Over the line

I can’t have been the only one to wonder if it was actually going to get over the line can I?

When it was first revealed that the club had decided to make Kolo Toure the new first team manager the World Cup hadn’t even begun, now we’ve nearly reached the end of the group stage.

The club have made it clear he was their first and only choice and in fairness to the board and ownership they’ve put their money where their mouth is. It took a while but it was a relief to see the new man take his place on the training pitch in Turkey earlier this week.

We’ve spoken about it being a risk over the last two weeks’ worth of columns so instead of looking at this risk let’s instead look at how heartening it is to see a young manager given his first opportunity in football.

Kolo Toure has played under some of the world’s best managers, he has won countless titles and honours and is the second most capped player the Ivory Coast have ever had. If he can bring a fraction of that experience to the table and influence those young players in need of a helping hand it could be a real success.

The club should be applauded for looking outside of the box at this appointment, Toure may not be the manager we expected but someone in their first job like Toure is a much more exciting appointment than those usual suspects that were linked with the job. Is exciting right for us now?

I’m not too sure but for too long this season supporters have complained about stoic and dull percentage football. I believe that was a means to an end and also an accusation unfairly levelled at Leam Richardson but equally Toure is expected to be the antithesis to that.

So alongside Kolo who else will we see in the new look dug out at the DW Stadium. Rob Kelly remains as assistant manager which could be as important an appointment as Toure. Kelly brings stability for the players as someone who’s respected and an important link with that fantastic campaign last season.

Alongside Kelly arrives Kevin Betsy a name we’ll know well as Betsy made nearly 600 appearances in the football league. Since retiring Betsy has been head coach in various youth set-ups most notably as head coach for England’s U16/U17 and U18 sides. Last season he was in charge of Arsenal’s U23’s before joining Crawley Town earlier this season. His football at Arsenal was described as fluid with various formations including 4-3-3 and 3-5-2.

Arriving with Toure from Leicester is Ashvir Singh Johal, a community champion from Leicester who was heavily involved in the coaching and set up of Guru Nanak Football Club to help Asians get in to football in the early 2000s. For the last eight years he’s been a coach at Leicester’s incredibly successful academy.

These are different types of appointments by Phoenix 21 and show a willingness to try something different. Now the contracts have been signed and the pictures released it’s all about getting ready for Millwall. What better way to face your first Championship bow.

Will it work? No one can say but these lads will get the full support they need from Wiganer’s. For our sakes it needs to work, so be loud and proud for Kolo’s Tricky Tics!

Sean Livesey

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