A 10-point plan to get Solihull Moors back to their 'former glory'.
By Joe·
Solihull Moors are struggling. Not just as a competitive on-field proposition, but the wider club in general.
On the pitch, The Moors currently find themselves sitting in the National League bottom four. They have started the campaign poorly under boss Chris Millington, and have only won three games in their opening 15 in the league phase.
Off the pitch, supporter attendances are as low as they have ever been in the National League. Of their home fixtures so far this season, only three of those have hit 1,000 fans, and these only exceeded that figure due to healthy away followings against well-supported sides in Carlisle United and Southend United, as well as table-toppers Boredom Wood. Their home fixture against Barrow attracted a crowd that was as low as 581. This marks a stark decrease in attendances at Damson Park, with four home attendances having been less than 900 already in the league; by comparison, they only had seven out of the entire 23 home games in 2025-26.
As such, The Moors are between a 'rock and a hard place'. The squad is under-performing and so the logical follow-on would be to bring in a new manager or invest in players for the ones they've got, but they can't spend as freely as they would perhaps like to do as they do not have the crowd income there to support an increase in spending. As a result, any such on-field spend is reliant heavily on the owner Darryl Eales and that of the wider ownership group.
When Solihull Moors were first promoted into the National League, they were viewed as a forward-thinking, ambitious and stable club and one that was the envy of the league. Owner Darryl Eales was regarded as one of the best off-field operators in the National League and lead by example with a support for the first-team that yielded play-off finishes in 2018-19, 2021-22 and 2023-24. While I'd still retain confidence in him from a business perspective, I think that The Moors could do with some help on the football front.
Therefore, I feel that now is a good time for The Moors to have a bit of a 'reset'. A new approach. New ideas. New direction, and a change in both personnel and process.
Short-Term
Appoint a Director of Football
Operationally, I think this may be the most important thing that The Moors need to try and address going forward.
Darryl Eales is a very smart operator from a business sense, but I would question whether or not he has the acumen on a football front for the level. When you've got some sides that are very much a well-oiled machine in terms of football decision-making - such as your Boreham Wood's, AFC Fylde's, Worthing's etc - I think that you've got to have the intelligence in the boardroom from a decision-making perspective to pull the right football levers.
I don't think it is a coincidence that the best period recently in the club's history - certainly in terms of on-field performance - is when they had Stephen Ward operating as Director of Football in support of Andy Whing.
With this structure, there is - of course - a lot of emphasis on ensuring that you get the right person in the building in the first instance such that they make the right calls, as there have been many examples of Director of Football's making decisions which have perhaps led the team astray. You'd argue Ward's appointment of Matt Taylor was one of those.
However, if you can get the right Director of Football in the building then I think that it can be a god-send for an owner and delegate the lions share of responsibility in football decision-making away from Darryl Eales.
For the long-term success of the football club, I think that bringing in a Director of Football and giving them the autonomy to run their 'football operations' would provide better focus and accountability of on-field performance. This would allow Eales to run the business side of the club, and I feel that is more beneficial.
Put trust in Chris Millington to re-build the side with backing
I like Chris Millington.
I liked him at FC Halifax Town. I still like him. I think he is good. Structurally, I think he is very smart. A little bit 'wooden' perhaps, but a very smart pair of hands at National League level.
Seemingly, the easy 'go-to' for all underperforming units is to just sack the manager, and there have been calls for Millington to lose his job this term. However, I've never been in that camp. Admittedly, I don't have a 'dog in the fight' as much as The Moors fanbase and so I perhaps look at it with a more unbiased view, but I think that calls to sack Millington were a bit premature.
I think that the smart thing to do - and in truth which it appears Darryl Eales is doing - is to stick with Millington. He is a good manager for this level. The season hasn't been as good as they would have hoped - I am sure Chris Millington would agree with that assessment - but I wouldn't be sacking him. No chance.
Sometimes, I think that there has to be an element - if you believe you have got the right person in the job - to stick with your man and give them the time to get it right rather than just trying to pull the trigger and sack them.
In the case of Chris Millington, I think that backing him is definitely the 'right play' rather than sacking him. Would they be able to get a better manager - with the record, the experience, etc - for the level? No - I don't think so. I will say it again: Chris Millington is a good manager.
Back him, and you'll be alright.
Resolve player disagreements with the management team
It hasn't always been a happy camp at Solihull Moors this season.
There have been a number of players that have supposedly fallen out of favour and bombed out of the group, and not everything was as smooth-sailing as they would have hoped for.
If The Moors are to progress, I think that Chris Millington has got to try and settle any of these disagreements within the group and get a group of players who want to play for him and are behind the cause.
I think that Millington has - rightly or wrongly - been able to do this quite well, and they seem to be coming out of the right side of their re-build. Those players which are not part of his plans have been moved out of the team or sent out on loan, new arrivals have come in and the team seems - from the outside, at least - a much happier unit.
Consistency is key
There's been a lot of change at Solihull Moors this summer.
The player turnover has been quite extensive, with Millington putting his own stamp on the side, key players leaving and a lot in the way of arrivals. It's a very different Solihull Moors that have taken to the field this season to the one that finished the last.
However, after a poor start to the campaign, I think that The Moors are - slowly but surely - starting to find their way in the league. They won at home against Kidderminster Harriers last weekend, and this made it back-to-back wins in the league for the first time this year.
Having had to roll quite a few dice to try and find the right formula, it would appear - touch wood - that The Moors are starting to get the performances right and their results are starting to pick up.
The emphasis now - I feel - has to be on consistency. Namely, in team selection. I look at re-building sides very much as a cycle of some key stages; storming, forming, norming, and performing. It is an ethos I use in my daily line of work when it comes to building teams that are successful.
They've had the 'storming' element; the re-build, the player departures, the players fall out. They have had the 'forming'; new signings. They are slowly settling on the 'norming'; finding a settled team. And, they're now performing. They've been through the hard spell, so the emphasis now is about doing what they're doing and try not to upset the apple cart.
Extend deals for Elias Kachunga, Chey Dunkley, Sam Johnson and Marvin Johnson to May
Recognise the value of what you have got.
While I think The Moors' recruitment this summer has been somewhat mixed, I do think Millington's recent additions of experienced trio Marvin Johnson, Chey Dunkley, Sam Johnson and Elias Kachunga has been incredibly beneficial to the group.
Chey Dunkley is a wily defender for this level, and is exactly the type of 'no nonsense' player that is always appreciated. He is as honest as they come in the way he plays, a little industrious at times, but does the basics well and it is no surprise that he has been a key factor in their defensive improvement in recent weeks. Not least, his leadership to the group.
Marvin Johnson always seemed a logical addition given his Midlands roots - having played previously at Kidderminster Harriers - and will provide balance down the left-hand side. The quality of his delivery has already been evident in an attacking sense, with Johnson having played an important role in Moors' attacking output.
Sam Johnson is your classic National League goalkeeper, with copious amounts of experience, and while there is perhaps more errors in his performances than the once unflappable force that he was at FC Halifax Town I do feel that he is a capable pair of hands at this level. Not least, Johnson was a regular under now Moors boss Chris Millington when the pair were at The Shay, and so I think that he has been a welcome addition to the defensive unit.
Kachunga, meanwhile, has experience recently of having been promoted at Cambridge United, and should represent an astute capture as an option off the right-hand side as a direct, powerful, dribbling outlet.
The sample size has only been small so far, but I have been largely impressed with what I have seen of both playing in a Moors shirt - particularly Johnson - and so I would be trying everything in their financial power to convince the pair to extend their stay at Damson Park.
Long-Term
Build a side with a DNA of local and Midlands-based players
When The Moors were promoted to the National League, they were very much a 'Midlands themed operation'.
You look at some of the players they had: Lee Vaughan, Liam Daly, Danny Wright, Jamey Osborne, Alex Gudger, Callum Howe, Stephen Gleeson, Kyle Hudlin etc.
The team was built on having players local to the club, with a strong connection to the area and the community. The club operated with clear identity: it was 'proper Solihull'.
I think that there can be a lot of value in building a football team that is a reflection the community that it supports, and so longer-term I'd be leaning towards them going back towards that model and trying to build a side of players from the Midlands area that the fanbase can associate and connect with.
I don't think it is a surprise that in signing players such as Chey Dunkley and Marvin Johnson - players with links to the area having been with Kidderminster Harriers previously - that the team has seemingly been a bit more recognisable.
With supporter attendances dwindling, I feel that fostering that ethos of locality can be a useful driver in getting fans back through the door.
Adopt the Brentford B Team academy model
This is is one of the big changes that I would make at Solihull Moors.
In think you have to ask the question: "Are the quality of the players that Solihull Moors produce out of their academy good enough for the National League?"
In most cases, I would argue that teams in the National League are better off employing the same academy model that Brentford use in taking players out of other academies, signing from lower in the pyramid, and having more of a 'Second Team' whereby players get the freedom to develop more organically.
For Solihull Moors especially, I think that adopting this model would be hugely advantageous given the locality that they have to a lot of higher-level, local sides. Wolves. Birmingham City. West Bromwich Albion. Aston Villa. There will be players that perhaps aren't ready to make the grade for those teams and are released, yet in terms of being 'projects' for The Moors may represent sensible options to put time into long-term.
I would argue that The Moors are no better off trying to develop their own talent than they are in forming a B Team of players that have been let go by higher clubs. I'd go as far as to say they would perhaps be better off signing players that are discarded by these academy sides.
I take this summer as an example. I look at some of the players let go by those academies. Godfrey Boakye, Frankie Tattum and Daniel Isichei at Birmingham City. Bjorn Marwa at Wolves. Deago Nelson and Mo Diamonde at West Bromwich Albion. I-Lani Edwards at Aston Villa. Greg Sanford and Kai Yearn at Coventry City. Are they ahead of a Kian Ryley? I'd say they're no further behind.
One thing that opting for a 'B Team' also allows The Moors is that they have got an environment in which they can put players that they may want to take a chance on, players from lower in the pyramid, players that are perhaps not ready for the first-team, but players who they can develop. A bit like a Kyle Hudlin.
I think that it would make better financial sense in simply forming a team from local players, ex-academy talent and from lower in the non-league scene, than they are trying to do the traditional youth pathway. I think that Brentford have been a bit of a trailblazer in this regard in terms of doing it slightly differently in their approach to 'youth' players, and so with the benefit of so many good clubs on the doorstep that they can use as a pool for their players then I would make that change.
Develop better links with local EFL and top-level academies
Given the afore mentioned clubs 'on their doorstep', I am surprised that The Moors do not maintain better links with these clubs when it comes to signing youth players.
In terms of Step One non-league, The Moors should be viewed as the prime spot when it comes to picking up players out of the academy scene, along with Kidderminster Harriers.
I look at Harry Whitwell as a prime example last season. A young player that has shown quite quickly that he is a terrific talent worthy of a higher stage. One of the 'shining stars' of The Baggies' academy. Yet, Whitwell went on loan to Forest Green Rovers and dazzled for Robbie Savage's side.
The question that I would be asking is why a player like Whitwell wasn't making their way on loan to Damson Park as the perfect chance to play football close to home and instead was making his way to Stroud?
The Moors should be positioning themselves as front of the queue for these players. I would question whether or not they have got the strength of local contacts within these academies to be picking up these players, and would like to see more done to try and strengthen these relationships.
While you perhaps don't want The Moors to just turn into 'PL2 Mark 2', I do think that there is a lot to be said - both from their point of view in picking up good young talent, and in giving players a chance to stay local yet get first-team game time - in making The Moors a bit of a 'destination'.
I'd look to establish a core of experienced players, and supplement this with a mix of young loanees. Your Harry Whitwell's and Greg Sandiford's of this world.
Invest in the Media coverage / output for the club
There are many areas in which Solihull Moors can improve, but one of them is their Media output.
I do get the sense that potentially the socials could be utilised more effectively, including notably giving better communication with the departure of players, new signings, etc.
From what I read on social media, a lot of the frustration from supporters is about the fact that they don't know what is going on at times - such as loan arrangements - and so
Furthermore, I think there is scope for the club to use it more extensively to create a bond between the team and the supporters with a release of 'mini features' interviewing the players and management. The Solihull Moors teams of yesteryear were ones with characters and an identity, whereas I don't feel this Moors side quite has that. One way to help build that relationship can be as simple as getting a different perspective of players, their personalities, beyond just what you see for 90 minutes on a Saturday.
These may be seen as 'cheap wins' in the short-term, but I think that can be key in getting the supporters on board and help everyone to pull in the same direction.
Implement a structured communication plan for supporters
What is it they say: 'Communication is Key'.
When speaking to Moors fans, one of their big frustrations is that their communication has not been good enough between Darryl Eales and the supporters.
I've been lucky enough to spend some time with Darryl Eales at Wembley a few years back, and I know people that know Eales well and I'm of the opinion that he is incredibly articulate and intelligent in how he comes across. Operationally, I think that he speaks sense. He knows his onions. And, I think The Moors fans would like to hear a bit more of that.
Things like Fan Forums. Regular updates of the club. Progress off the field. Things that have happened. What they've achieved. Put out regular updates. It's not got to be 'war and peace', but a short update of key points and I think the fans would appreciate that.
So, there we have it. My 'blueprint' for getting Solihull Moors back at their fighting best, not just as a competitive outfit on the pitch, but as an ambitious and forward-thinking club off it.