I should have quit

Thursday 16th December 2004

"I WISH I had gone before I was pushed."

That was Steve Claridge's reaction today to Martyn Harrison's "I should have sacked him earlier" comments published in Tuesday's Echo.

Claridge has also accused Harrison of interfering with team selection during his reign as Weymouth player- manager.

The former Portsmouth boss claims the Terras owner and the vice-chairman, Matthew McGowan, tried to tell him who to pick and where they should play.

Claridge, dismissed last month, says he wishes he had quit the Wessex Stadium the day Harrison took over.

He said: "When I left the club, both parties agreed to keep a dignified silence.

That hasn't happened on the club's part.

There are two sides to every story and I am sick of hearing only one.

"Martyn Harrison says he wished he had got rid of me the day he took over the club.

I wish I had left the day he took over the club.

"He made it clear from day one that he was going to undermine me and the then chairman, lan Ridley.

He was a man I had nothing in common with.

It was no great hardship when we parted company.

"What I don't understand is why he was the one telling me all summer to go out and spend money to get new players in.

He approved every deal and now says the wage bill was too high and wants to get rid of them.

"There is some rubbish being talked about money at the club.

He gave me a wage budget for the season of £500,000 and when I left I was £120,000 under that.

"He said he knew nothing about football and was going to leave it to me.

But Harrison and Matthew McGowan would interfere and try to tell me who to pick and where they should play.

I'll back my judgement on football over theirs any day".

Claridge, who today joined Brentford following a month playing for Championship side, Brighton and Hove Albion, defended his close friend Ridley's record as Terras chairman and said people criticising him should be ashamed.

"I think some of the things being said are unfair and plain wrong," added Claridge.

"He gave everything he had to the club.

Nobody could have worked harder to turn it around.

Anyone who is now criticising him should be ashamed and could not have seen what he put in last season.

"Those who know him and were around the place will know the true story and just as I am proud of what we achieved, so should he be."

Claridge says he is now planning to reveal more details of his 18-month stay at the Wessex Stadium during Sunday's AGM at the Riviera Hotel.

He added: "I will provide a longer statement for the AGM and fans' forum on Sunday but I will say no more after that."

My record at Weymouth speaks for itself and people can make up their own minds."