Former Waterford FC boss Marc Bircham says Waterford FC's players deserve to win the relegation playoff.
The manager who was sacked this week amid a dispute with the club's owner Richard Forrest featured on TalkSport to discuss his recent dismissal.
The former QPR, Milwall, and Canada midfielder said that
"We had six points after fifteen games, we were 18 points from safety, we managed to come in and get 42 points after 36 games. The lads had done brilliantly."
"We've had a small squad all season, around about 15 players being used. Yeah, really proud of what we'd done"
Speaking about the fans,
"The fanbase and the community were going through a really low-spell with the covid and a team that was looking like it was going to get relegated, and we managed to unite the town"
The London native was asked about the clubs relegation play-off, with former Spurs player Ian Hendon now at the helm,
"We was really up for it, confidence flying, and then - I'm going to disappoint people, but nothing major happened. It was a text conversation with the owner. I disagreed with him - which I do 98% of the time, and he suspended me for my head not being in the right place. Anyone who knows me, my heads not in the right place most of the time. That's why I'm so good at my job because you need to be".
"I weren't allowed talk to the players, so I had to put out a statement, that I thought was very PC. Then I got sacked on Twitter".
While speaking about the day-to-day running of the club, Bircham said that most of the work was fine, but issues always pop their head above the parapet.
"When it's left for me and the chairman to run stuff, everything went smoothly. I've sort of been backed into a corner. He's said to the players that he had to let me know because I've been blackmailing him. Ridiculous."
"It goes back to the last game of the season. We had four suspended, three injured, we only had two subs. On the Thursday before the game on the Friday we had arranged for the U19's to train with us, to be subs with in the game. We got reports back to us that the academy director with the head of the college had decided that the players should train with the U19's as they had a cup final on Saturday. My rule is that if you don't train the day before you don't play"
"The academy on the official social media put out a statement - I asked the chairman to put out a statement condemning that, and you're dealing with it in-house because I want to get on with the game."
Bircham goes on to say that while the chairman was in the process of contacting the academy to have that statement removed, the club's owner stood in and stopped it. He says that he advised the owner, that if they didn't resolve the issue he [Bircham] would need to release a statement defending himself; at which point the suspension and subsequent dismissal were made public.
"He has his son at the club. I told the chairman that he wouldn't be playing for me next year as I wanted to bring in better players and he might not be on the bench for Friday's game".
"Every decision I make is for the betterment of the players, the team, and the club. That decision [sacking Bircham] is not for the betterment of the club. The owner had a knee-jerk reaction. He doesn't like.....my honesty"
Bircham who says he is hoping to get right back into management finished his chat saying that this is not something he wanted to have to talk about it publicly, but this is the situation he finds himself in now.
"He's bought Waterford for his two sons to play professional football"
Finally, Bircham addressed the game with UCD and the challenge the club faces tomorrow night saying that will 100% watch the game, and he might even attend if he is allowed.
"UCD. We beat them in the cup. They're a good team, a good passing team. I'd love them [Waterford FC] to win it because the players have done so well. The fans and the town deserve it. That's my parting stance on that one"
While he accepts a return to coaching in Waterford is now off the cards, he does say that he will have to come back to Waterford in the near future.
"I've got to go back to get all my stuff"
