You know, it’s not as bad as it sounds or may seem.
De Canio had us moving in the right direction, but the players themselves have to take some credit for the turnaround, because the language barrier will surely have caused some problems with communication.
The players have proven they are capable under difficult communicative circumstances, so that bodes well for the squad as a whole for ultimately whoever came in. What they need now is for that person to pick up the bat and carry the good work on.
It’s imperative that the squad is strengthened but not revamped like it was in January. My fear is Iain Dowie will demand his own men, but if we continue to do that, like so many clubs have fallen foul to, then it makes the task of continuity and consistency all that more difficult.
Dowie’s appointment will also cast a question mark over the futures of Paolo Pavese and Yuri Bartoli. I suspect that we will see some arrivals and departures in this area going forward. Personally I think that’s a shame, it’s just as dangerous to continuously change the backroom staff as it is the players, but it might be needed for this to work.
So why did the Board choose Iain Dowie?
I’m not quite sure. I think there are probably several reasons.
Perhaps the Board felt an ex-Ranger would soften the blow of De Canio’s departure and show that they understand that this is a close family football club that looks after its own. After all, anybody who puts that hooped blue and white shirt on becomes one of us.
Perhaps they felt Dowie’s innovative approach to training would help the club eradicate the problem we’ve had struggling in the second-half and in the dying stages of a game? If that’s the case, it’s kind of shrewd but at the same time, it’s a little bit naive.
I think De Canio would have solved that himself this summer had he been here. The players will have got to know one another more, they would have had a pre-season together and they will have also matured. We still have a lot of young men in our team.
But in Iain Dowie we have a modern coach who makes use of new and exciting scientific approaches to his training regimes. His teams are always well prepared during pre-season for the season ahead, and that’s something that has been missing from our set up for a very long time. I want to see improvements to our fitness, endurance and stamina as we have been lagging in these areas for some years.
Technically Dowie is competent and he’s still learning. He’s not as sexy or sophisticated as De Canio, but give him a good pool of players and he will get them playing some good tactical football, I’ve no doubt about that.
It’s important to realise that people make mistakes and some of them deserve a second chance, especially when they are young. Dowie is still a young manager who will have learnt an awful lot from his recent experiences and has not fulfilled his potential. He has a great chance to do that here.
Time will tell whether his strong minded approach will sit well with our new Board, but that may well be a positive rather than a negative. He’s done a relatively good job at most of the clubs he’s been at, but maybe he has taught himself that it’s time to concentrate on just the football.
I always find it fascinating when a manager leaves and a new one arrives, but I hope the fans and Board get right behind Dowie now and give him the time to show what he can do. We have had too many managerial changes in a short space of time and it needs to stabilise.
My only fear is Dowie’s court case with Simon Jordan is continuing and his appeal is due to take place in January. I hope that does not affect him or us as we look to move forward as a club.
Welcome aboard Iain and good luck!
