ALL CHANGE!
Managerial merry-go-round is in a spin
It’s a managerial merry-go-round in a hectic week of comings and goings in the top flight
“THIS IS NOT A SITUATION ANY OF US WANTED TO FIND OURSELVES IN – I SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY” Bill Williams – Maidstone
NEW YEAR, new era for two of the National League’s surprise strugglers – and it ensures an intriguing managerial scramble to kick off 2019!
Boxing Day proved the knockout blow for Chesterfield chief Martin Allen, who paid the price for a 4-0 home thumping by Solihull Moors, a game interrupted by a pitch invasion from angry fans, which could land the club in hot water.
And he was joined on the canvas by Harry Wheeler, who left Maidstone United after just four months in charge following a 3-1 defeat by Dover Athletic – the Stones’ fifth defeat on the spin.
While John Still’s sudden retirement as Barnet manager could open the door for Allen to take over a SIXTH spell in charge of the Bees, speculation remains rife as to who will lead the managerless Spireites and Stones through a crucial next four months.
Chesterfield, in particular, find themselves in a unique position at the foot of the fifth tier and with fans at boiling point after just four league wins all season before yesterday, the Spireites know this next appointment is critical if they are to avoid back-to-back relegations.
Departure
Hot favourite is former boss John Sheridan, won League Two with the Spireites in the 2010-11 season before adding the EFL Trophy the following season. He was linked with the job even before Allen’s dismissal having guided his current club, Carlisle United, to ninth in League Two thanks to a 6-0 thumping of Oldham Athletic on Boxing Day. Despite that result, though, Sheridan threatened to quit the Brunton Park outfit, suggesting some of his players were struggling with his demanding nature. “I’m a demanding manager,” the former Sheffield Wednesday player said after Carlisle’s biggest home win for 13 years. “I’ve managed in this league and I’ve done very well. I’ve managed players who’ve played in the Premiership. “You have to accept the way I am. If you don’t, I won’t be here.” Meanwhile, Chesterfield CEO Graham Bean has warned that the club could face stiff FA sanctions after a small group of supporters ran onto the pitch on 70 minutes of the Boxing Day clash after the Spireites conceded the third goal.
“Clearly the club can’t condone supporters encroaching the playing area,” he told the Derbyshire
Times. “The ramification of that pitch invasion and any future pitch invasions are that there will inevitably be an FA inquiry.
“The club will have to explain itself to the FA, who will then have to decide whether any sanctions are necessary.”
Another name linked to the manager’s job at the Proact Stadium is former Spireites skipper Ian Evatt, who has worked wonders with National League rivals Barrow, leading the Bluebirds into a healthy mid-table position spot.
Evatt had a short spell as caretaker boss at the end of last season and applied for the role before he was released in the summer and Allen was appointed.
Also touted is John Askey, who won the league last season with Macclesfield Town and recently sacked by Shrewsbury Town, and veteran boss Ronnie Moore, who is desperate to get back into football at the age of 65 following successful stints in charge of Tranmere Rovers and Rotherham United (both twice) and Hartlepool United.
Paul Cox, the former Mansfield Town and Barrow boss, is another who knows the division, as does Mark Yates, who led the surge of Solihull Moors, and Gary Waddock, who is becoming increasingly frustrated with a lack of resources at Aldershot Town.
Several managers are linked with both the Chesterfield and Maidstone jobs, including former Ebbsfleet boss Daryl McMahon and maybe even Darrell Clarke, who is looking to resurrect his career after leading Bristol Rovers into League One.
Testing times
Kent-based former Dover chief Chris Kinnear is another mentioned for the Maidstone hotseat, but one man who simply can’t be written out of the equation is fans favourite Jay Saunders, just four months after he left the Gallagher Stadium.
Saunders is synonymous with the club’s history having led them to three promotions and is still the name on the lips of players and fans alike.
Explaining the decision to part ways with Wheeler, Maidstone chief executive Bill Williams said: “Let me be candid, this is not a situation any of us wanted to find ourselves in and I share the disappointment and responsibility for it.
“However, we now need everyone to pull together in what are testing times for our club, as we do our damnedest to stay in this league.”
Coach Tristan Lewis and midfielder Simon Walton took caretaker charge for yesterday’s trip to Boreham Wood and will also oversee Tuesday’s return visit of Dover Athletic.