SWINDON Wildcats general manager Steve Nell says it was solely Stevie Lyle’s decision to bring back Jonas Hoog following his shock exit as Swindon Wildcats head coach.

The Cats made the stunning announcement that Lyle was to leave the post he had only taken on over the summer. Swindon forward – and son of GM Nell – Aaron Nell has been named as new player/head coach.

Great Britain international netminder Lyle’s exit comes just a day after import Hoog re-joined the club. Lyle made the decision not to retain Hoog’s services at the end of last season only for the club to perform a U-turn this week.

Hoog’s arrival follows the recent departure of Miroslav Zalesak, while fellow summer signing Sami Ryhanen is currently serving 60-days’ notice ahead of his own exit.

Cats supremo Nell stressed that it had been Lyle’s decision alone to re-sign Hoog and added that he believed Lyle felt under pressure after some of his new recruits had not worked out.

“Stevie made the decision to bring Jonas back,” said Lyle.

“I backed the decision because I have got to. As a GM and an owner you have got to allow the coach to – as I did in the summer – bring who he wanted.

“If I am going to make that decision then I may as well get rid of the coach. You make him make those decisions.

“Stevie didn’t want to bring him back and thought, what we all thought, that we were getting two players who were of a higher calibre.

“Everybody would have thought that. It turned out not to be great for us but that’s part of life, it wasn’t a big deal to me.”

Lyle remains under contract at the Link Centre but is unwilling to continue as a player. GM Nell says he will not be released unless another club meets the terms stated in his contract.

“I can’t just release him to then go and play for someone else. There’s a clause in the contract and if he wants to be released that clause has got to be met,” said Nell.

“When we commit to you and invest financially in you, we are expecting you to commit to us.

“If we give someone a contract that they can’t be sacked from, that also means they can’t leave. I just can’t make someone come to work.”

Nell admits that the appointment of his son as head coach could be viewed as the Cats being a clique but was adamant he acted in the best interests of the club.

“People on the outside will think that, I’m sure. I don’t read forums, I don’t get involved in what people think,” said Nell.

“The reality is I have got to look after the best interests of the club. I have done for the last 30 years I have been here and will continue to do that.

“If that means it’s Aaron, it’s Aaron. If there was someone else in our group who was more suitable to step up then they would.

“It wasn’t the plan to have Aaron coaching, it wasn’t in February, it wasn’t a month ago and it wasn’t until yesterday.

“He’s new and he will have to learn but he’s had good people around him for the last half-dozen years.

“He’s played for some very good coaches and he will take from them what he can but one thing I can guarantee is that if he has got to work 20 hours a day he will.”