Matt Uggla explains Neal Ardley's York City sacking

Ardley's dismissal as York manager raised a few eyebrows on Monday afternoon, with the City boss departing North Yorkshire after 34 matches. 

The club moved quickly to appoint Hinshelwood as Ardley's successor, after a hugely-successful seven-year period with Vanarama National League South outfit Worthing FC. 

Uggla explained that the decision-making behind Ardley's exit was largely due to his style of play, and how the former Minstermen manager had accepted the news respectfully.

“I want to say thanks very much to Neal and Coxy (Neil Cox, assistant manager) for everything that they did, they left the club in a better place than when they arrived," Uggla told BBC Radio York in an exclusive interview, which can be found here.

"The decision wasn’t taken lightly, but when we came into the club we had a very clear vision of creating a real identity for the club and the thoughts of myself and others were that we were moving further and further away from the original vision.

"Along with the recruitment, a lot of the recruitment was made for a certain style of play and we kind of want to see a football team out there playing.

"The way we moved away from it, if you’re going to do that then you need to get results, otherwise it’s quite ugly football.

"You can get away with it when you’re snatching late winners, which is fantastic, but I think it was to stop the bleed of moving further and further from the identity of the club. That was the decision we came to.

“Things were getting, and this is my opinion obviously and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think that we were getting worse, not better.

"You look at the teams around us, and I know a lot of people say to not look at the teams around you but I think you have to, Kidderminster have made a managerial change and they are flying, Ebbsfleet made a change and are flying, Woking made a change and have picked up wins.

"I just think that for what we’re trying to do as a club, in the short-term I do believe that we are in trouble and that this gives us a better chance, otherwise we wouldn’t have made this decision.

"I’m not just looking at the next 11 games, which are crucial, but what is exciting at York is that we are very much aligned in our visions of where we see the football club running and what we want to see on the pitch.

"Our ambition can match Adam, who is up and coming and has done a fantastic job in Worthing’s vision, so I am excited.

“After the Barnet game we had decisions to make. One of the things where we have gone wrong since coming in is by reacting to situations rather than planning for them.

"We had a plan in place ready to go if we needed to go down that road, we were constantly monitoring people and had followed Adam and a few others for a while, and back tracked a lot of the data, games and had people watching so we could make the most informed decision.

"After the Barnet game we sat and talked for a while, and we believed that it was the right time.

"Adam was definitely our first-choice, but we could get it done quickly and before the next two games which are crucial.

“We spoke and he understood, his words were that its football and these things happen, it’s a results based business.

"He can only be the one to tell you if he was shocked or not, but to me he didn’t seem too shocked."

Uggla went on to explain that certain players had complained to the co-chair about a lack of game time, and confirmed that he had held talks with Ardley addressing the player's issues.

“The players that we have at this football club are fantastic, there is a quality in that squad that far exceed our league position.

"When you play a certain brand of football and you’re not built for that brand of football, you’re probably going to get frustrated and people do get frustrated as a club.

"I look at the players and staff as one big family, and if there is an issue then I don’t want it lingering.

"I want them to come and talk to me about it, so that we can address the issue.

"So yes, there have been people coming and talking to me and saying that we’re not too happy, that’s normal and that happens often, we deal with it.

"When people had come and talked to me, I will bring it up."

Ardley continued by discussing what City supporters can expect from their new boss, Hinshelwood, and how he fits into the long-term vision of the football club.

“It’s crucial that we stay in the league, but Adam has been so successful because of his philosophies.

"If that’s the way that Adam sees fit to keep us in this league, then fantastic and I truly believe he can from what he’s done with Worthing, unbelievable. He’s got a great background with Brighton as well.

"It’s an entertainment business and I want to come here on a Saturday and be entertained, Adam has come into a difficult situation but personally I believe that there is enough in this squad for it to start ticking.

"Time will tell, I might be wrong, but I’m very excited not just about the next 11 games we’ve got, but I’m very excited for the next year, two, three, four, five years.

"I really think we have found our man to help build this club an identity and move us forward, if the worse happens and we take a step back to take three steps forward then I’ve got to live by the decision I made.

"But I think that if we sit down here in five years time, then you will say 'good decision Matt'."