Club says Graham Westley couldn’t have done more from results viewpoint this season, but cites home attendances as factor in not providing ‘sufficient funds for a successful team’

Stevenage have confirmed that they are in talks with Teddy Sheringham about taking over as manager next season.

Graham Westley’s contract with Boro comes to an end on May 31, and while club chairman Phil Wallace says that Westley ‘couldn’t have done more from a results viewpoint this season’ he admitted that ‘sometimes you have to accept that a business needs to change to refresh itself and evolve’.

Wallace said that there was an inevitable risk in changing manager, but also cited attendance levels as a factor. The club averaged a home gate of just over 3,100 last season.

Wallace told the club’s website: “Graham Westley’s agreement ends on May 31 and his team couldn’t have done more from a results viewpoint this season, but Graham’s been Stevenage manager for eight of the past 12 years and that’s a long time at this level of football.

“Our board doesn’t dishonour contracts at a whim, so even when things weren’t going well in 2014, we kept the faith and our faith was rewarded by results in 2015.

“Graham may now have some football offers coming in that we wouldn’t be able to match and I know he has some opportunities outside of football to consider.

“Despite the utmost respect and appreciation I have for everything he’s done for Stevenage FC, sometimes you have to accept that a business needs to change to refresh itself and evolve.

“Sometimes that means management, sometimes it means owners and sometimes it means both.

“Change inevitably brings risk and that can’t be avoided, but at some stage change in a football club has to occur if it’s been shown that attendances do not provide sufficient funds for a successful team.”