Excellent timing! I would have thought the club would have already had somebody in mind but as they are seeking applications obviously not. I doubt the club will reveal exactly why Jamie has left as “mutual consent” covers it all. I for one certainly worry about thd clubs future!

Why?
Probably because I am a pessimist when it comes to Ilkeston Town Football Club. More likely because it would appear that the club is going backwards or least downsizing. Dave leaving for Scunthorpe was the first alarm call. Marc Duffy, Danny Draper and Craig Lamont being allowed to leave and now Jamie Ward being allowed to leave by "mutual consent". The question is why is he leaving? If it is because of the teams form in pre season it seems very harsh. It may be because we cannot afford his wages? The second reason is more of a worry. 
If we are becoming self sustaining we will to live within our means. That means we will need bigger crowds or more commercial income. Do we have a commercial manager? When Dave was here he bank  rolled the added extras but his focus must at present be solely on the difficult situation he has at Scunthorpe United. So where will the money come from?
When previous incarnations of Ilkeston Town have hit hard times the first signs of trouble have been attempts to save money and cutting back on staff. Sometimes this was masked by excellent form on the pitch and other times like Ilkeston FC it became embarrassing (floodlights going off when somebody pulled a cheeky pint during the game).
I really really hope I am wrong but from 200 miles away north of the Tyne this is what it looks like. Maybe in a couple of weeks when we present our new management team things will look much brighter. I really really hope so!

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Recent performances indicated that we were in for a very difficult season so Andy Nally presumably felt that something needed to be done to preserve the Clubs status and to lift supporter despondency.
If we are able to bring in the right new manager plus a few new players then our prospects could dramatically improve. Most supporters were expecting a struggle to avoid relegation. Now we have the possibility of better season depending on who the new manager is.
We all know who we want but it may not be possible. With only two weeks before the season starts we need to get someone in as soon as possible. 

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Last edited by Matchman (29/7/2023 11:12 AM)

I'm sure ID has been using us to get a pay rise at long eaton. I wouldn't mind a fresh face somebody who has no ties to the club.

I also think last season in gate money wise hurt the club as most of the teams which traveled up to ilkeston last year only had a hand full of fans.

Then let's add in the pay off of gandi. That wouldn't have been cheap. Only job where you get the sack but get paid remaining of your contract.

Also lets add in the price of everything going up. This in hand doesn't helps clubs.

We can go round and around and around. Saying this that and t'other but fans vote with there feet. If the football is bad they will not turn up.

I stand in our main kop. There is a good group of people who are all season ticket holders. I asked them let's go back to July 1st. Would you buy a season ticket? They all said yes but glad they haven't because the football is worst then when we where in step 6.

Another one for you. You mentioned all of the above people. All of there wages together = half of our playing budget maybe more. So it a no brainer to let them go.

As for the club going bust I don't think so. The club is open 7 days a week being used by other 500 people a week. Also in the day time it's being used by a football academy.

Come on mate do some maths.

Your comments have made me feel more confident about the clubs future. You two are much closer to the NMG and don’t live a few miles from the Scottish border. Perhaps I am seeing it from a distance and not getting the full picture. However do believe the communication with the fans is not as good as it should be but then it has been a recurring problem over the years.
Non league fans of other clubs who have made comments are flabbergasted by the sacking of Jamie Ward so close to the start of the season especially as we don’t appear to have a replacement lined up. I presume that we should see an announcement pretty soon so that the new man or woman get the team sorted for the opening game.

Glad it makes you feel better WBP.

As chair of the supporters group I'm talking to Nally and Mark frost every week on how we can help out.

We are thinking of trying to get the flying Robin up and running again. Would you be interested in helping out?

Glad you are joining life up north?

Hopefully we can get more information out as the season goes on.

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What we need is a manager with plenty of experience at this level.  I'm not sure who is currently available. A lot of people are saying Steve Chettle who would definitely fit the bill but he has recently taken coaching job at Mansfield Town. Steve would be a popular choice. I would like to think that the job at Ilkeston is an attractive one with our excellent pitch, facilities and fan base, so the job may attract interest from managers already working as well as those currently not working and others such as retired players.

I have no idea who may have applied and I wish Andy Nally the best of luck in deciding who the next person in the hot seat will be. Hopefully there will be a standout applicant with all the right credentials and who won't be too expensive.



 

Last edited by Matchman (31/7/2023 9:48 AM)

Last I was told we have had over 100 applicants.

I would like somebody who has no ties with the clue. Somebody different please

One hundred applicants shows that despite the way we have treated some managers the job is still an attractive proposition for lots of aspiring non league managers. I would love to be able to sift through the applicants. So if any one from the club reads this I am up for the job! Although I would not want the responsibility of choosing the right man (or woman).