Ian Foster

Here’s a name doubtless you didn’t know about until yesterday, but plenty know about now. 45-year-old Foster played in the lower leagues for much of his career, appearing a couple of times for Kidderminster against the Imps. It’s his career path after playing that is of interest; he took Dundalk to the Europa League as manager and was part of Coventry’s coaching staff. In his time with the Sky Blues, he oversaw the development of a number of players who went on to earn full international honours, including James Maddison, Callum Wilson and John Fleck. He was then a part of Portsmouth’s coaching team when they were promoted from League Two in 2016/17 and was part of the England U17 coaching setup when they won the World Cup. He’s the current England U19 manager and is credited with having played a role in the development of a number of players who have become household names, such as Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Conor Gallagher, and Emile Smith-Rowe.

This connection with developing young players is a big factor in me thinking we might have our favourite here. We don’t just need Man City to lend us a player every season, but we need players like Charlie Kendall and Ben House to believe that Lincoln City is the place to come and make themselves a career and to do that, you need a manager who is respected at certain levels. The trick is to ensure that is balanced with the tactical knowledge to outwit teams who bully, harass and antagonise, and don’t give you time to play. I think Ian Foster is a good option on paper, at least.