US Portsmouth admit replacing boss Glenn Turnbull and his coaching staff  ‘is going to be very, very difficult for a club like us’

US boss Glenn Turnbull was this week named as Dave Carter’s replacement at Dover Road - reward for his impressive work at The Victory Stadium since he was promoted from managing the reserves in the summer of 2019.

Turnbull isn’t taking up his new role until the end of May, due to US’ ongoing involvement in the FA Vase and Wessex League Cup.

But when he does leave, he will be taking assistant Fraser Quirke, coach Paul Barton, reserve boss Lee Mould and physio Steffan Steffan with him to Moneyfields.

Collectively, they are very large shoes to fill.

‘It’s a massive blow to lose them,’ said US stalwart Brady.

‘Glenn, Fraser and Paul worked very well together - they have massively exceeded all expectations.

‘I thank them all for their efforts.

‘Glenn didn’t just manage the team, he did a massive amount behind closed doors, behind the scenes.

‘It is frustrating - the cycle goes round every three or fours years. We have a good manager, he gets recognised, his ear gets bent from elsewhere …

‘We offer good facilities, we’ve got a good ground, but we don’t pay any wages. That’s always been an Achilles heel for us.’

US’ achievements under Turnbull have helped raise the club’s profile. In 2019/20 they were top of the Wessex League Division 1 table, 11 points clear of the fifth-placed team with the top four due to win promotion when the pandemic struck.

The subsequent decision by the FA to null and void denied US the promotion that was looking almost inevitable.

It would have been the club’s first promotion since predecessors Portsmouth Royal Navy became founder members of the Wessex League in 1986/87.

The club initially found the going tough - finishing bottom three times in the first six seasons. In 15 campaigns, the highest they ever finished was 10th.

After finishing bottom again in 2000/01, they withdrew from the Wessex before spending three seasons in the old Hampshire League. In 2004, they changed their name to US Portsmouth and returned to the Wessex.

Prior to Turnbull taking over, the highest position US had finished was third in the second tier in 2008/09 - but their points-per-game average was 1.92 compared to the 2.28 Turnbull’s men boasted in 2019/20.

This season, the club are through to the last 32 of the Vase for the first time ever and are due to host divisional rivals Bemerton for the right to reach their first ever Wessex Cup final.

As a result, US are now a more attractive proposition than a few years ago.

‘What we have achieved has been outstanding, and it’s raised our profile - hence the people who have already showed an interest in taking over.’ revealed Brady.

‘I’ve had a few calls already from people who are well known and who’ll we speak to.

‘It will be interesting to see what happens. We have a few weeks to contemplate it, but I would hope to have someone in place by the end of May.’

Brady said it was vital that Turnbull and co remained in situ until the 2020/21 fixtures had been completed.

‘I made a request to Moneyfields that Glenn stays and finishes the job this season,’ he said.

‘It would have been difficult to have to bring someone else in, with a different kind of presence to Glenn, Fraser and Paul.’

Brady added: ‘It’s gutting really - that’s the nature of football at our level - but I’m chuffed for Glenn.

‘I’m sure some of the squad will be going with Glenn to Moneyfields.

‘They can offer some pocket money and we can’t - the players have to pay to play for us.

‘I am sure Glenn, Fraser and Paul could go higher up the pyramid managing and coaching. They have the right attitude, and if you have the right attitude you’re halfway there.

‘We have always tried to look internally from our own group, but I’m not sure we’ll be able to do that this time so we will need to look outside.

‘Managers and assistant managers normally have expectations of a budget, but they won’t have that with us.

‘And the job just won’t be managing the first team, it’ll be helping out on matchdays, being involved in sponsorship, making the sandwiches.

‘We don’t have any overheads - we don’t make enough money to allow us to do things like that.

‘Glenn was a massive part of our commercial side. He did so many things, and he is so enthusiastic. He’s going to be bored at Moneyfields as there’ll be so many other people to do things!’

Brady has been involved with the club for decades, first playing for Portsmouth RN in the mid-1970s.

After leaving Fareham Town, he returned to play in the mid-1990s and became assistant manager for two years.

He took over as manager in 2002 and played his last game for the club - ‘20 minutes as a sub against Tadley’ - when he was in his mid-50s in 20212/13.

In addition to his secretary duties, he is also treasurer and programme editor - and pre-lockdown attended meetings that chairman Richard Stephenson, due to the fact he lives abroad, couldn’t make.

Though the 2020/21 season has been curtailed, there is still a chance US could start next season in the top flight of the Wessex.

The FA have said they are revisiting plans to restructure the bottom end of the non-league pyramid, which could result in US - possessing the best PPG record in their division over the last two pandemic-wrecked campaigns - being offered promotion.

Brady said it would be offer the club would still accept, even though he admits some of their best players will almost certainly follow Turnbull to Moneyfields.

‘I can remember around the 2000/01 season we were getting 200 at home games,’ Brady recalled.

‘We’d regularly get 100/200 and it only really started dropping off when Portsmouth won promotion to the Premier League.

‘The crowds dropped away then and they have never got back to that level.

‘If we did go up then we’d get bigger crowds from playing Portchester, Fareham and obviously Baffins.

‘But against that I’d have to try and find more stewards and the right people to help out, and we couldn’t pay them.

‘Getting the volunteers is tough, it’s very difficult.

‘We are a very unique organisation, with the caveats the Navy put on us.

‘Our chairman and vice chairman have to be serving members. Our chairman (Richard Stephenson) lives in Belgium, he hasn’t been over for a few years, and we haven’t got a vice chairman at the moment.

‘We’re not the sort of club where the chairman can put down a chunk of money, unless he wants to out of his own pocket.

‘I also need to find a reserve manager and a physio. Steffan has done a fantastic job but now we need to find a new volunteer.

‘Most of the guys who are coaches have done first aid, but it’s not the same.

‘Replacing all these roles is going to be very, very difficult for a club like us.

‘If promotion was offered, though, we would definitely go for it.

‘We’d probably have to cut our cloth accordingly - we’d try hard to make sure we weren’t down the bottom getting beat each week.’