12 Months Ago Today - Paul Caddis Became Hereford Manager

 

In his programme notes for tomorrow's final game of the season Hereford manager Paul Caddis looks back to the start of his first year at Edgar Street.

'I want to rewind this journey back to the start and on this specific date (April 19th) I was honoured to be offered the role as manager of your football club. It was a big role for me but one I always believed I had the credentials to bring a positive atmosphere back to the club. It became evident within a few months of taking on the role how difficult the task in hand had become due to the change in circumstances behind the scenes. 

To be honest I came into a club that was broken and was needing to be fixed quickly. Broken in terms of disconnect between the two most departments of any football club and that being supporters and players. Broken behind the scenes financially as publicly stated by the chairman. Broken on the pitch with results. Broken squad that had to be dismantled due to the impossibility of keeping players on salaries beyond what we could offer. I know I wasn’t everyone’s choice as manager and in reflection if things were realised how serious a situation the club was in I would (in my opinion) probably not have been the successful candidate to repair a football club at such an inexperience and youthful age. I am grateful I was chosen to repair the football side of things at this amazing club. 

Management is a very lonely place. I remember the hurt, sadness and disappointment I felt when we lost at Tamworth. I remember Adam Rooney asking me before full time what my plans at the final whistle would be and I told him exactly what I proved to do. I was going to stand in front of my players and take what I knew would come. I accepted that performance wasn’t acceptable and that isn’t a criticism of the supporters as we deserved that as a group. 

For me that was a changing point in the season. I said to you in my first interview. I cannot ask for trust. I have to earn it. The first piece of that trust jigsaw is earning the trust from my players. Supporters will only trust me when they trust the players. I thank the players for allowing you to trust me as your manager. In reflection as a whole we are extremely proud of how far we have come. We have in truth sprinted before we could walk in terms of results and performances and we now have to try and continue to push together.'