Comment: Uncertainty rears its head again at AFC Telford

For the second summer in a row, everything is up in the air.

Rob Edwards has stepped down as boss and the Bucks faithful are not just wondering who will replace him.

Which players are going to stay on? Has the full-time view fallen by the wayside? What financial state does this leave the club in?

Those are all very much valid questions, the minds of die-hard Telford supporters will be racing.

Another question among many has to be, why can't things at my club be straightforward?

A lot know this past season was not perfect.

Former Wolves coach Edwards – appointed last June, hours after Rob Smith was sacked – made mistakes and, in fairness, owned up to them.

There were times when it seemed in real doubt that the Bucks would stay in National League North.

Naivety was apparent on several occasions – poor performances, abject signings – but they got the job done in the end.

Winning five out of eight games in April to secure safety was emblematic of a team with great spirit, players very much behind their boss.

Scenes of celebration after wins at Spennymoor Town and Blyth Spartans actually convinced quite a few that the team, although there was work to be done, could go somewhere. Progress was being made.

After three successive campaigns fighting against the drop, there seemed to be an honest group – a squad, with five or six good additions, which should have been more competitive next time around.

But now we will never know.

One would suspect a large group of those who fought for Edwards will also be on their way.

It would also be reasonable to think there may no longer be the shoulder of Wolves to lean on so heavily.

Although their under-23s may continue to call the New Bucks Head home, five loan signings from them probably won't happen again.

With Edwards deciding to leave, now is the time for the all-too-familiar rebuilding process.

Telford chairman Andy Pryce, as stated in the club's announcement of Edwards going, is intent on making a 'longer term' appointment – and let's hope that proves to be the case.

And let's hope whoever comes in can, at long last, provide Bucks supporters with some real success to sink their teeth into.

This out-of-the-blue move has to be followed up with swift action – a clear path, keeping followers of the club well-informed and up to date.

Communication from the club to the fans has taken a turn for the better in recent months and that should not change.

Names of potential new gaffers will be doing the rounds on social media in the coming days.

Former Telford defender Marcus Bignot, who recently got sacked by Chester, is one to have been mentioned already.

Whoever it turns out to be, the manager should be in place well before the start of pre-season, in order to have enough time to get together a decent amount of new players and speak to the existing group – to know, as soon as possible, if they are part of the new vision or not.

Thorough planning is essential. As we have come to know, a slow start usually ends up with a scrap at the wrong end of the table. You can't carrying on cheating death.

They have to come flying out of the blocks, providing something to smile about early on.

Three managers have gone in less than three years – Steve Kittrick, Smith and Edwards.

Here's hoping that trend will not continue.