Quote Originally Posted by countygump View Post
A lot of us, at the time Ardley was appointed didn't want him as we thought he wasn't the ideal candidate for a 'relegation scrap'. No other reason. We didn't think a recently sacked man who had spent 10 years or so as a player for Wimbledon and 6 ish as manager and was sacked because they were in a relegation scrap themselves, would be the ideal 'fit' for us. Of course, you hope for the best and that somehow the new man will scratch enough points together to get us safe, but truth is, apart from a few fleeting moments, we never really looked like avoiding relegation.
In future, we should always be suspicious of managers who have only managed one club that just happens to be the club they played for and got the job for that sole reason.

I can't say I detected much of a push back to his name being suggested at the time we were looking, but there was concern - which I very much agreed with - that he didn't seem all that up for the job. I can't remember hearing of any other manager who didn't want to cut short his holiday and not get stuck in straight away with a club that is in great need. That should have been enough to convince Hardy to look elsewhere.