GATESHEAD chairman Graham Wood has spoken about his decision to terminate the contract of manager Ian Bogie and his number two Terry Mitchell.
The pair were told they had have been relieved of their duties on Monday night at the club’s reserve team fixture with Chesterfield and became the first managerial team to get the sack in the BSB Premier this term.
Former Newcastle United midfielder Bogie arrived on Tyneside at the start of the 2006/07 season as the club’s assistant manager.
He took over as caretaker boss following Tony Lee’s sacking in March 2007 and was handed the role on a permanent basis after leading the club on a 12-match unbeaten run.
The 45-year-old then oversaw back-to-back promotions to get the club into the Conference Premier.
The club narrowly avoided relegation in their first season at Step 1 – finishing 20th – but have improved on that over the past two campaigns, finishing 15th and eighth.
They currently lie 14th in the Blue Square Bet Premier having won just three of their last 16 games, a run that chairman Wood deemed unacceptable and prompted him to sack his managerial team.
Speaking about his decision, Wood said: “It was a difficult decision to make because Ian has taken us from the UniBond premier division to where we are today..
“The expectations at the start of the season, however, were to reach the play-offs and I believe it is still possible if we took action now.
“We have good players at the club and needed to turn the situation around before it is too late. Now is the right time to make a change at the top.
“There is still plenty to play for in both the league and the FA Trophy and bringing in a new manager with new ideas will freshen things up and help to get us back on track.
“I would like to thank Ian and Terry for their considerable efforts during their time at the club and wish them well in the future.”
Anth Smith, who has been involved with the club’s youth and reserves teams this season, takes over at the International Stadium on a temporary basis.
