Bloxham delighted by Moore’s decision to reject Forest Green move

CHAIRMAN David Bloxham believes retaining director of football Micky Moore will be vital in Cheltenham Town’s bid to consolidate their League One status.

Moore was the subject of an approach from Gloucestershire rivals Forest Green Rovers last week, but after holding talks with the Nailsworth club, he has committed his future to the Robins.

“Micky has done a very good job and he is valued, so we didn’t want to lose a good employee to a League One rival,” Bloxham said.

“We have a very good head coach (Wade Elliott) and head of academy (Tim Bell), but they are both short of experience in the roles.

“We felt it was important to retain Micky’s experience and the continuity of his influence at the club across the football staff.”

Moore held talks with Bloxham at the Completely-suzuki Stadium on Wednesday, but at no stage did the 49-year-old indicate he wanted to leave.

“We spoke at length to Micky, reassured him of our support and objectives and also assured him we want to consolidate in League One,” Bloxham said.

“He had to be convinced we are united in that aim and all pulling in the right direction. We had a frank, but fair and reasonable discussion.

“His contract was tweaked upwards, but there were no hard negotiations because Micky is 100 per cent committed to the club.”

Bloxham praised Moore and Forest Green for the manner in which they have conducted themselves.

“All sides have acted in a perfectly professional and respectful manner and we have no complaints about how it’s been handled,” Bloxham said. “Micky didn’t seek them out, he simply responded to their approach and naturally he wanted to know what they were offering.

“He kept us informed throughout and an offer was made by Forest Green after meeting with them. After consulting with the board, we had discussions to try and keep him.

“In summary: he was headhunted, but we fought off the competition.”

Moore joined the Robins in August 2018, as head of recruitment, becoming director of football in February 2020.

He acts as an important link between the board of directors and the football operation.

Since his appointment, Cheltenham have enjoyed arguably the best period in their history, winning the League Two title, giving Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City a scare in the FA Cup and achieving the club’s highest-ever finish of 15th in the third tier last season.

“Micky gets on with the job and works hard,” Bloxham said. “A key part of the role is his connectivity and contacts, along with his scouting work and bringing players in.

“But there is an overarching role linking everyone together and he has been instrumental at organising things behind the scenes.

“I’m sure supporters recognise how important a cog he is in the wheel.”

Cheltenham saw several first team staff members depart over the summer including manager Michael Duff to Barnsley, goalkeeping coach Dan Watson to Walsall and performance analyst Shaun Howl to MK Dons.

Academy director Antoine Thompson and professional development phase lead coach Pete Haynes departed for Reading and Southampton respectively.

“Dan Watson’s decision was for practical reasons, but the other staff all left for bigger clubs can be good for the club and shows we are doing something right,” Bloxham said.

“But you don’t want to lose too many and Micky is a senior figure, who knits everything together.

“He knows what has gone on before to give us that stability and that’s another reason we wanted to keep him.”