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SUMMARY

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Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Ave Att:
26	10	3	13	2,806

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This issue was for a game on a cataclysmic day for County, when we played Mansfield on 15th January. Earlier in the day we learned of the appointment of Ryan McKnight as Chief Executive. My thoughts about him and the nonsense that followed, which left the Club on its knees, are outlined in “Beyond Administration: 2013-14“

The first action of his era saw a 3-1 defeat that evening. Within an hour of the game Jim Gannon had been sacked. What followed would stretch the imagination of the most creative fiction writer. We became a laughing stock.

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THE MADNESS NOT OF KING GEORGE .. BUT RATHER RYAN McKNIGHT

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The year started with a win at Hyde, but 4 days later a dismal display at the Abbey Stadium had Mark, Jeff and myself heading homewards after witnessing a 4-1 defeat. Things were definitely looking gloomy, and after Danny Hattersley missed a penalty against Mansfield any semblance of fight seemed to drain away and we succumbed to defeat. Gannon was sacked.

It took only a matter of hours before the County support had worked McKnight out. A video, “Stockport County New Chief Exec”, was produced using the interview that McKnight had given to Pete Liggins, of Pure FM. It suggested that “The Office” had moved to Stockport. Spot on. He came out with absolute bullshit, the sort of management speak I had come across in business when it was easy to identify that the perpetrator was nothing but a con merchant who talked their way into jobs; left a trail of mayhem, and then left. I’d seen it loads of times – I then knew we were in for more travail. Dave Long, in a piece on the “Football Pink” website summed things up perfectly:

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He, (McKnight), started off, as most executives do, with a ‘mission statement’ and dropping trendy buzzwords into interviews. The problem with McKnight was just this, he seemed to be a cross between David Brent and Mike Bassett. Fans are always weary of board members, but when they – as McKnight did – use phrases like “implemented fundamentals” and “360-degree people”, you can see why most County fans despaired when he spoke and merely wanted action, not words.

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Alan Lord took temporary charge for the Forest Green game the following Saturday. Getting huge backing from the crowd the team stepped up and we won 2-1, but it was only the second victory in 10 league games, (and was the 8th in 27 games). Whoever took over faced a real fight to preserve our status. What followed was beyond surreal.

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THE BOSNIAN (DIS) CONNECTION

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On January 24th a press conference was convened. In trooped McKnight with two other guys who failed to engender even the slightest semblance of recognition. It was the announcement of a new manager, (and his assistant). Darije Kalezic and Stuart Watkiss … no me neither. I think that his photo tells everything …. McKnight spouting on and the other two looking like they hadn’t the faintest idea of what he was going on about.

The internet is a powerful thing .. and it never forgets. The reaction on Twitter after McKnight posted about the appointment is a thing of beauty, even at a distance of seven and a half years.

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Just a selection of a few. Kalezic, (a Bosnian), had credentials as a player in Holland, then as a manager he had taken De Graafschap back into the Eredivisie. But no experience in non-league football, (certainly in England), and no connections either which could assist him over here. And he made a pointed observation when introduced. “I don’t bring players in. I coach”.

The events that unfolded over the next three months or so were beyond unreal. The Dark Days – Part 4 podcast spends two hours describing things fully. I’ve tried to synthesize it in the following paragraphs but I commend a listen of the whole thing.

Not being able to get into immediate action, (with the game at Luton, scheduled for 26th January postponed with the ‘other Hatters’ being involved in the FA Trophy), we had to wait until 2nd February to see what his impact was. Against Nuneaton he fielded a starting XI made up of the players he was bequeathed, but there were two new signings on the bench, Mark Cullen, (on loan from Hull), and Jon Macken, who after leaving Walsall the previous summer had played no more than a handful of games for Northwich Vics, three tiers lower in the pyramid. They were the first 2 of 11 new players we were to see in a season which had only 19 games left.

At much the same time, (and assuming that it was McKnight making the decisions because Kalezic was only a coach, as he had told the press), Danny Hattersley, (to Southport), and Craig Hobson, (to Lincoln), were allowed to leave the Club, on loan, but without any recall clause. It was madness to the average County fan, not because they had been particularly prolific, but we were clearly in the middle of a real-life version of “Football Manager” as McKnight brought in all sorts of players, few of whom were suited to the challenge at hand.

The classic example of this was the replacement of Hattersley and Hobson up front with Adnan Cirak. A Bosnian, he came to EP from Swedish football, and had allegedly won some kind of “Shoot for a Star” TV competition. He turned up without boots. I’ve seen some bad players in my time but he’s well up there with the worst of them.

We beat Nuneaton and Lincoln, which sandwiched a defeat at Wrexham. There then followed 2 points from the next 6 games. Kalezic may have been a good coach, but he needed the basic materials, and the players he was presented with hardly fitted the bill. He was out of his depth in the fifth tier of English football, and that is not a criticism of him, but rather the “total football” he was a disciple of has little place in The Conference. We managed a point at Dartford, but those of us who were at Princes Park that night saw no engagement with his players from the manager.

There then followed a truly bizarre episode. We had a really good win at Barrow, (Cullen, who looked a useful player, getting both goals). Four days later Braintree arrived at EP. In the interim McKnight must have had his contact book out again and we were treated to 4 changes all whom had arrived at the Club only 24 hours previously. No chance to train nor to get to know their new colleagues. Javan Vidal; Keiran Charnock; Danny Schofield and Lee Bullock, (to which can be added Paul Marshall and Simon Hackney who were able to proclaim the long service of a week by that point), were the new names.

It was hardly a surprise that we lost. And on Dark Days – Part 4 Phil Brennan says that a couple of players told him that Kalezic had said that he hadn’t picked the team that day – McKnight had. It truly was ‘Football Manager’ but in real time.

It came to an inevitable end after a 1 goal defeat at Kenilworth Road, (coincidentally the only game I missed in the 2 Conference National seasons). Twelve games; and twenty four players had appeared on the teamsheet. McKnight had described the Bosnian as “The one individual that really slotted perfectly into the vision and philosophy that we’ve got for this football club”. It had taken 56 days for the Club to admit that “…the move, for a number of reasons, just hasn’t worked out how either party had envisaged”.

We were only one place above the relegation zone when Kalezic left. There were seven games left, and the Board, constituted then of Snape and Fearn, (McKnight was formally appointed as a Director on 23rd April), moved quickly and Ian Bogie was put in the hot seat.

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THREE MANAGERS (AND A CARETAKER) IN 15 GAMES

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Jim Gannon; Alan Lord; Darije Kalezic; and Ian Bogie

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Bogie had been approached to become Kalezic’s assistant, having thrown his hat into the ring for the manager’s job at that point. He wasn’t having any of this, and turned it down. But, eating humble pie, Snape and Fearn went back to him and he accepted. His track record was good, (he had won promotion from the Northern Premier League and then the Conference North while at Gateshead). He was welcomed by the fans, who recognised that at least we had someone in charge who had an extensive knowledge of the non-league game, and coming at that point, that was an essential.

He started with a win over Newport and then a draw at the Moss Rose, (a game in which Macken scored his only County goal). A home defeat by Grimsby was followed by a surprise 3-2 win at Alfreton, where we came from behind. It all came down to the last 3 games – at home to Dartford, away to Gateshead, (in a game played at Hartlepool as the International Stadium pitch was in such a state that it wasn’t used for the last couple of months of the season), and ending up at Aggborough facing a Kidderminster side well in the mix for promotion.

The simple facts were that we were still in the drop zone after the Alfreton win. A huge crowd, (6,113), watched us play Dartford and in true County style we blew it, as the visitors got the winner with about 15 minutes to go.

Things were really dire by this point, as we faced the trip to the Victoria Ground. Telford, Barrow and Ebbsfleet were already down. The last place was between County, (49 points with 2 games left); Tamworth, (51/2); Gateshead, (51/2); Lincoln, (53/1); Southport and Nuneaton, (both 54/1); and Hyde, (55/1), but having an far better goal difference so all but mathematically safe. Over a quarter of the Clubs in the Division were involved. The reality of the situation was that a win for County, and a defeat for Tamworth at Ebbsfleet would push us above both Tamworth and Gateshead. We knew that the game at Aggborough didn’t hold out much hope so a victory was essential. In my post on the Victoria Ground I describe the evening as follows:

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It dragged more than a few County fans out.  685 was the gate, with at least two thirds of them, sporting the blue and white, tucked into the new Rink End.  The Heed took a lead, and things were more than grim as news filtered through that Tamworth were ahead down near the south coast.  As the game went into injury time an Ebbsfleet equaliser down at Stonebridge Road gave no more than scant hope.  We were still down and the awful prospect of 6^th tier football just a decade or so after playing in the Championship was about to become a reality. 

That was until the ball ended up in the Gateshead area, and Adnan Cirak struck home an equaliser.  A Kalezic signing purportedly, (although strong rumour had it that he was a fixture in McKnight’s contact book), this was about his only meaningful contribution in a County shirt.  Ecstasy reigned for a minute or so.  But the realists still knew that it was long odds.  The local derby the following year wasn’t going to be Macclesfield or Hyde but rather Stalybridge.  And of course so it proved.

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So there it was. The whole sorry episode ended at Aggborough in scenes which made me ashamed to be a County fan. Fearn; McKnight and Snape didn’t attend the game after being advised about ‘their own safety’ – it was a shameful day, and the main proponents weren’t there to witness it. Regional football was to be our home for the next 6 seasons, 13 years and 4 months after we had stood 6th in the Championship.

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PLANNING FOR THE BACKWATERS

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Six days after the Kidderminster debacle came the news which condemned us to regional football for the next six years. Fearn announced that the Club was to go part-time, claiming that the decision had not been taken lightly, and suggesting it was the most appropriate way to move the club forward and survive in a non-league environment. He said,

“Going part-time is, we believe, the right way forward – we were relegated last season despite having a full-time squad. This is very much a temporary measure, which we will review when we win promotion”.

He added, “We felt that as custodians of Stockport County we could not afford to gamble with the future of the club”.

All of which was pretty rich. “We couldn’t afford to gamble with the future of the Club” after the events of the previous few months!! The future had been gambled, and the wager lost. There have been many Boardroom decisions over the years which have proved to be wrong in hindsight – this one had unfolded with absolute certainty from the moment that the “Boy Wonder” had first spouted all that meaningless drivel. It was vital to stamp authority on the Conference North and return immediately – the decision to go part-time took away all the advantage.

Going part-time was also news to Bogie. He had left a meeting at EP to drive home to the north-east assured that it would be a full-time operation. By the time he was in sight of the Tyne things had changed. He put a brave face on things as he backed himself and a new playing staff to get promoted at the first time of asking.

The Manchester Evening News reported him as saying,

“My budget is competitive, we won’t face any full-time teams in this league and I believe we can bounce straight back with the right players on board. We have an opportunity to rebuild the squad from scratch and, with the backing of the supporters, I believe we can take this football club back where it belongs. I have achieved success in this league before on a part-time basis, and I would prefer to be given a healthy part-time budget than a massively reduced full-time budget.”

It must have taken some guts to come out with that kind of stuff!!!

While all this was going on there was talk about County avoiding the drop. For years there had always been one club who finished in the drop zone who were reprieved as Clubs elsewhere went bust; sinned in some way which resulted in a demotion or failed the ground grading. Altrincham had been particular beneficiaries of this more than once. Aldershot had been relegated from League 2, and immediately went into administration. Received wisdom, and indeed precedent, should have seen them demoted into the Conference South, which would have reprieved County. But it became quite clear as the AGM of the National League loomed that they would escape.

Phil Brennan describes this fully in Dark Days – Part 5. And so it turned out, the rules were ignored and we were headed for the delights of North Ferriby; Vauxhall Motors and the like, (and that is no criticism of them – so many of the places we visited in regional football were welcoming)

Bogie certainly had experience at the regional level, but when the ‘talent pool’ for part time football is largely governed by ease of access for players who have to work in the day and then train at night, many wondered how much he knew about the local, (ie North West), part-time non-league scene. Alan Lord would have had some valuable input undoubtedly, but Bogie’s assistant, Terry Mitchell, was also based in the north-east.

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BOGIE GONE AFTER 5 GAMES – LORD STEPS UP

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We looked forward to seeing who was brought in. All of McKnight’s signings, (other than Charnock), were despatched, and there a whole range of new faces appeared. The strike force looked good, with Kristian Dennis, (who was prolific at Curzon Ashton and who I had seen many times), and the vastly experienced Phil Jevons promised much … and they delivered. Full back Kyle Jacobs moved from FCUM, but the midfield acquisitions left more than a little to be desired. Jamie Hand, (whose career had been chequered and largely spent in the South and had latterly played for Margate) and Ian Craney, (from Telford), who looked substantially less than fit, added less than nothing. Amam Verma, (who had been at Leicester as a youngster); RoI international Steve O’Halloran; Ian Howard; Adriano Moke and Rhys Turner, (from Lord’s Myerscough connections) were the other new arrivals.

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From the left; Ian Ormson; Kristian Dennis; Kyle Jacobs; Jordan Fagbola; Ian Craney; Jamie Hand; Phil Jevons; Keiran Charnock; Aman Verma; Steve O’Halloran & Ian Howard. (Courtesy of Mike Petch – Club photographer for many years – check his site)

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Any delusions that the season would see an immediate return were dispelled within the first five games, which brought a single point, with 3 scored and 12 conceded. The last of them was a 3-1 reverse at Harrogate, which brought the end of Bogie. He resigned on the pitch after the game at Wetherby Road, and there were tales of an almighty row with McKnight at the same time. I can neither confirm, nor deny that as Jeff; Mark and I were on the road within seconds of the game finishing. A couple of days later he gave an very insightful interview to the Manchester Evening News, which is reproduced below.

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Ian Bogie admitted abuse from a section of County fans was the final straw for his reign at Edgeley Park.  His five-month spell in charge at Stockport came to a shock end when he resigned on the pitch following last Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Harrogate Town. Bogie revealed it was the abuse – and his decision to react – which convinced him it was time to move on.

“Stockport County has a great fanbase and the supporters have been massively frustrated over the years,” he said.  “I’d have to say, though, that the venom that was spouted at myself and the players – which I’ve heard in a number of games – is not on.  I have a real passion for football but what came from the supporters knocked the stuffing out of me.  I was disappointed because I reacted in terms of having a right go back, which isn’t me; I should have been more professional because I’ve got higher standards than that.  This isn’t a dig at the supporters because there are a few things which ultimately tipped me towards the edge.

“I was a manager travelling 1,000 miles a week from Newcastle to Stockport and back and I was taking my disappointment home with me – I was reliving things in my head while on the motorway.  Under the circumstances I think Stockport County needs someone local to the area; if we’d stayed up, I’d have been there every day because I’d have relocated to Stockport.  Unfortunately, I’d say Ian Bogie isn’t the man to take Stockport County forward and it disheartens me to say that.”

Bogie’s five months at Edgeley Park saw the club drop into Skrill North, followed by an awful start to the season.  One point from the first 15 available sees the Hatters second bottom of the table with rumours rife of Bogie’s apparent disenchantment at his working conditions.  He denied stories of conflict with the club’s hierarchy but admitted money was tight – and that he could have got more out of County’s players.

“When you go from full-time to part-time it drastically affects your revenue streams and you have to cut your cloth accordingly,” Bogie said. “The bottom line is we couldn’t compete with teams like Harrogate and Altrincham to sign players but we got on with it, never moaned about it and assembled a team.  They have huge outlays with the stadium and overheads that other teams don’t have but, in terms of bringing in players, I knew I had a tight budget.  A fifth of that was taken up with two players I inherited from someone else who were part of the structure last year.  There was nothing I could do about that but I assembled a squad of players in a short space of time who I thought could do a job.  A lot of them have proven credentials in the Conference North or higher but, for whatever reason, it hasn’t worked out – though not for the want of trying.

“Perhaps I could have done something different but it’s all in the past now and I wish the club well for the future.  I’ve heard stories that there was friction behind the scenes but I have to say I got on famously with the backroom staff, the directors and the shareholders.”

Bogie’s assistant, Alan Lord, now takes responsibility for the first team, starting with Saturday’s home game against fellow strugglers Gainsborough Trinity.

With the Edgeley Park board, shareholders and chief executive Ryan McKnight unlikely to win many popularity contests among the Hatters’ faithful, Bogie has called on County fans to put personal grievances to one side.

“There’s been too much negativity around the place for far too long and I’m saying that after only five months,” he said.  “I think the constant digging at the backroom people and the board of directors doesn’t help anybody – they have to get behind the club and the players.  The supporters are the most important people at any club but they’ve got to be more united, support the people who run the club and the people on the pitch.”

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A number of interesting themes emerged from that. Abuse from the fans, (and there certainly was that day at Harrogate, not helped by the proximity of the dug-outs to the Wetherby Road terrace as Simon Weaver also experienced from County fans in August 2019!!); part-time football; travelling from the north-east; and also a little inference about relationships with the hierarchy. Whatever the case it had been a short-lived relationship. It left Alan Lord stepping up the plate, being put in charge of team affairs “for the foreseaable future”.

Twelve league games up until the middle of December brought 4 wins, (and a humiliating FA Cup exit at the hands of Rushall Olympic). The fan base was becoming increasingly agitated. It led to the Sea of Blue March, (pictured left outside the Nursery Inn), organised by Steve Gibbons. The background to it is covered in more detail in the “Beyond Administration: 2013” post, so it need not delay us here.

The day of the Oxford City home game, (21st December), 500 fans gathered at the Nursery Inn, where County, (then as Heaton Norris Rovers),had been based when playing at Green Lane 130 years previously. It was poignant and pointed symbol. Marching from there, (via Wellington Road, and getting plenty of support from passing motorists), to the ground it was more than a gesture – it was the heart of the Club protesting about the current custodians. The previous march to Leonard Curtis’ offices in 2009 had unquestionably had a part in the exit from administration. The hope was that this display would see the Board and Shareholders take some positive action.

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We beat Oxford that day, and followed it up with 4 points from the two Christmas games. But in this, the first season in regional football, it was a struggle. We were far nearer the bottom than the top. Surely another battle against relegation wasn’t to be our fate in 2014? The previous 12 months had been heartache and humiliation all in the context of a Boardroom that resembled some surreal, out of this world nightmare.

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Back to 2012 Forward to 2014 Home Games Summary Page Away Games 2013

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THE HOME GAMES I SAW THIS YEAR

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Day	Date	Competition	Tier / Round	Opponents	Res	F	A	Crowd	Home Game
Tue	15/01/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Mansfield Town	L	1	3	2,647	934
Sat	19/01/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Forest Green Rovers	W	2	1	2,802	935
Sat	02/02/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Nuneaton Town	W	3	2	4,133	936
Tue	12/02/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Lincoln City	W	2	0	2,769	937
Tue	19/02/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Tamworth	L	0	1	2,732	938
Tue	26/02/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Hereford United	L	2	3	2,618	939
Sat	02/03/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Luton Town	L	0	1	4,074	940
Sat	16/03/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Braintree Town	L	1	3	3,250	941
Sat	23/03/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Newport County	W	1	0	3,154	942
Mon	01/04/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Grimsby Town	L	1	2	3,804	943
Sat	13/04/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Dartford	L	0	1	6,113	944
Sat	17/08/13	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Boston United	L	1	4	3,317	945
Mon	26/08/13	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Colwyn Bay	L	0	1	2,561	946
Sat	07/09/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Gainsborough Trinity	W	3	1	2,802	947
Sat	14/09/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Leamington	D	1	1	2,925	948
Sat	28/09/13 (Highlights)	FA Cup	Qualifying Round 2	Brighouse Town	W	1	0	1,704	949
Sat	05/10/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Worcester City	W	4	0	2,332	950
Sat	12/10/13 (Highlights)	FA Cup	Qualifying Round 3	Rushall Olympic	L	0	1	2,135	951
Sat	19/10/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Gloucester City	D	2	2	2,727	952
Sat	02/11/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	AFC Telford United	W	4	2	2,710	953
Tue	19/11/13 (Highlights)	FA Trophy	Qualifying Round 3 (Replay)	Barrow	L	2	3	812	954
Sat	23/11/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	North Ferriby United	L	1	2	2,608	955
Sat	14/12/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Brackley Town	L	0	2	1,941	956
Sat	21/12/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Oxford City	W	2	0	1,884	957
Thurs	26/12/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Bradford Park Avenue	W	4	1	2,108	958
Sat	28/12/13 (Highlights)	The Skrill North	Tier 6	Workington	D	1	1	2,282	959