Atkins To Be Approached

Ian Atkins with a Manager of the Month award from Nationwide.

In the promised statement to the club's official website, www.southendunited.co.uk, Southend director Ron Martin finally ended all the specualtion that former Shrimpers legend Stan Collymore would be taking over, and instead declared that the club would be approaching U's boss Atkins for formal discussions. Up until this stage the 46-year-old, whose Yellows side is currently top of the Third Division table, has denied any approach from the southeast Essex club.

Martin, whose comments were first relayed to subscribers to the Seasiders' SMS text messaging service, revealed that he had met 32-year-old Collymore on a number of occasions, and started his comments by saying, "Stan was a great player for the club and feels that Southend provided a platform for his rise to the Prermiership". He continued to state that he [Martin], "very much warmed to Stan and recognised that he would now like to give something back to the club that helped him on his way".

The main stumbling block appears to be the former Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Aston Villa striker's refusal to add to the eighteen goals in thirty-three games that he netted in his initial 1993 spell with the Roots Hall outfit. Martin lamented, "I have no doubt that Stan Collymore through his footballing experiences and intellect could benefit Southend United Football Club - particularly commercially but equally so if Stan Collymore was able to play. It was not Stan's intention to enter the field of play in the immediate future, or at all, with his principal focus being on management".

The reason's for the club's chief exectuive choosing to look towards Atkins rather than the ex-Blues favourite appear to have been made on sound judgement. Martin explained, "The club is in a potentially precarious position and for Stan to take the reins at this time would be a huge risk and one it is impossible to quanitify. Therefore, after careful consideration, the board and I feel that this is not the time for Stan Collymore to manager Southend United and that role should fall to a person that presently has considerable experience not only in man-management and tactical awareness but also a thorough knowledge of players in the Football League who we may need to acquire to strengthen the squad now and in the immediate future".

Martin did hand out an olive branch to Collymore, and suggested that the England international could still have a role to play this season by concluding, "I wish to maintain my dialogue with Stan Collymore for, as I say, he is very capable of bringing something to the party and, as Stan clearly wishes to help, maybe he will consider in the future playing out his career at Southend United Football Club".

Oxford gaffer Atkins had ruled himself out of contention for the post verbally in a statement that appeared in local newspaper, the Oxford Mail. However, it is impossible to tell whether or not at that time, anybody from Blues had sounded out the former Northampton Town and Chester City boss. Formally, an approach has only just been made, and the two parties cannot meet until Oxford chairman Firoz Kassam gives his consent. He has initially rejected Southend's approach, and Atkins will now have to resign from his position to even be allowed to speak to Roots Hall officials.

As yet, there has been no reaction from the manager of the Thames Valley side, but Atkins did suggest that the situation behind the scenes at the Kassam Stadium is not entirely to his liking in his post-match interview with the club's official website, www.oufc.co.uk. He said of his team's table-topping achievements, "The entire football side of things is buzzing", suggesting that in the boardroom, where it is well known that owner Kassam is ready to sell, things are not so rosy.

Atkins was only appointed manager at Oxford eighteen months ago in April 2002 after a fourth-month stint as caretaker boss. Previously the Black Country man has played for Shrewsbury Town, Sunderland and Everton, where he won the League Championship and a Cup Winners Cup medal with Howard Kendall's team. He subsequently joined Ipswich Town and Birmingham City.

In 1990, he cut his managerial teeth with Southend's north Essex rivals Colchester United. His first full season, in the Conference, ended with the U's second place behind winners Barnet. He was assistant manager to Terry Cooper at Birmingham City, but left to join Cambridge United as a player-manager. Soon afterwards he walked out on the Abbey Stadium side to join Doncaster Rovers.

He made another switch, this time to Northampton Town, and this time he had success - guiding the Cobblers to the play-offs and promotion to Division Two. They came so near to repeating the feat a year later, but defeat at Wembley to Grimsby Town saw then remiain one level above the basement division. In 1999, they dropped to that level, and Atkins left by mutual consent. His new team, Chester, were relegated that year, and he moved on to Brunton Park and perennial strugglers Carlisle United. There he avoided relegation on the last day of the 2000/1 campaign, but he left the next season to join Cardiff City as assistant to Alan Cork. In November 2002 he became Director of Football at Oxford, and after Mark Wright left the club in acrimoniuos circumstances, he took over full-time, now leading them to the pinnacle of Division Three.

Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette

.com

Atkins To Be Approached

Last updated : 28 November 2003 By Robert Craven