Is Bob Dorrian really Lincoln City's enemy?

No sooner had I returned from this morning's press conference, where we unfortunately had to relive that 4-0 defeat at Port Fail, I was soon pointed in the direction of a front page article on the Lincoln Vital website.

In what transpired to be quite a lengthy editorial, Neil Hobbs, the major contributor of the site, has taken considerable issue with Bob Dorrian over today's interview in the Lincolnshire Echo.

The chairman of football said he would not close the door on any more signings in the loan window, despite Chris Sutton protesting he would "soldier on" with what he has got at his disposal.

Now, I was always brought up to speak of people as I find them and, for what it is worth, I have found Bob to be hugely professional and knowledgeable about the game and, above all, immensely passionate about his beloved Lincoln.

It is clear that Neil, alongside many others, has become frustrated with a lack of investment that has limited Lincoln's progress up the table, but Bob is not the villain here.

All he does is liaise with the manager over his targets and reports back to the chief executive, and nowhere in his job description does it say he has to plough into his own account to fund new signings in a role which is unpaid I hasten to add.

If he owned Lincoln City outright, then it would be a different story. But seeing as the Supporters Trust are the largest shareholders then all barbed comments about any director owning deep pockets and short fingers really do not carry much weight.

And if we are talking about signings, money and investment then the real issue here is the crossroads where Lincoln City now find themselves and how they can move forward as a club.

The current model was fantastic for securing the club's future in 2002 when they were in administration and as custodians of Lincoln , the Trust have been magnificent.

Their influence and role should never be underestimated and the people at the helm have dedicated so much time and love since they became the largest shareholder.

But in the last couple of years it has become clear the club's progress has stagnated which has been underpinned by a lack of success on the pitch.

So what's the answer? There are two solutions. One is to sell the club to a rich benefactor which let's face it, is unlikely to happen given the dearth of millionaires in the county and the only one that existed has just hot-footed it to Nottingham.

The second option is to sell the ground and move home. Now, that sounds like a more feasible option rather than wait for a knight in a cash-laden suit of armour.

I've always advocated a ground move because it's the only sensible and realistic solution of increasing revenue for Chris Sutton and his budget. The site they are on now is limited in terms of car parking, conference facilities and banqueting suites.

I know moving ground has been explored before and a site off the A46 has often been mentioned. There is, understandably, a degree of affection for Sincil Bank but it's time to stop being so misty-eyed.

Football has moved on and if teams like Liverpool can contemplate moving away from a historic stadium as Anfield, then I'm sure City can move from a ground that is yet to see a promotion this decade.

Simply put, failing to move with the times has become Lincoln City's enemy, not Bob Dorrian.

If you would like to read Neil Hobbs' article see here: http://www.lincoln.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=189548