Manager

[PitmanKeith]

Nobody's mentioned Gary Hackett yet.

He's had quite a few mentions on Facebook

[HaydenDando]

Hi all

Obviously a lot has gone on in the last day or so and whilst I appreciate not everyone will agree with the decision it was done with a lot of thought and discussion between us as it really wasn't the easy decision some may think it to be.

I am not going to say too much on it as it would be disrespectful to everyone involved and there are of course plenty of you with your own opinions and judgements on both whether the decision was right along with who should come in etc etc.

Only three things I want to address briefly with you all just to hopefully put to bed some of the questions I have seen raised.

1. The budget. Firstly as we (and Andy himself said during his time with us) the budget is competitive.Its not the top budget at this level but its defiantly nowhere near the lowest budget either. At no point have we said we were going hell for leather to win the division and throw vast amounts of money at it but at the same time the budget is one that should make us competitive to where we want to be. In addition as stated multiple times cup runs are not part of the budget nor should they be and as such our exit makes no change to the budget. People have asked us to tell them the budget, we have made it clear we wont be doing so as we do not want to reveal anything that gives any other club any form of competitive edge over us.

2. The director of football at the club does not pick the team nor the players that are brought in to the team. From the outset it has been made clear that is the first team managers decision and will remain that way going forward.

3. At no point have we made any statement designed to not treat people like adults. We have said where we want this club to be, we have said where we believe this club can go in time and we stand by that. We have also said previously we cannot control what happens on the football pitch , only the footballing side of the club and (in my humble opinion) you as supporters can alter the course of a game.

As I said I am not at present going to discuss the reasons for Andy's departure out of respect for everyone involved and as we have said plenty of people will have their own opinions and are more than entitled to them. By all means have a go at Graham and myself if you feel a decision is wrong or we aren't doing something we should but I ask please leave it at just Graham and myself as when it comes to the decisions at board level the buck stops with us the only thing I ask of all is that you continue your frankly superb support of this club on a match day which is after all why we are all here.

Thank you.

Ade

[Lee K]

Or the wild card of Kyle Perry as player manager. Then when he's sacked we can say the next person has big shoes to fill.

Alternatively I've got a couple of weeks off work, should be enough for the standard term for this job.

Can this comment be deleted please? That is not even a joke, it’s not funny and it is horrifically sick!

[Lee K]

Thanks Ade.

I am certainly of the opinion that a manager should be given time. Time to build, time to improve and yes, time to put right their own mistakes. Andy’s track record in previous jobs should have bought him this time in my opinion. But I also know that what the fans see on a matchday is only half the story (or may not even be that).
Whether a supporter agrees with a decision or not though, I hope they don’t “have a go” at you or Graham. We all want the same thing at the end of the day and you have to make tough decisions. I just hope that more patience is afforded to the next manager or this club will go nowhere changing the manager every five minutes. Here’s to the next one!

[PitmanKeith]

Hi all

Obviously a lot has gone on in the last day or so and whilst I appreciate not everyone will agree with the decision it was done with a lot of thought and discussion between us as it really wasn't the easy decision some may think it to be.

I am not going to say too much on it as it would be disrespectful to everyone involved and there are of course plenty of you with your own opinions and judgements on both whether the decision was right along with who should come in etc etc.

Only three things I want to address briefly with you all just to hopefully put to bed some of the questions I have seen raised.

1. The budget. Firstly as we (and Andy himself said during his time with us) the budget is competitive.Its not the top budget at this level but its defiantly nowhere near the lowest budget either. At no point have we said we were going hell for leather to win the division and throw vast amounts of money at it but at the same time the budget is one that should make us competitive to where we want to be. In addition as stated multiple times cup runs are not part of the budget nor should they be and as such our exit makes no change to the budget. People have asked us to tell them the budget, we have made it clear we wont be doing so as we do not want to reveal anything that gives any other club any form of competitive edge over us.

2. The director of football at the club does not pick the team nor the players that are brought in to the team. From the outset it has been made clear that is the first team managers decision and will remain that way going forward.

3. At no point have we made any statement designed to not treat people like adults. We have said where we want this club to be, we have said where we believe this club can go in time and we stand by that. We have also said previously we cannot control what happens on the football pitch , only the footballing side of the club and (in my humble opinion) you as supporters can alter the course of a game.

As I said I am not at present going to discuss the reasons for Andy's departure out of respect for everyone involved and as we have said plenty of people will have their own opinions and are more than entitled to them. By all means have a go at Graham and myself if you feel a decision is wrong or we aren't doing something we should but I ask please leave it at just Graham and myself as when it comes to the decisions at board level the buck stops with us the only thing I ask of all is that you continue your frankly superb support of this club on a match day which is after all why we are all here.

Thank you.

Ade

Hi Ade,

Will you now go back to your original short list of applicants or will you be advertising the post again.
I'm certain you will want to get a creditable man in place ASAP but obviously take care to make a crucially correct appointment.
This must have been an incredibly difficult decision to make but you and Graham must, whatever the reasons, have thought it necessary.
Good Luck with the search and hopefully we go onwards and upwards.

[CowBoy]

Ade

Thanks for your reply big man

Wonder if anyone has already registered interest

[Perton Pitman]

The feedback from the club is greatly appreciated - thank you, it's a refreshing change.

I have to take issue with a couple of points:-

1) We will never know what our budget is relative to other clubs as nobody will put their budget out there in the public domain. All we can go on is the quality of player we have at the club and what other clubs in our area have in terms of personnel. Based upon what we have on the pitch our budget must be towards the bottom end. We have recruited new faces from step 4 in some cases, the squad lacks depth etc.

2) The Director of Football role requires some clarification - if they have absolutely no involvement in player recruitment etc then what is the point of the role?

3) There was a real fanfare about our journey to the EFL when the new owners came in - I'll put this down to enthusiasm . Non-League football is a real slog and it can drain the finances of anyone pretty quickly. Most of us following the club for any period of time understand this fully.

What I will say about AM is that he never criticised anyone and he was always positive in the face of results and performances that were generally poor to say the least.

I can't believe that this decision was based upon results on the pitch - we've played 6 games and anyone would have to be given more time to turn it around.

If we are to attract credible candidates we have to present ourselves in a credible way. The revolving door has to stop!

[Glyn]

[Del]

Or the wild card of Kyle Perry as player manager. Then when he's sacked we can say the next person has big shoes to fill.

Alternatively I've got a couple of weeks off work, should be enough for the standard term for this job.

Can this comment be deleted please? That is not even a joke, it’s not funny and it is horrifically sick!

No!!

[Pitmanchester]

Or the wild card of Kyle Perry as player manager. Then when he's sacked we can say the next person has big shoes to fill.

Alternatively I've got a couple of weeks off work, should be enough for the standard term for this job.

Can this comment be deleted please? That is not even a joke, it’s not funny and it is horrifically sick!

No!!

Just you wait. As Big Marv once said "you'll all love Pezza by the end of the season". He didn't say which season, mind.

[sheriff]

Thanks Ade,us older supports feel something in our waters when somethings not right

[Del]

2) The Director of Football role requires some clarification - if they have absolutely no involvement in player recruitment etc then what is the point of the role?

TerryMc used to post on here from time to time - he may well answer you direct, if he has time!

[Graham Jones]

2) The Director of Football role requires some clarification - if they have absolutely no involvement in player recruitment etc then what is the point of the role?

TerryMc used to post on here from time to time - he may well answer you direct, if he has time!

I will be responding to the question soon (maybe next week). Really busy week and not a small answer.
Plus I wish for the dust to settle first.

[Del]

Ian Atkins!

Saved us from relegation once!
Well worth watching this (Yes, even you Glyn!!)

[TMVP]

First interview with Keenen

[Tony J]

He spoke well.

[Lee K]

A few too many “obviouslys” for my liking in that piece but other than that he spoke well and, who knows, this guy could be the next Klopp.

[PitmanKeith]

Ian Atkins!

Saved us from relegation once!
Well worth watching this (Yes, even you Glyn!!)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Atkins

According to this currently at Wolves as a scout (august 2019).
And a reasonably local lad.

[Perton Pitman]

A few too many “obviouslys” for my liking in that piece but other than that he spoke well and, who knows, this guy could be the next Klopp.

He comes across as very sensible and grounded. Sounds like he wants his team to do plenty of running so they've got to make sure they are fit.
Coalville looked like they could run all day and that is something that any side can do with hard work.

[sheriff]

A few too many “obviouslys” for my liking in that piece but other than that he spoke well and, who knows, this guy could be the next Klopp.

or Flopp but good luck to the man

[Del]

The position of manager needs to be addressed sooner rather than later by the looks of things!
Fans are certainly not happy on Facebook and appear to have ruffled certain feathers there for sure.

KMR is doubtless doing his best, but would appear to be out of his depth with regards to contacts and urgently required signings. He will obviously be getting good advice from the likes of DG and BB - but a new man for the hot seat needs to come in soon.

This guy needs to be a new broom, one that can get rid of anyone who is deemed not to be up to the required Pitmen standard, one who is not buddy-buddies with half the squad and certainly not buddy-buddies with the owners or Director of football.

Where do you find such a person? No idea, the names in the Midlands seem to do the rounds with amazing regularity and are well known to those within the clubs, something that doesn't go on where there are fewer clubs to ply their trade.

So, as I say, no idea who, but it does need to be sorted - and I know the response will be "we're working on it".

[Perton Pitman]

ONe thing is for certain is that at some point someone who is untried as a manager will get a job at this level. THere can't be a perpetual recycling of old faces - Liam MacDonald springs to mind as he retired as a player to manage Redditch and he has done well most of the time.
Having good contacts is a key aspect for consideration. Some years ago we had some excellent loanees at the club such as Marvin Johnson and others around that time. I don't know whether KMR has contacts, or whether he is indeed the man for the job, but he has only been in the job for a week and a half.
He seems to understand where things go wrong and isn't afraid to say so in public.

We will have to see what happens, but a clear out of players is needed and a better standard of replacement has to come in. What we started the season with wasn't up to the mark - that is stating the bleeding obvious.

Everyone has opinions, but cool heads are required especially when controversial statements are made. There is no need for anyone to trade in personal insults.

[Graham Jones]

I disagree with some comments above (I was replying to del as another comment was made). But cool heads I totally agree with.

Yes things need addressing and that is being dealt with. I do find it harsh to say a person is out of his depth, when we know (however cannot fully say at this stage), how much work has already being done in the space of a week.

KMR has ALOT of contacts and is assessing all elements. We need to be supportive and see how things pan out from that angle rather than knee jerk into placing someone for the sake of it. From knowledge behind the scenes there’s things on and off pitch which need addressing and quickly and it is being actioned. Hence the discussion between others yesterday. We have said we speak as we find. If performance isn’t good enough we say. It it’s excellent we say. Yesterday we was poor and we know this and will be actioned accordingly.

As for options, I’ve read all the comments, and experienced and top quality managers have put their names in the hat. But we need to be sensible and give people an opportunity to excel. Especially when we can see that the guys (especially KMR and Deeks) are doing so much for the future good for the club.

It’s a results game, and these will show and make choices easy and sensible.

We have many games now coming up with teams around us. So we hope and expect results will start to change.

We have to build the right foundation to create stability for our future. Sadly this hasn’t reflected on results yet, but with fresh faces due in this should make a difference.

We chose to swap for many reasons, all for the right ones and to benefit the club.

As for buddy buddies, this can never and will never reflect on field choices, or we will fail.

KMR made changes during the game, and subbed players all at sensible times to try and influence the game for the right reasons.

I fear so many comment on results, rather than actually watching the games and knowing why thing Pan out the way they do. This is where any frustration and disagreements can stem from.

The most sensible comments do appear from those I know have seen most games. (Not knocking those who don’t btw). And as always suggestions are listened to, and criticisms where constructive are also taken on board by the team.

We could name a handful of people into the managers post tomorrow, all of which most would be shocked and over the moon about. But would it change the games of late. Having seen them I personally very much doubt it.

We have being a club, which we all have said swaps around to much.

Players and formation is first and foremost on the agenda for now. As we must get it right.

I hope given our next 4-5 games with most teams being around us, that in a months time our league position is much better. But as we said from the outset the one thing we as owners cannot do is change what happens on the pitch.

Whoever is manager, picks their players, team, formations, and players coming and going. No-one else (as blame gets thrown around everywhere). We’re just over a week since KMR took over as interim, and I feel we must give him fair support and opportunity to see what he is capable of whilst assessing all options.

2 proper training sessions will not be enough, to make such a big impact. Not if we wish to be a stable, solid club long term.

Changes will come.

We will get stronger, and we must start winning.

Hope this answer is better than we’re working on it.

And I’ll add to this, since we took over we said one club one badge. Whilst some of the tag lines for jokes have been very apt and funny. The ethos stays. We have found many parties, which main ones we have not yet publicly discussed, disjointing the club from behind the scenes. People in places one would not expect. These will also be dealt with, and when times are right we will publicly speak about these issues too. As we have done in the past.

We are here to grow the club again. To make us better, stronger and sustainable.

And btw, as I use the word sustainable, the budget before discussed is good enough that we should be top 6 minimum. We know this. Hence we get a little frustrated. But we must stay on the other set out to make us prevail.

I will also say crowds have being fantastic at home. We need more of the support we have received to date. As it’s making a huge difference. Given the covid rules, I personally would love that at the end of this season, we can say we was the highest supported club with crowds this season. We have a chance of this. I appreciate people including myself want and expect wins to achieve this. But imagine what an accolade to have. Impossible a season ago.

Let’s stay positive, let’s have faith, we are the Pitmen.

[Perton Pitman]

Fair enough. Thanks for coming on to post that.
We don't know who has what budget in this league but our budget will be what we can afford it to be and sustainability is definitely a hugely important consideration - look what's happened to North Ferriby and Histon in recent seasons.
I do think that if our budget were that of a top 6 club we would have some of the best players in the Midlands turning out for us. THis isn't a criticism, just an observation based upon all of the home fixtures I've seen us play this season.
We have to see what KMR can do in the next few weeks - I'd like to see a young, intelligent manager do well for us and I hope it is him but we will see who he can bring into the club to drag us up the table.

[Graham Jones]

We have the same observations. We alway did want to promote youth with experience to blend it right. That does take time. But we saw a week ago we can play. Options was always there. Clinical infront of goal I could go on.

But consistency is something we need to get right also.

KMR is fully aware on the weeknesses and is addressing all of them as quickly as possible.