I have no room for mercenaries anymore, says Radbourne

Friday 12th March 2010

ERITH & BELVEDERE player-manager Richie Radbourne says there’s a better atmosphere at the club now that his playing budget has been withdrawn, writes Stephen McCartney.

The long-suffering Deres faithful have seen the club slump to seventh place in the Bulmers Cider Kent League - 21 points adrift of league leaders Faversham Town - and the club have withdrawn the playing budget.

Around half of the clubs in the Kent League have disclosed that they don’t pay their players and Radbourne insists this is the best option at present.

“We’ve had our budget cut, we’ve got no money down the club so all the players know their playing for nothing,” revealed the boss, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“You actually see what characters you have got down the club and I’m actually over the moon by their response.

“We train twice a week at the moment and three times that we’ve been training everyone’s there, they all put it in, so you actually see characters when your budget’s been cut.”

Radbourne revealed that he’s had conversations with Kent League journeymen who move from club to club chasing a brown envelope at the end of the week.

“Something I tried to stop this year was I’ve stopped mercenaries who rang me up arguing me over a fiver or a tenner,” explained Radbourne.

“The minute they argue over a fiver or a tenner I don’t want to know them. But you probably find there’s a lot more characters because everyone’s in the same boat. You can’t look over your mate next to you and think “cor, he’s getting double than what I’m getting,’

“That’s something I’ve tried not to do this year, some were getting a lot, some not much.

“When you’ve not got the money then everyone’s got their needs and everyone’s got their musts so I’m not quite sure. You can’t earn a living out of the Kent League put it that way!”

Fourth-placed side Hythe Town visit Park View Road tomorrow, and Radbourne told admits it’s tough not being involved in the title race.

“It’s going to be a different game for us,” he said. “I thought we’d both be up there challenging for the title this year. Let me go back on that, both clubs should be up there challenging.

“We’ve had a bit of a bad run of late and so have they so it’s going to be one of those games. Scott (Porter) wants the points and so do I. How we get them I don’t really care.

“We’re on a run where we haven’t won in nine. We’ve drawn a lot of them, yes, it’s not that we’re playing bad, we’re struggling to keep hold onto a result really.

“Hopefully tomorrow’s game will be a turnaround from what it was at the start of the season when they beat us down there.”

Radbourne has learnt plenty during his first season in charge of the Welling based club.

“It’s been a big learning curve for me this season,” he admits. “I wouldn’t say it’s a season to forget because I’ve learnt a hell of a lot this season but all the time we were up in the top two then while we were up there we maybe as well had a go.

“It was a little bit of a false position, maybe a year too early for us.

“Since we beat Faversham things have gone from bad to worse, for whatever reason I really can’t put my finger on it, but they have so we are building for next year and that started a couple of weeks ago, with players coming in and out.

“At the Beckenham game we saw an improved performance and the character of the team, not so much with the ball but the character of the team.

“Hopefully we’ll see it again tomorrow and the confidence and the team start gelling a little bit more.

“It’s like pre-season for a lot of the boys and they’re fighting for places for next year.”

Radbourne is searching for a sports therapist that is required immediately to treat injured players and prepare them on match days.

“I’m looking for someone to be there on match days and be there during the week (at training),” he said.

“We’re not looking at them to change their life and have it as a full-time job. It might just be a bit of fun for them as well as us.

“We had a physiotherapist who can’t commit to us as he’s starting his own business up in Cambridge.

“We need someone whose going to be there every Saturday. They don’t have to be totally qualified, someone who can do strapping, rubs, anyone who wants to get involved in football, whose got that background will be fine.”

For more details and to contact the club, visit www.erithandbelvederefc.co.uk

Erith & Belvedere v Hythe Town

Bulmers Cider Kent League

Saturday 13th March 2010

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY