The Glenn Tamplin revolution at Billericay Town isn’t necessarily over…but it’s fair to say that the fast-paced quest to catapult the Essex outfit from your average non-league club to a moneybags-type Manchester City of the lower echelons isn’t perhaps as driven as it once was.
Tamplin, you’ll remember, is the multi-millionaire businessman who made his money from steel. And, in fairness, he has shown his metal to reinvigorate the fortunes of Billericay using his bountiful bank balance.
Oh, and in between buying the club (he was looking to buy Dagenham and Redbridge before taking the plunge with the Blues) and forking out plenty of dough as an off-field benefactor he has since become team manager. Former Premier League players such as Jermaine Pennant, Jamie O’Hara and Paul Konchesky have since represented Town (though the latter has recently departed).
Town’s ground has undergone a TV-style makeover and things are stylish on the pitch, too, with Ricay currently second in the league table behind league leaders Dulwich Hamlet — though they have four games in hand on the Champion Hill side.
Tamplin has ridden the media bandwagon that has accompanied his transformation of the club and he has been no stranger to tabloid tales charting his ambition for the club.
But he recently came off Twitter, a social media platform he loved to use to tell of his successes, and this has led to speculation he is losing his interest in the project as he struggles to find time to do this as well as manage his business and be a family man. He insists, however, this isn’t the case.
His last two tweets illuminate further why supporters are feeling nervous, given that he has endured periods of being unwell through stress in the past — though he did move to assuage any concerns they may have. He wrote: “Hearing that people concerned. Please don’t be.
“I’m moving my offices/yard/machinery & 8,000 tonne of steel whilst running football club/managing the team, dealing with charities and a father of five at Christmas. I’m not ILL, just putting things first. I will never give up. Back soon.”
That tweet came after a message that said: “To all at Billericay football club and fans. I have made a decision to come off twitter and hand over lots other things for 3 months as I’m really feeling the stress and getting feelings like when I burnt out so I can’t let that happen …honesty best policy.”
Tamplin’s no-nonsense approach has irked some fans of other non-league clubs and many were jumping for joy when Leatherhead recently knocked them out of the FA Cup. This season’s cup chapter may be over but you can’t help but get the feeling that there are many more pages waiting to be written on the man, his money and his football club.
