MARCUS Browning would like to be a part of the rebuilding process at the Wessex Stadium.
The 38-year-old still has a year left on his current contract and has already held talks with chairman Ian Ridley about the Terras’ plans for next season.
Browning worked as player-coach under three different managers during Weymouth’s relegation campaign in the Blue Square Premier in John Hollins, Alan Lewer and Bobby Gould.
And he is adamant that in the current climate working with home-grown talent is the only way forward for the debt-ridden club.
Reflecting on last season, which ended with a winless run of 16 league games, Browning said: “We actually got off to a really good start. Then John Hollins left and Alan Lewer took over and we kept it going, getting to within five points of the play-offs at one stage, and at that point we were all looking forward.
“Then, all of a sudden, the club dropped a bombshell by saying all the players would have to leave, which was absolutely gutting.
“To put together a team that is capable of making a challenge and then see it all fall apart is very difficult. After that it was just a case of trying to patch things up and due to the predicament we were in, in terms of the transfer window having closed, it was pretty much an impossible job.”
The Terras are expected to go part-time this summer with a limited budget but Browning insists that the club can rebuild and return to non-League’s top-flight one day in the future as long as the right structure is put in place.
He added: “With where Weymouth is geographically, attracting the right sort of players is always going to be difficult and until the club starts producing home-grown kids that problem will not go away.
“We have got to start getting good kids in and bringing them through to the first team but to do that you have to have some sort of structure in place first.
“If you can get eight to 10 players from the local area who want to do well for the club, and who can get to the standard that is required, then you will have something to build on instead of just anyone coming down to try and pick up money.
“Whoever the next manager is they are going to have to start from scratch and because of that the club could be in for another difficult campaign next season.
“Trying to bring players in, particularly part-time ones, is going to be very tough but there are players around this area that are good enough to have a good try.
“It is doable and I would like to be a part of it. I have still got a year left on my contract and I would like to play a role in the rebuilding process and hopefully help bring some younger players through.
“The likes of Jamie Frampton and Ben Reiffer have got a chance but they have got to be coached in the right way, which is something I have always enjoyed doing.”
Meanwhile, chairman Ian Ridley says there has been a good calibre of people applying for the vacant manager’s job at the Wessex Stadium.
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