Morning gents. Just wanted to explain my announcement yesterday in a little more detail. It basically comes down to the fact that this is my 5th season in charge and the fact that I'm finding other demands on my time which have always been there beginning to naturally take a bit more priority - evident in the number of games I've not managed to make this season so far, or have left half way through, etc... I think that me taking my foot off the gas has resulted in the team as a whole not hitting the same pace as we have for the last few seasons.

I think also that where we have been quite successful that there's a danger that given everything above, I'm maybe sat back on it a little bit. So I came to thinking that maybe it was time someone else took the reigns and drove the club on from here. Once I found that thought had entered my head, I was pretty much assured that it was therefore the right thing to do. I was going to keep hold of things for a little longer in the season, maybe til the New Year, but then it looks like I'm going to be missing quite a few games over the next 4 to 6 weeks and didn't think it was fair to desert the team like that, then come back for 2 games and retire then. That's why yesterday was the day.

As for the future, all I'm doing is retiring as manager, and other than the next 4 weeks, I shall be around just as much, training and playing/running the line/dressed up nice and warm... and here for Genghis to use to his discretion. I'll also be acting as a financial buffer until the end of the season, but everybody is going to have to get used to bringing subs with them on Sundays cos it's not fair to expect Genghis to sink the cost of the pitch and the refs like I have been - it's been my choice to do that, I'm not moaning, just saying that that's one thing that will have to change.

And as for Genghis, I had no trouble in deciding to retire cos I knew that he was there ready to carry on, he's seen the way I ran the club and worked bloody hard alongside me, you can't argue about his commitment or his will to win and with everybody's backing and input I think he's the right choice to inject a bit of urgency back into the club which I think I've let slip this season. He'll no doubt make some fuck-ups, as I did, but he'll learn from them, as I (sometimes) did, but you know him, he knows you, so there's no reason you can't move on from here. The league is still wide open, but we're still not quite firing on all cylinders, so there's an opportunity there but work needed to take it. I'm going to be around for Genghis to discuss options/decisions with me, so if you find yourself doing a lot more running in recent weeks at training and maybe even after matches if we don't start looking a bit fitter, you can call that the Bellamy Legacy...

And yes, on Thursday nights I will still be there, still shouting as much as normal and still moaning if people aren't putting the effort in or playing the simple balls, just now you can tell me to fuck off...