ColdSeal/Carthium Group's management. Jennifer Cliff is apparently Karl Williams' girlfriend. The announcement of the outcome of the meeting mentioned above was made at just after 3pm on the 11/01/05): This morning we met with Gary Calder to review the situation at the club. Following full and frank discussions regarding recent appointments to the board of HFC, Gary Calder has left the club by mutual consent. A new Chairman will be appointed in due course. The Shareholders and Directors of HFC wish to thank Gary for his efforts and hard work throughout the past 15 months, especially the past 8 weeks, and wish him well for the future. There is much work to do to resolve the current difficulties at the club and in that respect we ask please that staff, fans and officals pull together to assist in that goal. Thank You Karl Williams The use of "mutual consent" as a euphemism for "we fired them" is a common one in football! Gary Calder seems to have maintained a dignified silence on the events around his departure but Mike Ewen popped up on the forum with his view at:8:46pm on 11/01/05: It is time now for me to give you the supporters the facts regarding my leaving the club yesterday. Contrary to what has been said already on this forum, I can categorically deny that I have resigned as secretary of Hornchurch F.C. In truth I was relieved of my duties (sacked is another expression) at 10.15am yesterday morning. I arrived at the club as is my norm and was informed by Gary Calder that he had been relieved of his duties and that as a new General Manager?secretary was being put in place, I was going also. Jenny arrived a few moments later and she said to me, "you are not staff are you, do we owe you any money?" I took that as another invitation to leave the premises. I then left with Gary, passing Brian Eagling on the way. I have never walked away from anything and in fact could have done so after the problems towards the end of last year. I along with Gary stayed and helped Hornchurch F.C. as best we could, a job made easier by the efforts of Garry Hill, Kevin Hales and Jimmy Stannard. So there you have it. I appreciate that no person is bigger than the club, but I couldn't sit by and read 'that I had walked out'. Many thanks to all of you supporters for the kind words and best wishes you have given me on this forum and also for the help and kindness you have shown to me since I joined this football club. It is nice to know that the work done by both Gary and myself was appreciated by most of you. To this end, I wish everybody and Hornchurch fC the very best in the future and once again, thanks very much. Mick Ewen. A little further down the thread Uncle Urchin (Karl Williams) pops in with the following: Oh dear, that post is untrue, you were not fired and you were not asked to leave the premises. Jennie did say that to you when you complained about 'what about the money for my time' We thought you worked unpaid Mick, how silly of us. Cash is of course king... Mick Ewens worked at Hx for 6 months, if I had put my foot down in the first place he wouldn't have been there 2 minutes. There are many issues that will arise from that post Mick and I am glad you made it, you have now opened up the way for the real truth and it will now in due course be told. Including the mail sent by recorded delivery to myself and opened and hidden in your desk. Now THAT is a good story. Marvellous stuff! Youth will out! Last night it also emerged that well liked Youth Team boss John Lawrence had left the club. This one came out in a post by Lawrence at 8:39pm on the 11th January: As from today H.F.C have told me there is not a job for me at the club i was asked to carry on with the youth but as from tonight i have resigned as youth team manager THANK YOU TO ALL THE URCHINS WHO HAVE HELPED ME I WILL BE AT ALL THE GAMES GIVING THE LADS SUPPORT At 10:46pm on the 11th January dear old Uncle Urchin was back with his response to the sympathy and dismay at the loss of another well respected club servant. This is a great one, full of holier than thou sanctimonious bull and once again it was all the fault of the guys that had stayed on to see the club through the crisis of the money disappearing: John Lawrence has resigned today as youth team manager after yesterday agreeing to stay on. He was informed that the gravy train was over and that he was, as of yesterday, no longer employed full time at the club. This evening John decided otherwise and resigned and also told his youth team that they were no longer required. ( an untruth) John Lawrence was an unpaid youth team manager when we took over the club in 2001 and since then has enjoyed the benefit of a £350 per week salary on a full time basis. I am informed by Gary Calder that John has received 250 per week in cash since november 5th. I am informed also by Gary Calder that the receipts for that cash are with the investigating accountants. I received a text message from John Lawrence at Xmas asking me what was going on at the club, I referred the message to Gary Calder who informed me that he was furious at Johns disloyalty to him and that he would deal with the matter. This is all a matter of record as the text messages have been saved and the receipts for the money he received are safe. This club will not be held to ransome by ex employees who are bitter because the gravy train has stopped or indeed fans who think that they own the club. Speak with your feet and we will continue and rebuild. Should you decide not to support the club that we rebuilt from scratch, then thats okay with us as well. This course of action will not change and words on this website will not sway us. For all of you that are at this moment in time jumping on this soapbox I will say this, you have no idea what has happened at Hx football club in the past 10 weeks but we have and we also have the documentary evidence, or lack of it, to prove our actions yesterday were both legal and justified. We acted upon the advice of our lawyers and accountants after long discussion. The club belongs to everyone, not just a few people that are finding it hard to understand that the club must now stand on its own two feet and compete on a level playing field with the rest of conf south. Or indeed a few people that have turned it into a 'private members' club. Whatever your voice on here you are a minority at the club. Choose your chosen path as you wish but I will tell you this. We will not be bullied away from our chosen path (and we own the club and shall protect it for the majority) and we shall not be intimidated by a small band of fans nor indeed embittered ex members of staff. That is why we took control of the club again yesterday and that is why we shall now keep control of the club. Our football club, our football team and our new staff will continue unabated, You either support the club or you do not. We are all entitled to a choice and you all now have one to make. After that it all descends in to a bit of a slagging match which makes some great reading. So what of Mr Hill Hornchurch have slid from top of the table when the money ran out to 6th at the moment having won just twice in the Conference South since. Garry Hill remains first team manager and they look to have too many points to slip into relegation worries but it has to be asked how long he will stay around given the current lurch from crisis to crisis. Garry is an ambitious man and it doesn't look like Hornchurch are likely to begin to turn things around off the field in the near future. Meanwhile I'll stay tuned to the next instalment of the Hornchurch Soap Opera and bring you news as it arrives.