Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Football: Others could learn from 'diamond' Alexander
WE had only been talking about Keith Alexander in the office just hours before he died.[LNB] The debate turned to who we would have wanted to replace Eddie Howe as Cherries manager should his career take him elsewhere.[LNB] Keith Alexander was one of our popular choices.[LNB] Described earlier this month as a real diamond by our colleague at the Manchester Evening News, Alexander was clearly a pleasure to deal with and at ease with the media.[LNB] His friendly disposition and courteous manner with the press was evidenced at Dean Court following Macclesfield's 1-1 draw with Cherries 12 days ago.[LNB] Banished to the stands for querying Cherries' late |equaliser, Alexander was calm, articulate and accommodating as he conducted a series of interviews.[LNB] His wit and incredibly dry sense of humour also shone through, even in the heat of the moment.[LNB] Asked by a radio interviewer whether his objective had been to push higher up the table, there was no put-down or look of distain as he replied: It's always your objective to push higher up the table![LNB] He shirked no question and his honesty was refreshing.[LNB] Similarly, Alexander was keen to set the record straight after comments attributed to him about Cherries' financial position had appeared ahead of the Dorset club's trip to Macclesfield in November.[LNB] Clearly upset after claiming he had been misquoted, Alexander went out of his way to find the Echo reporters to ensure his side of the story would be communicated to Cherries fans.[LNB] So-called better managers, but unquestionably lesser men, would do well to learn from this diamond.[LNB]
