Forster's Armband
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Now Slade can plan for future
9:40am Wednesday 6th May 2009
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By Andy Naylor »
Russell Slade has swapped a fireman’s helmet for a hard hat.
Up until last Saturday Slade had, for the past eight weeks, been the footballing equivalent of Red Adair.
Now, with League One survival secured and a new two-year contract agreed, Albion’s temporary-turned- permanent manager becomes Bob the Builder.
Can he fix it? Yes he can but the right foundations have to be in place before the club can reach their promised land, which, in the current circumstances, is the Championship and not the Premier League.
Slade made that abundantly clear yesterday, his first as the bonafide boss, before heading west for a family holiday in Cornwall while his players fly off to sunnier climes.
A kick in the Balearics awaits, you suspect, a sizeable portion of the out-of-contract majority when they return.
Slade said: “The season is over 46 games and, although we finished with a little bit of a flourish, clearly there is a degree of under-achievement that needs to be addressed.
“I will want to bring in some players, there is no doubt about that. I’ve indentified some, although I perhaps won’t be able to get them all here for one reason or another.
“There will be a list of targets that I will go and track down and within the next week there will be players leaving the club. That is the nature of the industry and that is what will have to happen.
“I think this is the first day of rebuilding. There are a lot of things I have been able to observe in the eight weeks I have been here that need defining so that we are professional in our structure and in our organisation. I think that’s important.”
Change will not be confined to a major revamp of the playing staff. The backroom staff, although remaining in place, will have redefined roles.
The structure for the treatment and preparation of players will also be overhauled following the retirement of long-serving physiotherapist Malcolm Stuart.
Slade said: “The medical department will probably see the biggest change. That has got to be looked at quite clearly.
“It might well be that we have two physios to deal with the first team and the reserves and anything else we need.
“I think there has to be a separate fitness and conditioning department, rather than personnel sort of having a dabble at different roles. That needs defining and needs to be done properly. I am a great believer that if you do something you have got to do it properly.
“The technical side of the football club – the analysing, the information that we get – needs absolute definition and what we can do within our financial constraints.
“I am looking at all that, the complete structure, objectively. Dean (assistant manager Dean White) and Bob (reserve team manager Bob Booker) will work within that structure.
“It’s okay saying you want to be a Championship club but you have to have a structure and gear up for that – it doesn’t just happen.
“That’s massively on my agenda, to prepare the club from a staffing point of view and off-the-field as well as on the field.
“Clearly I know it is all about results and it’s about players but your infra-structure has to be right if you are going to be successful at it.
“I think reasonable funds are going to be made available to help me give the club greater direction and we will use that money wisely, on and off the field.”
Looks like Russell has made the board realise the only way to become a Championship Club is by acting like it and investing in the whole structure. Or would this have happened anyway? Bet Yeovil, Grimbsy etc did not give him this kind of chance! He must be loving it!!!
9:40am Wednesday 6th May 2009
Comments (0) Have your say »
By Andy Naylor »
Russell Slade has swapped a fireman’s helmet for a hard hat.
Up until last Saturday Slade had, for the past eight weeks, been the footballing equivalent of Red Adair.
Now, with League One survival secured and a new two-year contract agreed, Albion’s temporary-turned- permanent manager becomes Bob the Builder.
Can he fix it? Yes he can but the right foundations have to be in place before the club can reach their promised land, which, in the current circumstances, is the Championship and not the Premier League.
Slade made that abundantly clear yesterday, his first as the bonafide boss, before heading west for a family holiday in Cornwall while his players fly off to sunnier climes.
A kick in the Balearics awaits, you suspect, a sizeable portion of the out-of-contract majority when they return.
Slade said: “The season is over 46 games and, although we finished with a little bit of a flourish, clearly there is a degree of under-achievement that needs to be addressed.
“I will want to bring in some players, there is no doubt about that. I’ve indentified some, although I perhaps won’t be able to get them all here for one reason or another.
“There will be a list of targets that I will go and track down and within the next week there will be players leaving the club. That is the nature of the industry and that is what will have to happen.
“I think this is the first day of rebuilding. There are a lot of things I have been able to observe in the eight weeks I have been here that need defining so that we are professional in our structure and in our organisation. I think that’s important.”
Change will not be confined to a major revamp of the playing staff. The backroom staff, although remaining in place, will have redefined roles.
The structure for the treatment and preparation of players will also be overhauled following the retirement of long-serving physiotherapist Malcolm Stuart.
Slade said: “The medical department will probably see the biggest change. That has got to be looked at quite clearly.
“It might well be that we have two physios to deal with the first team and the reserves and anything else we need.
“I think there has to be a separate fitness and conditioning department, rather than personnel sort of having a dabble at different roles. That needs defining and needs to be done properly. I am a great believer that if you do something you have got to do it properly.
“The technical side of the football club – the analysing, the information that we get – needs absolute definition and what we can do within our financial constraints.
“I am looking at all that, the complete structure, objectively. Dean (assistant manager Dean White) and Bob (reserve team manager Bob Booker) will work within that structure.
“It’s okay saying you want to be a Championship club but you have to have a structure and gear up for that – it doesn’t just happen.
“That’s massively on my agenda, to prepare the club from a staffing point of view and off-the-field as well as on the field.
“Clearly I know it is all about results and it’s about players but your infra-structure has to be right if you are going to be successful at it.
“I think reasonable funds are going to be made available to help me give the club greater direction and we will use that money wisely, on and off the field.”
Looks like Russell has made the board realise the only way to become a Championship Club is by acting like it and investing in the whole structure. Or would this have happened anyway? Bet Yeovil, Grimbsy etc did not give him this kind of chance! He must be loving it!!!
