TOP MAN BROWN DESERVES SUCCESS

I’M pleased to see the season has started well at Southend for my old Preston gaffer Phil Brown. Things didn’t work out for him at Deepdale for whatever reason – injuries certainly didn’t help.

He’s done well throughout his managerial career. Getting Hull City into the Premier League was a huge achievement. But he’s happy to manage at any level which shows his love of the game.

Southend went close to promotion to League One last year only to lose out in the play-offs and Browny will be hoping to go one step further this season.

I know how good a manager he is. Towards the latter stages of my career I was really enjoying the psychological side of football. He was one manager who was more aware of its importance than anyone else I’d dealt with before. I think that’s needed in today’s game.

He’d always set us targets for each individual month, to look at the short term goals in order to get the main goal at the end which was promotion. I liked his attention to detail in creating a team environment.

No doubt lots of lads go out for a few beers or go-karting, but he took us away for two days to train with the Marines.

It was the hardest, but best, team bonding I’d been involved with in pre-season. It gave you huge respect for the Marines. You can’t be an individual and get through it. We came away as a team.