Chairman speaks to Up The Cherries!

Current Cherries Chairman Jeff Mostyn might not be speaking to the local media, but UTC contacted former Cherries Chairman Peter Phillips and he was happy to speak exclusively to us!

When asked the question?

‘you famously gave O’Driscoll a 6 game ultimatum, what would you do with Bond if you were still in charge’

He sent in a detailed reply which can be read in full below?

There are some obvious parallels with the situation 5 years ago – a new chairman faced with an unacceptable start to the season and a team who are not playing to their potential. But there are also many differences from 2002 (we are in a different division for one thing).

There are lots of issues the Board would have to take into account, including timing (we were only 4 or 5 games into the season in 2002), cost (what are the terms in the manager’s contract? who else would have to be paid off?), the alternatives (in 2002 Peter Grant was Sean’s assistant).

But the most important question, perhaps the only one that really matters is ‘Will it work?’

If he is set an ultimatum, there is not much Kevin can do that he is not already doing. If anything, it takes a bit of pressure off a manager who may be worrying whether he has even one match left.

The ultimatum actually has more effect on the fans and crucially the players. In 2002 we had a young tight knit squad, many of whom had come up through our youth ranks. Players like James Hayter, Broady, Carl Fletcher, Brian Stock had grown up with Sean. Others like Fletch and Neil Young had deep roots in the town and the club. They had great respect for Sean and they were prepared to fight to keep him.

You also need a bit of luck, and Kevin has certainly not had much of that recently. We had injury problems in 2002 too. I remember there was a goalkeeper crisis, and both Fletch and Feeney were injured. Happily, a raw 19 year old called Alan Connell rose to the challenge. He scored his first goal a few days later at Macclesfield (off the referee’s backside if I remember rightly) and went on to score 6 more in the next 7 games.

The rest, as they say, is history.

It is not for me to suggest whether an ultimatum is worth a try now, but if they do go for it, I’m sure most supporters will hope it is equally successful.

I have to warn Jeff though that after that first victory the team coach managed to ‘accidentally’ leave the chairman behind in darkest Macclesfield and it took me 8 hours and several trains to get home.