Witton Albion have announced that manager Jim Vince has stepped down from his post due to ‘personal circumstances’.
Vince, who originally agreed to return to the Wincham Park hot seat three weeks ago after initially resigning in the wake of the club’s failure to win promotion, is currently recovering from an operation on his ankle, and has been told that rehabilitation will take four to six months.
Witton Albion Acting Chairman Mark Harris said that he was surprised and disappointed but that “Jim’s welfare must come first. When he accepted our offer to return to the club, the full extent of his recuperation wasn’t known. Although we offered him the option of going on sick leave and returning when fully fit, he felt that this would not be fair on the club or on any caretaker manager, and so we reluctantly agreed to part company. Jim leaves with our very best wishes, and I am sure his managerial reputation will continue to grow when he is able to return to the game. Witton Albion Football Club now has to move on and find the right man to build on the foundations laid by him.”
Vince said “I really appreciate the 2 and half years I spent at the club and wish them all the best. I’m always here to help in any way I can.”
Vince’s assistant Nigel Deeley has expressed a desire to remain at the club, and is assisting the board in their search for a successor. Director Graham Edgeley explained: “Nigel has made it clear that his work commitments prevent him taking full charge, but wants to stay at the club. He is an excellent coach and commands the respect of the players, which gives us the continuity which is vital if we are to keep the current squad together. Together with Nigel we have drawn up a list of potential managerial targets, and have a preferred candidate with whom we’ve been in discussions over the weekend after being granted permission to speak with him by his current club.”
Mark Harris would not be drawn on a timetable for the new appointment however. “Obviously we want to get the new manager in as quickly as possible, but nothing has yet been signed or sealed. We do have other options open to us, and if current negotiations do not work out, we’ll look at those other options more closely.”
Together with Nigel we have drawn up a list of potential managerial targets, and have a preferred candidate with whom we’ve been in discussions over the weekend after being granted permission to speak with him by his current club."
Sad news. It says a lot for Jim for not taking up the position, when he knows in his heart, he cannot give 100%. I would like to wish him a speedy recovery, and you never know what the future will bring…
Hopefully we can find a manager who is willing to adopt Nigel as his assitant to allow for some continuity, not just with the 1st team, but with all the initiatives backed by Jim in getting the team involved in the community, and making Witton Albion the true peoples club in Northwich.
Also thanks to Neil, and any board members behind this thread in letting us fans know what was going on. I’d heard a few things over the weekend, and on other threads suggesting things wern’t going quite to plan.
Let’s get behind the board and Nigel, and hope they can come up with the right formula for our future.
Sad news - but Jim has to put his health and family first - so we move on and we need to rally round even more now. Great that Nigel is prepared to carry on - thats a big plus and inspiration to us fans.
No mention in the press release of what happens if the new manager wants to bring his own team in! Have also picked up that the Commercial Director has left the club, where does that leave Sam in her role as Commercial Manager - now is the time the selling needs to be done.
You obviosly have access to inside information which we fans don’t. Your mention of Jim last week, and the fact that Fleetwood had made approaches for Peers and Warlow show you have accurate information.
Can you therefore enlighten us as to who Witton have been approaching as Jim’s successor, and who is this person’s team?
Also, let us know why the Commercial manager has stepped down, at such a crucial time of the season for commercial activities/inititives?
Geoff, I don’t have any idea who the potential new manager is, hopefully he will be revealed on Thursday night. I am not aware that the Commercial Manager has gone, I am aware that the Commercial Director has gone.
Yes I was aware that Jim had gone last week, it would have been nice for the Club to come out and announce it before, however once again the website went down, strange that is when there is something brewing.
Regarding Jim, of course I wish him well in his recovery, but go into what has been happening since the end of the season, the disagreements, the resignation of the Chairman, the reappointment of Jim, the then sudden departure of Jim. I for one do not believe that all this is not linked in someway, that the route of all the comings and goings is down to one thing - money. Of course Jim has to have an operation, but that is what he has a management team for, Nigel and the other guys etc. So if Jim was so keen to have been reappointed manager why is he not recuperating at home and working on the telephone and letting Nigel and the rest of the coaches do there job?
This is my opinion and no doubt several people will call me for this opinion, but I think the reason’s given are the official reasons, but there is more behind the smokescreen which has not been made public.
This is all very worrying there seems to be so many departures at the min.
What we need now is some stability we need a chairman the calibre of Mike Worthington in place before the start of the season with the drive and energy to take us forward! NO easy task!
On the manager front I would love to see Steve Davis given a go but I doubt we will be able to prise him away from Nantwich.
More realistically I think we are looking at people like the guy at Prescot Cables, Danny Johnston at Ashton United, Paul Moore at Warrington or Tommy Lawson at Skelmesdale.
What we don’t want is some “has been” who is appointed in a rush the likes of Dalton Steele, Alvin McDonald, Paul Futcher, John Davison, Benny Phillips etc will not take us forward at all.
Also is now a time to have a look at the whole footballing structure at the club? Could a director of footballer be of benefit, someone like Paul Ogden to help guide the likes of a Paul Moore may steer the ship out of the current troubled waters.
I think we now have to accept that most of this current crop of players will be gone by the start of the season and we will be left with perhaps an inferior and less attractive proposition to what we have had before and I think at this point in time we would all settle for survival next season. I just hope we appoint someone who has the drive and passion to take us forward and who carries himself with dignity and pride! Please lets not have another Gary Finley!!!
there is alot of work going on behind the scenes at the moment, lets all be patient and see on thursday.: i think we will be in for one or two pleasant supprises.
non of this doom and gloom stuff is helping.
Haha very good GE your post did make me chuckle. Although I wouldn’t bother with the infirmary as they charge you for parking your car now! Maybe that post was a little negative but really what I was trying to say is we need to give our new management team time and maybe going for promotion this season isn’t the priority. If we can just get a settled side together and have direction and a way forward then I am sure all fans will be happy that.
I will give the new management and I am looking forward to seeing who the next man at the helm will be!
Can we have any clues as to who it may be? has he had previous connections with the club etc?
People should refrain from negative posts and speculation and allow Mark Harris, GE and the Board time to put together everything they are working on. The club is in a healthy position and is about more than one or two individuals. The information meeting on Thursday will answer everyone’s questions.
Thanks for the words of support Rob - as stated there are a lot of people doing a lot of hard work at the moment in a time when frankly everything seems to be conspiring against us.
Make sure you’re there on Thursday, as it can’t all be covered in the press release!
C’mon guys have some faith!
Incidently as far as I’m aware the website going down is pure coincidence!
This Forum really amuses me now. Someone comes up with a viewpoint and makes some constructive points about what he’d like to see as the way forward for the club and is accused of negativity.
No one is having a go at the great work and committment by Mark Harris, GE, Neil Wilson Eli, Len,and many others. I’m just as concerned myself that our great club has made great strides over the last couple of years particularly on the pitch so appointing the wrong person now could set us back years not months. OK so it was my lad that came up with the so called “Negativity” so I’m biased but I think like the rest of us Nick is just concerned as to whats going on. As he lives in Oxford now he can’t make meetings or do anything on a daily basis for the club which I know he finds frustrating so this forum is the only way he has of keeping in touch. This is the same lad who motored all the way up from Oxford on a Bank holiday Monday and back in thick traffic to watch us get beat by Fleetwood. He committs to the club as much as he can but living away doesn’t help.
So sorry I think your’e being a bit unfair here and I know you GE with your waspish sense of humour you little tinker! I fancy taking on SVEN from city for the job anyway as I just love those glasess he wears.
Seriously good luck to those behind the scenes in getting the right man! Lets hope we get a “winner” and hopefully the continuity is there with “big Nige” still doing the coaching!!
i think we will be in for one or two pleasant supprises.