Bromley interim manager, Byron Webster has called on supporters to be the “twelfth man” at their League One clash against Peterborough.
Supporters are currently reeling from the shock departure of Andy Woodman as the club sit 23rd in the league table, but Webster has called on the fans to park any anger aside for their clash against fellow strugglers, Peterborough at the CopperJax Community Stadium on Saturday 24 October at 3pm BST.
In his pre-match preview to BFC TV, Webster addressed fans’ emotions as he issued a plea for them to get behind himself, the players and clubs, whilst acknowledging Woodman’s impact to get them from National League to League One.
“The message is simple, obviously a big figurehead of the club has left. And there’ll be a lot of people talking and having opinions and that is football. Everyone has an opinion and you’re allowed an opinion.
“You know, people pay the money to come to the football. And the gaffer is a great guy who has progressed this club and has had a smile on his face every single time. And has brought the best times to Bromley Football Club.
“The fans will be hurting. The players are hurting, the staff are hurting, the chairman’s hurting, everyone’s hurting. But I’m going to say for me, I need the fans. I need the fans to get behind me. I need the fans to get behind the players. And for I’ll say to be a twelfth man, I need them to be there to benefit the players.
“So selfishly for me please get behind the players.”
Webster has also revealed that Woodman has been in touch with him and the coaching staff with advice, and praised Steve Arias for his support during this period following their 4-0 midweek loss to Leicester.
“He’s contacted me. He’s spoke to me, he’s advised me and the coaching staff at the minute, you know, Steve’s (Arias) been unbelievable, Brandon as well, and Alex Dyer, you know, I lean upon them guys, I don’t claim to know all the information.
“In fact I’m a novice to this, you know, I’m new to it but what I do know is how to get a group of lads together and especially this group, I know there’s new people but as a captain, I knew these lads and I’m hoping, you know, they’ll buy into what I’m saying and if it’s a little extra of Byron’s, you know the interim manager at the minute, and that gives us that extra couple of percent to get the result then I’ll tell you that.”
With attention now switching to the home game against Peterborough, Webster revealed that they remain focused despite the surprise of Woodman’s departure.
“Yeah, it’s been good. Obviously, it’s been difficult circumstances, the last couple of days. Obviously yesterday the news broke which I think all of us were surprised, but it happens in football and the gaffer will be the first to say never be surprised what happens in football.
“And decisions are made and now as a club, and as players and staff, we need to have as ruthless as it sounds we need to move on and concentrate on the next game.”
“We look back obviously at the Leicester game. We looked at the things that were good, things that were bad but also I don’t want to sound like a bit defeated here but it was Leicester, and they’re a very good team and they have the resources and we’ve come a long way and sometimes we need to realise how far we have come.
“And like I say, we don’t dismiss the game. I’ve said to the players so I’m not asking them to do anything that they won’t be comfortable with, but you know, you know me for a long time, I am demanding, and I will be demanding them to be giving their all and mistakes will happen, you know?
“If you don’t make a mistake while playing football, you’re not getting the ball so I will accept mistakes but I won’t accept people not reacting well, people not running and yeah, you know, I’ve had the full support of the gaffer.”
The club’s former captain – who retired this summer – proceeded to add that an emotionless mindset is important to dealing with life in football, as he urged everyone at the club to enjoy the tough time that they’re in after so much success in recent years.
“Football’s a ruthless business, you know it. And whether you win, lose, draw or whatever it is, you will always move on. You know, whatever circumstances happen in football you literally move on.
“Last year we were winning. You know, it was ticking them off, we moved on, we moved on. You can’t dwell or you can’t get too emotional when you win and you can’t get too emotional when you lose. You know, we’re in a position we’re in and like I said, we played a lot of the top teams, all the teams that are at the top at the minute. Now, now’s the good times.
“Now, you know, you can see a smile on my face, this is what I want the lads to do. Now is the time to enjoy the tough times if you want to class it as that. Nothing’s ever plain sailing.
“This club has been very fortunate that it’s won. It’s won a lot over the last few years, and I believe it’s easier or easier when you win it.”
Webster also want to see everyone bring the club’s personality and unity to the match in order to have a chance at getting a win.
“Let see the characters now. Let see the people get together, let see the team get together. let see the fans, you know, get behind us and support us as they have.
“But as I’ve said, when you’re winning, everyone’s happy and everything’s easy. Now we need to show our togetherness and the brawny spirit.”
Attention soon turned to Peterborough as Webster spoke of their development of young talent and feels that his players must limit the Posh’s strengths if want any points.
“Yeah, it’s an unbelievable club. You can see the players that they’ve progressed over the years and the players that have moved on for big money and they’re very good at what they do. You know they’re a club like you say that you could class them to go up and down, but that’s no fear to meet they’re going from the Championship to League One.
“You know what I mean? That’s unbelievable. And this is another for a club of their size. They’re not like you know a Leicester. You know, they know what they are. They’re very good at what they do and they get success.
“So yeah, they’re down and around us, but new manager, yeah, Robbie Savage has come in and you can see from him how he was as a player and how he is as a manager, he’s got enthusiasm, he’s got energy.
“And that’s got him yeah a win, draw and a loss, but we need to concentrate on ourselves. We really do. We need to, for me, we need to know what we’re doing. We need to know as individuals what we’re doing and yeah, going forward, I believe that will help us.
“We know Peterborough’s strengths, we know the weaknesses and listen, like I say, it’s a ruthless game. We will be trying to find their weaknesses and pinpoint them and that’s what it’s about. We want to hurt Peterborough and hurting them mean we win again.”
With Bromley in a relegation scrap, Webster felt that expectations and growth brought new pressures and standards to the club as he spoke of their journey since he arrived in September 2020.
“The fans have been unbelievable. Like a joke today, we had obviously a few of the members of staff from behind the scenes of classes and the office staff watching training today and tongue in cheek, but there was 10-12 people watching.
“I remember coming to Bromley and there was 10-12 people watching a game. Now, there is a sell-out week in week out and that brings added pressure. It brings added pressure to the players to get results, to get performances, what you’ve got to enjoy pressure. That’s part and parcel of football.
“We’re a proper football club now. And you know, when I first came to Bromley, I’m not saying we weren’t a proper football club, but we were little Bromley.
“We are a proper football club. We’ve got proper fans. We’ve got proper facilities. We’ve got proper expectations and we have to meet them. Whether it’s the chef cooking food, you know, me putting a training session around. Steve doing the analysis with Joel Wells. You know Alex Dyer putting on a shoot, whatever it is, we have to set the standards. We are proper.
“We are a proper outfit now. And that’s the standards. And like I say, the fans, the fans have grown with us. They’ve had good times. And I don’t even want to say it’s a bad time. We’re not in a bad situation. You know, we’re in a bad situation because of the expectations everyone has on us now. You know expectations grows with success. And when you are successful and we come into League One, people think we’re going to go again.
“You know sometimes it’s not bad to take a punch on the nose. And you know a bit of realisation of yeah, we’ve been successful, but we still need to keep earning it. We still need to keep doing the right things. And hopefully we can get a result on Saturday.”
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