I don't want a cloud hanging over my head, says Radbourne

Tuesday 16th March 2010

RICHIE RADBOURNE has explained why he has resigned as the manager of Kent League side Erith & Belvedere, writes Stephen McCartney.

In only his first season in charge, the 30-year-old resigned on Sunday evening during a telephone call to his chairman John McFadden as the two parties couldn’t settle their differences.

Radbourne revealed to www.kentishfootball.co.uk last Friday that the Welling based club had completely slashed their playing budget, and it appears money was the reason why the manager has resigned, leaving his assistant, Matt Longhurst and coach Neil Hunter in temporary charge of team affairs for the near future.

“If I do something, I do it 100%,” Radbourne said this evening.

“I had a plan of two or three years where I wanted to take the club. The club are looking for an investor basically to put money into the club and I can’t produce that for them.

“What I’m not going to do is carry on doing what I’m doing with regards to someone comes along with some money and say ‘bang! There’s the money,” and I’m out of the door.

“I need to know where I am. I do things 100% and I don’t want a cloud over my head basically.”

He added: “They’ve cut the budget, they basically want me to carry on doing it but as soon as a backer came along with some money, like a sugar daddy, they’d probably say to me ‘thanks for everything you’ve done, see you later.”

“I wanted to plan for next year regarding pre-season games, players coming in and everything and I can’t do that. I can’t live one week to the next. I want to do it long-term not short-term.

“As I’m a young person and quite ambitious I need to have stability around me where I can say we need two years to turn the club into a more professional club than it was.

“People may have said we needed to sort the first team first, well, we weren’t far away.

“It’s just a case where I’ve gone wrong I was going to put it right between now and next year, but I’ve chosen the route of not doing it with a cloud over my head.”

Radbourne, who can play either at the heart of defence or in the middle of the park, says he is weighing up his options.

He said: “I’ve had a few phone calls with a few different offers to go and play or to help put, player coach or whatever it may be. I’ll think about it and think what the right options are for me at the moment.”

The sleeping giants are in seventh place in the Bulmers Cider Kent League table with 9 wins and 6 draws from their 22 games and Longhurst has been promoted to first team manager for the time being.

“For how long, I don’t know,” added Radbourne. “But the same goes to him, if someone comes in with money - but it may not happen. They might be waiting five years for this person.”

Chairman John McFadden, told www.erithandbelvederefc.co.uk in a statement said money is tight at Park View Road.

“This is a difficult time for many clubs, not just in Kent but throughout the country,” he said.

“We cannot keep spending more than our income without there being major financial implications for the football club.

“We, like many clubs, are always searching for potential investors and sponsors for this football club, but as I said, this is a difficult time and those investors are just not about at the moment.

“We are having to cut our cloth accordingly and we are sorry that Richie felt that he couldn’t continue at one of the most established clubs in the country.

“We wish him all the best but the club carries on.”

Visit Erith & Belvedere’s website: www.erithandbelvederefc.co.uk

Holmesdale v Erith & Belvedere

Bulmers Cider Kent League

Saturday 20th March 2010

Kick Off 3:00pm

At 68 Oakley Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 8HG