|
  
|
ICONS
Burley appointment tinged with sadness
by Antti Niemi
23-12-05
I think George Burley is a great appointment as the new Southampton manager. He has been there and seen it all before, and has enjoyed success at every club he's managed.
The new manager ticks all the right boxes and fits the exact description of the type of man I felt we needed in charge of Southampton. He has a proven record and is respected as being an excellent manager in all quarters. I think Rupert Lowe has made the perfect choice in bringing in George Burley.
I've spoken to Steven Pressley, who is club captain at Hearts, and he had nothing but praise for him as a manager. He reckons he is the sort of manager that gets the best out of his players, and he reckons he can inspire players to believe that they can beat anyone. George Burley's coaching is also highly regarded, so I expect the sessions to be played at a much higher tempo from now on.
We met the new boss today and he's already got us working very hard. We had a double session and it was superb stuff. The spirit in the group was tremendous, and I think much of that is down to his appointment. He's a very popular choice with the players, and now that he's on board I can visibly see that morale has been lifted.
It's a shame for Dave Bassett and Dennis Wise that they didn't get the job, but I'm sure Dennis will still be a valuable member of the team. He is still an important player for us, and I'm sure that the new manager will utilise his experience and knowledge from time to time and allow Dennis' voice to be heard.
The day has been tinged with sadness for me though, because I found out that my goalkeeping coach David Coles has been sacked by the club. I think the new manager wants to bring in his own people instead.
I feel so sorry for David Coles because if there was ever a person that did not deserve the sack it was him. He is without doubt the hardest working man that I have even seen in football. I have worked with hundreds of players, managers, coaches, physios etc, but none of them have been as dedicated as David.
He did everything he could for Southampton at all levels, working 24 hours, seven days a week, for 365 days a year. For him to be sacked on the eve of Christmas has knocked me sideways. I'm gobsmacked. He's as good as gold, but unfortunately for him, loyalty in football is rare.
I hope and expect David Coles to be snapped up by another club because I'm sure his work here hasn't gone unnoticed. He's a fantastic goalkeeping coach and will probably go on to achieve bigger and better things. He deserves to land a job at a club where his work is appreciated.
So it's mixed emotions from me today. I'm thrilled that George Burley is our new manager, but I'm also very sad to see one of my friends sacked from his job at the club.
|
|