Mark confirms that things are all-Whyte despite managerial departure

Mark Coote, Whyteleafe Chairman, spoke to the Non League Football Show at the weekend following the departure of manager Harry Hudson- and despite some stories to the contrary on social media over the last few days there were no suggestions that the club were in dire straits.

Asked about the situation regarding their Church Road ground, Mark explained that, whilst the club had no idea of the intentions of their new landlord, they did have a twenty five lease with an option to renew every two years. He outlined that the club was not in financial difficulties because it had not spent beyond its means, but that uncertainties about when football will be able to be played- and facilities opened for hire- made long and short term commitments rather difficult to make, a situation which led directly to Hudson’s departure.
On the subject of the manager, he outlined the situation behind Harry’s departure, and was very complimentary about his work:

“Harry has been fantastic for us, he brought in an array of decent players, and it was disappointing when he left. He was asking for commitments from me, and rightly so, but I couldn’t meet those commitments in March. I didn’t want to be in a position where I made him a commitment and then found in two months time that I couldn’t keep it. That would have held him back, and he’s an ambitious lad, with potential to move on, and I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of that.

He added that the club wasn’t yet looking for a replacement:

“We won’t be looking for a new management team until the end of April I would have thought, as we can’t commit to any management team without knowing what’s going to happen next season.“

In a detailed interview he spoke about his history with Leafe, and also spoke about the future, financial management, and the risks of covid to future sponsorship. Listen to the whole interview HERE.

Tim Fuell asks the questions.