Luke Medley: I was the right man for the job!

FORMER GREENWICH BOROUGH manager Luke Medley has revealed the difficulties that he faced during his four months in charge of the club.

The club parted company with the 29-year-old on Wednesday 28 November, only to announce his departure six days later by positing a 42-word statement on the clubs Instagram page.

Greenwich Borough bosses then appointed the clubs former physio Huseyin Torgut as interim manager on the same day as axing Medley, who won three of his 14 league games in charge, leaving the club second-from-bottom in the Bostik South East Division table.

Torqut has appointed former Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace head physio Erol Umut and former Charlton Athletic and West Ham striker Svetoslav Todorov has come in to coach.

Torgut took charge of Greenwich Borough’s 4-1 home defeat to Haywards Heath last Saturday but his appointment only came to light last night as the club failed to release a statement on their managerial changes.

“Firstly, I would like to say thank you to Greenwich Borough FC for giving me the opportunity to manage the club,” said Medley, who won eight of his 23 league and cup games in charge.

“Unfortunately the owners decided to part company with me the day after we lost 2-0 away to Horsham.

“It was a fantastic experience, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  The vision of the club is great in wanting to give youth a platform to show what they can do and I shared this vision.  I had a very young squad with my oldest being 33, then the second oldest being 23 and youngest 16.

“It was some of the players’ first taste of senior football and was a great challenge for them and I trusted them with every inch of me to go and perform on a Saturday afternoon with regardless how young they were.

“Also I have a certain style, which some of the players had to adapt to.

“The start of the season wasn’t what we hoped and we lost the first three league games.  Game number four was away to Herne Bay and we ran out 2-1 winners, having gone down to 10 men in the 40^th minute and then a last minute penalty save from Tom McGill.

“We had turned a corner and the players started to believe and we were playing stylish football.

“Up until my last game I believe and still believe I was the right man for the job.  Things became very challenging from pre-season really, I’d say the second pre-season game.

“My team selections were being questioned and reports were asked to be written on why each player was picked to play.

“There were possibilities of league and cup games being cancelled because I hadn’t done certain admin work, also being told to organise transport and make sure players can get to an away game or the game will be cancelled.

“I was instructed to release four players that I had no intensions of releasing and also for a player who mad some appearances for the first team and was an integral parts of my plans must train with the under 23s with no reasoning.

“Greenwich Borough FC is in a great catchment area and to recruit top quality players that would play for the club and to buy into the vision would have been easy.

“However, things that were out of my control proved to have an affect on me being able to sign a player and why they would choose to sign somewhere else.

“I didn’t have an assistant, which was hard. It was difficult to bring someone into such an environment.

“The players and I came across a lot of blocks and barriers, even turning up to a game (at Whitstable Town) with only 10 players after the powers above saying they are picking the team.

“But I stressed to my players and myself that no matter what is going on around you, we must not let ANYTHING affect how we approach the game and OUR performance and the players were phenomenal on this aspect.

“This was my first managerial appointment and having being in football my whole life it was far from what I expected and from what I have seen at any level.

“When I was told the club was parting company with me, I was gutted as I was really enjoying my time working and educating these young aspiring talented footballers and then the players were told that I had left, which I found unfair.

“Moving forward I would like to get myself fully fit and get back playing but also still be looking to manage but we will just see what happens first.

“I would like to take this time again to thank Greenwich Borough FC for giving me an opportunity and wish the club all the best for the future.”