| Good piece on Lincoln 12:54 - Feb 1 with 646 views | bluefunk |
This from the Times today, by Gregor Robertson, interesting comments on the Cowleys style, which isnt for me. A long read but it does point up the benefit of having a proper joined up approach from the club - the result on Saturday didnt quite fit the narrative though!!
"For a little over a year now Lincoln City, the club that bore witness to something close to a miracle, has been in the midst of a quiet revolution. You would have to have been hiding under a rock to have missed the former National League club’s remarkable journey between 2016 and 2019: the heroic voyage to meet the mighty Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final, the two promotions, the EFL Trophy triumph in the club’s first visit to Wembley, all inspired by the manager, Danny Cowley, and his brother and assistant, Nicky.
The city was invigorated. Attendances trebled. The cup windfall paid for a new £1.3 million training centre. And then, in September 2019, the Cowleys left the Imps for Huddersfield Town of the Sky Bet Championship.
Let’s be honest: how often does that signal the end of the story?
For Lincoln, though, it feels as though there are chapters in their renaissance still to be written. “The plan was always to maximise the opportunity, the momentum that we had,” says Liam Scully, the Lincoln chief executive. “In sport and football opportunities like this don’t present themselves that often. And we’re desperate to maximise our potential.”
If getting out of League Two “required a certain strategy,” Scully says, “thriving in League One required a different approach.” And so since this time last year, Michael Appleton, who replaced Cowley as manager, and Jez George, the club’s director of football, have completely overhauled Lincoln’s squad. Furthermore, there has been a distinct shift from the functional, and effective, football of his predecessor, to a more progressive style of play that it is believed will bring both success at a higher level and make Sincil Bank an attractive place for talented young players to develop.
The transformation has been remarkable. Only two senior players, Harry Anderson and Jorge Grant, have survived a cull which began last January. The average age of the group has plummeted. As the old guard – Michael Bostwick, Neal Eardley and Jason Shackell et al – were moved on, in came youthful recruits such as Anthony Scully, a 21-year-old former West Ham United winger, Lewis Montsma, a 22-year-old defender plucked from the Dutch second tier, and Tayo Edun, also 22, a former Fulham full back, with room to develop and appreciate in value.
Appleton, moreover, is a former West Bromwich Albion youth coach who has utilised his contacts within the academy system. Seven players from clubs in higher leagues have been signed on loan since the start of this season. Brennan Johnson, the highly-regarded 19-year-old Nottingham Forest winger, Morgan Rogers, an exciting 18-year-old Manchester City forward, and TJ Eyoma, a 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur right back, are among those who have flourished this season. And, after five wins from their past six games, Appleton’s buccaneering young team began the weekend at the top of League One.
“We’re proud of our heavy metal style and approach in League Two; there’s no pretentiousness looking back at that,” Scully explains. “That was the right choice for the right time at that moment. The success of this year is largely the result of the strategy that was deployed this time last year. I think a lot of people at the time probably looked at us and wondered what we were doing. But hopefully everybody can now see the fruits of that labour.”
Lincoln, though, have earned the trust of their supporters. The club have backed proposals for a fan-led review into English football and when football was forced behind closed doors, supporters overwhelmingly accepted an offer of club shares rather than season-ticket refunds, saving the club £341,000 in their most recent accounts. According to Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert, Lincoln “set a gold standard in terms of transparency and governance”.
After a shaky start to his tenure at Sincil Bank, supporters now trust Appleton’s vision on the field just as implicitly. A decade ago, the 45-year-old endured a torrid start to his managerial career with three of England’s biggest basket-case clubs of the era, Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers. In the space of 14 months, he experienced administration, relegation and, at the latter two, 65 and 67-day tenures. After three restorative years and promotion from League Two with Oxford United, Appleton spent time as first-team coach of both Leicester City and West Brom before succeeding the Cowleys.
“As you can see from today, in terms of style of play, we’ve transformed it,” Appleton said of a 1-0 defeat against Doncaster Rovers that was “arguably the best performance since I’ve been here”. “We’ve created a model where if [the players] don’t push on with us, and we can’t take them to the next level, then someone else will,” he says.
It is a model that is largely shared by Saturday’s opponents, managed by Darren Moore, Appleton’s friend, former West Brom team-mate and former Blackburn first-team coach. Doncaster have signed nine players on loan across the course of this season. Taylor Richards, a 20-year-old midfielder on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, scored the only goal of the game with a surging first-half run and low strike from outside the penalty area. Then Ellery Balcombe, an England under-20 goalkeeper on loan from Brentford, saved two second half penalties to deny a dominant Lincoln team who enjoyed 70 per cent possession.
Grant rattled the crossbar from outside the penalty area. Conor McGrandles had a fine strike pushed over the bar by the inspired Balcombe. Lincoln’s Rogers, a rangy bag of tricks, could not unlock an obdurate Doncaster defence, nor could the fleet-footed Johnson. Yet the game was a magnificent advert for League One football. And both teams, in all likelihood, will be challenging for promotion to the Championship at the end of the season thanks to intelligent leadership, recruitment and coaching.
Appleton, though, maintains that Lincoln are “ahead of schedule”. “I signed a 3½-year deal when I came here,” he says. “We’re in the second year now. We finished 16th last year. So anything from 12th and above, at the start of the season, I felt would be a positive.
“As it happens, we are where we are, just after halfway, and ultimately there’s a desire by the players and everyone to stay up there as long as we possibly can. I actually think we’ll be stronger and better next year.
“Whether that’s as a League One club or a Championship club, we’ll see.” |  | | |  |
| I contacts a Huddersfield mate on the Cowleys on 13:32 - Feb 1 with 558 views | unstableblue |
Picking up this passage (referring to Appleton):
"Furthermore, there has been a distinct shift from the functional, and effective, football of his predecessor, to a more progressive style of play that it is believed will bring both success at a higher level and make Sincil Bank an attractive place for talented young players to develop."
My Hudds mate stated that: "I really rate them and they are certainly more than the route 1 dinosaurs people reference, they would do a good job for Ipswich. Our new manager is more progressive* though and an improvement"
'progressive' is his word!!
I think my point is that I'm convinced that out there is a manager better suited to us than the Cowleys and Cook, a longer term bet. A Robbins, a Robinson, or dare I say it an Appleton... who has slowly been improving across a number of clubs.. and has fantastic win% at Oxford and Lincoln.
We SO need to get the next manager right.. although that ain't happening for a while I'm afraid. So will be a new project next season. When Lambert fails to make the Play-offs |  |
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| I contacts a Huddersfield mate on the Cowleys on 13:39 - Feb 1 with 536 views | ElderGrizzly |
| I contacts a Huddersfield mate on the Cowleys on 13:32 - Feb 1 by unstableblue |
Picking up this passage (referring to Appleton):
"Furthermore, there has been a distinct shift from the functional, and effective, football of his predecessor, to a more progressive style of play that it is believed will bring both success at a higher level and make Sincil Bank an attractive place for talented young players to develop."
My Hudds mate stated that: "I really rate them and they are certainly more than the route 1 dinosaurs people reference, they would do a good job for Ipswich. Our new manager is more progressive* though and an improvement"
'progressive' is his word!!
I think my point is that I'm convinced that out there is a manager better suited to us than the Cowleys and Cook, a longer term bet. A Robbins, a Robinson, or dare I say it an Appleton... who has slowly been improving across a number of clubs.. and has fantastic win% at Oxford and Lincoln.
We SO need to get the next manager right.. although that ain't happening for a while I'm afraid. So will be a new project next season. When Lambert fails to make the Play-offs |
The article and your response sum up very well about my worries on the Cowleys.
They appear to be a 'glass ceiling' type appointment. They'll improve short-term on Lambert but won't help with the style Evans wants and won't bring the academy along with them. |  | | |
| Good piece on Lincoln on 13:46 - Feb 1 with 513 views | jayessess |
How on Earth can Evans see Lincoln and think "you know what, I'm getting value for money from my coaching and recruitment staff"? |  |
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