GATESHEAD this week parted company with boss Ian Bogie to signal the first change of manager in the Blue Square Bet Premier this season.
And considering it’s almost Christmas, that’s quite a surprising statistic. I think it’s widely recognised that Non-League clubs are far more reluctant to pull the trigger than their League counterparts.
On the whole, Non-League boardrooms are filled with people who understand the game of football and know success takes time and patience.
Just look at Kidderminster Harriers. After ten games this season, Steve Burr‘s men had drawn five and lost five. A play-off tip for many before the season had started, it looked as if Burr’s number was up.
But the Kiddy board understood that Burr was the right man for the job and knew he would turn it around. As of writing this, Harriers have lost once in 17 league games, have won five in a row and are just four points off the play-offs.
But for every success story, there is one of defeat. Bogie sacked after five years in charge of the Heed following four consecutive defeats. Granted, they’re only nine points off the play-offs; but they’re also just four points clear of the relegation zone – proving just how close the BSB Premier is this season.
Bogie may have been the first casualty in Non-League’s top flight but that’s not to say there have been a shortfall of departures lower down the Pyramid.
The stark reality is that a good portion of bosses who leave clubs below the BSB Premier do so through no fault of their own. The dreaded budget cut accounts for more than its fair share of managers.
Just last week saw two clubs lose their bosses due to cuts. Troubled BSB North club Histon parted company with Dennis Greene because they simply couldn’t afford to pay him. And in the NPL Premier, Grantham Town joint-managers Wayne Hallcro and Jimmy Albans quit after a big proposed cut.
It seems that every week sees a slashed budget push a manager over the edge having made a difficult job that much harder.
Whether it’s because of historic financial problems, attendances lower than budgeted for or an early exit in the FA Cup, overspending clubs tend to cut their cloth towards the end of the year – hardly the best Christmas present for any boss out there.
One thing for sure is that managers in Non-League do not have it easy. Having to juggle the stresses of management with ‘normal’ jobs isn’t simple; management is never a part-time role.
And not only do they have to worry about results on the pitch, a budget cut could be just around the corner forcing his already stretched resources to be tested to the limit.
Surely that just leaves one question. Who’d be a Non-League manager?
