KIDDY’S BIG CLAIMS IRK PEMBERTON
DISAPPOINTED John Pemberton has slammed the statement released by Kidderminster Harriers announcing his resignation, which came following a change of direction off the pitch.
The National League North side confirmed the 55-year-old’s exit on Wednesday morning and explained that the club “should be in a far better situation” for its “considerable budget” in the division.
Kiddy say following discussions over the team’s performance, Pemberton offered his resignation but the former Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Chesterfield caretaker manager says no such conversations took place.
“The statement that has been put out is poor and I’ve been left with no choice to defend it,” the former Sheffield United and Crystal Palace full-back told The
NLP on Wednesday after the statement had been removed and then re-published without change.
“The only meetings I’ve ever had with anyone is about the team not being good enough and needing to be strengthened. All that was said was that actually we were doing well with what we had.
“I was offered the position of the manager’s job in the summer. I was in previous employment before that and I was asked to resign from that position to take over.
“It was sold to me that I would have a decent budget to work with and we’re having a new stadium. I was told we’re getting new investment – not a new own “When er – and everything was a bed of roses, if you like.
“Two weeks after taking the job, I was pulled aside by the chairman in a meeting and told the club was staring administration in the face and there’s no money to spend. I had nine players.
“Basically, I was given a blind horse and told to win the Grand National in the summer.”
Pemberton took 18 points from 16 games amid a difficult start to the season that saw a change of ownership.
Colin Gordon’s four-year reign in charge came to an end in October when a local consortium, headed up by Richard Lane, completed a long-awaited takeover at Aggborough, during which time Pemberton was unable to add to his squad. It was said at the time that Gordon, who is also a football agent, would no longer have a role at the club but would work as a consultant to the new owners, although it now appears he has returned to have an input on the football side.
Disappointed
“I was told the previous owner wasn’t going to be involved at all, they were getting rid of him,” said Pemberton.
“All of a sudden he comes through the door yesterday saying he’s back involved. “I’ve put over 30,000 miles in six months on my car driving around watching games, looking at players and I was funding that myself, taking no expenses from the club because I knew the position it’s in.
the previous owner walked through the door and said we’re not now going for these [player] targets that I had spent identifying, we’re going for pie-in-the-sky French players who no one has ever seen or heard of, I just said it’s not for me.
“There wasn’t an argument. I just thought it was best if that was the direction they wanted to go down, which is a direction they’ve been down before, then it was going to happen without me.
“I could have quite easily sat on my contract, got sacked and been paid off.
“I said to them I don’t want to take the club’s money. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if it wasn’t for that statement.
“I’m disappointed it’s come to this because I enjoyed the job there.
“Although it was tough, I’m up for a challenge and I know given the opportunity I could have turned that around.”