I can’t, hand on heart, see any reason why Craig Nelson is a better prospect for Lewes FC than Bradley Pritchard, and I believe this knee jerk appointment is further evidence of a board lost in the headlights, stuck in a doom cycle.
It was during the winter of last year, when Craig Nelson was overseeing a dreadful set of results, that murmurs were heard that maybe he should move on at the end of the season. We rallied, and Craig was seen by Tonbridge Angels as a young managerial prospect, he was hired by them. But the inconsistent form that plagued him at Lewes FC, albeit after his amazing start last season, remained: P9 W2 D4 L3, and he was quickly moved on, sacked on 21st September, just over a month ago.
At that time Lewes FC were doing better than expected under rookie manager Bradley Pritchard. He had a blinding start, surpassing all expectations and we were sitting pretty at, and around, the play off zone.
A month ago Bradley Pritchard had Lewes FC punching above our weight, Craig was sacked, so apart from convenience, how the hell has he ended up replacing him.
We are all left to second guess, but since my blog on Monday I have been contacted by a number of people, much of which I cannot divulge, but a clear picture has emerged.
Now, have you ever heard of three top players leaving at the same time not even a third of the way through the season? Unless the club come out and comprehensively deny it, which they won’t, budget cuts have been enforced on Bradley. We know three top players, Gayle, Chadwick and Walker, left before the Aveley game. Realistically, they did not leave immediately on a rumour of budget cuts. Clearly this has been coming and explains why he played the entire under 18s in the Sussex Senior Cup a few weeks ago, as he was going to have to rely heavily on them.
We also know the leadership focus is entirely on the Lewes FC Women as they blindly continue see them as the golden ticket out of the mess they have helped create. What is not clear is when Bradley was told, “we’re pulling the plug on your budget.” But what is clear is that Bradley has been dropped in the shit by the board, not supported by them and chucked under the bus. In my thirty years of following the Rooks I have never seen a member of staff treated so appallingly.
In my blog on Monday, I considered the situation with Bradley and took the view we were in a six of one, half a dozen of the other scenario, and I’d like to apologise to Bradley and his backroom team for doubting them. What is clear, although Bradley was far too inexperienced to be appointed in the first place, is that he has risen to the challenge and pulled a new squad together, leaving us as the early pace setters, which was an amazing managerial feat. It was at this point, when some results went against him, that the board should have backed him. A raw new talent; instead, they sacked him.
When a club parts ways with a manager and rehiring happens the very next day, it doesn’t read as “decisive leadership.” It reads as panic. Knee Jerk. Already lined up even?
Was Bradley managed out? That’s one conspiracy theory put to me. Managing out is using tools within a business to remove a legitimate operative and replace them with a preferred new candidate. When Craig was dismissed at Tonbridge, did someone at the club think, after a few beers and some bad results for Bradley, that he was a better option, and is that why Bradley received no support and had the budget reduced? It’s the stuff of fantasy and I don’t believe it, but the communications at this club are such a disgrace that the gossip grapevine will always grow magnificently when no facts are ever provided.
What we do know is that, because of Equality FC, we are one of the highest profile clubs in the non league pyramid, bar some fallen league giants, especially in the South East. What we therefore know is that we are a very attractive prospect for experienced or up and coming managers. We have two thirds of a season left and now would be the time to take the time to source the best man for the job, not just show a total lack of professionalism and appoint the last bloke, who was arguably mediocre.
A panic appointment;
Throws away leverage we actually have in the market
Signals panic to players, staff and possible investors.
Undermines the Equality FC brand by pairing big talk with small thinking.
Repeats a recent failure instead of learning from it.
Destabilises a squad that needs clarity, not churn.
Tells the team there’s no plan.
Discourages future, better candidates who will now see a chaotic process.
Burns an already scarce budget on short term decisions.
Ignores due diligence, no longlist, shortlist, references or interviews worth the name.
Creates a tactical mismatch mid season with no pre season to embed it.
Damages our reputation across non-league as a club that blinks instead of backs its manager when results wobble.
So whilst certain members of our leadership strut around like Mr Fix-It—“look what we’ve done” knowing some ‘populist’ supporters will lap it up, the quieter ones, the bulk, just think what a joke.
As I said in my last blog, Maggie Murphy was critical of the hiring process at Lewes, basically alluding to the fact it was so short sighted and amateur. Again as I alluded to in my last blog, John Peel who seemed to take responsibility did so irresponsibly. The appointment of Bradley showed this approach at its most basic, the worst thing any board can do is not learn from its mistakes. Doh.
First, take two days to get a clear picture of where the club really is. What’s the wage bill and how long can you afford it? Who’s out of contract soon? Who’s injured or suspended? What are the loan options? That snapshot tells you the job you’re hiring for now, not the job you wish you had.
Then hire for the job, not the name. Write the brief before you write the shortlist, you need a coach who can steady results quickly on a tight budget, organise you without the ball, squeeze value from set pieces, work the loan market smartly and bring young players through without breaking the team’s shape. Run a fast, 10-day search focused at Isthmian Premier level and nearby options, proven heads or assistants from the Isthmian Premier, promotion savvy coaches from Step 3/4, sharp assistants from National League South. Lewes FC will always have an excuse as to why this is not an option. Simply, it is. Then ask each finalist for a simple game plan for this squad for the remaining fixtures not just “we like Craig’s style of football,” but how you’ll set up, who plays where, any realistic loans/frees they can actually land at this level and a clear restart plan. Judge method, not past mediocrity. Finally, tell people what you’re doing: money’s tight, goals are clear, it is an interim post with possibilities moving forward if we are not bust, and the full search is underway. Straight talk calms rumours and shows this is a plan, not a panic.
Look, I’m no specialist in hiring football managers, but I know any recruitment management requires a process, and I expect a board of directors, one of whom is keen to tell us how great he is at it, should know exactly what to do.
Whatever, do the search where it actually works at this level. Post a tight interim brief on FA Careers and the LMA board, and keep an eye on Non-League Paper and Non-League Daily classifieds and socials. Use JobsInFootball, The Coaches’ Voice jobs board and LinkedIn’s non-league groups. Just a bit of effort please. Show you care a little bit.
Craig may well be the best candidate, but we may well get relegated because a better candidate out there was not given an interview.
I would not have hired Bradley, for the reasons above. However, I think he far surpassed any reasonable expectations and is clearly a highly talented manager in waiting. With what I know now, I would have stuck with him. The board smashed up his squad and essentially gave him no time to rebuild. He was stuck in a no win situation, pardon the pun. That is the time when you explain to the supporters that you have reduced his budget and we will need to give him time to rebuild, so be patient, not just sack him and bring the last bloke back.
I have heard nothing but good things about Bradley Pritchard, former player and now former manager, treated appallingly by the Lewes FC Board of Directors, who should hang their heads in shame. I hope the initial experience was good for him and, at the end of the day, he is better plying his trade at a club where they know what they are doing and support the manager properly.
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