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NEWMAN AND SPEARING SACKED

Posted on: Mon 04 Sep 2006

Tony Spearing and Rob Newman (courtesy Chris Mercer)

Rob Newman's reign as U's manager ended following Friday's 3-1 home defeat by Exeter City, and he and assistant Tony Spearing have parted company with the club.

Chairman Lee Power will take temporary charge for the game at Forest Green next Saturday, and possibly the following game at home to Kidderminster on Tuesday 12th September.

"It gives me no pleasure," he said on Friday night, after meeting with Newman and Spearing immediately following the game and terminating their management. The defeat was United's fifth in six games.

"They are both friends of mine but football is football. Results haven't been going our way and we need a change," he continued.

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"l would like to take this opportunity to thank Rob and Tony; no one could have worked harder than them to try to put it right and a lot of things have conspired against them, but ultimately we're bottom of the league at the moment and things have to change."

Power, who joined the board and was appointed Chairman at the beginning of last month, will now begin the process of seeking a new manager for the club.

"Obviously, with the way things have been going over the last couple of weeks, it's crossed certain people's minds and we've had discussions and tried to see how much time we can give them and whether the situation would change.

Lee Power

"I hoped tonight wouldn't be the time to take this action but we've had to make the decision to move on and appoint someone else. Tonight was important and if we'd have got a result tonight then we wouldn't be having this conversation. A lot of things conspired against them and we haven't had the rub of the green, and tonight I was hoping that would change but it didn't.

"As I said, they are two personal friends of mine and this gives me no pleasure but we've had to make the decision for the good of the football club.

"We won't rush into a decision about the next manager," stressed Power. "Obviously people are going to be aware now that we're looking and there are phone calls to be made and people to speak to

"In the meantime I've agreed to look after the team for one game, maybe two at the most. It's the last thing I want to do but I was assistant manager at Boston in the Conference for a while so I know what to do on that side of it.

"I just want to keep a bit of continuity rather than bring an outsider in, so I'll work with the lads for a week and hopefully after the Forest Green game we should have someone in charge."

Power also revealed that the players had asked for the decision to be reversed and added, "It's unusual for players to chirp up that much so it shows how much respect they have for Rob and Tony."

When asked about the presence of Keith Curle in the Main Stand, Power said there was no significance to the former Mansfield and Chester City manager being at the match.

Rob Newman joined the club in December 2005 to help his friend and then-caretaker manager Ricky Duncan, and stayed on as assistant to new manager Steve Thompson.

He was made caretaker manager when Thompson was not kept on at the end of that season, following relegation to the Conference, and was confirmed as manager in July 2005, when Spearing was confirmed as his assistant.

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