(written Wednesday 19th September , uploaded 9th October)
A day of very mixed emotions; people follow football clubs with their heads and hearts. My head had told me for some little while that the time was right for managerial change at AFC Wimbledon. In football talk the manager and the coaching staff had taken the Club as far as they could.
Results this season have been poor, and as weeks past the only strategy appeared to be to loan more players. Fans and I suspect players could see that there was no masterplan and little or no pattern of play. The Board a few weeks ago made an announcement that they had spoken to the management team about the seriousness of the situation; however results have not improved and two defeats at home in three days was the tipping point.
Last night after a 1-0 home defeat to Torquay, Terry Brown walked around the ground applauding fans, who in turn reciprocated. The bulk of those present were aware of what was taking place and they all appreciated all that Terry Brown had done for the Club.. He arrived when we were languishing in the Ryman Premier League. The aim to get to the football league in ten years had stalled. Terry Brown refired the engine, promotion to Conference Football was achieved via the play offs and of course two seasons later AFC Wimbledon reached the football league via the play offs and the dramatic penalty shoot out at Eastlands.
It only took 9 years, was in no small part possible because of Terry Brown.
As he walked slowly around the ground, the mood was reminiscent of the scenes when Brian Clough left Nottingham Forest. Fans remembered the good times rather than the predicament that it now finds itself in.
The Club now needs to find a new manager.I sense that every manager, even the greats, have a sell-by date, but like people in other forms of employment they rarely leave at their peak. Sadly for every AleX Fergusson or Arsene Wenger there are many who never peak or who stay too long.
Terry Brown is a good man, a decent person who has had to cope with much during his time at the Club> He deserves to be respected for his past successes not the past couple of months.
Postscript(Saturday 22nd Sept).
It's late afternoon and I'm sitting in my hotel room in Crete. I'm following Wycombe v AFC Wimbledon on my ipad as Simon Bassey wins his first game in charge as caretaker boss. It has also been revealed that the Club has asked Dave Bassatt to act as a consultant as he and the AFCW Board will interview candidates for the managerial position over the next week or so.
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