MARCUS BIGNOT is half joking when he says he only seems to work with people who have “no money”.
“Just before I went to play at Rushden they were going to New York for their end of season,” he laughs.
“When I arrived we were lucky to go to Bognor Regis! I always seem to miss out on the gravy train. I left QPR to go to Millwall and then Briatore came in. That’s my luck.”
There’s certainly no big budget at Solihull Moors and doesn’t the former Kidderminster and Crewe full-back know it.
Because it’s not just what happens on the pitch that is Bignot’s concern – he knows the ins and outs off it as well.
“I work on the business side of the club so I understand it even more,” says Bignot, who took over in June 2011. “I think it’s important, especially, at Non-League level that a manager sees both sides.
“I played under Graham Allner at Kidderminster and he ran the club on a day-to-day basis with the chairman Dave Reynolds.
“This is what I’m trying to create at Solihull Moors, a management committee who can run the day-to-day business.
“It goes from catering, to conferencing, to the bar – the remit is never ending and never stops. We need more hours in the day.
“When I first came in there was a few bombshells. After the beginning of last year, where we nearly went to the wall, I said if I’m going to manage the football club I need to know everything that’s going on financially as well.
“When I’m standing up in front of the players they need to know everything I’m saying to them is the truth.
“I don’t think people realise what the players did last year. They all took 15 per cent pay cuts, the staff went with no pay from January until the end of the season just so we could see it through.
Unthinkable
“We’re due to have talks with regards to next season soon and I already know as a manager my budget is going to be less. It has to be.”
That the unthinkable almost happened and Solihull finished ninth in Bignot’s second season shows what the 39-year-old is building – both for the club and his own management reputation.
In his first season the club kept their Step 2 status intact and, despite the budget being cut each summer, the progression graph continues to show an upward curve.
Now in this third year at the helm, Bignot has led his side into the play-off places and they even reached the summit of the Skrill North before Christmas.
“They say it takes three years to really implement ideas and turn a football club around,” says Bignot, who also used to manage Birmingham City Ladies.
“We’ve probably done that now but with how difficult it is financially, just to stay in this league is an achievement.
“I’ve had a vision and a philosophy. I’ve always said when I came into the club it had a football team. When I do leave, I want to leave a football club. We’ve really gone to town on the youth and junior. We’ve got 27 teams – 11 months ago we only had three.
“We’ve seen that in attendances. Although it’s purely down to a youth and junior presence at the game, they are up.
“It’s not money through the turnstiles and we’d love that but, as I tell people, we’re a new club – only formed in 2007 – and we’ve got a lot of work to do to really build that fanbase.”
The fact an exciting young team, challenging for promotion can only help get people in.
Bignot and his management team – including assistant Karl Broadhurst – acted quickly in the summer to get their squad sorted before the end of May by bringing in the likes of Michael Nottingham and Jordan Gough from Step 4 club Gresley.
“We’ve just signed Alex Dean from Coalville making it three signings from a lower league,” Bignot, who concedes the club are still treading water, adds. “I’ve got a 20-year-old in the middle of the park, Reece Fleet, who’s instrumental to us, and I’ve got another 20-year-old up top, Omar Bogle. He’s getting a lot of rave reviews so credit to him and the staff.
“We’ve got that balance of trying to unearth players from the lower leagues, producing young players and trying to be cute within this league by trying to get your Rob Elvins’ of this world, who is our captain.”
Attention
With 14 goals already this season – following on from his 19 last term – former Birmingham City youngster Bogle is attracting attention.
“For me Omar typifies this football club. We’ve got some good people and the players are the forefront of that. Omar is a really nice lad and he really wants to get back into the Football League. I have no doubt he’ll get there, the only thing I can’t answer is when.”
Bignot, who didn’t get his move into the Football League until he was 24 when Crewe snapped him up from Kiddy, says while there is no pressure to sell, no one would stand in his striker’s way if the right club came in.
“The club needs to show others if they come and play for Solihull Moors they’ve got a chance of moving on because we can develop you,” Bignot says. “That’s the reputation we want.
“It goes back to money. We can’t afford to go and get the best goalscorer, midfielder or defender in this league. We’ve got to produce our own. If he makes that jump into the League he’s our flagship.”
For now it’s about continuing to work towards the pre-season target of 70 points.
“I don’t look at the table much but when I do I see the teams around us and you look at their fan-base, financial clout they’ve got and I do laugh to myself,” he says. “Little Solihull Moors in amongst it – long may it continue.”
