Lee Bircham

[Winslow Boy]

I see he has handed in his resignation, can only assume he has recieved a fantastic offer elsewhere. Or more unlikely the level of commitment to carry on is too much. He almost certainly will leave them at Step 2 and an attractive prospect for a new manager. Sad news but what a brilliant few years. Merger rumours will go into overdrive I’m sure. Thoughts on it all LondonEagle?

[Rhodes]

Winslow Boy - That's typical Lee Bircham, I'm just surprised he is staying until the end of the season and not leaving with immediate effect as has been the case in the past at a number of his former Club's:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bedfordtownfootballclub/news/club-statement--lee-bircham-2974030.html

https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/breaking-bedford-town-manager-lee-bircham-resigns/

Edited April 13 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

I see that Lee is, unsurprisingly, on Ollie Bayliss's BBC Three Counties Radio Non League Show this evening (Monday 13 April) between 6.00 and 7.00pm, that should be an interesting listen:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002tlk1

[Winslow Boy]

On 12/04/2026 at 20:36, Rhodes said:

Winslow Boy - That's typical Lee Bircham, I'm just surprised he is staying until the end of the season and not leaving with immediate effect as has been the case in the past at a number of his former Club's:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bedfordtownfootballclub/news/club-statement--lee-bircham-2974030.html

https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/breaking-bedford-town-manager-lee-bircham-resigns/

He’s had a brilliant three years there and will go down a legend I’m sure. There was no way he wasn’t seeing the season out, keep them up I think and a cup final. Go out on a high. Rumour mill in full swing now of course. 

[Rhodes]

On 12/04/2026 at 18:09, Winslow Boy said:

I see he has handed in his resignation, can only assume he has recieved a fantastic offer elsewhere. Or more unlikely the level of commitment to carry on is too much. He almost certainly will leave them at Step 2 and an attractive prospect for a new manager. Sad news but what a brilliant few years. Merger rumours will go into overdrive I’m sure. Thoughts on it all LondonEagle?

I see that Lee, for want of a better phrase, 'explained away', his decision to leave the Club on Ollie Bayliss's BBC Three Counties Radio Non League Show yesterday evening (see the extract below) and it said it all. Apparently, if you can believe it, he hasn't got another job lined up, some, sorry, a few of his 'lame excuses' were 'the timing is right', 'being a Southerner, I am not even from Bedford', 'I haven't enjoyed a minute of the season', 'if we do get relegated I didn't want people to think it was an emotional decision' and 'if we do stay up I didn't want people to think it was another year in the North'. Unusually, Ollie probed Lee, and put him on the spot, which he rarely does with guests as he's too nice, and asked why now as it's potentially a distraction so close to the end of the season and could derail things but Lee cleverly talked round that and said that 'it could go the other way and probably will', he's in the wrong game as he should be a Politician.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nd8rsw

Edited April 14 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

You couldn't make it up or write it could you, well actually you could, Lee Bircham is the new Manager of Hemel Hempstead Town, and he assured everyone that he didn't have another job lined up after resigning at Bedford Town:

https://www.hemelfc.com/post/managerial-appointment-lee-bircham

Edited May 6 by Rhodes

[Winslow Boy]

Well he didn’t have this one lined up, Lee Allison had an offer he couldn’t refuse, they moved on Lee quickly. He was there before I think. He said he had other offers that he was looking at. 

[Winslow Boy]

He did what bitcoin fc couldn’t on a fraction of their budget. I would think the eagles will be wishing him nothing but success. 

[Rhodes]

20 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

Well he didn’t have this one lined up

Are you absolutely sure about that, Lee Allison would have presumably been 'tapped up' by Dagenham & Redbridge before the season ended so Hemel Hempstead Town would have panicked when Allison told them of, as you said, the offer he couldn't refuse and immediately approached Lee Bircham to see whether he might be interested in the job. Then 'coincidentally' Lee hands in his resignation at the Eyrie albeit stays until the end of the season when he must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when Bedford Town managed to stay up by one point on the last day of the campaign.

[Winslow Boy]

I heard that Hemel and Allison were preparing already for next season, the Dagenham move was swift and unexpected and so was the move on Bircham. But you never know for sure I guess.