In his first interview since leaving VCD Athletic, Keith McMahon has told KSN of his complete surprise at losing his job – surprise that has now festered into growing anger at the way it was done!

Talking to our Chief Football writer, Mike Green, McMahon told us, “If I thought my job was in any doubt, I thought it would have been done three months ago when the season was ended, not when we were just about to return to training as the plan was for last weekend!”

“Not many people have been talking about managerial positions in all the talk of clubs struggling financially but now I find myself in a situation where if a club was going to move their manager on they’d have done it three months ago and not now…”

“I had no idea that there was anything wrong – we had no arguments and on the Friday morning when I found out after I made a phone call that the club were moving me on, I was supposed to be meeting the players – and four new ones – the following day to sign them all for the new season.”

“I’d talked to all the players and was starting to arrange friendlies and training – it was a huge shock for me! The year before last we finished a point outside the Play Offs; when the season stopped I think we were eighth and on a good run of form – we’d just beaten Ashford and were playing really well and I was confident about a run to the Play Offs even though it was an outside chance.”

“I’ve had loads of messages and phone calls since it was announced with people being absolutely shocked and asking what had happened, and I’ve told everyone the truth and I’ll tell KSN the truth – I’m not going to lie – the way it was done I think is appalling and maybe it’s something that the Club regrets now.”

“I thought that the respect that they showed me was really poor. The decision – I will always disagree about it, but I’ve known Clubs who have sacked managers after they have won Leagues. After being a manager for twenty-four years, I don’t think anything surprises me in football anymore, but the way it was done was a major shock and the only thing that I was upset about!”

“From where they were, and from where I was when I took over, we’ve obviously had ups and downs. When I took over with four weeks to go before the start of the Isthmian Premier League season, they didn’t have one single player, no physio, no kit-man – Tony (Russell) left to go to Cray which was fair enough and I was left with nothing. And then we got moved to the North Division and we had to rebuild again; moved to South and rebuild again; the Chairman then wanted to build the Club up in the bar so we were told to survive where we were and we still took them to a point outside the Play Offs and followed that to where we were when the season stopped.”

“We turned around the age of the team where apart from three senior players we had a squad under twenty-two years of age.”

“But when that new season may start? If you’d have asked me six weeks ago, I would have said that we wouldn’t have played again this year. But I think that they are looking to start in September, but I fear that there will be another pause again where something might happen. I think everybody’s safety is the main objective here and until you can make everyone one hundred percent safe, I don’t think that we can play!” 

“I am one hundred percent certain that football will not be played behind closed doors at our level. For a football club it would be suicidal, and the League have already said no – all three Leagues at Step Three and Four have said that they won’t start behind closed doors. There are still a lot of safety options to be adhered to and it’s difficult for Leagues at the moment.”

“I don’t know what happens next for me – it’ll just depend on when the phone rings. I’ve had a couple of enquiries asking me if I’d like to help them out from certain clubs at a higher level with various things, but I don’t know.”

“I’m left snookered in one way as every club that was going to look for a change or whatever would have already done it and not now when it’s all starting to kick back in. I’m as hungry as I was; I still think I’ve got a lot to offer – I think my credentials are very good, but I’ve just got to wait to get another job in football. When that will be or when we actually get back playing, I don’t know.”

“I wouldn’t wish what happened to me and the way it happened to me – the way that I was let go – to anybody! So, I’m not looking to take a manager’s job, I’ve just got to be patient!”