OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM WITTON ALBION FC

First Team News and Views
1

I regret to announce that the club has today parted company with manager Nigel Deeley and his assistant Andy Nelson.

Relieving Nigel and Andy of their duties was a painful decision as both have worked tirelessly to build a team after losing so many players during the summer. When Nigel was appointed, we fully expected to retain the nucleus of the previous squad; it was no fault of Nigel’s that we did not.

Nigel has worked with one of the lower wage bills in the division and has brought some exciting young players to the fore. However football, as we all know, is a results business; despite a promising start, results since the beginning of September have been poor.

After nine consecutive league defeats, coupled with defeat in the 1st round of the FA Trophy, the board unanimously decided that, regrettably, we could not allow the management team any more time to turn things around.

Although our league position is not good, there are plenty of points still to play for, and this also contributed to the decision to make a change now, with key games against Ossett and Worksop just around the corner. It is up to the players - who must share some of the responsibility for Nigel & Andy’s departure – to grind out much-needed results and demonstrate that they each have a future at Witton Albion.

There are financial considerations too. Not staying in the FA Trophy for at least another round was a big blow, however the alarming fall in attendances is of greater concern. We attracted just over 200 spectators against Eastwood, of which our visitors contributed 30. To only have 200 Wittoners come through the turnstile is potentially disastrous, especially at a time where we are negotiating to bring in new resources at board level that will enable us to maintain the status quo.

A new management team will be in place by tomorrow with the sole brief of keeping Witton Albion in the premier division of the UniBond League. The playing budget will be exactly that which Nigel had at his disposal.

I would just like to thank Nigel and Andy for their effort and commitment. Nigel in particular has been brilliant to work with, and the fact that he is a true Wittoner has not made this decision any easier. He and Andy will always be welcome at Witton, and I wish them a quick and successful return to the game.

Finally, I want to thank our brilliant supporters for their patience. We have to get a buzz going around Wincham Park again, and whilst this will ultimately be brought about by results, in the meantime we have to keep each other’s spirits up and work even harder as a unit.

An announcement about the new management team will be made tomorrow morning (3rd).

I will be online from now until 7pm to answer any direct questions, and will be back online for a while after 9pm to pick up any others. AS ever, I can’t guarantee you’ll like - or agree - my answers, but they will be honest ones.

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Absolutely gutted for Nige. I know he holds this club close to his heart.

I hope he stays in touch.

3

I believe you have made the right decision. At the same time it is sad to see nige depart. I do wish him the very best, and thank him for his efforts. He gave it his best.

4

good luck to you nigel hope to see you down at witton soon, you will always be welcome.

5

ABSOLUTELY GUTTED, I wait with baited breath as to who this new management team is!!
All the best Nige…

Plus thank you to Mark Harris for quashing the rumour mill and letting us all know…

6

:frowning:

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Thank you Mark, for putting things in perspective.
A big thank you to you Nigel,you are a great guy and a true Wittoner.I have nothing but respect for for you as a perfect gentleman and a great coach.
Good luck.

8

Sorry to see nige go…really decent bloke and witton thru and thru…be interesting to see who our new management team will be…someone who can lift a team and bring the good times back…is there any truth that a certain harry rednapp has been spotted outside WP???

9

Red nap?
Do You mean a sleeping Wittoner?:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

10

I’d just like to thank Nige and Andy for the work and effort they put in while at the club. Good luck Nige and as everyone else has said hope to see you down at WP.

11

I am gutted for Mr. Deeley and his assistant but I recognise that results are all. We need to move on, yet again. I do hope this is not the start of a regular occurence with Managers coming and going a la Vics. Personally I would just make Pritch Manager and save on the wage bill as Pritch would do it for virtually nothing I am sure, he loves this Club more than any player I have ever known. As for another coach, try Gil Prescott, he might be persuaded to come in.
WHS.

12

I think i’ll leave that to Mr.Chairman and the board.:cheer:

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vi8. of course it is the Board’s decision, just trying to be helpful, they don’t have to take my advice!!! No one takes my advice much and quite rightly in most cases!!
WHS.

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my god whs after 1 good post on another thread u let yourself down here. Pritch as manager? I may aswell do it. Il do it for free but we wil still be bottom! It would be disrespectful to Nige if Pritch took charge. Nige has as much heart as pritch but i think its proved we need sum1 with experience as a number 1 and a good track record to pull us out the hole we are in. X

15

Gutted for Nigel.

He must stay in some capacity, surely we can offer him a role still within the club…Director of Football !!!

His coaching skills would be invaluable to us going forward, it would be a shame to loose him altogether.

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Danny if you will do it for free you may be just the man for the job!!. Seriously, I suggested Pritch because he is a big man with a big heart who is up to a fight. I am damned sure that if Pritch “laid down the law” in the dressing room about the effort needed to get us out of this hole the other players would listen. Managers don’t coach, they pick teams and motivate, I see no resaon why Pritch could not be that man. As for a coach under him, again I suggest someone ask Gil Prescott, he has huge experience and I think he is not doing anything at the moment. But I am sure there are other coaches who will be happy to come to us, let us hope the board pick a good one, or more importantly, a lucky one.
WHS.

17

GUTTED!!! Good Luck to Nige and Andy in any role they take in the future.

I just hope whoever comes in to replace the management team are given longer than 2 months to prove themselves otherwise we will end up in a similar situation to that over the water!!

Given the fact that Nige had to rebuild the team and on a limited budget, I dont think he has been given long enough. I understand that the results for the last 9 games have not been acceptable, but what else did we really expect? I agree with the Chairman that the players have to take responsibility for that also, are we going to get rid of them too??

We were always going to loose a certain amount of the crowd having not achieved promotion for the last 2 seasons. I dont think the current season has much to blame for that just yet.

I thought the Chairman was behind Nigel, thats the view I had believed at the information meeting only 2 weeks ago!

Feeling a bit angry and dissapointed at the moment, so my comments may be a bit blinded by that!

18

I feel that this is a backward step by the club! Yes i know the run of results has been poor! However from my past meetings and conversations with Nige he is one of the best football coaches you would get in this level of football! He has been working tiredlessly to try and sort the playing squad out. Your right he is a Wittoner through and through, which meant that he worked harder than any other manager you would have got at the club. I think you need to look at which manager has left there managerial post whithin the unibond leagues already this season and i think the choice was already made this week. Nige all the best wishes to you and wish you luck for the future

19

I don’t see why Pritch, with possibly Gary Scott, couldn’t take over. It may be a good thing to have players managing the team, at least in a financial sense.
Pritch has successfully managed Witton before, when Benny Phillips stepped down a few years ago. He and Brad Sandeman managed us for three games, and we won all three.
If not Pritch, I hear Juande Ramos isn’t doing anything at the moment.

20

RAW, Chairman react to what the supporters do and say, plenty have critscised Mr. Deeley by spoken or written word and by staying away. In the end I don’t think the Chairman had much choice, although I would have hoped Mr. Deeley would have been given at least until Christmas to get things right. Now I hope the next man is as lucky as Harry Redknap and gets three great results on the bounce. Tired now, so going to bed.(had my grandson for the last couple of days, wonderful but don’t young ones wear you out?)
WHS