I had been away from management for eight months. Scouting, spending time with family and my full time chef job was what I had to concentrate on and stepping back in would be giving some time up.
I was asked by the outgoing manager Mustafa as a favour to manage until the end of season. He had been my assistant for 2 seasons until this season started (1 season at a different club). When I first brought him on board, It was his first job as a coach but after 2 seasons he wanted to try his hand at managing, so I stepped aside as I had another u18 team I worked with midweek, therefore giving him a break into management.
Having taken the squad from under 13s where we had started in the 3rd division all the way into the Premiership at u17s, I had the chance to step into a higher standard of youth football and be appointed director of football at another club, whilst still working with some of my players from the previous club going in between and having the same assistant was never like leaving.
But after 2 seasons at my then new club, it was hard to implement a good standard without any support or financial stability. The role also included me taking over the first team who had been suspended from the league due to ground grading. So after a long summer of setting up a new squad to play in a lower league, the plug was pulled due to a sudden merger set to happen the year after and the Chairman not being able to find any support to help run the club in the admin side. So with all this I decided to take some time off.
So now the return to management...
I had watched the team on three occasions. On two occasions at the manager’s request as they encountered the derby rivals and he felt more at ease (his own words) with me on the sideline.
Mustafa called me to say he had gotten a job coaching a 4th division team in Sweden, a full time coaching position that he had longed for. I was pleased as it was something he had mentioned in conversations.
Mustafa had a word with the chairman and both wanted me to take the team as I knew some of the boys and would distract very little from the league.
True I had managed 6 of the players but there was another bunch I had only seen play once at one stage or another, but I didn’t know anyone’s strengths and weaknesses’, so when the news were broken to the squad that I would be taking over and the manager departing, this was the only transition of management, I was asked not to come on board until 3 weeks after, and with only 1 training session before a double header game against one of the teams hot on our heels and who had knocked them out of the cup.
Two weeks have passed, we have had 3 games, 3 victories which means top of the table but we have a few games ahead of the rivals.
I have enlisted 2 new coaches who have both worked with me and are also first team players for my current team to which the boys have taken to.
But training attendance at the moment is not to my standards, but with transfer window closed, it makes hard to drop and recruit players.
But like I said I will only do it until the end of the season and see if offers to either the first team or at another senior club come along next season.
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