ACE DAVE’S KIT-TED UP BUT HAPPY AS CHAIR
CHAIRMAN Dave Kitson admits his latest managerial appointment at Arlesey Town is his most important yet – but insists he was never going to be part of the equation.
Kitson, the former Reading, Stoke City and Cambridge United striker, has this week filled the vacant hotseat at the Armadillo Stadium after popular boss Nick Brown moved upstairs to work as the club’s director of football.
Former Dulwich Hamlet coach Tommy Cooney is the man chosen to take the reins – and his first job in managment couldn’t be tougher with the Blues having won just three of their opening 15 games in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division.
Relegation to Step 6 would be a catastrophic fall for a club who were playing Step 3 football just a decade ago and have twice reached the first round of the FA Cup.
With that in mind, you may think it a surprise to see Kitson reach out to a 28-year-old rookie boss, but to those who know the former Premier League striker’s footballing philosophy, Cooney’s appointment fits the bill perfectly.
Kitson himself is regarded as one of the top coaches of young players in the Home Counties with his Reading-based Dave Kitson Academy having already making its mark in the development of a number of top young players, including recently from the likes of the USA, Ireland and New Zealand.
But despite himself ticking all the boxes to suit his own agenda, the 43-year-old insists he never thought about taking the job and insists his focus never waned from finding the right man to take the club forward.
“Management have never really been for me,” Kitson, who played over 400 games in the Premier League and Football League, told The NLP.
“I remember I got offered the Oxford United job completely out of the blue when Chris Wilder left. I actually talked myself out of that one!
“Coaching is my passion, especially in academies. For me, there’s
nothing like taking a young player through a training drill and seeing them absolutely nail it! You just can’t bottle that feeling up! It’s the same with hiring a young manager really.
“That’s my remit here at Arlesey. I ask of ourselves, can we bring a young player to the club, aged six or seven and progress them onwards to make their first-team debut at the club? I’d be the happiest man on the planet if we could do that. It would mean the world to me.”
Kitson believes his philosophy will eventually give the club a solid platform in years to come with the club’s community links vital in keeping it ticking along.
“We used to be one of the more established clubs at this level but, the truth is, we’re finding it increasingly difficult to stay with these clubs,” added Kitson, who started his playing career at Hitchin Town while working as a shelf stacker at Sainsbury’s.
“These days, there are players at Step 5 earning £700 a week! That’s crazy money – it needs to be capped in my opinion.
“We’ve got a new 4G pitch coming in 2025, which is great, but until we can start benefitting from the revenue of that then we’ve got to be ultra frugal.
“Nick has been brilliant for us. He never paid himself and did so much for the football club, both on and off the pitch, way beyond his remit as manager.
“We were amazed by the level of interest in the job. We had over 100 applications arrive from all over the world, made up of some experienced hands and those just looking for a chance.
“Tommy’s enthusiasm and passion, along with his coaching experience in National League South, make him the perfect fit.”