Roach staying on at Bournemouth after all
Roach has spent more than 13 years at the club in total
Written by Simon Austin — July 7, 2017
BOURNEMOUTH have announced that long-serving Academy boss Joe Roach is staying on at the club - two months after saying he was leaving.
In April, the Cherries announced that Roach - who is also Head of Coaching - was to stand down at the end of June for personal reasons. Now they have announced he is staying on to ensure the Academy “continues to progress in line with the club’s aims and ambitions”.
TGG understands Roach had actually been involved in interviewing candidates to replace himself, before eventually deciding to stay on. Two weeks ago he informed his staff about his decision. A testimonial had been planned for Roach, but has now been called off.
Roach has spent two spells at Bournemouth spanning more than 13 years. From 2001 to 2011 he was Head of Youth and Reserve Manager, helping to bring through strikers Danny Ings and Sam Vokes, who have both subsequently made names for themselves in the Premier League.
Roach left to work as an auditor assessing Premier League academies for two years before returning to the Vitality in January 2014. Defender Baily Cargill has been the most prominent of his players to graduate to Eddie Howe's first team.
Meanwhile, Carl Fletcher and Alan Connell have been named as managers of AFC Bournemouth’s Under-21 and Under-18 sides respectively.
Fletcher steps up from the U18s to replace Stephen Purches - who joined the first-team coaching set-up in February - as U21s manager. Connell has been promoted from the Academy to U18s.
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