- When you arrived at Barrow, one of the first
things you did was to introduce an extra night's
training. How did the players respond to this?
The players worked hard to improve their fitness level as
I felt one night's training was not enough.
- What made you join Barrow in the first
place?
The chairman's ambition for the club.
- How well do you think the players responded to
you?
Any new manager gets a reaction either short or long term
depending how he deals with the team. The hard thing is
to keep the momentum going.
- What are the differences between managing a
Football League club and a non-League club?
The big difference, apart from individual ability, is the
time you have to coach the team.
- How big is the gulf between Division Three and the
UniBond?
A UniBond team is more than capable of beating a league
side in a one off cup game, but would find it difficult
to stay up in the league.
- What do you think you achieved in your time at
Barrow?
I brought in a blend of youth and experience.
- You must have been disappointed by the 1-1 draw in
the opening game of the season at home to Knowsley
United.
Our expectations were high, but it was not a disaster.
Knowsley played well on the day.
- Why did the team's form vary so much? For example,
after playing superbly to defeat Chorley 3-1 away, the
team then played abysmally only four days later in losing
3-0 at Guiseley.
We did not compete. It was as if we turned up just
expecting to win. It was a good lesson.
- Some criticism was made of the team selection for
the important game at Hyde. You played Ian Harrold and
Tony Ford together in that game, both of whom are
defenders. It seemed that you picked the team to play for
a draw, and when we went a goal down, we couldn't
recover. Do you have any comment on this?
I never pick a side to play for a draw. Tony Ford is a
forward player, not a defender.
- What is your opinion of the standard of refereeing
in the UniBond?
The refs were excellent, better than the GM Vauxhall
Conference because they do not have assessors at all
games. The matches are better for it. Some pitches are
poor, making our passing style difficult.
- Who do you think will win the UniBond?
I still feel that Barrow will be the team to beat at the
end of the season.
- It has been said that some Barrow players don't
like playing at Holker St. because of the criticism from
the terraces and the high expectations. What do you think
about this?
There's a great atmosphere at Holker St. The fans are by
far the best in the UniBond. Players should look forward
to that, not be fearful.
- If Barrow met Swindon in the Third Round of the FA
Cup, who would win?
Swindon. But upsets have happened before.
- How would you summarise your time at
Barrow?
I loved every minute of it, from the Chairman, Ged Rule
and the office staff, the ground staff, the players and
the supporters. I left because I was given an opportunity
that I could not refuse. But I will always look for
Barrow's result and I wish Owen Brown nothing but the
best of luck for promotion this season.
- Thanks very much for your time, and good luck in
getting Swindon into the Premier League!
Issue 028 - November 1996
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