Rob Bradley
Of the Red Imps Community Trust has his say on Lincoln City
LEO Durocher isn’t a household name, especially outside of America, but his 1946 phrase ‘Nice guys finish last’ when referring the New Orleans Giants has stuck.
It suggests being pleasant is a weakness in all sorts of areas, and especially in sport.
It’s also a Green Day song, one of my favourite bands, but I digress.
Lincoln City chairman, Clive Nates, is a ‘nice guy’.
Everyone says so. He’s also an astute and driven businessman, a good communicator, and, importantly in his position, sets just the right tone for the football club.
One of being respectful, having ambition, and how to include everyone in the journey.
Michael Skubala is a nice chap too. He attended a Trust board meeting and he’s met with our John O’Gaunts members and we’ve seen first hand how friendly he is.
After a difficult time between September and Christmas with a depleted squad and then in charge of an unbeaten team from early January until well into April, we’ve also seen that he’s got all the qualities a head coach needs, on top on his undoubted niceness.
The directors and investors, Liam Scully, Jez George, and all the Imps staff, in my experience as an elected supporter/director, are fine people.
Martin Hickerton and all the Foundation bods are too.
The club has some tremendous fans’ organisations, SLO’s, and volunteers. And, of course, fans.
This isn’t all a fortunate accident that the club is inhabited this way.
It’s been a conscious business decision from the top that good people should take it forward.
A decision based on looking for success but without being overly and unnecessarily ruthless.
Weak people decide to act tough in a way to exert authority, and that doesn’t fit at the LNER stadium.
That approach wins little minibattles and costs you the big war.
If there was a competition to find the nicest football club in the country, I reckon Lincoln City would win it.
Others would take the mickey if that were to happen, but the way we plan, what we do, and how we get on really works. Just listen to what the experts say about us, and have a butchers at the league table. Nice guys don’t finish last at all.