Colin West on doing what has to be done to bring success to the club
United boss Keith Curle revealed last week that Colin West had been on player meeting duty in London as the summer recruitment programme speeds up with the first signings already completed and over the line.
And the assistant manager confirmed that it’s all part and parcel of the job as he looks ahead to another successful campaign.
“The work never stops, does it!” he said. “There’s a break where the games finish and everybody outside the football club thinks we all disappear on long holidays. Even when we’re away we’re on phones to agents, each other and different people as we try to get things sorted.
“In terms of actually signing players I think it’s an absolute must that you’ve seen and spoken to them personally before you finalise anything. The way I’ve always done it is that I look at what I’m using as being my money. If we’re going to commit funds to a player then we don’t want it to be wasted.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you have in the budget, you have to try and treat it as if it has to be money well spent rather than just getting another body in for the sake of it. That’s why we have lists of first, second and third choices because you don’t always get that first choice over the line. You have to be ready to move if things fall through on the work you’ve been doing.”
Speaking about his contract situation, which is now close to finalisation, he said: “We’ve had very positive talks and we’re not too far away. There are some small issues we need to iron out otherwise we’re all happy.
“I’m enjoying my time here and the working relationship I have with Keith is a big part of that. I think it’s a must that you get on with each other, but that’s the same for any job. It doesn’t mean you always agree but I know for a fact he doesn’t just want ‘yes men’ around him. If we were all like that it would be a waste of time being here.
“We’re here to continue our progression. Our target has to be seventh place or above. The fans have been superb with us and we’re determined to give them a lot more excitement. The hope is that we’ll take the next step because we want to see everyone getting better in everything they do every day.”
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