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Keehan under fire as club call emergency board meeting



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Published Date: 29 October 2008
Kevin Keehan's position as manager of Lewes Football Club looks to be under threat after the club announced it is to hold an emergency board meeting to discuss 'the current position'.
The news comes hot on the heels of last night's humiliating FA Cup exit at the hands of tiny Leiston.

Blue Square Premier side Lewes were comprehensively beaten by the Ridgeons Eastern Counties League outfit – the equivalent to the Sussex County L
eague.

The cup exit cost the Rooks £12,500 for making it past the fourth qualifying stage – and a potential £32,500 in all had the Dripping Pan outfit gone on to beat Blue Square North strugglers Fleetwood Town in the First Round Proper.

It was cash the club could ill afford to lose as it battles to avoid relegation back to the Blue Square South while also trying to bring the Dripping Pan up to the necessary A Grading for the Conference National.

Keehan last week told the Sussex Express that progress in the FA Cup was "Vital from a club point of view with the monetary situation."

The Rooks boss was not helped last night by having to field a weakened, young side due to injuries to the likes of Danny Cullip and Michael Standing, the absence of influential loan signings such as Sam Gargan, Jack Compton and Aswad Thomas, and the club suspension of striker Chamal Fenelon following an incident against Wick in the Sussex Senior Cup last week.

But nevertheless, the performance against Leiston on Tuesday night was still surprisingly poor, with the Suffolk outfit looking the better team for long periods of the game.

The cup debacle comes after a disappointing start to the season, with the Rooks propping up the Blue Square Premier table. And after what appeared to be a mini-revival with Lewes threatening to move up the table, last week's miserable home defeat to fellow strugglers Northwich Victoria darkened fans' moods again.

The statement released by the club today reads, "Lewes FC has called an emergency board meeting.

"As a number of Directors are unavailable this week, the meeting has been arranged for next week to discuss the current position.

"The club will not be making any further comment until after this meeting."



The full article contains 383 words and appears in Sussex Express Series newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 29 October 2008 1:56 PM
  • Source: Sussex Express Series
  • Location: Lewes
 
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Pyecombe,

Lewes 30/10/2008 16:37:18
Having watched his team comprehensively outfought at home by opponents who play in a league equivalent in standard to the Sussex County League, KK cannot surely expect to remain in situ for very much longer.

Tuesday night's performance was representative of the season thus far. Commitment but no discernable pattern: when Leiston retreated Breach and Barness ducked responsibility and passed square. None of the wide players got to the byeline with any regularity or delivered telling crosses. Too few players in the box. The only glimmer of hope was from Elliot, Wheeler and Richards. And through it all KK's demeanour and body language suggested he had little idea how to influence the game or inspire his team. The summer signings, Joe Keehan apart, appear commited yet have flattered to deceive, Banks is either great or awful. On Tuesday it was the latter and he was at fault for two of the goals.

Few would argue that Lewes overacheived in recent years. Last year's promotion probably came too soon and the board faced a dilema when it considered this season: Invest in the team and risk relegation due to inadequate infrastructure or invest in the infrastructure and hope the team somehow stays up.

The summer clearout may have reduced running costs but with the team languishing at the foot of the table and out of the FA Cup the board is already reaping the reward of the baton down the hatches policy and risk taking the club back down a few notches of the pyramid playing to crowds of less than 250 with reduced associated revenues.

Gentlemen you now face a bigger dilema ahead of next weeks board meeting. Supporters don't turn up to admire the ground they come to support a team and it is apparant to many that while there might be some improvement off the pitch your team is lightweight and lacking fire power. KK appears to be a genuinely nice person but he isn't acheiving on the pitch and only you know whether he has the commercial acumen and you are reaping the div
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