WHAT a chaotic week off the field at Newport County AFC where events were unusual, unexpected and undignified.

It has been hard to actually take stock of the situation, so frenetically have things moved apace, with everything we were instructed about the proposed takeover of the club by the Supporters Trust – and specifically how the process was going to work - seemingly now out of the window.

It was unusual, unexpected and undignified, now it is simply unclear.

It’s been a week where Newport’s County’s retired chairman played a more active role than he has in two full seasons, dismissing the directors of the club and replacing them with Trust members.

This was less a transition, more a coup de grâce.

The question is, what are we, the supporters of the club and Trust members, current or prospective, meant to make of everything, bearing in mind the whole Supporters Direct mandate for a takeover is seemingly being ignored?

We can’t turn a blind eye to the fact that it is abundantly clear that Mr Scadding is currently calling the shots, in regard of the fans taking over the club. He is the one who removed the current board, lock and stock, and replaced them with a group who have little experience, if any, in the day-to-day operations of a football club. Not to mention appointing an interim chairman, in Tony Pring, who is and was always likely to be a divisive choice among supporter factions.

This is not to say I’m suddenly against the Trust, or don’t want to see them taking over the club and making it sustainable and profitable. I absolutely do. But we can’t pretend last week was the beginning of a revolution in our name. It was confusing at best and disheartening at worst and certainly clandestine.

The Trust are failing miserably so far in the task of making your average supporter feel included or welcome in this process. Three weeks ago I wrote in this forum that the Trust couldn’t do enough, in terms of bombarding us with information and being their own best PR agent. None of that is transpiring.

On Tuesday afternoon, without a heads up from the Trust, the club informed us of the developments that were soon to break following Monday night’s meeting. By Wednesday lunchtime, we were still waiting for a public announcement from the Trust, even though they’d taken control of the club (or to tow the party line, will be acting as Mr Scadding’s proxy voice on the board, incidentally now entirely comprised of people Mr Scadding put in place).

While those at the top did have time to change their plans and head to the directors’ box at Molineux, they didn’t have time to update their website, even if just to confirm the news.

The whole situation is exceptionally confusing and worrying.

What exactly was the point in engaging with Supporters Direct, if County weren’t going to follow the protocol and mandate set up by the group? This smacks of running before you’ve mastered walking.

We don’t know how much money we need to raise to achieve the takeover, nor do we know how much the major creditor – Mr Scadding – is looking for, but yet members of the Trust have already taken control of the day-to-day operations.

In the answers on the FAQ section of their website, the Trust stated the following, about what happens if enough money isn’t raised by the Community Share offer and membership subscriptions.

“I we don’t reach the target we don’t believe that we’ll have enough for a viable club without drastically cutting the playing budget which will see the club on a downward spiral.

“If the target isn’t reached we will not proceed with the bid and any money deposited in the holding account will be returned and the club will remain with the majority shareholder.”

Exactly where are we by that equation? If the Trust don’t raise the money, the club reverts back to Mr Scadding. But he’s already put the Trust in place to run the club as he doesn’t want to. He does seemingly want some money; for directors’ loans, we just don’t know how much.

So are we now working under the assumption that the Trust definitely take charge? Precisely, or even roughly, what figures are we trying to raise? Are we really going to be properly consulted, bearing in mind a handful of individuals decided on behalf of over 800 members to do as Mr Scadding instructed and replace the current board right now?

It is mentioned several times in the Trust literature that they intended to work ‘alongside’ the current board to allow for a smooth transition, but instead, they’ve usurped them.

That’s again, not a criticism of the Trust. They appear committed to honouring the wishes of Mr Scadding and it is an entirely understandable stance for them to take. Nor can we criticise Mr Scadding for running the club as he sees fit. But it feels like we aren’t being given the full story.

But were the actions off the field last week in the best interests of the club?

Are the club better off, having now effectively sacked non-executive directors like Royal Gwent physician Kartik Hariharan, former chairman Chris Blight, Kevin Morris, someone who has genuine insight in running a football club? And though Howard Greenhaf can be a polarising figure, he’s been personally bankrolling the Exiles during the off season. These guys have departed with a very vague thank you and have been ushered out the side door. It doesn’t feel especially gratifying. Thanks for the hard work, but get out of our way.

It is my understanding, that other ex-non executive directors, like Nathan Blake, who brings football knowledge and has an extensive network in the game and Mark Crook, of Henry Howard Finance, a potential investor and a huge County and football fan (an expert in finance and football!) have not even been contacted by the Trust. Couldn’t they offer an awful lot? Wouldn’t it make sense to make talking to someone like Crook an absolute priority?

Six weeks ago, all of those people were directly affiliated to the club. Is our hand stronger without them? It’s hard to make an argument that it is.

However, we move forward, with the silver lining at least that effective control of the club in now in the hands of Jason Turner, promoted from General Manager to CEO and certain to be vital in the coming weeks and months. He’s an impressive figure and he will be vital in guiding an interim, novice board of directors.

As much as is realistically possible, having circumnavigated the usual process of a Supporters Direct takeover, County’s Supporters Trust now need to look to return to the guide book for how to conduct a successful takeover. Members need to be consulted and informed, not an afterthought as things move full steam ahead.

And the dissolution of the currently in place and undemocratically selected interim board of directors, can’t happen quickly enough, with the Trust returning to the one member, one vote principle that is the foundation of the ideology of a supporter run club.

We need the Trust to be open and transparent, for this process to be the same, and for communication and goodwill to lead to trust in the Trust going forward.

They must improve in communicating with the supporters on how this process is progressing, and they must also improve the way the club itself engages with fans, because there is very little goodwill on either side at the moment, as evidenced by a poor crowd for Saturday’s season opener.

Let this be the last week that makes you shake your head and wonder what on earth is going on behind the scenes at Newport County AFC.

The club is for the people, not for individuals, and delivering that aim should be the focus of everyone involved.