Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

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Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by sue_donym » Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:11 pm

Sounds like Alun Armstrong is tearing his hair out at Blyth. IF we got shot of TW (not necessarily endorsing that), could he be tempted? From what I recall he turned down the job when TW was appointed.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by divas » Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:19 pm

On the pitch I’d have him in a heartbeat. Off the pitch I’m not sure he’s what we need at the moment.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by al_quaker » Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:20 pm

divas wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:19 pm
On the pitch I’d have him in a heartbeat. Off the pitch I’m not sure he’s what we need at the moment.
This

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by ReeceStyche’sManbun » Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:39 pm

If we do say goodbye to TW then regarding things on the pitch we should be at least enquiring about his services, also with the likes of Maguire and Jameson out of contract maybe he could tempt them to come along too (imagine a front 3 of Thompson, Maguire and Nicholson). Off the pitch he does seem a little bit similar to Gray but i reckon he would still be relatively happy to work within our means as imagine our budget will still be quite a lot more than Blyths.

If Armstrong doesn’t want to come to us however and we have gotten rid of Wright then I would look at John Flanagan, Adam Lakeland and Chris Hardy.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by LoidLucan » Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:50 pm

Flanagan's best days are probably behind him now and he lives in the North-West. He was shipped out of Curzon to bring in a fresh approach there as they thought things were starting to get a bit stale and the new man there was a specialist in working with and developing younger players. Hardy has just signed a new two-year deal with Whitby and Lakeland, who lives in Lancs, just this week signed a new "long-term" contract with Farsley. Best rule all three out should our job be vacant.

Looks like AA will be best suited to a Salford or Fylde type situation. He'll know what the situation is here and I'm sure he'll be setting his sights elsewhere.

Well, that's 4 of them out of the equation :(

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by ReeceStyche’sManbun » Thu Apr 25, 2019 2:03 pm

Long shot could be Matt Jansen former Chorley Manager. I think he’s with Blackburn’s academy at the Moment but it could be worth at least enquiring. Others have mentioned Neil Aspin too...

I wonder who else we interviewed when the Job post was originally there after Gray left

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by Gow9900 » Thu Apr 25, 2019 2:24 pm

The standard of manager we are able to attract will likely depend on the level of budget we can offer.

At this moment in time a lot of people have held off buying season tickets due to having no confidence in the current management, which is fine and an individual choice, but it will likely have a direct impact on what standard of manager we get next. I believe Tommy's days are numbered, and when it comes to approaching a list of candidates that will likely have been drawn up, one of the first things they will ask is, 'what's my budget for next season'. And if they don't like what they hear then we'll have to move onto the next candidate.

I don't envy Johnston, damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Financial projections will be done based on early bird season tickets and also a diminishing average attendance, so we are literally hoping we can get a change of management in, rejuventate the support and when the season tickets come back on sale we can shift plenty of them to ensure we have a semi competitive budget to compete next season. With the academy set up and a massive improvement in commercial being driven by the appointment of a full time commercial manager the club has made good strides off the pitch this season. We are in the minority these days in that we spend what we generate, most clubs from Premier League down to Non League lose money, those that don't are in the minority and are at a huge disadvantage sadly.

Taking a look at our league at the moment, in the play offs Blyth, Bradford and Chorley are in positions where they could be promoted, but none of them can afford/want to go up. Chorley fans at our game with them a few months back were saying their board didn't want to go up due to the cost, Bradford cut their budget mid season having lost £1m in three years and Blyth are going to be implementing severe cost cutting measures next season which will likely see their management team leave and their squad decimated. It really does feel that unless you either have a big support or a rich sugar daddy you're destined to remain in this league long term.

I do think however that if the fans back the club, which we always do, and we can make a shrewd managerial appointment we can flirt with the play offs next season. No managerial appointment is guaranteed success, you just hope we get a good manager in that can make full use of the limited resources he is given.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by eddie-rowles » Thu Apr 25, 2019 2:42 pm

Flip it the other way, a New manager is given a budget and has a reasonable attendance which players enjoy instead of 100 fans, reasonable training facilities, good commercial manager, so steady start next season & if we have a cup run(I know unlikely) our attendances increase then you get additional resources & can bring in additional players. If we can get our rent down then further improvements possible.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by LoidLucan » Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:00 pm

Bradford are making an all-out effort to increase their fanbase next season. They have averaged only 525 at home matches this season despite their success in recent years. Next season's adult season tickets (including concessions) are just £100 (£25 for Youth ticket). It equates to £4.76 per match for adults and £1.19 per game for youth and the season tickets also include a club scarf and a hot drink at every game. Game day prices are being reduced to Adult £10, Concessions £8, Youth £1 from the current £12, £9 and £2.

Be interesting to see how this pans out (it's still an awful ground to watch footy in) but they have the benefit of a rich owner who subsidises them to be competitive at this level despite the dire crowds. I read one of their fans saying that their wages budget has been around £300K.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by Mister e » Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:22 pm

Another local managerial departure today Scott Oliver has left his role at Northern league runners up hebburn town. I'm sure Graeme Armstrong plays for them too.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by Mister e » Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:35 pm

If we appointed Scott Oliver has manager we could have that brilliant Elvis Costello hit has our signature tune.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by Darlopartisan » Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:14 pm

Chris Swales of Dunston UTS is worth a shout, he’s done wonders with that club .

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:36 pm

Mister e wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:35 pm
If we appointed Scott Oliver has manager we could have that brilliant Elvis Costello hit has our signature tune.
Conversely, if we retain T.W. under protest we could have the brilliantly named Supertramp song "Bloody Well Wright" as our signature tune.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by LoidLucan » Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:54 pm

Darlopartisan wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:14 pm
Chris Swales of Dunston UTS is worth a shout, he’s done wonders with that club .

He'd certainly be worth looking at. He has a background in coaching and holds the UEFA A Badge and has done work at the Academies at Newcastle and Middlesbrough as well as college coaching. I think he's a good friend of Craig Liddle and helped him out for a time when Lidds was in the dug-out here (oh no, Darlo connection :D ). He had a long career as a player in the Football League and Non-League and is known as a leader and organiser and I think he also spent some time as assistant manager at Hamilton.

He brought in loads of cash to Dunston during their great FA Cup run this season when he managed to get one over on the Chuckle Brothers at Chester :D . Dunston romped the Northern League, losing only 3 times all season.

Downside is that his management experience has been at a much lower level but he seems to have a good background. He'd be a viable candidate and ticks the Academy boxes.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by Darlo_Pete » Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:52 pm

LoidLucan wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:00 pm
Bradford are making an all-out effort to increase their fanbase next season. They have averaged only 525 at home matches this season despite their success in recent years. Next season's adult season tickets (including concessions) are just £100 (£25 for Youth ticket). It equates to £4.76 per match for adults and £1.19 per game for youth and the season tickets also include a club scarf and a hot drink at every game. Game day prices are being reduced to Adult £10, Concessions £8, Youth £1 from the current £12, £9 and £2.

Be interesting to see how this pans out (it's still an awful ground to watch footy in) but they have the benefit of a rich owner who subsidises them to be competitive at this level despite the dire crowds. I read one of their fans saying that their wages budget has been around £300K.
Probably a good time to run this scheme, as they may pick up a few disgruntled Bradford City who have just been relegated to Division 2.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by bga » Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:44 pm

theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:36 pm
Mister e wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:35 pm
If we appointed Scott Oliver has manager we could have that brilliant Elvis Costello hit has our signature tune.
Conversely, if we retain T.W. under protest we could have the brilliantly named Supertramp song "Bloody Well Wright" as our signature tune.

(B side of Dreamer!)
Or that 60s classic "Day Dream Believer"?

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by bga » Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:44 pm

theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:36 pm
Mister e wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:35 pm
If we appointed Scott Oliver has manager we could have that brilliant Elvis Costello hit has our signature tune.
Conversely, if we retain T.W. under protest we could have the brilliantly named Supertramp song "Bloody Well Wright" as our signature tune.

(B side of Dreamer!)
Or that 60s classic "Day Dream Believer"?

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by biccynana » Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:51 pm

Darlo_Pete wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:52 pm
LoidLucan wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:00 pm
Bradford are making an all-out effort to increase their fanbase next season. They have averaged only 525 at home matches this season despite their success in recent years. Next season's adult season tickets (including concessions) are just £100 (£25 for Youth ticket). It equates to £4.76 per match for adults and £1.19 per game for youth and the season tickets also include a club scarf and a hot drink at every game. Game day prices are being reduced to Adult £10, Concessions £8, Youth £1 from the current £12, £9 and £2.

Be interesting to see how this pans out (it's still an awful ground to watch footy in) but they have the benefit of a rich owner who subsidises them to be competitive at this level despite the dire crowds. I read one of their fans saying that their wages budget has been around £300K.
Probably a good time to run this scheme, as they may pick up a few disgruntled Bradford City who have just been relegated to Division 2.
:shock:

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by Darlo_Pete » Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:42 pm

Why the fascination with Alun Armstrong? As far as I know there is no vacancy at Darlo.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by HarrytheQuaker » Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:49 pm

Darlo_Pete wrote:
LoidLucan wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:00 pm
Bradford are making an all-out effort to increase their fanbase next season. They have averaged only 525 at home matches this season despite their success in recent years. Next season's adult season tickets (including concessions) are just £100 (£25 for Youth ticket). It equates to £4.76 per match for adults and £1.19 per game for youth and the season tickets also include a club scarf and a hot drink at every game. Game day prices are being reduced to Adult £10, Concessions £8, Youth £1 from the current £12, £9 and £2.

Be interesting to see how this pans out (it's still an awful ground to watch footy in) but they have the benefit of a rich owner who subsidises them to be competitive at this level despite the dire crowds. I read one of their fans saying that their wages budget has been around £300K.
Probably a good time to run this scheme, as they may pick up a few disgruntled Bradford City who have just been relegated to Division 2.
League 2 Pete

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by HarrytheQuaker » Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:50 pm

Darlo_Pete wrote:Why the fascination with Alun Armstrong? As far as I know there is no vacancy at Darlo.
My sentiments exactly Pete

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by jjljks » Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:28 am

bga wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:44 pm
theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:36 pm
Mister e wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:35 pm
If we appointed Scott Oliver has manager we could have that brilliant Elvis Costello hit has our signature tune.
Conversely, if we retain T.W. under protest we could have the brilliantly named Supertramp song "Bloody Well Wright" as our signature tune.

(B side of Dreamer!)
Or that 60s classic "Day Dream Believer"?
Glad to see some fans have retained their sense of humour after all the games we saw at BM this season. If TW parts company then We need to be thinking outside of the box for a new manager. Given we are stuck at BM for a while, what about Warren Gatland who turned a rubbish team into 6 Nation winners? He could double up and look after our landlord's team too ;)

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by Spyman » Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:30 am

LoidLucan wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:50 pm


Looks like AA will be best suited to a Salford or Fylde type situation. He'll know what the situation is here and I'm sure he'll be setting his sights elsewhere.
Not necessarily. From what he's saying, Blyth are cutting a budget that he already thinks is fairly meagre, but which he's getting a lot out of.

If we can provide a sensible budget that is in line with, or above, what Blyth have been operating on for the last couple of seasons who is to say he won't think this is perfectly workable - as he's shown it to be at Blyth?

He's being told to cut from what is presumably an unsustainable budget for a club with gates of 6/700 down to Northern League wages. Maybe this is an attempt by the club to reduce spend to a level that they can pay back any debt created by being unsustainable.
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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by al_quaker » Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:59 am

Spyman wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:30 am

He's being told to cut from what is presumably an unsustainable budget for a club with gates of 6/700 down to Northern League wages. Maybe this is an attempt by the club to reduce spend to a level that they can pay back any debt created by being unsustainable.
I presumed they were spending their money from their FA cup run a couple of seasons back

Oh for an FA cup run....

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by spen666 » Fri Apr 26, 2019 8:27 am

al_quaker wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:59 am
Spyman wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:30 am

He's being told to cut from what is presumably an unsustainable budget for a club with gates of 6/700 down to Northern League wages. Maybe this is an attempt by the club to reduce spend to a level that they can pay back any debt created by being unsustainable.
I presumed they were spending their money from their FA cup run a couple of seasons back

Oh for an FA cup run....
Over the years, Blyth have claimed to have re invested the majority of their cup run proceeds on the facilities. Both ends used to be cinder terracing and uncovered. They have improved the floodlights, the pitch, added extra seats to Main Stand ( those slightly odd looking blocks only partially covered at both sides of front of stand).

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by LoidLucan » Fri Apr 26, 2019 10:34 am

Having given AA an improved, long-term contract last summer, I bet the Blyth chairman was overjoyed to see him going public and slinging the mud in this way. It does look like there's no going back now and it will leave behind a toxic atmosphere when Armstrong departs.

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by D_F_C » Fri Apr 26, 2019 12:19 pm

spen666 wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 8:27 am
al_quaker wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:59 am
Spyman wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:30 am

He's being told to cut from what is presumably an unsustainable budget for a club with gates of 6/700 down to Northern League wages. Maybe this is an attempt by the club to reduce spend to a level that they can pay back any debt created by being unsustainable.
I presumed they were spending their money from their FA cup run a couple of seasons back

Oh for an FA cup run....
Over the years, Blyth have claimed to have re invested the majority of their cup run proceeds on the facilities. Both ends used to be cinder terracing and uncovered. They have improved the floodlights, the pitch, added extra seats to Main Stand ( those slightly odd looking blocks only partially covered at both sides of front of stand).
And in fairness it's a great ground

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by Emdubya » Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:14 pm

Darlo_Pete wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:42 pm
Why the fascination with Alun Armstrong? As far as I know there is no vacancy at Darlo.
You were saying———— :lol:

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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:17 pm

Emdubya wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:14 pm
Darlo_Pete wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:42 pm
Why the fascination with Alun Armstrong? As far as I know there is no vacancy at Darlo.
You were saying———— :lol:

Darlo Pete, can't see the wood for the trees :clap:
Last edited by theoriginalfatcat on Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Alun Armstrong on his way out of Blyth?

Post by grimsbyquaker » Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:18 pm

‘ wey Darleu was the obvious choice fer wor’

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