Latest news with #Woodman
Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'You have to work that little bit smarter' - Bromley boss Andy Woodman on EFL
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Andy Woodman has elevated Bromley to new heights since leaving his previous hole as head of goalkeeping at Arsenal in 2021 but is still hungry for more Andy Woodman is no stranger to a final at Wembley. In fact, the Bromley boss has become somewhat of a play-off connoisseur since swapping the glitz and glamour of Arsenal for Hayes Lane. This marks just the second time in five seasons since Woodman's arrival in the spring of 2021 that the Ravens have not been in the thick of the end of season promotion party. Understandable, perhaps, given that last year Bromley were promoted to the EFL for the first time in their proud history after striking it rich under Wembley's famous arch. Not quite. Woodman will be sitting in the stands watching AFC Wimbledon and Walsall slug it out for a place in the third tier still smarting over the five points that would have clinched Bromley a golden ticket. The 53-year-old, who claimed the FA Trophy as compensation in the only previous campaign where Bromley missed out on the top seven during his tenure, admits: "I can't tell you how much I've struggled with not getting in there. The chairman sat down with me to try and keep me sort of sane with it. But I was devastated we couldn't get there." Listening to Woodman, you wouldn't guess you were talking to the manager of a club with a bottom two budget. Even in the National League, the Ravens were effectively boxing Goliath without gloves with a bottom five budget. For a 20-year veteran coach who has spent the majority of his polished career operating at some of the Premier League's elite clubs, Woodman has adapted quickly to the reality of the lower levels. Just like his playing days, he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty. "It means you have to work that little bit smarter and that little bit harder," Woodman says. "But I'm blessed: I've been in this game 37 years and I've benefitted greatly from working at top, top clubs." The wealth of experience Woodman brought from his extensive coaching career came hand in hand with a loaded black book of contacts. Relationships with club officials and loan managers - some stretching all the way back to his playing days - have given Bromley far more bang for their buck at the lower end of the footballing food chain. Both club and manager have since been bolstered by a burgeoning reputation for player development. 16 academy products have earned debuts during Woodman's reign. Significant transfers have followed for homegrown talent: Ben Krauhaus, a talented 20-year-old winger, joined Brentford in January before being loaned back. Kellen Fisher has flourished at Norwich City and the vultures are already sizing up the 21-year-old right-back for a multi-million pound transfer. That has been just as sweet - if not more so - than the points and the accolades. "I would go as far as to say that these are respected football people that trust me and us as a club with their players. And they've seen what we can do with their young players. "My duty of care while these young footballers are with me is to make sure that they maximise their potential and go on to have good careers. I really pride myself on that. Seeing [players like Krauhaus and Fisher move on] is my reward." This time last year Woodman was piecing together a powerpoint consisting of clippings from various media outlets and channels writing the club off as relegation fodder. Despite being within his rights to do so, there is no gloating after emphatically proving the outside world wrong. Instead, he and the club are locked in on ensuring they do not fall victim to the latest obstacle in their path: the notorious second-season syndrome. "We know what to expect; it's down to us to make sure that we're prepared," Woodman reasons. "When we were in the National League the time the ball was in play [on average] was 49 minutes. In the league this year it was 71 minutes. So a huge difference and probably my biggest takeaway [of the season]. "The high-speed running was another level. We were a seriously fit team in the National League, but the high-speed running was so much more than what we'd put in. We were one of the fittest teams; we were probably 5KM down compared to League Two. We've bridged that, now we have to go up again another gear." Woodman is an engaging character. But there is substance behind the anecdotes; an edge behind the smile. When the conversation turns to ideologies in an era where some coaches willl brazenly stick to their principles no matter what, Woodman is an advocate for adaptability. "There was a point in the season where we tried to keep the ball and maybe control games better. And all of our numbers dropped. "We have not got players that are on Man City's level. So we have to play to our strengths; our strengths are pace, energy, getting it down the sides and getting crosses in the box. Keeping teams locked in their own half." "Set-pieces are a big part [of the modern game]," he adds. "We've looked at Arsenal: they've been unbelievable at set pieces and it's been huge for them. It's become a part of the game we take really seriously and we work really hard on every element of them; throw-ins, goal kicks, free kicks. Everything. We don't just lump it in the box; a lot of work and effort and thought goes into them." Ambition is another thing neither he nor the club are short of. When Woodman was approached by Robin Stanton-Gleaves, the club were established in the fifth tier but had never reached the play-offs at that level. Their target for the club back then was League One - that hasn't changed. After licking his wounds over the summer, Woodman and Bromley - small budget and all - will come again. He feels both he and the club are adequate enough to grace a higher level. More club records set this season - the highest league finish in their history and reaching the FA Cup third round for the first time - are indicators they are moving in the right direction. "I want to grow but you've got to be realistic," says Woodman. "You're not just going to get a Championship job, let alone a Premier League one. You've got to work through the leagues [for it]. "I look at someone I know really well, Chris Wilder: he's a bit of an inspiration to me. And Eddie Howe. They've done that and look at the success they've had. "So I look at them and as much as people might think that's a bit of dream world, but I look at those guys and the way they've gone about their journey and that's what I want to replicate. And why shouldn't I?"
The Herald Scotland
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Edinburgh University could cut 1750 staff jobs, claims union
The UCU is at odds with the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and the University of Edinburgh. It is campaigning for what it calls its Four Fights. These include 'a fair pay deal, action on reducing the pay gap, the elimination of casualisation and reduction of workloads.' University of Edinburgh students have endured wide-scale industrial action over recent years, including a Marking and Assessment Boycott in 2023 which left hundreds of students without degrees for months. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Peter Mathieson, has sent emails to staff over the past few months about the financial state of the university, claiming it has to reduce its annual costs by £140m. In emails to staff, Mathieson said 'nothing is off the table,' as the university has 'some tough decisions' to make. The university has not yet said exactly what these decisions would be, however, options outlined by Mathieson include: 'restructuring, possible closures of programmes or even Schools, mergers or shared services between Schools, centralisation of some services, outsourcing of others.' Read more Around 350 staff members have already taken the voluntary redundancy scheme and academic promotions will be frozen for the 2025-26 academic year, however Mathieson has not ruled out compulsory redundancies. UCU Edinburgh President Sophia Woodman said: 'The idea that that you can cut your way to profitability in a sector like education seems really baffling as a strategy.' Mathieson has stated that this forecasted deficit 'must be reversed so that we are generating an operational surplus again, allowing ourselves to continue to invest in our staff, students and infrastructure. The magnitude of the financial gap that we need to close over the next 18 months is about 10% of our annual turnover, which is a similar percentage to the position of many other universities. This has to be a recurring and sustainable reduction in our cost base. For us this is of the order of £140million.' UCU Edinburgh claims the university is 'manufacturing a crisis.' Woodman said that the university is not running a £140m deficit, but is looking to cut that amount to retain running an operational surplus. Of this £140m, she claimed that management had told the union that £90m will be staff cost cuts – which the union estimates is equal to 1750 jobs or 1 in 8 staff members being made redundant. The union said that financial problems were due to 'over-ambitious' capital spending, which the union has claimed 'will be at its highest level over the next two years.' Woodman said: 'Management has gambled on endless growth in student numbers, specifically international student numbers.' She added that staff have seen 'no admission that management's poor planning has gotten us into this mess. A little bit of humility would go a long way in acknowledging that the problems we face are due to their poor planning and the lack of effective of governance by our governance bodies.' University of Edinburgh (Image: free) A strike ballot has been open to all UCU Edinburgh members since April 22 and is set to close on May 20. While the ballot is still being voted on by members, Woodman said that 'historically our branch has always made the ballot threshold.' If staff vote in favour of strike action, students can expect their degrees to get disrupted by industrial action once more. Students have voiced their frustration over further disruption to their degrees, however, some have backed staff striking. Lucy Frewin, a third year International Relations student, said: 'The cuts are the result of poor financial management from the University of Edinburgh and the increasing neglect from the senior leadership towards the university's main purpose as a place of learning and education, with their focus instead on prestige projects like the Edinburgh Futures Institute. It is deeply unfair for staff to bear the cost of this poor management.' Jemima Hawkins, a third year English Literature student, said: 'I fully support the UCU decision to strike. Obviously the prospect of missing classes in 4th year due to striking staff is a worry but I appreciate the need for it to be done to provide better pay for those teaching us.' Politics and Sociology student Ava Lang stated her support for striking staff saying: 'I hope the strikes will lead to a U-turn on the decision for these compulsory redundancies and facilitate a conversation between the university and the union for better protection of their staff so we can get the complete education we deserve and are paying for. We want to learn and I hope the university will take action to prevent the constant and continuous need for strikes that have come to characterise our University of Edinburgh experience.' Woodman said 'nobody wants to go on strike.' Other staff members who commented wished to remain anonymous. One staff member voiced their concern over the strikes 'likely efficacy when management is clearly determined to drive through massive cuts for ideological purposes rather than actual necessity.' Read more Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, told The Herald: 'We have been very clear that our current financial position is not sustainable. We are not immune to the challenges that the higher education sector is currently facing and the actions we must take now will ensure that we remain strongly placed for the future, so that we can continue to attract the brightest minds and remain a world-leading university. 'We are continuing to look at all aspects of cost reduction across the university and this includes both staff and non-staff operating costs. Staff-focused expenditure has been reduced through recruitment constraints, our voluntary severance scheme and a pause in academic promotions, and we are taking time to consider any further activities in this area. 'We appreciate that that this is causing uncertainty within our community. We are continuing to liaise with our joint trade unions and are providing regular updates as we take the necessary steps to ensure a financially sustainable future." The University of Edinburgh didn't respond to our requests to confirm the claim that 1750 jobs were at risk.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Riis and Woodman head list of Preston departures
Emil Riis and Freddie Woodman headline the list of players who will be leaving Preston North End this summer. They join midfielder Ryan Ledson, whose departure from the Championship club was announced earlier this week. Striker Riis, 26, has spent five seasons at Deepdale since moving from Denmark, while goalkeeper Woodman, 28, has played for North End for three seasons. Also leaving this summer are defender Patrick Bauer and youngsters Kian Best and Kian Taylor. Republic of Ireland midfielder Robbie Brady has been offered a new deal, while Ched Evans is in talks over carrying on as a coach at the club. North End finished 20th in the Championship, avoiding relegation on the last day of the season. Riis joined from Danish club Randers in October 2020, and over the course of five years he played 186 games for Preston, scoring 46 goals, including 20 in the 2021-22 season, his best at the club. Woodman made 138 appearances, was the club's player of the year two seasons ago and kept 44 clean sheets. German defender Bauer, who moved from Charlton Athletic in 2019, played 105 times for the club, although he only had one substitute appearance in the Championship this season.
BBC News
31-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Preston keeper Woodman set to miss rest of season
Preston North End goalkeeper Freddie Woodman is set to miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury sustained in the gym over the international stopper missed only his second game of the season in the FA Cup loss to Aston Villa on Sunday, with reserve keeper David Cornell stepping in."Longer term, we miss him [Woodman] now for the season but now it's Dai's [Cornell's] turn to step up," boss Paul Heckingbottom told, external BBC Radio Lancashire."He's been training hard, he always does, supports Freddie really, really well and now we get a great look at Dai between now until the end of the season."Woodman joins defender Jack Whatmough, midfielder Ali McCann and right-back Brad Potts in the recovery 14th in the Championship table, are currently 10 points adrift of the play-off places and nine points clear of the relegation zone with eight games to play.
The Guardian
11-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Old Crunchie wrapper at Cambridge library whets appetite of online sleuths
Online sleuths have set about trying to guess the exact age of a Crunchie wrapper that was found in a library – with a few crumbs left inside. A worker at Cambridge University Library made the discovery last week while taking down some bookshelves, with the university saying it was probably stashed behind some books and fell down behind. The orange packaging and the price of sixpence indicates that it was produced before 1971, when decimalisation was introduced. But the precise date is the source of online guesswork, with Facebook and X users quick to share theories. One gave an estimate of between late 1965 and early 1967, noting that the 'bigger, same price' promotion written on the wrapper, with the bar priced at '6d', was announced in September 1965. 'In July 1966, Fry's had to pay a £300 fine after Oxford weights and measures inspectors determined that earlier bars had actually been bigger than the new 'bigger' bars. And by mid-1967 the list price was 7d,' they said. Others dated the wrapper back to the 1950s, with one user sharing a Fry's poster from that era that advertised the chocolate bar at 6d. The Crunchie, a chocolate bar with a honeycomb filling, became part of the Cadbury's range in 1988, 59 years after it was introduced by Fry and Sons. A tongue in cheek Facebook post by the library asked the culprit to 'fess up' if they remembered e hiding the wrapper among the books. Lizzie Woodman, the library's social media coordinator, said: 'The workman wasn't expecting to find anything like that. It was in such good condition. It looked like it had been put there yesterday.' Cambridge has one of the world's oldest university libraries. With it housing a physical collection of nearly 10m books, maps, manuscripts, photographs and objects, it was fairly usual to find remnants from the past, Woodman said. 'With millions of books and nearly 130 miles of bookshelves, it's not surprising that things sometimes stay hidden for so long,' said Woodman.
