A look back on Chris Todd's reign and forward to a new beginning under Ronnie Moore
Article by Jamie Montigue
A look back at Todd’s reign with Eastleigh and forward to a new beginning for the Spitfires under Ronnie Moore
With just four matches played and less than two weeks in to the 2016/2017 season, Chris Todd lost his job as manager of Vanarama National League side Eastleigh.
The Spitfires, who have aspirations to get in to the Football League, came in to the new campaign as one of the favourites for promotion. Eastleigh FC have invested heavily in their squad once again thanks to the backing and support of chairman Stewart Donald.
No fewer than twelve new additions arrived at Stoneham Lane over the summer. The club attracted big names from higher up the football pyramid boasting years of experience playing in the Football League.
Former Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday favourite Reda Johnson, was hailed as a marquee signing for the Spitfires. Supporters of clubs up and down the country in higher divisions than Eastleigh were left enviously wondering why didn’t their own clubs sign him up instead – though there are some doubts regarding his injury record which precedes him, meaning this could yet prove to be a gamble. If he can stay fit though, he will be immense in this division and a huge asset to the club.
Influential central defender Ryan Cresswell, another regarded as a big coup, joined Eastleigh from League One side Northampton Town, last season’s League Two champions.
You could go through each of the signings one-by-one but the truth is, the pedigree of player that has come through the door at Eastleigh has left them undoubtedly as one of the hot picks to succeed this year along side Tranmere Rovers.
Things started well enough for Todd’s Eastleigh who got off the mark with a 2-1 win on the opening day of the new campaign at home to Guiseley. Those three points were then followed up with a point away to Braintree Town a few days later.
Things quickly turned sour however with back-to-back defeats in the next two fixtures which ultimately ended in a parting of ways for Eastleigh and Chris Todd. Eastleigh conceded a late goal away to Tranmere to lose 2-1, their first defeat of the season, but it was to be the next game – a Tuesday night game under the lights at the Silverlake Stadium, that proved to be the beginning of the end for Todd as Spitfires’ boss.
Eastleigh were two goals down in front of their own crowd but managed to find a way back in to the match in the final ten minutes of the game to draw level at 2-2 courtesy of goals from Ryan Bird and Andy Drury. Having done the hard work and looking like salvaging a point, a disastrous finale ensued for Eastleigh as Dover Athletic went on to score twice more and leave the hosts empty-handed in more ways than one (no points and no manager – the following day.)
So where did it go wrong for the likeable Welshman Todd? Was he given enough time to succeed at the ambitious club? Let’s take a look back and reflect on Todd’s time and tenure at the Silverlake Stadium. I also look ahead to a new era for the club under newly appointed manager Ronnie Moore.
Reflection and analysis:
Todd’s record as Eastleigh boss:
Caretaker manager: 23rd September 2015 to 15th October 2015
P: 4, W: 3, D: 0, L: 1, GF: 8, GA: 7, GD: +1, Win Percentage: 75%
Permanent manager: 15th October 2015 to 17th August 2016
P: 46, W: 21 D: 11, L: 14, GF: 63, GA: 54, GD: +9, Win Percentage: 45.7%
Overall Record:
P: 50, W: 24, D: 11, L: 15, GF: 71, GA: 61, GD: +10, Win Percentage: 48%
In comparison to Richard Hill who preceded him, Todd’s 48% win percentage is just 7% lower than Hill’s 55%.
Todd’s reign of just under eleven months at Eastleigh had it’s highs (the FA Cup run is an obvious stand out highlight), but was he given enough time in the job?
It could be argued that the answer is no given the multitude of changes at the club over the summer of 2016 with an overhaul of players and virtually a new squad to work with. To me this shows that Chris Todd could have been afforded more time to allow his new recruits to gel together. It is seldom seen that a new group of players are put together and then automatically click and everything all pieces together so suddenly.
Let’s not forget, this was Todd’s first job in management. He is clearly well-loved and respected by the supporters of the club that he has been such a big part of since his arrival as a player in January 2013 almost four years ago.
It is my opinion that Chris Todd will yet go on to forge a decent career in management. He will have learned so much from this experience and leaves taking with him a great wealth of knowledge and being all the better for it as a manager.
I have read that this is a job for the more experienced and well-seasoned manager, such is the pressure that comes with such a big job where success is almost demanded by the sheer investment that has gone in to the football club alone. I would go along with those views, but I believe that Todd could have gone on to turn things around should he have been afforded the time to do so. He wasn’t, and now both Eastleigh Football Club and Chris Todd move on and forwards.
So what is next for Eastleigh FC?
Ronnie Moore has been announced as the successor and replacement to Todd. He is the manager that Eastleigh and Donald have turned to, and the man Eastleigh have trusted in, tasked with getting the very best out of a talented squad of individuals.
Moore will be looking to get his new Eastleigh side quickly settled in to playing intuitively as a team. This is easier said than done for a manager who is just getting his feet under the table. The goal is and always has been promotion to the Football League ever since the club were promoted to the Vanarama National League, and that certainly will not change.
Moore will be looking for the Spitfires to get their season back up and running with promotion the ultimate end goal. His first full game in charge will be at home to Solihull Moors. A match that will be eagerly anticipated by many, not least by the new boss who will be hoping to hit the ground running.
Moore has over 900 games of experience in the Football League. The vastly experienced 63-year-old Liverpudlian has dropped into Non League Football for the first time in his highly respectable managerial career.
The new boss was looking on at his new players in action as Eastleigh headed to north Wales to take on Wrexham a day after being appointed. Ben Strevens caretaker boss for one game, was in the dugout to lead the team to a 0-0 draw.
Moore looks to be a very shrewd appointment from the club and he seems to fit the bill well for what is required going forwards. One of his first tasks in charge will be to find out what his favoured starting eleven is so that it can become a settled side and more importantly, a winning side.
I have every confidence that Eastleigh will be once again challenging at the top end of the Conference this season after a bit of a sticky start. I also, along with several hundred/thousands of Eastleigh fans, wish Chris Todd all the very best for what he has done for the club, and give my full backing and welcome to Ronnie Moore.
Chris
Todd – Eastleigh career
January 2013 – Chris Todd signs for Eastleigh as a player from Forest Green Rovers.
18th April 2014 – Conference South 2013/2014 Champions
Then a player for Eastleigh, Chris Todd was a vital part of the side that won promotion to the Non-League elite
19th May 2015 – Todd named assistant manager to Richard Hill
Having made just ten appearances in Eastleigh’s first season in the Conference National, Todd took up the role of assistant to replace outgoing Craig McAllister.
23rd September 2015 – Hill departs Eastleigh and Todd steps in as interim boss
Todd’s predecessor Hill resigned from his role as first team manager of Eastleigh FC.
“Managing is something I want to do, it’s always been in my thought process, and you can never say when the right and wrong time is. I’ve got the support of everyone and we’ll see where we go.
27th September 2015 – Todd’s reign off to flying start
In his first game in charge of Eastleigh as caretaker manager, Todd’s Eastleigh won 3-2 away against a Wrexham side who at the time were flying high in the division, inflicting them to their first home defeat.
2nd October 2015 – “I’m enjoying it, I feel comfortable and I’m hopeful of getting the job.”
After getting off to the perfect start as the caretaker boss, Todd was fighting off competition as Eastleigh were inundated with more than 80 applications for the position of first team manager. “If the chairman feels it’s right, then I’m up for doing it.” Todd stated.
15th October 2015 – Todd announced as new Eastleigh manager
At the time of Todd’s appointment, Eastleigh were two-points off the National League promotion play-off places. Donald told BBC Radio Solent. "Chris has got all the attributes we're looking for. He'll give us a young, fresh feel about the club."
15th October 2015 – Todd reacts to getting the job
Whilst in interim charge, Todd led Eastleigh to excellent wins against Wrexham, Tranmere and league leaders Forest Green Rovers which helped him to stake his claim and led to him landing the job on a permanent basis. At the time of his appointment, Todd spoke of being “honoured”, “delighted” and the “challenge” of taking the job.
18th October 2015 – Drew 1-1 in first game as permanent manager
In his first game in charge as the permanent Eastleigh boss – Todd’s Spitfires drew 1-1 away to second-placed Cheltenham.
21st December 2015 – An impressive start to life as manager
A 3-1 win over Kidderminster Harriers meant Todd’s side had racked up 10 wins from 11 league and cup matches. Under his guidance, Eastleigh moved up to third in the table heading in to the Christmas fixtures, making up ground and cutting the gap to leaders Cheltenham to just seven points with a game in hand.
After 16 games the stats read: 13 wins, 1 draw and just 2 defeats for the new manager. Todd was making the step up and adjustments from player to coach to manager look like light work and was certainly impressive in his first few months in charge.
22nd January 2016 – Eastleigh’s phenomenal FA Cup run
Eastleigh made club history in the FA Cup with Todd as manager. The fantastic run in the cup will forever be remembered fondly by all Spitfires fans and it was certainly a big highlight and positive to come out of Todd’s rein to look back on.
The club were the last non-league side standing in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup having seen off the likes of League One opposition Crewe Alexandra in the earlier rounds too. The fairytale continued with a 1-1 home draw against Neil Lennon’s Championship side Bolton Wanderers in front of a record crowd. In the end, Eastleigh narrowly lost out 3-2 in the replay.
Speaking about the cup run, Todd said he was "absolutely proud as punch” and that the performance levels were “extreme”.
25th April 2016 – Eastleigh miss out on play-offs
A defeat at home to Tranmere all but confirmed that Eastleigh had missed out on reaching the play-offs for a second consecutive season. In the 2014/2015 season – Eastleigh’s first year in the Conference National, the Spitfires made it to the semi-finals of the play-offs with Richard Hill at the helm, only to lose 5-1 on aggregate over two-legs against Grimsby Town.
After the great success of the cup run for Todd and Eastleigh, there was a period in March which saw the Spitfires hit a rotten patch of form, losing four out of five league games in February and early March 2016.
An unbeaten period of six wins and four draws from the 8th March to the 19th April saw Eastleigh bounce back as the season came to a close, though ultimately it wasn’t enough as 2015/2016 campaign ended with the disappointment of two defeats. Eastleigh missed out on the play-offs altogether finishing in seventh place, five points shy of fifth spot.
May 2016 – Big changes planned
“There will be a lot of change. There has to be – this club needs more,” Todd reflected on a season where Eastleigh just came up short.
“I’m a young manager and I’ve learned more in this short space of time than I could ever have imagined. But it’s all for the good. It’ll make me stronger and the squad stronger for next year.”
17th August 2016 – Eastleigh part company with Chris Todd
"We might have thrown Chris in at the deep end too quickly," Eastleigh chairman Stewart Donald told BBC Radio Solent as news broke of the parting of ways."The gut instinct is it is a big job and we need a more experienced manager. This season is only four games in, but we haven't started well.”
Todd himself looked back on his time with the club and thanked many people including the players, staff, fans and the chairman in his statement. He said: “I have relished my time in charge of this very ambitious club and the challenges it has brought.”
19th August 2016 – Moore appointed Todd’s successor as Eastleigh manager
Just two days after Todd had left, vastly experienced 63-year-old Liverpudlian Ronnie Moore was confirmed as the new manager in at Eastleigh to take the club forward in to a new era. Some of his successes include two promotions with Rotherham United.
After discussions with Stewart Donald, The Eastleigh Chairman commented, “I am delighted that Ronnie has agreed to join us and oversee the next stage of the clubs development. He brings with him a huge amount of experience and knowledge which along with the passion and commitment that has been clearly evident during our conversations made him the natural choice. I am looking forward to working with Ronnie as we continue to try and progress the football club.”
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