Adie to leave as well...

Has done a lot for the club which he should receive a lot of thanks, but I think it is now a good time to clear the decks.

A wise decision. I wonder where this will leave Jimmer?

Tapper80 wrote:A wise decision. I wonder where this will leave Jimmer?

Adie's number 2 as Jim was Lee's number 2 so promotion to the number one number two as Lee was Adie's number two.  

Sorry that Adie is going, he has done a lot and tried very hard for the club. He has looked very tired recently and seemed to have run out of ideas.
Always prepared to talk things through even if you did not agree with him. From the football point of view I think he needed to make the break and this is the right decision, and it would be very difficult for someone else to come in if he was still involved football wise. I was hoping he may stay on at the club in another capacity.
Thanks Adie.

Yes, I think it's very sad that Adie is leaving at a low point, although that's usually the nature of football management. He has worked incredibly hard for our club and I think in years to come this era will be looked back on in a positive light. I certainly cannot recall anyone else so willing to engage with supporters and he deserves much gratitude.

A sensible decision with Howells going as, even if it was, it wouldn't have looked like a fresh start to supporters, players and any potential manager.

I think we are at the 'careful what you wish for stage '. Club ownership in future will be an issue with no clear answer. Plenty of candidates. I want a lucky one !

I always think 'careful what you wish for' applies to fans of clubs that are actually doing rather well for the size of club eg Charlton fans saying Alan Curbishley had taken them as far as he could.

I personally think we should be holding our own at this level but it has been looking increasingly fragile. I want someone who can identify why Dave Pratt is a shadow of his former self. It didn't matter that we had a pedestrian midfield last season. This season it has become all too obvious.

Personally I would have liked to have seen him stay on in another director role but away from football maters. Anyone that puts money into the club has it at heart. Didn't agree with some of his choices etc but a loss to the club none the less. (bet that shocked a lot of you!)
Maybe Jim isn't the boards choice and AB felt he couldn't work with an 'outsider'.

I have always been a fan of Adie. A thoughtful and intelligent manager. Surprised he hasn't opted to stay in at Board level. But things are stale and I suspect he knows its time for a change.

Good luck in whatever you do next.

I echo those thoughts Pete. He leaves with my best wishes and many happy memories of more successful times.

I think that the question is, do we need another Director of Football? I have always thought that the role is not understood nor implemented properly in Britain. At Bath, the role was introduced just for Adie. We need a new manager and that is it. No more confusion.

Marc Monitor wrote:I think that the question is, do we need another Director of Football? I have always thought that the role is not understood nor implemented properly in Britain. At Bath, the role was introduced just for Adie. .

Not true that it was introduced just for Adie Britton. Andrew Jones, now manager at Shepton Mallet, held the role during our second season in Blue Square Premier - clearly was a success then as well!

Never quite seen the point of it at this level - City managed without one for a very long time and I am sure will do so in the future.

I stand corrected.

So the comments at Eastbourne were true.... Adie gone...

Interesting that comments on the other Chronicle story mention Jimmer didn't really have any time to prepare the squad for the game... although I though his substitution choice for Bowman was excellent.

He's done a lot more good than harm in the last 10 years, and I hope people recognise that. The 2010/11 season was the best standard of football I've ever seen us play, and he played a big part in that.

I also have a lot of time for him as a person and wish him all the best.

Yes I hope most would agree that Mark. Feels odd at the moment with both Adie and Arch gone. Feels we are on our own. Fans are of course are the continuity with any club. Let's get the new gaffer in soon and we can rally round the cause again and continue to keep the faith.

Well said, Junior. And as well as the footballing side, he gave up three months of his life to run the club when Geoff Todd stood down as chair. It's a great shame his time at Twerton has ended on a low, because as you say we have enjoyed some great times. It will be interesting to see if he remains in the game.

Yes, it can be forgotten but under, to be realistic, Adie, Bath City have, at their best, played some of the best football I have seen at any level on occasion. His time has come and gone and, yes, he has finished on a low but it is a fact that most managers do. Very few get out while the going is good.

I think history will look back very kindly on John Relish, Adie Britton and Lee Howells and the success that they brought to the club over a considerable period of time.

With the 77-78 title winning season coming a few years before I started supporting City I had never seen us win a league until we did in 2007, which ticked one box in my wishes as a City fan.

Then a few years later to win promotion to the Conference Premier and suddenly be league rivals with so many sides I only ever thought of a league teams was another wish fulfilled. The first season at that level ranks as the best I've seen in 30+ years following City.

The next greatest wish was to see City play at Wembley and this seemed one that we would never even get close to but last season we came as close as it's possible to get with actually getting there. To be honest, it still hurts a bit that we missed out but the wins at Rovers and home to Dover will always remain with me (as will Ferriby but not quite for the same reason).

The other wish is to see us face a top Premier League side (ideally Man City) in the FA Cup 3rd Round (or later) so we didn't even get close to that one!

As with about 99% of clubs there were of course lows during the period (the second season in the Prem was as bad as the first was great) and, as Marc says, most managers finish on these for obvious reasons. However, hopefully once the dust has settled on this season (for good or bad) I hope most will be able to take a more generous view of the parts played by all three of these managers.

To be honest, the first half of the second season in the Prem didn't feel too bad. We were struggling obviously but, perhaps because we were drawing rather than losing at home - as opposed to the recent record - it didn't seem so disastrous. However, after Christmas, it was awful not least as we started playing panicky long balls.

Some of the maulings weren't that enjoyable but at least we were getting beaten by decent sides most of the time. And got to see players like Vardy and the like regularly.

Totally agree about Adie. A thoughtful and intelligent manager who I always thought would stay at the Club in a Directorial capacity.....sorry he has gone completely.

Yes the last 10 years have been good. We fought hard to get out of the Southern League. We need to fight again now to stay in Conference South.

Adie has always been incredibly hard working in the interests of Bath City, as has Archie.

Adie said something at the end of our first season in the prem. He said the Eastbourne manager had emphasised how important it was to maintain team spirit when moving in to a higher league. Bringing in new (better) players is a balancing act. The Eastbourne manager said he had failed in this regard which is why they were relegated.

I always felt this was the fundamental failure of the second season when Coupe left. That spirit that took us up has never been regained and now it has entirely dissipated.