Our resident EFL insider Gab Sutton gives us his take on Crawley Town's decision to part ways with under-fire head coach Colin Kazim-Richards and explains who he feels could be the perfect fit to take over the reins of the League Two club.
In many cases, I would make the argument for clubs to stand by managers in difficult moment, because I think it promotes trust and loyalty, and empowers them to do what’s required -- but there’s a limit.
You’ve got to be confident that you’re seeing a manager do the right things every day. You’ve got to be confident that you’re seeing enough in performances to believe that things will turn with the right tweaks.
I don’t think Crawley can say that about Colin Kazim-Richards.
From people I’ve spoken to in the industry, I’m led to believe he would take coaching sessions whilst watching videos of Vincent Kompany coaching Bayern Munich on his iPhone.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with being inspired by successful people in football, and borrowing some of their ideas to mold into your own methodology that works for the group you have.
Instead, the impression I have is that Kazim-Richards was using elite, UEFA Champions League training sessions as a one-size-fits-all, step-by-step handbook for coaching League Two footballers -- in which case, that was extremely naïve.
As such, I think Crawley owner Raphael Khalili did the right thing to cut ties now, with the team six points off safety but one or two games in hand on the sides above them and with three-quarters of the season to play, than wait until Christmas when the team might be cut adrift.
On Wednesday evening, Crawley confirmed Kevin Blackwell has been appointed Interim Manager on a short-term basis, while the club concludes its recruitment process for a new permanent manager.
Who will Crawley Town turn to next?
As things stand, the Red Devils have a chance of attracting a decent calibre manager: a Karl Robinson or a Stuart Maynard.
In that regard, Maynard would be my preference, and he thoroughly deserves an opportunity in the Football League after his heroics with York last season, attaining an astonishing 108-point haul.
I believe the former Notts County boss is a nice fit for the personnel the Sussex outfit have, with his possession-based style of play.
I think there’s still a fair amount of individual talent in this Crawley squad: goalkeeper Michalski, on loan from Blackburn, is a fine shot-stopper, Pele Arganese-McDermott came highly regarded for his attitude by Wayne Burnett at Tottenham U21s, versatile midfielder Nathan Tinsdale is highly-rated at Hull, and forward Gianmarco di Biase has Juventus NextGen pedigree -- and a nice minutes per goal record in the lower leagues of Italian football.
The problem is, however, it hasn’t quite amalgamated just yet, and the losses of a Charlie Barker or a Jay Williams have been keenly felt in terms of that leadership group.
As such, bringing in a couple of experienced heads in January is a must, and I expect any manager will half-decent pedigree will get that into the agreement before accepting the job.
Time is of the essence: Crawley have taken just two points from their last eight games, and it’s crucial they take a decent return from a favourable run of games against Oldham, Tranmere, Barnet, Exeter, Port Vale and Newport, before a tough festive and New Year period.
Crawley need to act quickly to avoid getting cut adrift.
