HOW do you appoint a manager? This week saw the return of Dean Holdsworth to Non-League football with my club Chelmsford City.
Plenty has been made about Holdsworth's second coming in the Conference South, swinging from compliments at Newport County, with whom he got promoted, to not so many plaudits at Aldershot – where he managed the season they were relegated and are now ultimately in administration.
A new appointment is a difficult one for any football club, and at Non-League level it's no different.
Clubs have an unenviable task when bringing in a new man, but I think the board have got it right. I'm sure there are many who continue to think that the Chelmsford job and others are cash-cows this season, but although not directly involved in the club, I know they are budgeting for a sustainable future and long may that continue.
The process of application and who to employ rather obsessively enthrals me. Do you go for a crowd favourite? Someone with local knowledge? Do you employ banking on success for this season or the long run? But if it were me I'd start with whether I could afford them and what will they add to the club? This can be everything from what friendlies can they provide, what contacts they can bring in to, ultimately, what their structure is?
What never fails to amaze me though is the calibre of those attracted to our level of the game. Chelmsford say they had over 30 quality applicants, and many had experience of Conference South level and above. With the likes of Robbie Fowler linked to Macclesfield and Edgar Davids staying at Barnet, the top of Non-League football this season could be awash with big names.
What's refreshing is these managers are not afraid to take a step back to make a move forward. I for one wish Dean all the best of luck at Chelmsford next season, and, along with Phil Babb at Hayes & Yeading and – if the rumours are true – former Charlton defender Steve Brown joining Ebbsfleet, then next season's Conference South could be one of the tightest on record. Here's hoping Alan Alger is around to offer odds on it!
It's Time To Get Tough To Save Clubs
LET me make one thing clear, I hate the close season – not for the lack of football, something to do on a Saturday [in my case work], but because of the rumour and speculation.
It ranges from the ridiculous – one manager told me this week he'd heard he'd got a job before he'd even applied – to the worrying…rumours that this year's AGM Cup could be one of it's most hotly-contested yet.
Nearly a month after leagues are re-organised by the FA, we wait, in limbo, for the AGM to come around and rubber stamp the membership.
Clubs teeter on the brink, will they be saved from relegation as another club goes bust?
Now, this is no fault of the league, or the FA, but of history. The historical debt of many of our clubs, for many years left unchecked.
Colin Peake, from the Conference, recently told the Non-League Showthat the financial structures were once again being looked at by the league to see if they can tighten the processes throughout the season.
But is it solely down to them to right football's wrongs? We have a number of clubs throughout the leagues, Premier League down, who are riddled with debt. From Non-League up, bulging, spiralling wages seem widespread, the dream chasers over-indulging looking to emulate Wigan or Yeovil in their transformation from once grass roots.
It will be interesting to see how far these new financial regulations go. Colin Peake says they will be “tightening up to protect clubs and their futures. If you cannot afford to play in a particular league then people have to make sensible decisions. Would you rather have a club than no club?”
I wholeheartedly agree with those sentiments, sustainable, sustainable, sustainable.
The Conference now have agreements in place with the HMRC to help toughen up further. It will be a strict few months ahead, no doubt, and possible heartbreak for fans involved. But we've been poking an open wound for too long, it's time to rip off the plaster and see exactly where we all stand.
Nights Out And Awards – The Highlight Of The Summer
HAVING started by saying I hate the close season – there is one thing I do love… awards!
Having kicked it all off with the brilliant National Game Awards, next week I'll be at BBC Radio 5 Live's Big Day Out to announce the Non-League Team of the Year as chosen by the panel including Robbie Savage and Colin Murray.
Then it's onto the Conference dinner and the winners from the top three leagues.
But a quick nod and a wink to the Isthmian League and Northern Premier League nights out, always memorable and fantastically run, I hope to make at least one of them.
If not, I'll be sending Dave Anderson from the Non-League Show– any excuse to see him stand to applaud the chairman's table as they enter. The Respect initiative is not lost on him.
Enjoy your summer of relaxation, here's hoping there aren't too many tears shed for teams and histories lost!
GUEST COLUMN FROM CAROLINE BARKER – BBC NON-LEAGUE SHOW PRESENTER
