By John Sinnott

Football journalist Ian Ridley recently became chairman of Dr Martens League Premier Division club Weymouth, the club he has supported for over 40 years.

Adams will help raise money for Weymouth

The bad news is the club has debts of �250,000 and a weekly wage bill of �4,000.

The good news is supermarket chain Asda want to redevelop the club's Wessex Stadium. In return Asda will build Weymouth a new ground and give them �1.2m.

Ridley told the BBC Sport website what it is like to be a football club chairman.

Vision on

The first thing I have discovered is you need vision and a plan.

I have put together a five-year plan to get Weymouth into the Football League. Hopefully in two years we will be in the Conference.

You need everyone to believe in that goal. There has been some cynicism from fans because there have been so many false dawns.

Crowds are down to 750 for home games, so we have a battle for hearts and minds.

Since I have took over I have tried to meet with everyone at the club.

That includes the people that run the youth teams. Nobody has sat down with them before and said we value what you do. These are the people that not only develop future players, but also help create a loyal fan base.

You can't be too aloof and you need to keep people informed. Chairmen can tend to hide.

I am also wary of becoming a rent-a-quote. I want the club to get publicity, but actions speak louder than words.

Put it like this - we won't be renting any fish in the team's colours for the boardroom a la Peter Ridsdale.

Decision-making

I have already sacked the manager and the physio.

I have also had to crack the whip with the groundsman to get the pitch up to scratch.

Jack-of-all-trades

I need to get a commercial manager. We need to sell perimeter fencing as well as advertising for the programme and I need to get out and meet local businesses.

The place needs a lick of paint to make it look spick and span.

It has been an eye-opener for me to see how busy football clubs are on the admin side during the summer.

Speculate to accumulate

We need to invest.

I have got five backers on board, including Millwall's Steve Claridge, who have each invested �20,000.

Some of that money has been used to reduce the club's debt, but the rest will be used as a war chest.

Weymouth's wonders Managers: Frank O'Farrell led Weymouth to the Southern League Championship in the 1960s before becoming manager of Manchester United Players: Graham Roberts, Andy Townsend and Shaun Teale played for Weymouth

If we don't invest then gates will stagnate. It's a balancing act. We need to improve the team, to get bigger crowds, to do better in the cups and to boost sponsorship.

If we don't invest now then the benefit of the new stadium, when it is finally ready, will be lost. Nonetheless we can't mortgage the future of the club.

You have to cut your cloth accordingly. The key is to be creative, particularly with incentives.

Give the manager and players a basic salary, but if the team starts to win and crowds rise, then reward them.

Chin up

It can be lonely being a chairman. You are the one providing the thrust. Your head is on the line, but I would rather fail in doing something I believe than not doing anything at all.

What I have is contacts and expertise. Tony Adams, whose initial advice was not to do it, is going to come and make guest appearances to help raise money for the club.

Track record

I managed an under-13 team. I took over back in February, when the team had had one point from seven games. Since then we've taken 12 points from 11 games and we're off the bottom of the table.

Sometimes football is not all about winning titles.