Brett Angell likes to believe the experiences Hawke's bay United players have had with him over five seasons will go on to add value to their careers, if they haven't already. Photo/Warren Buckland
From where Brett Angell's sitting, he's only ever embarked on a coaching campaign with Hawke's Bay United because he wanted to do it for the good of the game.
Not willing to reapply for his position after five seasons, Angell believes now it's a case of who is going to provide him an opportunity to carry on coaching because he's still got a lot to give but he does want to get that in the right way.
Brett Angell didn't consider Hawke's Bay United franchise's request to reapply for the head coach's position as a "writing on the wall".
"There were a couple of reasons why there's a little bit of uncertainty around certain things outside of football that put my commitment under some scrutiny," says Angell, after informing the Hawke's Bay national summer league franchise last week he wasn't going to seek a sixth season at the helm of the Thirsty Whale-sponsored outfit.
"It's more personal around that than anything else," he says but declines to elaborate.
Angell has enjoyed his five seasons immensely, grateful for the opportunities he's had.
"Sometimes you just feel, maybe, you've gone as far as you can with what we've got so it's time for somebody else to take on that role."
The 50-year-old believes the franchise finding itself in the financial doldrums didn't help its cause.
"To be truthful, we've always been in that position so there's nothing new either than there were times during the season where strains to support the player base working through the model the franchise have."
The former EPL player feels the timing of his resignation is right pertaining to mustering another squad all over again to work within the ambit of what he can operate with.
"That's the most difficult thing, " he says. "Every single season it's been a different team so it was going to be potentially that again so you start to run out of possible options."
Angell was always mindful of the limitations in his role from the time he took it on, not to mention the difficulty in trying to put on performances to please the region.
While proud of his achievements in the first three seasons, he accepts the last two summers hadn't quite panned out the way he would have liked.
"I was forever starting with a new team and finishing with a completely different one, which became more relevant in the last two seasons than the previous three."
Angell sees the irony in the adage that the only certainty in coaching is it'll come to an end, sooner or later.
"It is part and parcel of the whole environment in a results-driven business so you try your best with what you've got."
However, he likes to think Bay United have always been competitive for oppositions to punctuate the premiership.
He highlights making the grand final, runners-up position and the most points the franchise team have ever accrued in a season as some of the attributes that endorse his assertions.
"In all reality, though, it becomes harder, harder and harder to stand still, as it does in most things."
Angell says with his departure arises the opportunity for other mentors to put their stamp on what the province would like the franchise team to be.
His immediate successor, he feels, should respect what ideally has happened in the past.
He says the youth development programmes had helped him identify potential talent before exposing them to the high-octane environment to gauge their worth.
"It would be sad if that wouldn't be continued in many shapes and forms but, then again, the new persons will have their own ideas about where they want to take the club as any manager or coach would."
Angell also reflects with satisfaction at the number of regular players he's helped in moulding their careers to pave the way to bigger clubs in the premiership.
In some respects, he sees Bay United's success through individuals as one of the reasons why the team were always on the back foot.
"Those who have stayed in the country, generally, have stayed with me or gone to a club at a higher level because of their competitions which, unfortunately, we weren't able to give to them."
He says the exodus of Bay United players to Team Wellington was a classic example.
"We were the team that identified those players and then allowed them to build and grow to support the region but, unfortunately, not in the way that we could support the players for the longer term," he says, adding Bay United couldn't match the resources of powerhouse franchises.
Hawke's Bay United were always going to be hard work so when he took over the helm Angell knew he and his stable's work was always going to be about overcoming the odds.
"All the players in the first season who decided to go to other regions all ended up playing for me — every single one — at some point," he says.
On realising what Bay United were all about, Angell says the disenchanted players had returned to the Bay fold.
"That's the beauty of it," he says. "If ever we were going to struggle — in certain instances — it's how we had started, with just two players."
He regards it as good fortune to secure 18 others in his first stint to make up the squad of 20.
"Those players were playing at other levels but were with other teams who were not getting the recognition that we were able to give them."
Former captain Finlay Milne, playing for Palmerston North Marist in the elite winter Central League, is an example of such a player.
"That's the market we're in. We're not on the top of the table — never were so what we had to do was identify players who could, hopefully, support the region with their ability and, eventually, we could expose them to better opportunities moving forward."
He thanks his support staff throughout the seasons and the franchise board with the "little support" it had received.
"I know how difficult it is because of the people who are involved, and have stayed involved, it's a very difficult situation to put together a national league squad but, in reality, the player base isn't immediately at the doorstep."
The expenditure had mushroomed in his first season when players decided not to play under him.
"Yes, there was a lot of negativity around the environment and there probably still is — I don't know."
Overall, he believes they done what was good for the region.
"There are 13 players that I have actually given national league football to and they were all under the age of 18," he says. "I don't think there is any other franchise in the country that has got anywhere near that sort of level of support for their youth."
Angell his primary concern always orbited around the beautiful game moving forward in the region.
He had identified players in the mould of Karan Mandair and Jorge Akers when they were about 11 and took satisfaction in watching them metamorphose into better quality at 18.
"What I'd like to think is the experiences they've had with me also benefited them so that's all I've ever wanted from any player."
Angell says in many instances players have enjoyed that rapport with him in trying to promote an attack-minded team.
"There was only one season where we struggled purely from an attacking point of view so every other season my teams have been in the top four in relation to goals scored."
His philosophy also endeavoured to play an entertaining brand to please the fans.
"I think we've been quite consistent in a Brett Angell side. People know what a Brett Angell side does and what it's likely to do regardless of whether it quite achieves what it set out to do."
He would have relished taking Bay United to the Oceania Federation League (O-League) but, regrettably, came agonisingly close to it one summer although he shrugs his shoulders when asked if the franchise ever had the resources to foot it at that level.
"Well, that is a sort of frustration but not a frustration where we actually really speculated in the many instances we had."
He believes had Bay United embarked on an O-League campaign that would have allowed them to cap a player base.
"Some of those players wanted to play at that level but, unfortunately, I could never offer that."
He blames the transitional nature of the squad as a key factor for the instability during his tenure.
Angell says he'll be coaching again at some point.
"It's a case of who is going to provide an opportunity to me for that to happen because I've still got a lot to give but I want to do is get that in the right way.
"That's the way I've always been. Yes, you've seen me on the sidelines and at the end of the day there've been personalities who've had opinions so I've had to take some of that on the chin.
"I've only ever done it for the good of the game and that's why the support I've got is, hopefully, where people will say you're the most successful coach in relation to the outcomes that have been asked for," he says, adding he was working through a phase of uncertainty surrounding his personal life.
"I'm not ready to pull up stumps right now because there's a lot drive and passion in me and challenges."
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