Post by jonw on Mar 24, 2020 22:32:00 GMT
This appeared in the programme v Hampton & Richmond on 30th November 2019....
Caretaker Managers are a relatively new phenomenon in football. We didn’t have one until March 1983. When Mick Kemp resigned, Chairman Alec Stewart took the team for an Eastern Floodlight Competition game at Leytonstone & Ilford. He gave a debut in goal to a young Tony Cherry, who spent many years at Cressing Road and in 2002 was briefly a caretaker manager too!
After the initial game at Leytonstone & Ilford ended in defeat, club stalwart and current press officer Dave Ward stepped in and took the team for 8 games. That is still the longest caretaking spell, outside of people who initially stepped in as a caretaker but ended up taking the permanent position (Frank Bishop in 1992; Brad Quinton in 2008 and Hakan Heyrettin in 2018).
Paul King was the next to take on the temporary role, in November 1989, stepping in after Dave Ward’s departure and holding the fort for four games before Brian Honeywood and Peter Collins were appointed.
The 1999-2000 season was a turbulent one for Iron. Richie Powling was sacked, then his replacement John Bennett resigned after 18 games. Bennett’s coach, Ken Varney, stepped in as caretaker for three games prior to the start of Ben Embury’s successful reign.
The terrible 2003-04 season had six different management changes, with Tim Moylette twice stepping in as caretaker manager. His first spell lasted for three days between the resignation of David Culverhouse and arrival of Graham Roberts, and covered no games. Roberts was sacked after less than two months and Moylette stepped back in to take charge for the final game of the season, a 2-0 loss at Hitchin Town.
Over three years later George Borg departed the hot seat, with club captain Brad Quinton and reserve and youth team’s manager Tom Marshall steadying the ship over the next three games.
Alan Devonshire had four successful seasons here. When he declined terms for 2014-15, he departed the club with two games to go. Academy manager Mark Sansom took the team for a 3-0 defeat at Wrexham and a thrilling finale when we beat Altrincham 4-2 at home.
When Glen Driver resigned earlier this month, Josh Urquhart and Jake Hutchings immediately offered to help prepare the team and were responsible for an outstanding 3-0 win at Hemel Hempstead.
Let’s hope it is a very long time before we have the need for another caretaker manager!
When Keith Martin became ill and had to have heart surgery in 1996, his assistant Tony Hall stepped in, not so much as a caretaker but more as an interim manager, keeping the seat warm for Keith’s return. It was a very successful period, with his team winning 14 and drawing 2 of the 18 games he presided over. He also lifted the Essex Senior Cup for the only time in our history, and the East Anglian Cup. Martin returned at the end of the 1995-96 season, but was sacked in February 1997 and Hall was finally given the job permanently.
Caretaker Managers are a relatively new phenomenon in football. We didn’t have one until March 1983. When Mick Kemp resigned, Chairman Alec Stewart took the team for an Eastern Floodlight Competition game at Leytonstone & Ilford. He gave a debut in goal to a young Tony Cherry, who spent many years at Cressing Road and in 2002 was briefly a caretaker manager too!
After the initial game at Leytonstone & Ilford ended in defeat, club stalwart and current press officer Dave Ward stepped in and took the team for 8 games. That is still the longest caretaking spell, outside of people who initially stepped in as a caretaker but ended up taking the permanent position (Frank Bishop in 1992; Brad Quinton in 2008 and Hakan Heyrettin in 2018).
Paul King was the next to take on the temporary role, in November 1989, stepping in after Dave Ward’s departure and holding the fort for four games before Brian Honeywood and Peter Collins were appointed.
The 1999-2000 season was a turbulent one for Iron. Richie Powling was sacked, then his replacement John Bennett resigned after 18 games. Bennett’s coach, Ken Varney, stepped in as caretaker for three games prior to the start of Ben Embury’s successful reign.
The terrible 2003-04 season had six different management changes, with Tim Moylette twice stepping in as caretaker manager. His first spell lasted for three days between the resignation of David Culverhouse and arrival of Graham Roberts, and covered no games. Roberts was sacked after less than two months and Moylette stepped back in to take charge for the final game of the season, a 2-0 loss at Hitchin Town.
Over three years later George Borg departed the hot seat, with club captain Brad Quinton and reserve and youth team’s manager Tom Marshall steadying the ship over the next three games.
Alan Devonshire had four successful seasons here. When he declined terms for 2014-15, he departed the club with two games to go. Academy manager Mark Sansom took the team for a 3-0 defeat at Wrexham and a thrilling finale when we beat Altrincham 4-2 at home.
When Glen Driver resigned earlier this month, Josh Urquhart and Jake Hutchings immediately offered to help prepare the team and were responsible for an outstanding 3-0 win at Hemel Hempstead.
Let’s hope it is a very long time before we have the need for another caretaker manager!
When Keith Martin became ill and had to have heart surgery in 1996, his assistant Tony Hall stepped in, not so much as a caretaker but more as an interim manager, keeping the seat warm for Keith’s return. It was a very successful period, with his team winning 14 and drawing 2 of the 18 games he presided over. He also lifted the Essex Senior Cup for the only time in our history, and the East Anglian Cup. Martin returned at the end of the 1995-96 season, but was sacked in February 1997 and Hall was finally given the job permanently.