Young’s team make good first impression
SINCE becoming manager Neil Young has not hesitated to take big decisions concerning the make-up of his playing squad, but his first real test came last week when he attended a gathering of the County faithful.
At a packed Bungalow meeting, the new boss, together with his backroom staff, explained to support- ers their plans for the reviving the club’s fortunes.
He sought to explain the “difficult decisions” which resulted in certain players moving on, even though fans might believe they still had a contribution to make. These were business decisions, made to allow the best use of the available budget and to attract newcomers with the right sort of character, who wanted to be part of a winning team.
New head of recruitment, Carl Garner, talked of bringing in experienced players, and he caught the mood when he said of County: “in non-league terms this is a monster and it’s fast asleep.”
He was confident of the management team’s ability to recruit the large number of players still required.
Coach Mike Flynn and scout Alex Hay both reported positively on the new set up. Assistant manager, Gary Jones, a little less prolific at speaking than he was at scoring during his playing career, is obviously held in high regard by Neil Young.
Most fans would have come away with the impression of a management team that was clearsighted about its goals and confident in its ability to achieve them. In a strange reversal of roles, the new manager seems to have had County in his sights for the past fifteen months, and this has left him fully focused and well prepared for the job in hand. And, importantly, he and his staff appear to understand the club and its heritage, which means that they also understand what is required of them.
But as Neil Young himself acknowledged, they can only be properly judged by results on the field, and here supporters will be in full agreement, having seen too many false dawns in recent years. Even so, fans should be able to recognise the credentials of the new manager, and will no doubt get behind him.
As Supporters’ Co-op chairman Pete Towey pointed out, the Meet the Manager event was organised by the fans for the fans. And, he might have added, it was in a venue – the Bungalow – that was restored by the fans for the fans.