WHY I DECIDED TO LET MATT DEPART
I’VE never been a manager who’s shied away tough decisions. Releasing 11 players from Mansfield this week – including our top-scorer Matt Green – was certainly one of those.
Matt will always be welcome in my office for a coffee or a chat. I had a great relationship with him and he performed terrifically for me.
But talking to my staff, there was a sense that maybe he’s just a little bit stale. That can happen to all players, at all clubs. And when I sat down with Matt, we both agreed that was probably the case.
As with all the players we released, there were other considerations too. There’s earnings and the percentage of those earnings in the budget.
I also know what type of players I need to make the team better. It’s not necessarily about individual quality – it’s about improving the team.
In Matt’s case, I wanted a different style of striker. But that doesn’t mean he won’t do a great job elsewhere and I wish him all the best.
Above all – and this is something Tony Stewart often said at Rotherham – it’s about making every penny count.
We’ve already signed two players, Conrad Logan from Rochdale and Zander Diamond from Northampton. They’ve come from a higher level but they’ve not cost us any more than some of the top lads we’ve moved on. That’s what I mean about getting value for money.