Grantham Town manager Nathan Arnold to speak to new chairman after club’s relegation
Manager Nathan Arnold is set to discuss his future with a new chairman after Grantham Town’s relegation was confirmed.
It’s all change in the boardroom with Paul Rawden announcing his decision to step down.
Arnold has a meeting with the new chairman, who has not been named, to discuss the way forward.
That will go a long way to determining whether he stays on board to help the club rebuild next season after a difficult campaign.
“I’ve got a meeting with the new chairman,” said Arnold.
“There was a takeover on Friday which I was notified of. Everything’s happened really quickly.
“There’s a conversation to see if we can align ourselves and see what the future of Grantham looks like and I think that’s the right way to do it.
“Because we haven’t established that relationship yet, I think that’s the priority to see if we can get on the same page and we feel collectively we can help rebuild and move the club forward.”
Arnold believes recruitment is key for whoever is in charge at Grantham.
It’s the perfect time for a reset following relegation.
Town have won only two games in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division - with the last of those coming in October.
Their fate was sealed with a 3-1 home defeat by Wellingborough at the weekend, with four games still to play.
Arnold became the club’s third manager of the season when he took charge in January but is yet to win a game despite some competitive performances.
“Recruitment is everything,” said Arnold.
“What you have to do is get experienced players to strike that balance with youth and enthusiasm and if you get people that are here for the right reasons, it can be quite a powerful thing.
“One thing Grantham needs is an identity as a club and to make sure there’s those core values.
“You recruit players based on your values, so you find players that want to play for Grantham, not just because they’ve got a nice big stadium to play at, or the money, but actually want to play and buy into what we want to do.
“I just think when I picked the group up there were quite a few players that had their own agendas or they were on a different journey.
“Everything was very fragmented, so going into this summer it’s important the recruitment is right, not just on the playing side but getting good people at the club.
“It’s probably a perfect time for a reset.
“It’s what Grantham’s been crying out for and it was only evident when I started to really look internally and live it at the club myself because there’s always been a question mark externally of why Grantham is where it is?
“It’s a huge club, it’s got a great history but it’s not until you get in there and see what it’s like on the inside that you probably understand why it’s found itself where it is.”
Relegation has been on the cards for some time, with Arnold inheriting a difficult situation.
It’s been hard to turn things around with confidence on the floor and budget cuts to deal with.
“For a while now, we’ve faced relegation,” said Arnold.
“Since January 1, when I took the job, I knew what a difficult task was ahead.
“I think Grantham have been out of the bottom four once all season, and that was early on.
“When I came in I thought I could affect things and climb the table and although we huffed and puffed with some decent performances, it was a recurring pattern where we just couldn’t find a way to win a football match.
“Unfortunately for us, it’s one of those seasons where whatever could go wrong for us has done.
“We haven’t won a game since October. That’s the frustrating part. We probably should have accumulated a lot more points than we have and I think our performances in a lot of the games have deserved that.
“It’s the hope that kills you, when you show signs you can compete with the teams at this level and then just not being able to get over the line.”
Grantham visit second-placed Corby this Saturday (3pm).
The squad have suggested the pressure is off but Arnold isn’t convinced it was there in the first place.
“I’ve always seen football as a privilege, not a pressure,” said Arnold.
“I don’t go on social media but from what I’ve seen from the people of Grantham, the ones who look me in the eye and shake my hand and travel on the bus to away games, they’ve stayed committed and loyal throughout this difficult period.
“They’ve not given the players any pressure whatsoever.
“I’ve been at clubs where there’s been an expectation and a high demand and if you lose a game, people don’t talk to you or you get booed off. It’s not been anything like that.
“They’ve been incredibly understanding and so committed in their support, so I didn’t buy that from the group when they said the pressure’s off because the pressure is in the real world, real-life stuff, not football.
“There are some young lads in there, they’ve had to shoulder a lot of responsibility and I think you can be better for the experience if you reflect on it and learn from it and that’s what I’m hoping, whether they’re going to remain at the football club or go elsewhere.”
