AFC Sudbury chairman Andrew Long not surprised by Mark Morsley resigning as manager but says it was reduced budget which led him to leave
While Mark Morsley walking away from his post as manager of AFC Sudbury came as a big surprise to most this week, it was not for AFC Sudbury chairman Andrew Long.
SuffolkNews was first to break the departure on Monday of the former Needham Market and Leiston boss after two spells – separated by just five weeks – since October, 2017.
Morsley released a statement saying he had decided to resign due to ‘irreconcilable differences’ over the way Isthmian League North Division outfit AFC Sudbury was being run.
As far as Long is concerned, this boiled down to a reduced budget he had issued him with in March, as a result of the impact of the pandemic.
Asked if it Morsley's resignation came as a surprise to him, he said: "No, not completely.
"We had differences on how we should approach the new season.
"I am afraid the club has to err on the side of caution. There is a concern whether the season will have to be in some form curtailed as it has been for the past two years.
"The club has not had its normal revenue streams that it generates from events, sponsorship, bar takings and gate receipts. It doesn't have the coffers that it would normally have, so it needs to be more cautious in its approach for next season than it might otherwise have been.
"The budget was definitely limited and definitely less than it was the previous season. I'm afraid the priority is and has always been to ensure that there is a sustainable club as healthy financially as you can make it for the benefit of the local community.
"We can't potentially put the club at financial risk by taking a gamble on a season when there is no guarantee of success and what would happen if there was another lockdown and furlough didn't apply?"
Morsley did not wish to give any interviews on his departure but a limited budget did appear to be something he had come to terms with, subsequently going on to confirm 18 players who were to be in his first-team squad for 2021/22.
Speaking to the Suffolk Free Press in mid-March, he revealed he did almost walk away but was reinvogorated by his coaching team.
“It was very much a case of Tony (Kinsella, assistant) saying to me ‘come on, let’s see what we can do with this budget’ which Liam (Aves, first-team coach) said as well.
“It might be reduced but we are operating in a different world and I think those big pots of gold in non-league football have certainly disappeared for the short term," he had said.
“Then, you’ve then got to sell the sizzle of the sausage. And the fact of the matter is coming to work at one of the best facilities in the region bar none, a coaching team that are at a lot higher levels than what we are. There is a lot to be said for our football club so that is the target we are going to take.”
Revealing he had nearly walked away after being presented with the lower budget, he went on to say: "I wasn't certain if I had the drive again to start again with playing 17-year-old lads but we are not at that stage.
"There is quite a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes at the football club.
"We do have a workable budget and I've got a team who are ambitious.
"In many ways the enthusiasm from Tony and Liam and Walks now (Paul Walker, gk coach) as he is a part of that team now, helped along with me thinking right, okay let's have a go at it."
But despite this being put to him, Long insists there was no more to Morsley's departure, as far as he is aware, than the restricted budget.
"That is the reason as far as I know, if there is more it is not from our side," he said.
"But the club needs stability and someone who is going to accept next year the budget might be less again.
"Until we get through this period of uncertainty, whenever that is, we are always going to err on the side of caution, always.
"If someone wants to come along who is a multi-millionaire and put millions of pounds into the playing budget well great, but those people are not banging at the door. So as the current custodian the board needs to decide what decisions it has to take to ensure the long-term financial stability of the club and that is what I'm sure is the discussions in board rooms up and down the country.
"Some will go different ways and that is their risk and their right, of course but for our football club we will take the most prudent decision that we feel is necessary to ensure that long-term sustainability."
The club put out an article on its website on Tuesday saying that they were seeking an 'external appointment' for their next manager - ruling out the likes of Kinsella, Aves and academy director Danny Laws, who has had two successful interim spells in charge previously.
Long said they had had "a number of applications" even before that article went up with some from "interesting candidates".
He said: "The process is the board will look at the applications, draw up a shortlist of probably three and interviews will take place in order, I would hope, for a decision to come out no later than the end of next week."
Long said the successful applicant would be someone who "has to buy into the model and someone who is going to work in conjunction with the academy which brings a consistent crop of promising youngsters through".
He said they would also need to be willing to adopt a style of play which runs throughout the club at all levels.
"Any manager or management team needs to buy into that particular philosophy and add to it," he said.
Applications can be made by emailing andrew.long@afcsudbury.co.uk
Read more: All the latest Suffolk football news
Read more: AFC Sudbury link up with social enterprise for new era
Read more: All the latest Sudbury news
