Tough week for Taylor in letting players depart
MATT Taylor has certainly gone through the full spectrum of emotions these past few weeks. From the euphoria of promotion to the disappointment of missing out on the league title and then the brutal necessity of holding talks with his players and releasing some of those that have played their part in an incredible journey.
Any manager will testify that the worst part of football management comes in the immediate close season when talks are held with players over their futures. Not everyone stays and some of those that are being discarded are often young lads that have been with the club since childhood, such as Ben Seymour, who was one of eight players released by Exeter this week.
Now 23, Seymour has been with Exeter since joining the Academy’s Under-9s. He went on to make 71 appearances for the club, scoring three times. But he, along well fellow Academy graduates Jordan Dyer, Jack Veale, James Dodd and Ellis Johnson will be plying their football trade elsewhere from next season.
“They were difficult,” Taylor said on the talks held with the players leaving St James Park. “First and foremost, as a manager and a group of staff, you build relationships over a period of time. We have known Ben Seymour for an awfully long time – Dan Green has known him for a lot longer than myself – but I worked with him in the Under-23s.”
It is not just the young players, either. Nigel Atangana was brought to Exeter by Taylor following his release by Cheltenham Town and the 32-year-old played 84 times before being told he was being released.
“Nigel Atangana I signed three and a half years ago and we signed him when he was injured, but we saw value in that, so it’s never a nice time as a manager,” Taylor added. “Despite the celebrations on the weekend and then on Monday evening, the last couple of days have been full of meetings and some of which are really positive because you talk about what’s happened this year and what’s to come next season, but other meetings are exactly what we are talking about now where you are having to release players.
“We always do what is right by the player, first and foremost, and by the club and although I release players we feel can’t add value to our squad next season, they have a great opportunity elsewhere.”
The departures don’t end there, though. From the club’s crop of Under 18 players, only Alfie Pond has signed professional terms and will now form part of the first team squad in League One after a superb season out on loan at Tiverton Town.
But for Toby Nevile, Eli and Zeph Collins – younger brothers of first team midfielder Archie - Michael Lilley, Jamie Nicholson and Charlie Hanson, they too have been told they are being released.
“I think it’s a reminder as to how difficult it is,” Taylor said. “It is also a reminder of what a good job our Academy and first team transitional team do to get these players ready for the first team because it is not easy and it doesn’t always work out.
“Players often struggle at the next level up which is our (first team) level and I think it is fair to say that Ben has had enough opportunities with ourselves in the first team, he had an opportunity when he went out on loan to Yeovil in November/ December time to get real men’s first team football but, for whatever reason, it hasn’t quite happened for Ben. That’s not to say it won’t happen at another club, it just hasn’t quite happened with ourselves.
“We have no qualms in terms of the opportunities we have given all of these players and the investment we have put into all of these players but it is a stark reminder that football is not easy.
“Every kid wants to play football, every kid wants to be a professional footballer, there are a lot coming down from higher up the pyramid as much as there is movement up from below us, so it’s a stark reminder to myself, my staff and everyone associated with Exeter City that it doesn’t just happen – and it doesn’t happen by chance.
“It needs a lot of investment, a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck along the way.”