The Non League Paper

[AFF]

While queuing at the newsagents yesterday for my copy of 'The Watchtower', I scanned the Non League Paper. The match report was half decent but I was attracted to a news item under the headline "Baffled Castle resigns at City" and I became very confused indeed.

 

The article reads:

 

'.... Castle cited family commitments for his departure. Wife Kate is expecting twins in January but he does not deny things could have been different. "The team deserves more than I can give," he said, "But if we had been mid-table or near the top it would have been easier to stay".

 

[Now here's the bits that confused me...]

 

'City Chairman John Gibson said: "We had two alternatives. One was to accept relegation, halve the budget and build for the future, and the other was a change. Steve took the brave step of handing in his notice."

 

[if you think that's confusing, wait until you read this...]

 

'The negative alternative influenced Castle's decision. "I don't want to be associated with a club that resigns itself so early to relegation. When a fresh face comes in sooner or later the tide turns, and I hope for the club's sake it happens sooner", he added.'

 

Now. I don't get any of that. Is it a football thing?

[AFF]

O.K. You have all had long enough. Baffled too?

 

I have cracked it.

 

There were two options:

Option 1: Castle stays, accept relegation, halve the budget and build for the future [accent on Yoof and Reserves, presumably. No. Wait. That can't be right.]

Option 2: Castle goes, reject relegation, maintain the budget, don't build for the future. No. Wait. That last bit can't be right.

 

No. I thought that I was there but it's gone again.

 

 

Oh, by the way. I hear that Steve Castle is going to continue to run the Herts University/SACFC PACE scheme. I have never been quite sure how that thing 'works'. The new manager will be pleased, no doubt.

[The Caretaker]

AFF

 

Lets see if I can help ....

 

Steve had 3 jobs, City manager, PASE coach and his work on the railways (sorry not sure what he does). His whole life is about to change with the iminent arrivals ( and by the way good to you and your wife Steve. I hope all goes well) and more time spent at home would be very much welcome so ...... working on the railway is probably his main source of income so that has to stay, enjoys very much his coaching with the youngsters (and happens to be quite good at it as well) and being City manager is not that rewarding at present with the situation only looks like getting worse (in fact I would imagine the past few weeks have been a bl**dy nightmare and see below ....). No contest really was it but I am sure the decision was not taken lightly.

 

As for halving the budget and building for the future I have to say that this would not automatically mean relegation ( I think we would be no worse off if we had gone down this route by the way) but it was clear from the end of last season that this was never an option likely to be considered, so having gone along with this approach Steve and John really didnt have any other alternatives. This obviously has long term implications for the club and it will be very interesting to see what happens when the new manager wants to bring in some new faces with an increase in cost (its bound to happen). I hope I am proved wrong on this point but I somehow I doubt it.

 

Finally, in football terms, it looks like Steve had "lost the dressing room" that is to say too many people were accepting the situation and not making the efforts asked for to correct it. That was not what Steve wanted or expected and was the negative influence referred to.

 

Simple really this football lark ..... <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[JKiF]

or in laymans terms

 

he was rubbish

[Rob_the_Saint]

At least we were spared the 'hate mob drove me out'. Too much of a Gent for that.

 

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bow.gif" alt="" />

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Really?

 

So how come there are accusations of Castle receiving "death threats" on the SACFC Website Guestbook??

 

Sounds very much like "Hate Mob Drove Me Out" to me.

 

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

[JKiF]

SACFC Website Guestbook??

 

 

 

whats that?

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Check out message 245...

 

LINK!!!!

[JKiF]

how longs that been there.....guestbook that is....

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Errr.. several months, I think. I rarely look at it.

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

The first few posts talk about The Cook reign and that bird who was obviously Ben Coggers girlfriend ...... and us lot talking about being scarfers <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[JKiF]

seems to be a mas of contradictions doesnt the top line says any talk of football will be removed

 

also *if* there is a so called death threat

have the old bill been called/CIA /FBI????

 

bin laden made one of those the other week..

 

 

what a load of rubbish...Mr Chairman

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

No doubt EFM will be blamed

[JKiF]

well i blame you lot for Bush getting back in

and no coffee this morning , so that seems only fair

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Is that Luther, JK??

[JKiF]

good call

 

 

its Frankie Knuckles