EVERY football manager has his supporters and his detractors. David Hodgson was no different - I, for one, wondered about his tactical ability.
But today, both sets of Quakers' fans will be united in sympathy behind a man who has seen his four years' hard work decimated in the two months since he came so heart-breakingly close at Wembley to completing his job and winning promotion.
Understandably, he has decided he has been through enough, even though quitting the club he loved can't have been easy. Famously he once said: "The only way I'm leaving this club is in a wooden a box, or if I'm sacked."
He built a team, including players who hadn't lowered themselves to the Third Division before, but found himself left with a mixture of unproven pros and untested youngsters. The biggest blows must have been the departures of Marco Gabbiadini, who scored more than 50 goals in just two seasons, and winger Neal Heaney.
Although clubs cannot stand in the way of players furthering their careers, once a club has declared its intentions of reaching the Premiership within five years, one would expect to a little determination to hang on to its better players - especially when 25 goals-a-season strikers don't grow on trees, no matter what their wage demands.
Chairman George Reynolds has said he wants more young players to be given a chance to shine, which, by coincidence, will mean a much lower wage bill. But if you pay peanuts you get monkeys - not promotion-winners.
Hodgson's commitment shouldn't be questioned. Those at pitch side at Wembley, myself included, witnessed his tears.
At 22-years-old and a fan of 11 years, I am divided on Hodgson's merits as a manager. He could sign players from across the continent at the click of his fingers, but a question mark always hung over his tactical knowledge. Something of a Kevin Keegan perhaps?
Some say he was too close to his players and not the disciplinarian footballers need. But bad managers don't guide a club to 11th and fourth places in the league in successive seasons.
Hodgson's team should have won promotion to the Second Division last season. It lost in the play-off final having finished in the club's highest position for nine years. It was narrowly defeated by Premiership Aston Villa in the FA Cup. It was clearly not a poor side.
Hodgson could have built on that side, but today the club is in turmoil once again.
Promotion this season will now be as wondrous as that save in the 1973 FA Cup final by a certain Jim Montgomery.
Over to you Benno and Monty
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