King and Groves Should Be Kept On

Brendon King and Matt Groves should be given the opportunity to take Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division....

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Published 24th April 2012

Brendon King

....club Weymouth into next season, according to Nigel Biddlecombe.

The Weymouth chairman, who signed the ownership of the club over to a community trust earlier this month, believes retaining the management duo would offer the club much-needed stability but ultimately it will come down to a board decision.

King and Groves did initially agree five-year contracts under the Rolls regime back in February but those deals were later declared null and void by the latest incumbents on legal grounds due to the CVA.

Since the change in the boardroom, the Terras have claimed just nine points from their last twelve league games and although they beat Hitchin Town last Saturday to secure their Premier Division status, concerns surrounding the ability of the coaching staff remain. When asked to comment, Biddlecombe said: “I would like to see Brendon and Matt continue what they have started. “This past season has been a hard learning curve for them and they have not had the best of circumstances in which to learn. Hopefully, if we can give them a settled platform to do the job properly they can then deliver the goods on a more consistent basis.

“When I was a youngster, I used to get told this nursery rhyme, which went something like ‘when she was good, she was very, very good but when she was bad, she was horrid’, and I think that sums up our season really.

“At times, we have been dynamite, particularly at home against St Albans City and AFC Totton in the league, and in some of the cup games, but on other occasions, against Arlesey Town, twice, and Frome Town just recently, we have been awful.

“There has been this inconsistency about it and it is something we need to put right, and I believe with a bit of scope to put their own squad together within a sensible budget, Brendon and Matt can do that.

“Everything at the moment is a slow building process and I think we owe it to the players, the management, the supporters, and even to ourselves to give the club some stability with a settled side that everyone can enjoy watching.

“This is just my personal view though. Since signing the club over to the community trust I am not in a position to make that decision on my own, it is a board decision and at the end of the day in football everybody has their own opinions.

“Some people are not entirely convinced by Brendon and Matt but I think the vast majority understand the hard work they have put in over the course of the season and believe they have earned the right to continue things on even if they have made mistakes, which I am sure they will learn from.”

There has been speculation that former player Ben Smith could be a potential replacement should King and Groves be given the boot but Biddlecombe has rubbished that link. He added: “As far as I am concerned that is just a complete rumour.”

Meanwhile, Ashley Wells has signed a one-year contract but keeper Tom Manley is set to retire in order to concentrate on his teaching career.

Biddlecombe went on to say: “Saturday’s game at Redditch United could be Tom’s last but I am still hopeful of signing him on non-contract as cover.”

[Source: Dorset Echo]