Talking about what team to pick. I will always remember Trevor Ford when I was a student and came to watch the game v Bognor at Bognor show me the team sheet before he had submitted it and invited my thoughts!
I can’t profess to have experienced the George and Macca years sadly, so I can only comment on Mark and Smudger. Two very different characters with greatly contrasting histories prior to managing the club.
Both are very approachable and one of the things that got me hooked straight away when I started coming to Hayes Lane was how happy Mark was to chat to the supporters.
He came across as quite a deep thinking man and would often ask us after a game what team we thought he should have picked! That promotion season of 2014/15 was a truly special one and as you say it firmly cemented Marks legendary status. It felt harsh at the time when he departed the club but I was more than happy with Smudgers appointment.
He’s a proper old school football man and is so engaging that you really feel you’re all in it together with him. He built a great atmosphere at the club, producing teams that really wanted to play for him and everyone wanted him to succeed desperately.
I know how much the Wembley defeat hurt him and also the way he was dealt with by RSG at the end, he really didn’t deserve that. I had a good chat with him last Saturday at the Cray game and it’s fair to say he’s lost none of his enthusiasm for the game and hopefully he’ll achieve great things there with a decent board behind him. Who knows, one day we might meet Cray in the league!
Great piece Mash, really good angle. Still got your pod to listen too as well, you know how much I love Smudge!
Cheers Trev. Had been toying with this article for a while. Committed to getting it done this week
Talking about what team to pick. I will always remember Trevor Ford when I was a student and came to watch the game v Bognor at Bognor show me the team sheet before he had submitted it and invited my thoughts!
Great piece as always Mash.
I can’t profess to have experienced the George and Macca years sadly, so I can only comment on Mark and Smudger. Two very different characters with greatly contrasting histories prior to managing the club.
Both are very approachable and one of the things that got me hooked straight away when I started coming to Hayes Lane was how happy Mark was to chat to the supporters.
He came across as quite a deep thinking man and would often ask us after a game what team we thought he should have picked! That promotion season of 2014/15 was a truly special one and as you say it firmly cemented Marks legendary status. It felt harsh at the time when he departed the club but I was more than happy with Smudgers appointment.
He’s a proper old school football man and is so engaging that you really feel you’re all in it together with him. He built a great atmosphere at the club, producing teams that really wanted to play for him and everyone wanted him to succeed desperately.
I know how much the Wembley defeat hurt him and also the way he was dealt with by RSG at the end, he really didn’t deserve that. I had a good chat with him last Saturday at the Cray game and it’s fair to say he’s lost none of his enthusiasm for the game and hopefully he’ll achieve great things there with a decent board behind him. Who knows, one day we might meet Cray in the league!
In many ways we've been fortunate at Bromley to not have many managers where fans have universally wanted them out.
Also our managers tend to stay for long enough for us to develop an affinity for them.
Sometimes the thing fans want the most is stability along with upward mobility. Without the former how does any emotional connection form?
It was a weird one as until you write things down you realise just how many things you've taken for granted.