United boss John Sheridan spoke more today about the job ahead as he continues with the process of pulling his backroom and playing staff together.
“It’s a big building process ahead, but I don’t see that as a problem at all,” he said. “It’s a new beginning and hopefully it’ll be an exciting journey for us all.
“The fact for me is that I think this is a brilliant place to be. I actually turned down a couple of jobs, which I didn’t feel were right for me, but it is good to be back and involved. There are so many good managers who are out of work and sometimes you find that you’re all after the same job.
“One of the big reasons I’m here, having spoken to the board about what they want, is that I feel promotion is definitely achievable in the first season. I want anyone who works with me or near me to have that same level of positivity. I want the fans to feel it as well.
“I know I’m very fortunate to get the opportunity to manage a club like this. I’m now at what is considered as a really big club in this division, but that doesn’t mean anything unless you’re getting out of it.
“That’s why I keep repeating that I want the right personnel and characters in the changing room to help us to achieve it.”
“Hopefully my knowledge of the league and of what players are required will help to take us in the direction we want to go,” he continued. “I haven’t come here to finish fifteenth or tenth or eighth, I want to get us out of this division.
“I’ve talked to the board a lot and they know where I want this club to go. I’m very happy with what I’ve got to work with. As I’ve said before, it isn’t about budget. It’s down to me to bring the right players in.
“The game has changed over the years and there’s a lot of talk about systems and formations, but when I won the league with Chesterfield we did it by scoring a lot of goals. If we can get players who are effective in the way they play, then we can turn that into a very strong team which is hard to beat.
“I’ve talked about the way we went forward at Chesterfield, but I had 22 clean sheets at Plymouth. That’s the sign of a side that works hard for each other and I’ll be looking for that as well.
“Listen, words are cheap. I’ve got to prove that I’m the right man for the job by making what I’m saying come to life. If everything falls into place I know the fans are ready to come along and support us.”
With a small nucleus of players already in place to work with, he told us: “I know about those who are here and they’re a group of really good lads.
“I had Mike Jones at Oldham, and I know some of the other lads from having had teams play against them before. There are some young lads in there as well, but I’m not afraid to play them if they show me they’re good enough. It’s up to them to do the work and earn their chance.
“What I don’t want is to have players feeling comfortable or that they’re automatic picks. I want people fighting for their place.
“I’m a massive believer in man management. If you treat people properly they go the extra mile for you and the confidence they get from it will make them a better player.
“I want this to be a place people want to be and I want us all pushing on together, from the dressing room to the fans. If we get that, and I know that’s what everyone wants, it’s going to be a good season.”
Click HERE to watch an interview with John Sheridan on iFollow United now.