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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2018 19:58:59 GMT
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Post by Frank Owen’s Paintbrush on Jan 1, 2018 20:02:32 GMT
Any chance someone can paste the article onto here?
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Post by Rio Doherty on Jan 1, 2018 20:06:19 GMT
On The Road: Macclesfield on the rise at Moss Rose as stalwart boss John Askey lifts club back towards big time
At Macclesfield Town there's a growing feeling they're heading back to big time
Saturday's 1-0 win over Sutton United at Moss Rose saw them go six points clear
They're on 51 points, half-a-dozen ahead of joint-second Aldershot and Sutton
Modest club legend and manager John Askey admits: It's a surprise to everybody
The dressing room of a National League team is an unlikely portal into the age of 19th century French romanticism. Yet scrawled above the entrance, the message of inspiration from Victor Hugo reads: ‘Nothing in the world is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.’
And for Macclesfield Town, there is a growing sense their time is coming once more. This victory over second-placed Sutton — which featured a penalty, a red card and a touchline brawl that culminated in a police callout — extended the Silkmen’s lead at the top of the National League to six points and automatic promotion is now on the horizon for John Askey’s side.
It is a remarkable achievement and Askey’s performance as manager is among the finest in English football this season. A Macclesfield legend, he played nearly 700 times for the club and has steered the ship as manager since 2013. ‘It’s a surprise to everybody,’ Askey says. ‘We had three players last summer left over from the previous season. We didn’t have one of the lowest budgets — we have the lowest budget. Maybe only Halifax are the same. But our players have real quality.’
Macclesfield’s resurgence, therefore, appears to be a triumph of coaching endeavour rather than boardroom design. ‘Off the pitch, it is probably the worst it has ever been,’ Askew concedes.
Macclesfield have struggled financially since relegation from the Football League in 2012. The club was bought in 2003 by Bashar and Amar al Khadi, two Iraqi-Kurd telecoms entrepreneurs whose family settled in the UK in the late 1970s. Yet investment has dried up and at times Macclesfield have embarrassed themselves in pursuit of funds.
In 2013, their integrity was compromised when they offered the public a chance to appear ‘for at least ten minutes’ in a first-team game — if they paid £20,000 to the club. The gimmicks have stopped and Amar al Khadi was present here, although appearances are rare.
Back in October, Sir Alex Ferguson dropped in to watch the victory over Ebbsfleet. He spent time with Askey before talking to the academy boys. But, mostly, this is a modest affair.
One family from South Shields were on the way to Bamber Bridge when news filtered through that the game was called off, so they decided to come and support Macclesfield for the day instead.
The Sutton manager Paul Doswell mingled in the social bar with home fans before the game. Then the referee’s whistle blew and hostilities were renewed. Macclesfield scored the only goal through a Danny Whitaker first-half penalty but Sutton were aggrieved by the award and tensions mounted.
Macclesfield goalkeeper Shwan Jalal was sent off for a dangerous lunge and as the game entered added time, emotions reached boiling point.
First the home fans in the pen behind the dugouts began to make a play towards the pitch. Stewards held back the fans but on the final whistle supporters appeared to hurl insults at the Sutton managerial team.
Other witnesses said members of Sutton’s staff returned verbal volleys. The Sutton kitman Clive Baxter was then allegedly struck by a supporter and after the game, Doswell remonstrated with safety officers, demanding the police be called.
The FA will deal with the fallout. As for Macclesfield, it was only delight. Back in the dressing room, another quote read: ‘Impossible is nothing.’ For Askew and his side, it felt fitting.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2018 20:08:41 GMT
Thanks Rio
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Post by MPW on Jan 1, 2018 20:17:06 GMT
It’s remarkable what Askey is doing there, he’s consistently defying the odds. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until a bigger club take a chance on him.
Whether Macc will sustain their form until the end of the season, I’m not so sure, but no one else seems capable of putting decent run together so they might never have a better chance.
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Post by boughtonblue on Jan 1, 2018 20:20:47 GMT
It's a story that should give us some hope. But I'm not feeling it. If it's true that all our loan signings are going back and replaced by youth team players then it looks like we are preparing for next season in the CN
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Post by Frank Owen’s Paintbrush on Jan 1, 2018 20:33:15 GMT
Thanks Rio, would rather stick rusty nails deep into my eyeballs than click a link to that disgusting rag's website.
As for Macc, it's quite clear to see that John Askey is the key to their relative success and has been ever since he took charge. The job he has done, and continues to do, is absolutely tremendous yet you'd also be sure that it would take a monumental opportunity to take him away from Moss Rose.
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Post by Maravilla on Jan 1, 2018 21:08:39 GMT
And it also proves that budgets aren't the most important thing in football, which poor managers like Burr and McCarthy constantly try and get fans to believe.
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