Former Bromley manager Andy Woodman has used the latest episode of the BBC's 72+ EFL podcast to criticise the club’s summer recruitment after his sacking and to discuss where his career may go next.
Background to Woodman’s Bromley exit
Woodman is the former manager of Bromley and led the Ravens to two promotions during his five and a half years in charge. He was sacked after Bromley recorded just two wins in their first 10 games at League One level.
Concerns over late and inadequate summer signings
On the podcast, Woodman said he believed Bromley acted too late in the summer transfer window and did not secure the players he felt they should have signed. He said: "I just felt we didn't get the players we should have. I'm sure one or two of them were out of our reach but we just didn't really put our marker down until late."
Woodman also revealed he had just agreed fresh terms before losing his job, describing the situation as "a bit bizarre". He said that seven players arrived over one or two days and, in his opinion, they were not good enough to get into League One teams but expected to be in his League One side. He said: "Then we end up having seven players come in over one or two days that, in my opinion, weren't good enough to get in League One teams and suddenly they think they should be in my League One team."
View on rapid rise and infrastructure limits
Woodman told the podcast that Bromley probably reached League One too quickly and that the club could not complete all the infrastructure work required, which he described as impossible. He said: "We probably got to League One too quickly. We couldn't do all the infrastructure stuff. It was impossible."
He revealed that, while at Bromley, he had received offers to manage higher up the pyramid but stayed out of loyalty to the club. He said: "I felt I was building something and I wanted to finish the job."
Looking back, Woodman admitted he might have preferred to leave on his own terms in the summer but said he had been excited about what lay ahead. He said: "Would I, in hindsight, have liked to have walked away on my terms in the summer? Maybe, but I was quite excited about the next chapter."
Emotional shift, goodwill and future ambitions
Woodman said his feelings about his departure had changed in recent weeks. He said: "Two weeks ago I was fuming and now I've moved on." He added that he felt no animosity towards Bromley or owner Robin Stanton-Gleaves.
He stressed his goodwill towards the club and his desire to see them survive in League One. He said: "I sincerely wish them all the best." He added: "I want them to stay up. I want my legacy to live on at that football club because I've worked so hard to get them to where they've got to."
Discussing his next move, Woodman said that although he was disappointed about how his time at Bromley ended, he accepted he could not change it. He said: "As much as I was disappointed, I can't do anything about that now." He continued: "I can only move on and look forward to my next challenge, and hopefully put another club on the map."
