Claridge Sacked

[brighton rock]

Terras boss sacked after FA Cup defeat

PLAYER-manager Steve Claridge has been sensationally sacked by Weymouth Football Club.

The veteran striker was shown the door at the Wessex Stadium after the Terras' shock FA Cup exit at lower league Thame United last night.

Chief executive Martyn Harrison decided to wield the axe after Claridge's team slumped to an embarrassing 2-1 third qualifying round replay defeat at the Windmill Stadium.

The loss against the Ryman League side - who play two divisions lower than the Terras - meant the club missed out on a lucrative £5,000 windfall and a potentially money-spinning FA Cup run.

The decision was announced to the former Leicester City and Portsmouth striker and popular television and radio pundit in a meeting at the Oxfordshire ground late last night.

Neither Weymouth Football Club or Claridge, who was said to be astonished at the decision, were available for comment today.

But a source close to the board told the Echo: "Steve was told that he was being sacked immediately after the game. He was stunned by the decision."

Terras bosses are expected to make a statement after they discuss the terms of Claridge's departure in a behind-closed-doors meeting tonight.

One sticking point to the 38-year-old's exit could be the financial implications of the move.

Claridge has four years left on a five-year deal, worth an estimated basic £52,000 a year.

Harrison's decision ends a rollercoaster 15 months at the Wessex Stadium for the ex-Millwall star.

Claridge arrived at the club in June last year after being appointed to a five-year-deal by former chairman and friend Ian Ridley.

The decision seemed to have paid off as Weymouth surged to the top of the Dr Martens Premier Division by Christmas. But a disappointing end to the season saw the Terras miss out on promotion to rivals Crawley Town.

Harrison's arrival as chief executive and Ridley's departure a few months later led to speculation Claridge could soon be on his way.

And the player-manager's cause was not helped after Weymouth started the new season badly with several new recruits under-performing.

Fans started to turn on Claridge earlier this month, criticising him for spending too much time on his media punditry work.

 

[Blackadder]

Not surprised! He wasted a lot of money.

He even took Pethic off our hands!

 

[CHAPPERS]

Tha' gonna be one hell of a pay off innit?

 

[saafend_seagull]

52,000 a year?!

thats mad

 

[Don Tmatter]

Could he do a job for us up front still?

 

[CAFC Matt]

52,000 a year. Thats bonkers

 

[Superseagull]

Has non league football gone bonkers - £52,000 to manage a load of part time postmen and plumbers! With those sort of wages prehaps Mickey Adams could be lined up as a replacement

 

[Pevenseagull]

Ian Ridley was a mate of Claridge's and co wrote his biography - I think they thought that together they would have a great adventure taking their club up the pyramid - both have long associations with the club.

Crawley's success in the DM south last year scuppered Weymouth's promotion and with Ridley knocking it on the head it was only a matter of time before Claridge went as well - agree £52K was silly money - I wonder what Claridge will gamble his pay off on?

P.S. for anyone who hasn't read it, the Claridge book is priceless

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

he was spending money the club didnt have so he had to go

 

[johnny jigsaw]

Given that MM approached him last year about playing for us, I wouldn't bet against him turning out at the Withdean within the next few weeks.

I don't think he'll be on £52k though

 

[Croydonbloke]

Could he do a job for us up front still?

He`s of your standard at present. So should fit in nicely.

 

[J Livingstone Seagull]

he was spending money the club didnt have so he had to go

This is not the case at all.

Weymouth FC is on a much firmer footing than it has been for many a decade. The combination of Ridley and Claridge has completely turned the club around.

The amount of extra revenue generated, both in terms of people through the turnstiles and sponsorship deals more than covered the money that Claridge was being paid by the club. The money that the club has spent on players is nothing like some of Weymouth's rivels would like to have your believe.

IMHO Claridge could still do a job for us in the Championship

 

[J Livingstone Seagull]

Has non league football gone bonkers - £52,000 to manage a load of part time postmen and plumbers! With those sort of wages prehaps Mickey Adams could be lined up as a replacement

Gordon Strachan is thought to be one of the fan's favourites for the job

 

[LEWES CLIFF]

Teams in our league(Lewes -conference South) such as Wymouth,Hornchurch and Grays are not posties ,builders etc they are FULL-TIME teams with FULL-TIME players.Hornchurch for example are reported to have a £9,ooo a week budget and have just signed a forward who was chased by league clubs ,so that tells a story.I would bet some of the budgets in our league would give many,many league clubs a run for thier money and i know that even half -decent players command£500 +.
Claridge last year against us was still class and drew our raffle for us etc,nice bloke and would teach the youngsters a lot,he is also i think Weymouths top goalscorer so he can still bang them in.
We play moneybags Hornchurch Sat at home then Weymouth Tuesday at home so we will soon see if its money well spent

 

[Gritt23]

That just doesn't make sense. He can't be sacked just for that. They were phenomenal last season.

Okay, so they have 'missed out' on £5k, but paying up his contract would be in the region of £200k, and there is simply no way Weymouth have that money. The club MUST have grounds for a summary dismissal, which would avoid the need to pay up his contract.

 

[Seagulltonian]

Has non league football gone bonkers - £52,000 to manage a load of part time postmen and plumbers! With those sort of wages prehaps Mickey Adams could be lined up as a replacement

I though most of Weymouth's players were full-time, hence the reason why Pethick joined them. Full-time wages without the necessity to get another job.

IMHO a lot of these non-league teams would like to end up in the league structure, and they are prepared to pay almost any price for immediate success.

Steve Claridge has still got his T.V. commentating contracts as well, so not bad money for doing not a lot , and possibly a very nice pay-off from Weymouth, lucky bd!!

 

[Pavilionaire]

If you paid the guy anything less than £1K a week the better players in the team would laugh in his face.

The wage seems par for the course, and this story is surprising to me, although I know bugger all about Weymouth this season.

More importantly for Claridge, where does he go from here? His playing days are numbered, sacked from a low profile non-league club... dear, oh dear.

 

[J Livingstone Seagull]

More importantly for Claridge, where does he go from here? His playing days are numbered, sacked from a low profile non-league club... dear, oh dear.

Weymouth are by no means a low profile non-league club! They are one of the biggest clubs outside of the Nationwide Conference and attract bigger gates than many of the teams in that league.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Weymouth are by no means a low profile non-league club! They are one of the biggest clubs outside of the Nationwide Conference and attract bigger gates than many of the teams in that league.

Accrington Stanley must be quaking in their boots!...

 

[J Livingstone Seagull]

Teams in our league(Lewes -conference South) such as Wymouth,Hornchurch and Grays are not posties ,builders etc they are FULL-TIME teams with FULL-TIME players.Hornchurch for example are reported to have a £9,ooo a week budget and have just signed a forward who was chased by league clubs ,so that tells a story.I would bet some of the budgets in our league would give many,many league clubs a run for thier money and i know that even half -decent players command£500 +.
Claridge last year against us was still class and drew our raffle for us etc,nice bloke and would teach the youngsters a lot,he is also i think Weymouths top goalscorer so he can still bang them in.
We play moneybags Hornchurch Sat at home then Weymouth Tuesday at home so we will soon see if its money well spent

A number of clubs in the Conference South are full-time (e.g. Hornchurch and Newport County) but Weymouth is not one of them.

Claridge is indeed top scorer, but watch out for Chukki Eribenne and Lee Phillips. Both will get more opportunities now that Steve has gone.