JUSTIN EDINBURGH: Why I had to leave Newport County

How do you feel now the deal is done and you are the new manager of Gillingham?

“I’m glad to get it done, obviously it has been an unsettling time for both me and the clubs involved.

“I know I can’t please everyone and I know there are some Newport fans who are unhappy with my decision and I can totally understand that.

“But whatever anyone is saying, I know that I am very proud of what I have done at Newport and what we have achieved since we walked through the door at the club.

“It has been an unbelievable time in the club’s history and I enjoyed every minute of it. We were trying to constantly drive the club forward and it became very personal to me.

“But in any walk of life, in any job whatever your profession is, you want to strive to do the best you can, no one looks to remain at the same level. If I was that way, I would never have left the Ryman Premier League.

“But I was the ninth longest serving manager in English football and I was so happy with Newport that I bided my time very happily over the past three seasons, because in the past couple of years there have been a lot of opportunities.”

Can you elaborate?

“Some of them people know about, like Northampton and Portsmouth and some people don’t know about. And some clubs that you would possibly argue are bigger than Newport and Gillingham.

“But for whatever reason they didn’t sit right with me and it was always going to take a job that really did sit well to make me consider leaving Newport.

“I am looking at my career, because I am 45 now, as a set of building blocks and even though I was a Premier League player for a long time, that hasn’t really affected my managerial path.

“I started in the Ryman and have looked to progress and I’ve been patient, trying to do it the right way, but no-one is ever going to stay at the same club forever.”

There is now a perception that it is about the travelling from Essex and people saying it is just an excuse, how important was that (the travelling) as a reason for leaving?

“A lot has been made about the travelling, I know Jimmy (Dack) mentioned that and I did talk about it on television (on Sport Wales) but I was only answering a question about what it is like.

“Ideally, I wouldn’t have spent nearly four years driving six hours a day, but it is part of our job, it is a part of football. There are only 92 Football League clubs and there is the Conference, but the clubs are spread across the country. Since I was 16-years old I’ve been travelling for football and as a player you never know where you might end up. It isn’t a problem.”

But it must affect your personal life?

“At times in the last few years I have put my personal life on hold, but I’m not complaining about that, I was very happy to do it.

“This is a football decision and for me there are justifiable reasons, but only time will tell if I have made the right decision, the same with anyone who changes jobs.

“But Gillingham has aspects that unfortunately Newport can’t meet and they are facts. They can be a Championship club, because they were for five years in a row and I remember playing there in front of good crowds.

“It’s a fact that Gillingham can easily attract 9,000 people when things are going well and in terms of the catchment area and the potential, I think it’s massive. There are so many people in Kent and Gillingham are pretty much a one county team.

“It’s all there, those are aspects that you can’t dispute and they also own their own stadium and in terms of building blocks in my career, I feel like Gillingham is a good step in the right direction, it is progression, and that is what you have to look at.

“I’ve never made any secret of the fact that my ultimate aim is to be a Premier League manager. I was lucky enough to play at that level and would love to return there. Whether or not I will ever make it, who knows? But that’s certainly what I am striving for.

“You can potentially wait forever for this job or that job, but Gillingham, after speaking with their chairman, sat right with me, taking the situation as a whole. But even then, it wasn’t an easy decision to make.”

Do you understand some fans resent how you left? Mid-season and with all the talks about a new contract making fans think you were staying?

“No one passionate about their football club will ever like anyone leaving when things are going well. But that goes both ways. A player or a manager can be sacked or have their contract paid up or whatever and that’s the other side to football. I’ve been lucky that while I’ve been at Newport we’ve had a very successful time so in that regard, there was never going to be a good time to go.

“I have no regrets or problems with anyone involved at Newport County, whatever anyone is saying about me now. From the fans to the staff, everyone has been first class.

“I know that one or two fans will have something to say about me going and I have heard some of the views, but ultimately I have always believed that football is about memories. It’s a sport that we absolutely love and it’s because of the memories and experiences that it gives you. And I truly feel that I have given the club some great memories.

“I know that some thought the process went on too long and could’ve been handled better, but it has been a very tough time, because contrary to what some might believe, it wasn’t an easy decision.

“Maybe it could’ve been resolved quicker, but I tried to handle it in the best way I could. When it was just speculation I said I couldn’t comment on speculation and I tried to be as honest as I could be.

“I said I hadn’t been approached and when the club were approached and agreed I could talk with Gillingham, I had two meetings with them in two days, which was last weekend. Then I was offered the job.

“The speculation before that was something I couldn’t do anything about, but I never lied about the situation and I never took my eye off the ball at Newport.

“When I was told that Howard was saying I had agreed a contract, I told the truth, which was that I agreed it and it hadn’t been signed.

“When I was asked about the speculation with Gillingham, I said there was no story to talk about until they made an approach. When they made an approach, I told Newport I would like to speak to Gillingham. When I was offered the job, it was down to the two clubs to agree compensation and I carried on doing my best for Newport.

“But ultimately people will read it however they choose and I can’t change that.

“Every single day I was manager of Newport County, I gave it my absolute best and I tried to drive the club forward as much as I could.”

And your spell as manager came at an interesting time in the club’s history. You embraced that, would you like to explain?

“There was more to being a manager at this time than just the results on the field, we joined at a time when the club was coming closer to getting back to where they belonged and I wanted to leave a legacy.

“I think we’ve done that and not just in terms of getting promoted. The club is unrecognisable from the one I took over that were struggling badly in the Conference.

“In terms of the infrastructure of the club, we have the training base, the move to Rodney Parade and the memories on the pitch and I was in a great position to be able to drive those changes.

“For myself personally, I’ve won an FA Cup as a player and had some great times, but I said on record, getting Newport County promoted at Wembley back into the Football League is my greatest moment in football.

“Whether people will believe me or not and I am certain most will, Newport was the first result I checked for on Saturday, at half time and at full time. And that will continue to be the case.

“Nothing would please me more than Newport getting promoted to League One this season and even after the last four results, three of which were away and one was to the strongest squad in the division, the club is still in a strong position.

“It was very hard to walk away, but you do have to make tough decisions in football. That was even the case for me in January at Newport.

“We let both Christian Jolley and Danny Crow go, both of whom had been massively key figures in getting us to the Football League. It wasn’t nice for me to tell them they weren’t wanted any more, it was a very hard thing to have to do. But in football, everyone has their time at a certain club.

“Managing Newport became very personal and I have had times where my balance between work and life was probably a bit wrong, we (the Edinburgh family) didn’t go away at all in the first two years I was manager, because planning for the next season was more important.

“I really got to see the potential and passion at the club in the first season when we got to the FA Trophy final and the prospect of getting Newport promoted was massively motivating. The club became a part of me. My life was very driven by that goal.

“And I was always given the backing to do that and to always try and grow the club. I couldn’t say a bad word about Howard or Les or any of the staff at the club.

“To see where they are now, with the foundations laid to be an established Football League club, makes me immensely proud. But I do honestly believe we over achieved every season I was there.

“I certainly hope my legacy at the club is the promotion.

“That was about a lot more than a manager, the players on the pitch or even the fans in the stadium.

“So many people worked so hard for so long to get Newport County back from nothing for so many years, some of them didn’t even live to see the dream become a reality. I really brought into that and I got the players to buy into it too. It was more than just getting promoted, it was fulfilling the dream of thousands of people. I really hope that is how people remember my time with Newport.

“The project started 22-years before I came to the club and those people got rewarded and I feel really proud of that fact.”

What is your message to the fans of Newport County Justin? I know there has been some anger at your departure, but even now, most fans seem to still be grateful for what you’ve done. What do you say to them all?

“Thank you, obviously. There is absolutely nothing else I possibly could say. From the day I walked through the door, when we got absolutely smashed at home to Southport, they’ve been nothing but fantastic with me. They are an incredibly passionate group of fans, who travel home and away to back their team.

“That is a big deal in non-league football especially and it helps the players develop more of an affinity for the club when they know they have such vocal support, wherever they play.

“I know not all the fans have always seen things my way, there were some who wanted me sacked at the start of this season, but football is all about opinions and always has been.

“My experiences with the County fans have been fantastic, I’ve met many people, they absolutely love their football club and I wish nothing but good luck to the whole group.

“I want the club to continue putting things in place to ensure that the club can continue to grow, because they have that foundation now. When we came in there were 1,500 fans who always turned up and that number is more like 3,500 now.

“From Jimmy and Howard and Les, all the coaches, Harty (the kit man), little Bobby (Morris), I have enormous affection for everyone at the club.

“It’s been a really great spell and I hope it continues and I believe it will. I wouldn’t want to be Tranmere on Tuesday night, I have seen Jimmy asking the fans to really get behind the players and I know that they will.”