THE last seven days have been full of chaos and confusion for Chester City fans, with the sacking of Mick Wadsworth followed by reports that the club is only weeks away from closure.

These are worrying times, and angry Blues supporters are demanding answers from club owner Stephen Vaughan.

The City supremo has kept a low profile in recent weeks, but on Tuesday he agreed to a request from The Chronicle to be quizzed over the club’s future.

We put Vaughan on the spot and asked him the questions that you, the fans, have been wanting him to answer.

QUESTION: In the Non-League Paper on Sunday there was a report that said the club is to fold in the “next few weeks”. Is this the case?

STEPHEN VAUGHAN: It’s absolute nonsense... I’ve not read or seen the Non-League Paper since we first came out of non-league in 2004. So I can rubbish that report immediately.

Q: But the quotes did come from the club’s managing director Bob Gray. Have you spoken to him about it?

SV: I’ve spoken to Bob and he can’t recall making them exact quotes and I’m sure if you spoke to Bob Gray he would be willing to rectify that situation.

Q: The club has projected their profit and loss figures for the season and, with a projected £660,000 loss, surely the fans have the right to be worried?

SV: The profit and loss account came from a forecasted figure. We’ve had complaints from supporters that we haven’t kept them in the loop, so for the first time we decided to publish the accounts. The figures are the worst-case scenario. Immediately we can rubbish £100,000 from that from the management team that has just left the club. We’ve also not accounted for an FA Cup or FA Trophy run, the sale of any players or the fact that the support, if we can put some results in, will improve and that will help with the loss quite dramatically. It is the worst-case scenario but we’ve been truthful and honest.

Q: It still seems the club needs investment. Is there any on its way?

SV: There will be investment coming into the club and that will be over a period of time. But when that investment is made, that’s when I will announce it.

Q: You bought the club back from administration in the summer – do you regret that given what’s happened since?

SV: Not at all. The club went into administration to safeguard its future and because the club could not pay its debts. The fact that the club has been accused of being mismanaged... you tell me a club in this country that isn’t managed in the same way. It’s speculating to accumulate. Unfortunately for Chester City, since we got back into the Football League, it’s gone wrong for the last five seasons. We need to put that position right and from a financial point of view, the club is trading in the black, the club is losing money, the club is going to be propped up to meet whatever shortfalls come at that given time. But if we can get the supporters to come in and support the club, we’ve got a better chance of moving forward.

Q: Would you consider selling the club? Is the club up for sale?

SV: We’ve got a ridiculous offer on the table from Mr Batchelor – £1.5m isn’t it? But where is it? Sky Sports told me about it but I’ve haven’t had a call. The minute you give these people the time of day they end up in your papers and then we’re getting accused of wanting to sell the club. The club is not for sale. The club is going to move on and try and get up the division. The club has got a crisis on with regards to the points on the board. We need to rectify that situation and climb the table. We’re looking for Jim Harvey to bring in a number of players, which will be funded by the board of directors, and hopefully he’ll pull it around.

Q: Are the finances in place to bring players in?

SV: Jim’s been given the go-ahead to try and bring players in. There is one or two that he’s mentioned to me and if we’re able to sign those players we’ll hopefully do it before Saturday.

Q: Where does the club stand on appealing the extra 15-point deduction? Is there any chance of getting the points knocked back?

SV: We’ve taken stock of it and we’ve spoken to Mel Stein, the solicitor of the Blue Square Premier. Once we get the opinion of Jonathan Crystal, our counsel on it, we’ll decide where we’re going with it. But at this moment in time we’re speaking to our new manager, because if he would rather use the money to strengthen his side rather than us putting it into an appeal process, that’s something we will look at.

Q: Jim Harvey is your latest manager and comes with a good CV. Do you believe is he the man to finally get it right at Chester City?

SV: We’ve gone for the most experienced manager in this division and a person who’s been in this division for the past 12 seasons and who has worked wonders at Morecambe and Forest Green Rovers. Forest Green were in a right mess financially when he took over there, but he helped rectify that situation by bringing in decent players, got them out of trouble and obviously the finances improved because of the results on the park. And that’s what we’ve brought Jim Harvey in to do here.