READY-MADE BY SLADE – AND PRIMED TO SUCCEED
DEAN Cox played for some illustrious names during a 13-year professional career with Brighton, Leyton Orient and Crawley Town. Gus Poyet. Mark McGhee. Harry Kewell. None, however, can hold a candle to Russell Slade, the 62-year-old with the personal touch whose four-year spell at Brisbane Road yielded the best years of Cox’s career.
“He’s the best manager I’ve ever had,” says the Burgess Hill Town boss, who scored 59 goals in 275 games as a roving attacker for the O’s. “The absolute best. Man-management wise, he was fantastic and someone I always try to model myself on.
“He’d ask about your kids, your wife, things that you were interested in. Take the time to ring you at home and check in to see if you were alright. Just little things, but things he didn’t have to do.
“He’d notice if you were a bit down in the dressing room and an hour later he’d ring to say ‘Is everything alright Coxy?’ He genuinely cared about people.
“Russell struck the perfect balance between putting an arm around your shoulder, having a laugh and being serious when it was gametime. At the end of the day, that’s what team spirit is.”
Slade, inset, and his holistic approach very nearly paid dividends. In 2013-14, Orient led the League One table for almost half a season and were still second in March before a late-season slump saw them overhauled by Wolves and Brentford. They eventually lost to Rotherham on penalties in the play-off final.
Now 35 and a manager himself, Cox is perpetually inspired by that third-placed finish, achieved on a
Russell struck [Slade] the balance perfect putting between round an arm you, laugh having and a being serious Dean Cox
budget that was bottom six at best.
“We shouldn’t have been anywhere near promotion,” he reflects. “You look at the other teams up there, Brentford and Wolves are in the Premier League now. Both had massive squads and loads of money.
“But as I say, the thing we had was the spirit that Russell nurtured. Camaraderie, great banter, no idiots in the squad who thought they were better than they are. If Russell found one of those, he was ruthless in moving them on.
“That’s another thing I’ve learned, if someone is disrupting the group then as good as they may be – even if they’re the best player – they have to be sacrificed for the good of the squad.”
Plenty have been sacrificed since Cox joined Burgess Hill Town from Isthmian South East rivals Lancing earlier this month.
Having survived relegation by the skin of their teeth, the Hillians have been comprehensively overhauled with veteran defender Joe Shelley joining from Whitehawk and several Lancing alumni, including last year’s player of the year Marcus Allen, amongst eight arrivals.
More new faces are in the pipeline, and that pulling power is why Cox opted to make what appeared a sideways move.
“Burgess Hill have a better budget, and with a better budget you can get a certain calibre of player,” he states. “Speaking to the chairman (Vince Alfieri) and hearing what he wants to achieve, it was a no-brainer. We signed a three-year contact, we’re there for the long haul and we want to build something.
“This is a club that should be challenging. Last few years, it hasn’t materialised that way. They just avoided relegation on the final day, so it’s clear we need to improve. They got used to losing and the best way to change the mentality is to change the personnel.
“We got Joe Shelley, who just won the league with Whitehawk. He’s experienced, he’s a leader, he’s someone we can build around.
“As much as you need money to sign players like that, I think the project itself is the impressive thing. Players want to be part of something progressive and that’s certainly sealed the deal on a few.
Standards
“At the same time, we’ve got to be patient. It would be a bit naive to think you can do it straightaway. “Year one is about maintaining our position in the league. Second and third, that’s when we’ll give it a real push to get up there. If it comes early, great – you’ll take it. But there’s been a big turnover and it’ll take time to gel.” One player who certainly could make a difference is Cox himself, but the Brighton-born forward has no intention of dusting off the boots.
“I could still play,” he admits. “And don’t get me wrong, there are games where you think ‘If only I could sub myself on now’.
“But one, it’s a bit of a kick in the nuts for whoever comes off when they see the gaffer strutting on. And two, I want to be taken seriously as a manager.”
And Cox, who was still on the books at Worthing in 2022, says the Hilliers are getting a far more tolerant manager than the man who joined Lancing in December.
“At the start it was frustrating because you’ve just come out of playing and you’re looking at things thinking ‘I could do that better’,” he admits. “But as cliche as it sounds, you’ve just got to understand the level. As a player, my standards would be higher.
“In professional football, it’s your job and you get paid well. There’s no excuse for not coming to training. If somebody didn’t turn up at Leyton Orient, they’d get fined a week’s wages.
“But these boys have 9-5 jobs. As much as you’d like it to be, for them football is not the be all and end all. It’s a kickabout.
“We take it seriously, of course. They are still paid. But if someone says ‘Sorry gaffer, I won’t be at training because I’ve got to work late’, you take that on the chin. You’ve got to understand that’s not their job. Now it’s ‘OK, no worries, see you next time’.
“I’ve grown into it, tried to be a good man manager, tried to make sure the boys are happy. If you do that then people will run through a brick wall for you and everything else is easier. That’s the biggest thing I took from Russell.”