JOE Roach has left Dean Court. Unsurprisingly, the news went down like a lead balloon.

Cherries fans yesterday reacted with a toxic mixture of anger, disappointment and worry at the loss of the influential youth coach.

To put it simply, the bombshell was perceived as nothing short of a PR disaster for Cherries.

With key players being linked to other clubs and little information forthcoming on signings to counteract the negative vibes, the timing could not have been worse.

Chairman Eddie Mitchell insisted he had not wanted to see Roach leave and said he had not been sacked, although he declined to reveal the exact sequence of events that led to the development.

Regardless of the reasons, it has been largely viewed as a massive blow. And rightly so.

The vast majority of supporters that contacted the Daily Echo yesterday thought losing Roach’s services would be nothing other than damaging for Cherries. Even more problematic than that response is the impact it could have on player production.

Cherries will move to fill the vacancy but Roach’s size 14s are huge boots to fill.

Lower league clubs like Cherries, who have never been and are unlikely to ever be awash with cash, need to create their own stars.

And in this area, Roach had proved a master of his art.

In guiding youngsters into the first team and earning Cherries invaluable revenue from subsequent transfer fees in the process, he was a golden asset.

Yesterday’s reaction to the news via the Echo’s comments section, Internet message boards and Twitter should have come as no surprise. And it served to leave people in no doubt as to the feelings of the fan on the street. They were not pleased and shouted it from the rooftops.

One only needs to take a quick glance at Roach’s track record to understand why his exit sparked such disappointment.

A loyal employee through good times and bad, Roach mentored the stars of the future during a tumultuous decade with Cherries.

During the Eddie Howe era, homegrown striker Brett Pitman was the prolific goalscorer that the success was built around.

Before that – and arguably more importantly – Sam Vokes kept the club going through administration when he was sold for a vital £300,000.

More recently, Josh McQuoid proved a big hit and bagged Cherries a reported sum in the region of half a million when he made a move to Millwall.

All three emerged during the Roach reign.

With Pitman going for a similar fee to McQuoid, income earned from products of Roach’s youth team – money which has been absolutely crucial to the stable financial footing on which the club now finds itself – smashed through the £1m barrier. Quite a feat.

Now, the emergence of Danny Ings only serves to add further credence to the quality of work carried out by Roach since Sean O’Driscoll appointed him in 2001.

Ings could yet prove to be the best – and most profitable – of the bunch. He has already attracted the attention of Premier League scouts, with Fulham failing with a bid earlier this month.

But Roach’s success should not only be judged by the cash generated, important though it is. Equally vital was gaining the respect of the players he worked with and – on that score – there can be little doubt that he was much liked.

Only last season, Ings was quick to express his gratitude. Having been handed a new contract in February, Ings said: “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it hadn’t been for Joe.

“He has made me the player I am and I appreciate everything he has done for me.”

With endorsements like that, Roach is unlikely to be out of work for long. But Cherries won’t be the ones reaping the benefits.

He would have been an ideal man to try to continue the upward curve enjoyed by the club over the past couple of years.

While the reason for his departure was not disclosed, the recent reshuffles in Cherries’ youth department were hardly likely to have helped.

Mitchell revealed in February that centre of excellence chief Shaun Brooks had been tasked with looking at the “overall picture from the youth downwards”.

And it appeared that Roach |had been demoted when, in ||April, Mitchell reported that Brooks had been handed the role of trying to increase the number of homegrown players coming through the ranks, having been promoted to the position of head of youth, which had been previously held by Roach.

With changes going on around him, Roach continued to take charge of the under-18s and reserves.

And up until yesterday’s news, he seemed the ideal man to assist Brooks in trying to fulfil Mitchell’s aim of producing more homegrown players.

On discovering that would not be the case, Cherries fans were quick to voice their concerns.

It is fair to say that the past few seasons have been a golden period for Cherries and their supporters have been given few reasons to grumble. But yesterday’s events were not welcomed.

Time will tell whether the youth set-up continues to be as productive in Roach’s absence. For the good of the club, that is of paramount importance.

For Cherries fans digesting the news, it seemed hard to imagine Roach’s departure having anything other than a detrimental impact.

His exit meant Cherries lost the services of a good man who gave his all for the club. It is a huge shame.