The Board of Directors would like to offer an update to supporters, following yesterday’s announcement regarding the departures of Jim Bentley and Nick Chadwick.
Firstly, we would encourage everyone to get fully behind Jim McNulty and the squad for the remaining eight games of the season, starting this Saturday away at AFC Wimbledon. Jim has been an incredible servant to the club since joining in 2015, both as a player and coach. We are thankful to him for again taking interim charge at a difficult period and will be giving him our full support.
Although EFL survival is now an extremely long shot, it is vital that the rest of this season is used to prepare for the 2023/24 campaign, whatever division that may be in, as it will be a hugely important season in the history of our club.
The Board of Directors also wishes to acknowledge the efforts of Jim Bentley and Nick Chadwick over the past seven months in what proved to be challenging circumstances.
It is important at this stage to accept the fact that, whilst the Manager picks the team, they can never be held 100% responsible in isolation for on-field results, whether those results be positive or negative. As well as First Team Management, other departments, including club leadership, must share that responsibility.
As such, the Board of Directors has commissioned leading football consultancy service MRKT Insights to conduct a thorough review of football operations at the club. Following initial talks that began in December 2022, the review will now commence immediately, and report prior to the conclusion of the 2022/23 season. Amongst several other areas, management and player recruitment processes, First Team squad modelling, and Academy player pathways will all be examined in detail. MRKT Insights will continue to provide an ongoing service to the Board and management following the initial review.
With important annual milestones such as Season Card release and kit launch on the horizon, the club will be working hard in the coming weeks to meet the needs of supporters as best as possible. As always, the club welcomes feedback and supporter consultation in these and any other areas.
The search for investment partners also continues, with members of the Board regularly meeting with interested parties. As soon as there is anything concrete to report in this area, a full update will be provided to shareholders and fans alike.
The Board would like to thank every supporter, sponsor and stakeholder for their continued support of Rochdale AFC throughout a 2022/23 season that, despite significant effort set against constrained resources, has not been good enough.