Three is the magic number
So that was 2009 then.
Wasn't it great?
I really do mean that actually. I think we've had a
pretty good year of it sports-wise in this country.
Our footy team is doing well under Don Fabio (or
Postman Pat as my Mum calls him), our cricket team won the Ashes and destroyed
South Africa the other day, Andy Murray had another top year, but arguably best
of all Jenson Button won the world Formula One championship.
In this part of the world it's been ok, but not
great.
Norfolk's cricketers won the KO Cup, and the King's
Lynn Stars won more trophies.
Norwich City have had an awful year, despite signs
of recovery, but it's not been as bad as the Linnets who don't exist any more.
The real ray of sunshine for me in 2009 has been a
football team wearing blue from Suffolk (not that one).
At the start of 2009, Lowestoft Town were well
clear of everyone at the top of the Ridgeons League Premier Division.
Since then it's all gone very, very well.
In the calendar year they've played 58 games, won
43, lost just eight and scored and incredible 150. Throw into that mix a Suffolk
Premier Cup title, an FA Vase semi-final and an FA Cup first round appearance.
They are now clear at the top of the Ryman League
Division One North.
They haven't broken the bank to reach the highest
point in the club's history (like King's Lynn did). In fact they've adopted a
rather novel method to secure success.
For many years Micky Chapman and Ady Gallagher have
been joint managers. Now they insist the club is run by a management team, which
includes Craig Fleming.
And when you think about it, having three managers
instead of one, probably makes sense.
They all get on well for a start. But surely they
must look at problems in a different way? They must have a wealth of ideas and
individual traits for bringing out the best in their players - which they
obviously have.
I've been to several Town games in 2009 and seen
how they all work in different ways during the warm up. They put their arms
round some players and gee up the others.
But having more than one brain in the box seat at a
football club is not a new thing - although you have to wonder why more don't do
it.
Look at the success of Brian Clough and Peter
Taylor at Derby and Nottingham Forest. Look at the lack of success for Clough at
Leeds when he was on his own and Taylor's failure at Derby by himself.
Look at Sir Alex Ferguson. The men sat alongside
him at Old Trafford apparently play as big a part as Sir himself, like Brian
Kidd and now Mike Phelan.
Arsene Wenger has had Pat Rice sitting faithfully
alongside him for years, while Martin O'Neill has John Robertson as his
right-hand man.
And if two heads are proving good for big clubs why
not three?
Lowestoft have shown it can work and I'll bet
anyone a tenner that the three musketeers of Chapman, Gallagher and Fleming are
lifting another Championship trophy in May 2010.
posted on 31 December 2009 15:12 byJonathan Redhead
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