ROD ADDS ANOTHER STRING TO HIS BOW
NEW BOSS Rod Stringer says he is determined to lead a charm offensive to get his new army of Welling United fans on side ahead of a crunch relegation battle.
Stringer was unveiled as the Wings’ new man in charge on Monday morning, just hours after the club surprisingly sacked boss Danny Bloor despite a fine 2-1 win at Hemel Hempstead Town on Saturday.
With Bloor a popular figure on the Park View Road terraces, the move hardly went down well with the Wings faithful, leaving the former Bishop’s Stortford, Chelmsford City and Brentwood Town boss with a job of rallying the troops ahead of a crucial period in the club’s history.
He got off to the perfect start when his ten-man Wings fought back from a goal down to beat high-flying Hampton & Richmond Borough on Tuesday night, but Stringer is looking at the bigger picture and has warned he needs all hands on deck if the Wings are to maintain their National League South status.
“I know that Danny’s popular with the supporters but I’ve just had to say to them to continue supporting their football club and put their grievances aside,” Stringer told The NLP.
“Managers and players only pass through football clubs. It’s the supporters who stay. What’s happened this week at Welling, happens all the time unfortunately. It’s football.
“Obviously, I don’t like to see any manager lose their job but the league table doesn’t lie. We’ve averaged under a point a game and the board felt they needed to act on it.
“The timing may have seemed a bit strange to the fans but you have to look at the bigger picture and the bottom line is the club are sitting in a relegation battle, fighting for their lives. It’s a results business at the end of the day.”
Stringer’s arrival at Park View Road ends a year-long hiatus from the game having guided Brentwood Town to the Isthmian North play-offs.
Now back at the level where he made his name, Stringer insists he’s rediscovered his passion for the game – and is relishing the challenge that awaits.
“I’ve been doing other things, going away on holiday, but also watching a few games here and there to keep my hand in,” Stringer added.
“It was really refreshing and now I feel I’ve got my appetite back.
“It’s been a bit of a hectic start but all made worthwhile by getting three points on Tuesday.
“I’ve managed a lot of football clubs and teams, but that team last night was outstanding. To a man, they absolutely ran their socks off and it was so pleasing to see.
“But while these six points have been a massive help, they don’t keep us safe, just contribute to it. There’s a long way to go yet.
“You need at least 50 points to survive in this league and we’ve got a hell of a lot of points to accumulate to secure that.
“It’s very tight down there and whoever can put a run together then now will be just the right time.
“Last night is now gone, it’s in the memories, we’ve still got a mountain to climb.”