Now, and only now will I write about the little storm in a teacup that seem to have evolved on social media in the last 24 hours. I refused point blank to commit any time and effort into writing about mindless speculation. However now there’s been a move to dispel those rumours I think we need to get a few things straight.
Firstly it is going to be a fact of life that as we progress through this season and (hopefully) remain in the play-off hunt other teams are going to look at our managers. Some teams will want a quick fix and they’ll see the dramatic turnaround at Sincil Bank as a good indication that our gaffer knows what he is doing. That will attract a few vultures wanting a ‘get good quick’ scheme. It’s inevitable.
Any league club wanting these two boys is going to have to be a very attractive prospect indeed. For a start how can they go about implementing their blueprint on a new club in the middle of October when they can’t sign any players? We’re not talking about a Mark Cooper here, lured by pounds and pence. We’re talking about two men who want to build a legacy and a reputation, and you don’t get that reputation by club hopping.
I also felt some of the speculation was a little disrespectful to Nicky as they’re very much a partnership. I don’t think Nicky would let it bother him too much, but writing my blogs I always try to allude to our management ‘duo’ as much as possible. Danny would go nowhere without Nicky and vica-versa. Also what about the likes of Luke Jelly, Micky Hinds and even players like Alex Woodyard and Sam Habergham? Would the management really up and move sticks leaving behind an army of people they’ve brought along for the ride? Of course not. Plain ludicrous to think they’d consider it. Jonny Margetts leaving suddenly is one thing, but the Danny and Nicky going is entirely different altogether.
Somebody mentioned they have had three clubs in the last three years, and that much is true. However they’ve also had three clubs in the last ten years. Perspective can often warp facts. A desire to step up from part-time to full-time drove their move to Lincoln, but given their competitive nature they’re not going to want a back door to the football league. Having spoken at length to both Danny and Nicky it’s clear they want to earn their stripes the proper way. They’re former school teachers remember, no short cuts or quick steps up in that field. You have to earn your rewards and reputation and these boys want to earn theirs the right way.
I’m going to be brutally honest now, if it was 2017 and we had gained promotion then I think we would be in serious danger of losing them. Colchester and Southend would be attractive prospects for them location wise, but in truth they’re more than likely going to end up managing somewhere else after Lincoln. They’re ambitious and dedicated and they know (harsh reality check coming up) they can only take Lincoln so far. What’s our wildest dream? League Two? Maybe League One? If we were to get out of this league and start strongly next year then there’s every possibility that we’d have to listen to offers, and there’s every possibility that they would want to. Like any job anywhere, they want to rise to the top of their profession if they can.
I know for a fact they had at least one offer if not two on the table when they came here, and if internet rumour is to be believed one of them was arguably a bigger club than us, possibly the biggest in our league. However they don’t want to manage a football team, they want to influence an entire club.
The here and now is that they are committed 100% to our football club, and that includes every aspect of it. Whether it’s dinner with a bunch of starry eyed grown men or donating table football games to youth clubs, they’re here to change our whole club for the better. They’re not 9-5 managers and they’re not first team only managers, they buy into an ethical approach to football, believing that the whole club is just as important as the eleven players on the pitch.
I promised myself not to talk about our conversations the other night, but one thing that really came through from them was the integrity with which they operate. Even as the odds tumbled on THAT job becoming theirs last night I never once thought they would actually leave us at this stage. Lets face it they’ve been good for the club, but the club have done everything possible to back them as well. The fans have made the boys welcome, the board have made funds available and a strong relationship is being formed. They are men of principle and integrity and if they were going to leave our club I firmly believe it will only be once the project is complete, if (and when) it’s complete. I believe that project is league football.
If (and when) they get us into the football league then I’m afraid it’s a whole different game of cards. Then they deserve the right to speak to bigger clubs if they are approached and as fans we wouldn’t be able to begrudge them that right. However for now Danny and Nicky Cowley and Lincoln City is still a match made in heaven, and if anything will strengthen that further I’m damn sure turning down Grimsby Town (should they come knocking) will do the trick just fine.
That said I must admit I did crap myself a bit as those odds tumbled even if I didn’t really think there was anything in it. I still remember deadline day and the shock of Jonny Margetts leaving. I must confess I’m delighted to see Danny’s video today and think it is another example of the perfect PR strategy they are undertaking at Sincil Bank. Now let’s get down to the ground tonight and hopefully upset the excellent away form of Boreham Wood.
Tonight we make some noise for the boys, and not just the eleven on the pitch.
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