FAO all Alty fans. I sent this press release/story to numerous media outlets this morning, after speaking with Ken and Grahame, including our own club website. Unfortunately it appears John Laidlar is away. I am therefore reproducing it here, in the hope it may be of interest.
Altrincham are looking for a new manager, following Ken McKenna's decision to step down after eight months in charge at Moss Lane.
After agonising over his next move ever since a last-day 4-3 defeat by Eastbourne cost Alty their place in the Blue Square Bet Premier, McKenna broke the news to chairman Grahame Rowley at a meeting on Sunday evening.
The club are now inviting applications for the post and are keen to make an early appointment to allow the new manager as much preparation time as possible to hit the ground running in the Conference North next season.
'We are looking for someone who has knowedge and experience of the Conference North,' said Rowley. 'There are no parameters regarding experience in general. It could be a manager who has been around a while or someone up and coming.
'But we feel whoever gets the job must know the division we are playing in next season, because it is quite different from the Premier.
'Ken had been giving his position plenty of thought, and I was sad to hear his decision when we met up. But we parted on very good terms, and I have nothing but admiration for him.
'He took the job on in very difficult circumstances, with us bottom of the table on one point from nine games, and I dare say he wondered what sort of cauldron he had stepped into when his first game finished in a 5-0 defeat at Eastbourne.
'But if you took his points per game average since then and extended it over the season, we would be mid-table. It was a superb effort, and I always found him a very honest chap to deal with. We had some very honest conversations, even at the end of the season, and I haven't a bad word for him.
'But we have to look ahead now, and this is a fantastic opportunity for someone to take charge of a great club and steer the ship back in the right direction. We need to plan for next season, and we want to start the process as quickly as we can.'
As Alty prepared to assess candidates, McKenna gave the job they are applying for a ringing endorsement.
'I would urge anyone interested in succeeding me to go for it, because it is a fantastic club with a very loyal support,' he said. 'The fans have stayed loyal through thick and thin down the years and will continue to. As long as people there can see you are trying your hardest, they will give you their backing.
'There are some outstanding people at the club who put so much into making it work, and I've got nothing but praise for the chairman.
'Grahame backed me 100 per cent at all times and even allowed me to go well over budget in an attempt to stay up. He was really flexible. No manager can ask for more than that, and it made it all the harder for me to walk away.
'But I just felt it needed a fresh face with fresh ideas, and I'm also just not too sure how patient the fans would have been, after taking the club down, if we didn't start too well next season.
'There were one or two factors to take into consideration, and the need for cuts was another. The club have come up with a decent, competitive budget, but it would have meant breaking up the staff. Due to the cuts, I wouldn't have been able to retain all my backroom staff - my assistant (Stuart Bimson), physio (Sean Riley) and goalkeeping coach (Ian Senior).
'There would have to have been changes, and that came into the equation. I always felt we worked well as a team, and it wouldn't have been the same without them. It was a very tough decision, but perhaps it is best that someone new comes in with their own people and own ideas.
'I'm still shellshocked at what happened on that final day, and I just need to step back, gather my thoughts and consider what to do next. I have worked as a scout, assistant and manager, so I don't know what might be round the corner. I do want to remain involved in the game in some capacity, though.
'Whatever happens, I won't forget my time at Altrincham. I loved every minute. All except the last couple against Eastbourne, anyway. I wish everyone there all the very best and, as has been the case for the past 20 years, I will be looking for their results.'
Applications for the post should be sent to Grahame Rowley, either by email, altrinchamprog@yahoo.co.uk, or by post, Altrincham FC, Moss Lane, Altrincham WA15 8AP.
Ends
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Ken McKenna
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