GRAYS Athletic have announced that Gary Phillips is the new manager of Grays Athletic with ex-Weymouth boss Alan Lewer acting as his assistant.
The club continues to refuse to issue a statement on the status of Craig Edwards, although Edwards is of the opinion that he has been sacked.
Grays have also announced that they will not be detailing the length of the new signings contracts. Unconfirmed reports have indicated that players such as Paul Terry are on monthly contracts.
YourThurrock Comment
In the event of a nuclear war, there will be three things left standing: The Great Wall of China, Keith Richards and Gary Phillips standing in the Grays dugout.
With the first game of the season just hours away, there is no doubt that Grays have a very interesting squad indeed, the real question is can they gel in time to match the streetwise Histon.
The last three seasons have seen Grays widely tipped to compete in the play-offs but the manager merry-go round in 2006-07 put paid to that; then the tinkering of Justin Edinburgh saw the team flirting with relegation by October in 2007-08. Last season, the team floundered in the rain at Weymouth and never found any momentum all season.
After the Bromley disaster, the squad looked incapable of mounting any challenge against Blue Square Premier opposition.
Edwards departure has been met by a huge influx of intriguing players. The vast majority of the Edwards signings have gone. Some players such as Fred Murray have only stayed for a few days.
With the club remaining tight-lipped on the lengths of contracts, it may be that the situation remains somewhat liquid.
Still, fans will be travelling up the M11 excited to see what level of football exciting and experienced players such as Lee McEvilly, Dean Morgan and Paul Terry can produce. Sneak a draw at Histon, a result at Tamworth, a settled squad and who knows.
