Source: Northern_Echo
Todd puts his nous to the test
IN his office at The Northern Echo Darlington Arena, Colin Todd appears very much at ease. Reclined in his chair, hands on top of his head and with his feet resting on the large wooden desk in front of him, hes clearly comfortable in his surroundings.[LNB] And why wouldnt he be, for Todd has been here in the same situation before, many times over. Not at Darlington, but pre-season and the anticipation and excitement that always comes at this time of year.[LNB] He is on the verge of celebrating two decades as a manager, with Darlington the seventh club he has been at the helm of. Seen it all, done it all.[LNB] He has several T-shirts to prove it too, so it takes more than a pessimistic prediction of how Darlington will fair this season to unsettle this 60-year-old.[LNB] Todds just been told that mornings Times newspaper has forecast Quakers will be relegated, 23rd they say, along with Accrington Stanley.[LNB] He pauses for a moment, shrugs and then, with the calm authority of a man who is not easily provoked, says: Theres a lot of people out there knocking us already.[LNB] Were just going to have to prove them wrong, thats all.[LNB] Which is exactly what he did when manager at Bradford, almost guiding them to the play-offs the season after they emerged from administration.[LNB] The media and TV pundits said Bradford would be relegated but in adversity you become a lot stronger,[LNB] he says.[LNB] When we started preseason that year there were only seven players. That was when Dean Windass nearly came to Darlington, but I talked him round and he stayed with us.[LNB] I got players in, some on loan, and we surprised a lot of people because we just missed out on the play-offs.[LNB] It was a difficult period because there was uncertainty even when I was bringing players in on trial.[LNB] That was in 2004, but Todd could quite easily have been referring to this years preseason, such has been the turmoil that engulfed Darlington.[LNB] Financial concerns meant Todd had a considerable task in convincing players to join.[LNB] Ian Miller and Steve Foster aside, all of last seasons squad disappeared but Todd has managed to replace them with a collection of experienced pros, many of them tried and tested League Two fare.[LNB] And its surely better than signing a bunch of teenagers kicked out of Premeir League clubs after failing to makde the grade, as could have been predicted given Todds reduced budget.[LNB] The question they all asked before coming here was are you guaranteed to come out of administration, said Todd.[LNB] That was understandable.[LNB] I had to assure them that we would be alright. I wouldnt say I had to tell them white lies, thats not right, I had to tell them what I knew, what Id been told by Raj Singh (the new chairman).[LNB] Some players we have signed had others clubs interested but they decided to stick by us. Some of them had opportunities to play for bigger teams in this division but didnt go, which is a good sign. It tells me they have some hunger.[LNB] A ball may not have been kicked yet this season, but Todd has already shown his ruthless streak by jettisoning two of his early signings, Craig James and Ben Starosta.[LNB] The defenders were two of his new recruits paraded when Quakers returned to training at the beginning of July.[LNB] By the beginning of August they were gone.[LNB] Some below par performances saw to that, but it was not a decision Todd made lightly.[LNB] But his budget ensures there is no room for passengers: It was horrible for me. Id made the decision to bring them in and offered contracts because I knew them from the past as Id seen them before.[LNB] But when I saw them play in pre-season they didnt show me the same as Id seen in the past. I had to justify to myself and to the other players that I was bringing in players that were going to make an impact.[LNB] Its unfortunate but I had to let them go. I wish them well and I hope they get fixed up somewhere else.[LNB] It could quite easily have happened in reverse. An agent could have rang me and said Im sorry but player X has been offered X number of pounds to go somewhere else. I would just have had to accept it.[LNB] Thankfully, such a scenario did not come to be, and players were finally able to sign contacts on Monday, 32 days after they first began training without pay.[LNB] Now they might see the nasty side of myself, added Todd. When youve got players with you who are not sure what is going to happen it is difficult.[LNB] But their attitude has been absolutely tremendous, despite all the uncertainty.[LNB] Theyve applied themselves properly. We know its going to be a difficult challenge.[LNB] Ive told the players that were coming out of an uncertain period by signing the contracts and now we can concentrate on football.[LNB] INS AND OUTS[LNB] IN: Chris Lumsdon (Carlisle), David Knight (Mansfield), Dean Windass (Hull), Gary Smith (Brentford), James Bennett (Hull), Jeff Smith (Carlisle), Lee Thorpe (Rochdale), Mark Bower (Bradford), Mark Convery (Newcastle Blue Star), Matt Plummer (Hull), Paul Arnison (Bradford) OUT: Adam Griffin (free), Alan White (Luton), Andy Oakes (free), Clayton Fortune (Western-super-Mare), David Poole (free), Franz Burgmeier (FC Vaduz), Gregg Blundell (Chester), Jason Kennedy (Rochdale), Neil Austin (Hartlepool), Pawel Abbott (Oldham), Przemyslaw Kazimierczak (Oldham), Ricky Ravenhill (Notts County), Rob Purdie (Oldham), Robin Hulbert (Barrow), Ryan Valentine (Hereford) Tim Ryan (Chester) All free transfers[LNB] What would represent success for Quakers this season Share your thoughts below.[LNB]
