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Relegated Gresley Rovers re-appoint manager they sacked 9 months ago.


First Team Manager Appointment
Gresley Rovers FC are pleased to announce the reappointment of Carl Abbott as the club's first team manager. Abbott is no stranger to Gresley Rovers supporters, having previously served as the clubs manager between March 2020 until last September during which he led the club to promotion from the United Counties League Premier division in 2022. In September of last year, the club had announced a mutual decision for Abbott and the club to part ways. However, after a disappointing season that saw the club relegated from the Northern Premier League Midland Division, Abbott and his popular assistant manager, Paul Tomlinson, are now back at the helm.

Speaking about his return to the club, Abbott said, 'We are absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to come back to this football club. Until very recently, it didn't seem like a real possibility - we thought this might remain unfinished business that we'd have to accept.'

He added, 'Moving away from the club at the time was a bitter pill to swallow, and it took me some time to get over. However, in hindsight, I understand the difficulties that led to that decision, and I respect it fully. As I reflect now, with a renewed fire in my belly and fierce determination, I can see that my passion and focus weren't quite where they needed to be at that time. For reasons unrelated to football, the club had to make a difficult decision. While I still believe I could have kept the club in the division, I recognise the decision was made honestly and with the club's best interests in mind at the time.'"

"We've also reflected on the special times we shared during our previous three seasons with the club. Gresley Rovers is a truly unique football institution, with fantastic supporters and genuinely good people involved. As a football management team, Paul and I have always tried not to get too attached to any one area or club but the truth is, we fell in love with Gresley Rovers. We're overjoyed to be back, and we can't wait to get to work reinvigorating the club and putting it back on the right track."

In conclusion, I extend my sincere thanks to those at the club and involved in this process for giving us this opportunity. I know I can count on the unwavering support of the Gresley faithful, and I promise to repay that support from day one."

Speaking about Carls return club Chairman Gary Norton had the following to say.  "We are delighted to welcome Carl back home to Gresley Rovers Football Club and we are looking forward to working with him and Paul Tomlinson once again so soon after parting company last season"

"Carl had been dealing with some ongoing personal issues outside of football. After numerous discussions over an extended period, and with much consideration, we determined that the combination of those ongoing challenges and the poor start to the season had impacted Carl's focus. Despite the difficulty of the decision, we felt it was necessary for us to part ways." He added "In hindsight, and some regret, that decision clearly did not work out well for us last season. After much deliberation, we regrettably decided that another change in management was required"

Norton acknowledged that the timing of the decision to change managers last week was less than ideal. However, knowing this, the club had moved quickly to get their new man in place, holding interviews during the week. "We had a number of very strong candidates apply for the job," Norton explained. "But after listening to Carl, it was clear to the interview panel that he was truly hungry to come back and finish the job he started with us."

Norton noted that Abbott now seems to be in a great place away from the day-to-day demands of football. "He came across during the interview as refreshed and recharged. Personally, it was great to see his old energy, enthusiasm, and sparkle in his eyes when he spoke about his desire to return to the club."

Norton added, "Carl has a proven track record of success with our club, culminating in our promotion from the UCL last time he was with us. He took us from the brink of step 6 when he arrived to step 4 and he knows the club inside. Recognising where we are at this moment in time he presented us with a detailed plan of how he intends to get things back on track quickly, which is obviously important given the timing of our decision to change managers."

Concluding his remarks, Norton stated, "It's time now to look to the future and get behind Carl and Paul as they work to inject some much-needed excitement back around the Moat Ground. Their goal is to rebuild a team that our supporters can be proud of once again".


 

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That's a good question Kev and having watched the team training on several occasions I will try to answer.  All goalkeepers have to stay fit and train like all of the other players but as the job of the goal keeper is different to the other players, the goalkeepers train separately on training nights with their coach. The goal keeper being a key player in any team is afforded specialised training which is different to the needs of the outfield players. For example a lot of time may be spent catching crosses.
Special attention may be given to the type of opponents he will face in the upcoming game.
I think most teams have a goalkeeping coach.