Philcounty
New member
A lot has been made of my decision to not continue my employment at Peterborough United FC. I appreciate the acceptance of those that have understood my position and I am grateful for your support. Especially from those that have expressed it in person to me directly. I guess some people will not view my angle so kindly. I guess this is understandably, as sadly and unfortunately, we live in an age of materialism, selfishness, and cynicism. Some people will choose to look at my motives through their own eyes and cannot see what I see. It is a precious lesson in life when a person realises that the value of life is not measured in material items, status or adulation. The greatness in life is the feelings we have towards people and the way in which they can make us feel about ourselves.
As I reflect on a year in which PR has meant ‘Perception is Reality’ I wonder what people make of me? What kind of reputation I have as a person or professional? I’d like to warn you that after you have ‘googled’ me and searched Wikipedia you will probably know a lot less about me than any more. There will be no mention of honesty, integrity, honour or other personal values. You will not read about principles of fair play, youth development, tactical diversity and good football. You will not know the man or the manager. You will read about me dealing with the ill-discipline of one or two, but not how my teams have won the fair play award in every country I have worked.
You will read about my refusal to speak to one person, much more than my openness to every person that I meet. You will read about my failure to sign a contract rather than those that have failed to honour their contractual promises to me. The media are often obsessed more with the wrongs than the rights, the innuendo and intrigue of personal relationships rather that unique and interesting insight each person may have to offer. Is that the world we live in? Is that the industry we operate in?
If my management career was to end this season and the misrepresentation of myself and the misjudgement of my motives was to lead to coldness towards my re-employment in the professional game then, I would be content with all that I have achieved. As I seek to take nothing from the game and would only be disappointed that I could not have given the game more.
The best part of my playing career was spent at Stockport County. As a manager, to save them from non league extinction and then bring success at Wembley was a dream come true. In the final year I refused to leave my young team and take employment at Brighton, for if I was to do so they would have been relegated last season and the ten point deduction applied in this current year. This would have seen County sat where Darlington are today. I could not in good conscience face that prospect for the fans and the young players that had grown up under my guidance. No amount of money from Brighton could have exorcised such guilt. For a Club that gave me so much, it was only right to earn that Club the time to recover its self. For me, my own personal reward at the end was redundancy. I have no regrets.
I had to move on, and was grateful to Motherwell FC for the new employment. I have always been open-minded and my third job in my third country showed my commitment to my career. I delivered on my promise to bring together a young squad that was capable of great things. I was offered many opportunities to leave, including three teams back in England, amongst them Peterborough United FC. But I felt I owed some respect to a club that gave me a job when I was unemployed, and contrary to misinformation I was working under a contract. My reward was the sack for a ‘failure to show commitment’. I have no regrets.
I will never be fully able to explain all that has gone on in my career in the last year even to myself. It all has been so demanding and emotionally challenging. Redundancy forced me to move; moving has caused me to have great regret. I have tried to be loyal and committed to my previous employers and have paid a heavy price this year without much personal gain. A constant strength throughout has been my family and the year’s trials has taught me to respect them more than anything else. The year’s experience has shown me in true clarity all that is valuable in life and all that should be cherished and protected. I have made a decision that has put my family first for the coming year. I am sure I will have no regrets.
I had to move on, and was grateful to Motherwell FC for the new employment. I have always been open-minded and my third job in my third country showed my commitment to my career. I delivered on my promise to bring together a young squad that was capable of great things. I was offered many opportunities to leave, including three teams back in England, amongst them Peterborough United FC. But I felt I owed some respect to a club that gave me a job when I was unemployed, and contrary to misinformation I was working under a contract. My reward was the sack for a ‘failure to show commitment’. I have no regrets.
I will never be fully able to explain all that has gone on in my career in the last year even to myself. It all has been so demanding and emotionally challenging. Redundancy forced me to move; moving has caused me to have great regret. I have tried to be loyal and committed to my previous employers and have paid a heavy price this year without much personal gain. A constant strength throughout has been my family and the year’s trials has taught me to respect them more than anything else. The year’s experience has shown me in true clarity all that is valuable in life and all that should be cherished and protected. I have made a decision that has put my family first for the coming year. I am sure I will have no regrets.
I would like to thank the club for giving me the opportunity to manage in the Championship. I completely understood my reasoning at the time for accepting the offer, but cannot help but feel a little guilty that I have come in, helped make a difference and now I’m set to leave. I guess I needed to come somewhere that would allow me to coach and rekindle my love for the game, and I hoped that I could come and lift the spirits of the Club also. I apologise if I haven’t done that or that my impending departure has taken that new found heart away.
We must all remember is, that despite the ugliness in the industry of Football there is still the beautiful game to enjoy.
James Gannon
As I reflect on a year in which PR has meant ‘Perception is Reality’ I wonder what people make of me? What kind of reputation I have as a person or professional? I’d like to warn you that after you have ‘googled’ me and searched Wikipedia you will probably know a lot less about me than any more. There will be no mention of honesty, integrity, honour or other personal values. You will not read about principles of fair play, youth development, tactical diversity and good football. You will not know the man or the manager. You will read about me dealing with the ill-discipline of one or two, but not how my teams have won the fair play award in every country I have worked.
You will read about my refusal to speak to one person, much more than my openness to every person that I meet. You will read about my failure to sign a contract rather than those that have failed to honour their contractual promises to me. The media are often obsessed more with the wrongs than the rights, the innuendo and intrigue of personal relationships rather that unique and interesting insight each person may have to offer. Is that the world we live in? Is that the industry we operate in?
If my management career was to end this season and the misrepresentation of myself and the misjudgement of my motives was to lead to coldness towards my re-employment in the professional game then, I would be content with all that I have achieved. As I seek to take nothing from the game and would only be disappointed that I could not have given the game more.
The best part of my playing career was spent at Stockport County. As a manager, to save them from non league extinction and then bring success at Wembley was a dream come true. In the final year I refused to leave my young team and take employment at Brighton, for if I was to do so they would have been relegated last season and the ten point deduction applied in this current year. This would have seen County sat where Darlington are today. I could not in good conscience face that prospect for the fans and the young players that had grown up under my guidance. No amount of money from Brighton could have exorcised such guilt. For a Club that gave me so much, it was only right to earn that Club the time to recover its self. For me, my own personal reward at the end was redundancy. I have no regrets.
I had to move on, and was grateful to Motherwell FC for the new employment. I have always been open-minded and my third job in my third country showed my commitment to my career. I delivered on my promise to bring together a young squad that was capable of great things. I was offered many opportunities to leave, including three teams back in England, amongst them Peterborough United FC. But I felt I owed some respect to a club that gave me a job when I was unemployed, and contrary to misinformation I was working under a contract. My reward was the sack for a ‘failure to show commitment’. I have no regrets.
I will never be fully able to explain all that has gone on in my career in the last year even to myself. It all has been so demanding and emotionally challenging. Redundancy forced me to move; moving has caused me to have great regret. I have tried to be loyal and committed to my previous employers and have paid a heavy price this year without much personal gain. A constant strength throughout has been my family and the year’s trials has taught me to respect them more than anything else. The year’s experience has shown me in true clarity all that is valuable in life and all that should be cherished and protected. I have made a decision that has put my family first for the coming year. I am sure I will have no regrets.
I had to move on, and was grateful to Motherwell FC for the new employment. I have always been open-minded and my third job in my third country showed my commitment to my career. I delivered on my promise to bring together a young squad that was capable of great things. I was offered many opportunities to leave, including three teams back in England, amongst them Peterborough United FC. But I felt I owed some respect to a club that gave me a job when I was unemployed, and contrary to misinformation I was working under a contract. My reward was the sack for a ‘failure to show commitment’. I have no regrets.
I will never be fully able to explain all that has gone on in my career in the last year even to myself. It all has been so demanding and emotionally challenging. Redundancy forced me to move; moving has caused me to have great regret. I have tried to be loyal and committed to my previous employers and have paid a heavy price this year without much personal gain. A constant strength throughout has been my family and the year’s trials has taught me to respect them more than anything else. The year’s experience has shown me in true clarity all that is valuable in life and all that should be cherished and protected. I have made a decision that has put my family first for the coming year. I am sure I will have no regrets.
I would like to thank the club for giving me the opportunity to manage in the Championship. I completely understood my reasoning at the time for accepting the offer, but cannot help but feel a little guilty that I have come in, helped make a difference and now I’m set to leave. I guess I needed to come somewhere that would allow me to coach and rekindle my love for the game, and I hoped that I could come and lift the spirits of the Club also. I apologise if I haven’t done that or that my impending departure has taken that new found heart away.
We must all remember is, that despite the ugliness in the industry of Football there is still the beautiful game to enjoy.
James Gannon
