Turner's Time in charge at Edgar Street

Paul Fletcher has a look at Turner's decision to stand down as manager of Hereford United.

Turner, 61, is the man currently separating Sir Alex Ferguson from Arsene Wenger on the list of longest-serving managers - esteemed company indeed for the man who has been in charge at Edgar Street since August 1995.

The Bulls have already been relegated straight back to League Two and Turner has most magnanimously fallen on his sword. Turner is also owner, chairman and director of football at Hereford. It rather removes the need to wonder whether he jumped before he was pushed.

Turner will remain at the club in his other capacities - which left me a little bemused to read the following quote from the veteran ex-Wolves, Aston Villa and Shrewsbury boss: "I sincerely hope this will not be my last managerial post."

If Turner does get offered a job elsewhere that would surely cause complications over his role(s) at Hereford. Alternatively, it might just make John Trewick think twice before accepting the promotion he has been offered from first-team coach to manager.

It is also worth pointing out that Turner always faced a very difficult task in keeping the Bulls up. He built his promotion last season by working the loan system to its very maximum. Some felt it was brilliant management, others an abuse, but nobody could argue it was not successful for a club that operates on a modest budget in a competitive marketplace. He was voted the League Two Manager of the Year by the League Managers Association.

And on top of that it would be wrong not to mention the years of lengthy service Turner has given to Hereford. Perhaps time will tell that now is the right point for him to streamline his roles at the club.

Assuming nobody else gets the bullet over the remaining two weeks of the regular season, Turner will become the 30th managerial departure from a Football League club since the season began last August. There are 72 Football League clubs. I make that 42% of the managers who started the season are no longer at that particular club.

Hardly a stable profession.

(Part of a longer article from BBC Sport)

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