BRIAN GRANVILLE, our veteran non-league football correspondent, on the latest blow at Croydon Arena
They have no chairman, no points and now they have no manager: things can surely only get better for Croydon FC.
With the season barely a month old, Craig Davies, the club’s young manager, announced his resignation via social media last night.
“After consideration I’ve decided to step down as manager of Croydon FC,” Davies tweeted.
“Tough job from off and not worked how we wanted it to.”
Davies signed off: “All the best Trams.”
Davies, 29, a former member of the Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City academies and who played for Croydon last season, had been appointed Croydon manager only four months ago, after Harry Hudson left to take charge at Isthmian League Whyteleafe.
Hudson was promptly followed by at least nine Croydon first teamers who had played well enough last season to see the Trams finish fifth in their league.
Craig Davies: tough job
Hence Davies’s reference to a “tough job”: forced into fielding a lot of young and inexperienced players, Croydon are without a win this term and after the 1-0 defeat at home to Bearsted on Saturday, sit bottom of the table.
Who replaces Davies has not yet been decided, with several candidates being considered, according to a source at Croydon Arena. Who it is who will get to make the appointment is also hardly a settled matter.
There is turmoil off the pitch as well as on it. Martin Burr, who took over as the club’s chairman little more than a year ago and oversaw the innovative link-up with the Kinetic youth coaching foundation, stepped down at the end of last season. No permanent replacement is yet confirmed.
In a statement issued by the club this morning, Lance Roberts was named as “acting chairman”. Of the club’s manager’s decision to stand down, Roberts explained that Davies’s job as under-13s coach at West Ham meant “he felt he could no longer commit the time and focus required at Croydon FC during this difficult period”.
Roberts said, “His energy and enthusiasm will be missed around the club and we very much hope he stays in contact with the Croydon FC family. We wish Craig all the best and every success going forward.”
Croydon say that they expect a new manager to be in charge of the squad before Saturday’s tough league fixture at the Arena against third-placed Deal Town.
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