Alan Devonshire leaves Braintree

[Iron_adam]

Pulled this from our forum.
DEVS DECLINES OFFER FOR FIFTH YEARIron looking for new managerBraintree Town Football Club will be looking for a new manager for next season. On Saturday the Board offered Alan Devonshire an extension to his current employment on the same terms and, to assist with our preparations for next season, we asked for an answer by Thursday evening. Last night (Thursday) Alan declined our offer and the Club will now be seeking applications for the post.
Chairman Lee Harding said: "We had a lengthy chat with Alan on Saturday and advised him that we would like him to remain with us for a fifth year. Alan advised that he had been approached by third parties for next season and was not prepared to sign as he felt that he wanted to speak with them. We agreed to give him until Thursday evening to consider our offer, but he was still not prepared to sign. The Board have therefore decided to ask Mark Sansom to act in a caretaker role for Saturday's trip to Wrexham and at home to Altrincham a week on Saturday.
On behalf of all of us, I'd like to thank Alan for his efforts over the four seasons he was with us, more so this season when a number of injuries have made the job difficult.
But now the Board look forward to a new era and new challenges. We continue to make progress with our discussions on relocation. Both Braintree Council and the Club are taking time to ensure we get the arrangements right, but we have made real progress in recent weeks and hope to be in a position to make an announcement on our future in June.
As a club we like to think we have our feet on the ground. We've always said that we have ambition tempered with reality and want to play our football at the highest sustainable level. Our current stadium meets the entry requirements for the Football League, but a small fortune would need to be spent on further improvements, so we believe relocation to a purpose built stadium is the best way forward.
Over the coming weeks we will be looking for a new manager that can work with the Board to build a team on the pitch to compete and help prepare us for the challenges that lie ahead."

 

[Gashead]

Wouldn't be surprised to see him at Wrexham if the opportunity arises - done a good job at Braintree over the last few years.

 

[Luke Imp]

Wrexham went down that route with Wilkin, so I'd be surprised if they did so again.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Wouldn't be surprised to see him at Wrexham if the opportunity arises - done a good job at Braintree over the last few years.

True. But I am not sure what the Wrexham fans would think. Lets just say his football isnt always easy on the eye. With Wrexhams recent punt on kevin Wilkin backfiring Id suspect they are getting desperate to at least challenge for promotion and thus will be looking at someone with previous experience in getting a team out of this division.

 

[Gashead]

Wrexham went down that route with Wilkin, so I'd be surprised if they did so again.

But I got the impression that Wilkin's problems were more due to 'losing the dressing room', where as at least Devonshire is at an age where he'd command authority I'd have thought.

True. But I am not sure what the Wrexham fans would think. Lets just say his football isnt always easy on the eye. With Wrexhams recent punt on kevin Wilkin backfiring Id suspect they are getting desperate to at least challenge for promotion and thus will be looking at someone with previous experience in getting a team out of this division.

Depends whether they want pretty football or results I suppose. Although I guess its not guaranteed that Devonshire would get the latter.

 

[Murphy]

If Colchester go down and they decide to chuck Tony Humes, I can see him going there. Pretty sure he's been heavily linked with the Col U job before.

 

[dedwardp]

If Colchester go down and they decide to chuck Tony Humes, I can see him going there. Pretty sure he's been heavily linked with the Col U job before.

Hope not. I think it is just the media putting two and two together though - local non-league manager and a chairman with a West Ham connection. Last time there were stories saying he was in talks but Braintree said we had made no contact, and Humes was appointed within hours of Dunne leaving as the succession plan was already in place.

Devonshire is the complete opposite of everything the chairman preaches about, so I can't see it thankfully. Already though there are plenty of comments about how he would "do a job" etc.

 

[Sparrow]

Massive blow for Braintree. Devonshire worked miracles there for a number years on a limited budget, in front of poor crowds and usually on a rubbish pitch. The football was never attractive but it worked.

 

[dedwardp]

It will be interesting to see how Braintree go from here though, as there was a similar belief when Rod Stringer went to Bishop's Stortford just after their promotion. Is this the beginning of a slide back down or will they bring someone in who can progress them further?

 

[Luke Imp]

But I got the impression that Wilkin's problems were more due to 'losing the dressing room', where as at least Devonshire is at an age where he'd command authority I'd have thought.

More than that I think but the Wrexham lot are better qualified to comment.

From the outside, it seemed he'd brought his Nuneaton approach to Wrexham i.e. sit back, and hope to knick a goal. Put that with it not working and suddenly a team who over the last 3 years have done well and expected to be 'there or thereabouts' this season also, ended up being lower mid-table.

It will be interesting to see how Braintree go from here though, as there was a similar belief when Rod Stringer went to Bishop's Stortford just after their promotion. Is this the beginning of a slide back down or will they bring someone in who can progress them further?

Not sure whether they can progress further? I suspect they're about at their limit, hence Devonshire leaving. He's probably looked at it and didn't thin he could do anything else there.

 

[dedwardp]

Not sure whether they can progress further? I suspect they're about at their limit, hence Devonshire leaving. He's probably looked at it and didn't thin he could do anything else there.

Oh, agree with that - I guess I just mean whether they either drop back down out of the Conference Premier or whether they can continue to consolidate around midtable or even a brief flirtation with the play-offs like last season. I think that would be progress.

 

[rudebwoyben]

Surely it depends if they do get this new stadium built as well.

 

[B2TF]

Well that's one relegation spot taken care of next season.

 

[Shrimpurh]

Brown-----> Pompey
Devonshire ------>Southend

 

[LlayDragon]

Wouldn't be surprised to see him at Wrexham if the opportunity arises - done a good job at Braintree over the last few years.

Nah; we're too far North for him.

 

[Master D]

Nah; we're too far North for him.

Yep. Not a chance he'd come that far from home.

 

[FC United Fan]

What about Aldershot?

 

[Aberstone]

Bearing in mind he doesn't drive and lives in West London I think he'll want something more local, Maidenhead is a good possibility with Johnson Hippolyte leaving at the end of the season.

 

[Cardsfan]

Bearing in mind he doesn't drive and lives in West London I think he'll want something more local, Maidenhead is a good possibility with Johnson Hippolyte leaving at the end of the season.

Why on earth would he leave Braintree for Maidenhead though, they are effectively Braintree in the division below (in terms of crowds, budget and quality - unless they can somehow offer him a lucrative contract?

 

[Aberstone]

New stand and a possible 3G pitch. He knows the Conference South and would have all the time in the world to make Maidenhead competitive, compared to treading water at Braintree every year.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

Surely he hasn't left without a possibility of a new job, has he? If it's a league club, perhaps Cheltenham? Even if they went down it's a fair step up for him.

With Burnett not guaranteed to be here next year, we'll probably be a rumoured destination.

 

[Greenacres]

Massive blow for Braintree. Devonshire worked miracles there for a number years on a limited budget, in front of poor crowds and usually on a rubbish pitch. The football was never attractive but it worked.

Spot on, games against Braintree were generally dreadful to watch, I have only seen one good game between us and the rest were largely dour affairs. He definitely worked wonders, he assembled a team that was often better than the sum of its parts, he is either a brilliant motivator or a miracle worker. He always employed tactics that disrupted their opponents style of play. Clearly we can't be certain why he has chosen not to stay at Braintree, but my guess is that he won't be out of work for very long, even if he has to wait until the starting pistol sounds on the sack-race next season.

 

[dan_wrexhamafc]

Will they fall apart or play really well today? I hope its the first for today, another embarrassing loss at home would just top off the season which would struggle to be any worse

 

[Beee]

New stand and a possible 3G pitch. He knows the Conference South and would have all the time in the world to make Maidenhead competitive, compared to treading water at Braintree every year.

With Braintree moving to a new ground within the next couple of years I'm not sure how a team way down the Conf South are in a better position than them, regardless of whether they're getting a 3G pitch or not.

I've been to watch Maidenhead several times over the past couple of seasons and they really struggle in that league. New stand apart their stadium is not Conference standard either.

 

[Iron_adam]

Interesting. ..

www.essexchronicle.co.uk/female-coach-Iron-job-frame/story-26373707-detail/story.html

 

[Southern Shayman]

Only female manager I can think of that would be applying is Hope Powell and there were lots of rumours towards the end of her England reign that she was incompetent.

Can't help but think it's been dropped in for a bit of cover in the press

 

[Chris FGR]

Left field appointments never work at this level.

What Braintree need is an experienced wily old operator who know their way around the Conference. Get it wrong and they'll be cut adrift quickly with a poorly assembled squad, before eventually seeing sense and appointing someone who knows this level well but ultimately coming in too late. Much like Nuneaton this season.

 

[Harrier94]

Daish is leaving Nuneaton possibly a contender

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32470049

 

[Southern Shayman]

It's Danny Cowley from Concord

http://www.concordrangersfc.com/cowleybraintree/

Seems to have done a decent job on a small budget at Concord. But don't really know enough about him to know if it's a good appointment.

 

[Sparrow]

Has done really well at Concord but not sure if he'll pull up many trees at Braintree. It's a big step up from Conference South.