Promotion would not have saved Wilkins from the sack
5:10am Friday 8th August 2008
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By Andy Naylor »
Chairman Dick Knight insists Dean Wilkins would still have been sacked as manager even if Albion had been promoted. He has also denied claims the former boss was treated shabbily by the club.
Wilkins was axed in May after steering the Seagulls to seventh place in League One, just outside the play-offs. He was offered a senior coaching role, which he turned down several weeks later.
Knight told supporters at the annual fans’ forum at Withdean last night: “I didn’t believe he would take us forward in the way I wanted the club taken forward. “I can assure you the same decision would have been made by the board, whether we had been promoted or not.”
Knight, quizzed further on the departure of Wilkins, added: “We did not treat him shabbily. We offered him a very good job to stay and he declined to take it.”
Knight’s target for Micky Adams, re-appointed in place of Wilkins, is to take Albion back into the Championship in the next two seasons in time for the move to Falmer.
“Everyone is aware of the financial gap between the Championship and Premier League but there is also a huge gap between the Championship and League One,” the chairman said.
“This season it is £600,000 from the League, next season the difference will be £1.8 million. “That is why there are clubs investing in League One. We would get well over £2 million from being in the Championship next season, which is all to do with the new TV deal.”
Knight also reiterated funding for Falmer has not been adversely affected by the credit crunch. Chief executive Martin Perry said Albion remain on course to start building the new stadium in December and to move in August 2010. Meanwhile, Adams has added former Southampton colleague Glenn Cockerill to his part-time scouting network.
“Glenn was my assistant manager at Brentford,” he said. “He is a valued friend and someone whose opinions I respect.” Adams has no immediate plans to further bolster his squad with Premier League loan signings. “I don’t see any reaso to do that at the moment,” he said. “I am more than happy with the squad as it stands and we’ll see how we go.”
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5:10am Friday 8th August 2008
Comments (5) Have your say »
By Andy Naylor »
Chairman Dick Knight insists Dean Wilkins would still have been sacked as manager even if Albion had been promoted. He has also denied claims the former boss was treated shabbily by the club.
Wilkins was axed in May after steering the Seagulls to seventh place in League One, just outside the play-offs. He was offered a senior coaching role, which he turned down several weeks later.
Knight told supporters at the annual fans’ forum at Withdean last night: “I didn’t believe he would take us forward in the way I wanted the club taken forward. “I can assure you the same decision would have been made by the board, whether we had been promoted or not.”
Knight, quizzed further on the departure of Wilkins, added: “We did not treat him shabbily. We offered him a very good job to stay and he declined to take it.”
Knight’s target for Micky Adams, re-appointed in place of Wilkins, is to take Albion back into the Championship in the next two seasons in time for the move to Falmer.
“Everyone is aware of the financial gap between the Championship and Premier League but there is also a huge gap between the Championship and League One,” the chairman said.
“This season it is £600,000 from the League, next season the difference will be £1.8 million. “That is why there are clubs investing in League One. We would get well over £2 million from being in the Championship next season, which is all to do with the new TV deal.”
Knight also reiterated funding for Falmer has not been adversely affected by the credit crunch. Chief executive Martin Perry said Albion remain on course to start building the new stadium in December and to move in August 2010. Meanwhile, Adams has added former Southampton colleague Glenn Cockerill to his part-time scouting network.
“Glenn was my assistant manager at Brentford,” he said. “He is a valued friend and someone whose opinions I respect.” Adams has no immediate plans to further bolster his squad with Premier League loan signings. “I don’t see any reaso to do that at the moment,” he said. “I am more than happy with the squad as it stands and we’ll see how we go.”
Click here to listen to our new weekly Seagulls podcast with Richard Lindfield
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