Trust shrewd Micky on Dean's discards

Rest assured, however amiable Adams is away from the dugout, he is a very shrewd manager who would never bring sentiment into his decisions. If re-signing a player is a positive step for the club then it will happen, regardless of what a section of the support might say, and, with the Albion back in pre-season training in little over a fortnight, we will all know sooner rather than later. In the mid-1980s, Barry Lloyd's Worthing side, one of the best and most successful in the club's history '” FA Cup second round, twice Ryman League runners-up '” were twice invited to join the Alliance Premier League, which is now the Conference. After much deliberation, the invitation was declined on both occasions. I later questioned both Lloyd and, at the time, Woodside Road director Ray Bloom as to why this great opportunity was passed over. Both men were brutally honest in their assessment that, at that time, however good the team were on the pitch, the off-the-field infrastructure at the club could not sustain that level of football. Over 25 years later, could the same be said about the Rebels' great rivals, Lewes, who embark on their first season in the Conference almost in a state of meltdown? Incoming manager Kevin Keehan has well and truly entered the bear pit of football management, and, somewhat unkindly, it appears the majority of people are writing him off before a ball has even been kicked. The reasons given by Messrs Lloyd and Bloom are still there, be it Worthing or Lewes, and as much as I like Kevin as a person, I really do worry for the immediate future of the club. Not because Kevin is not capable: how can anybody write him off before he has even started the season? But I really fear that Lewes may not be the first club to be punching above their weight off the field '” something the wise men of Woodside were brave enough to admit over a quarter of a century ago. A great night was had by all on Friday at the Worthing United FC junior presentation at the Assembly Hall. Many thanks to Michel Kuipers, Gary Hart and Arun and Chichester League sponsors, Mr and Mrs Peter Saywel, for kindly giving up their evening to hand out the trophies to all the boys, and also a few young ladies. Hopefully, the day United field a girls team is not that far off. A special "thank-you" to Worthing Thunder director and proprietor of Barkers, Dave Stanbridge, who provided an excellent big screen facility which certainly added to the enjoyment of the evening. On the subject of Thunder, it's good to see their plans to return to the BBL are gathering momentum, and I wish everybody at the club every success. Having attended live basketball in Worthing, incidentally as a guest of Dave and the club, I know what a thoroughly enjoyable experience it is. What I hope is that the Worthing sporting public now support the club's exciting ambition by attending in sufficient numbers to sustain top flight basketball in the town. And I freely admit, almost one week into the tournament, that in total I've probably watched less than five minutes of Euro 2008. And as Steven Spielberg once famously wrote, I'm sure "I am not alone". But please remember why we're not watching England in Austria and Switzerland: our team management was just not good enough. ------------------------------------- Click here to go back to Worthing sport. Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here. Email the Herald: richard.amey@worthingherald.co.uk