After 8 incredibly successful years at Concord Rangers, Danny Cowley has now moved onto Braintree Town. It comes as no surprise that Danny has attracted the attention of a team higher up the football pyramid, as what he has achieved along with other staff involved at Concord Rangers is to a certain extent a footballing miracle, considering the supporter network and the size of the club.
One of the players who has risen through the league's with Danny and the team is Steve King, I spoke with him to find out his feelings about Danny's departure:
Did you think that the day Danny Cowley left the club would eventually come?
I think it was inevitable that it would come, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't a shock when it happened. Dan was part of the furniture at the club and a huge reason that it has been so successful over the past 8 years, so it's a shock and a sad time for everyone involved.
What are Danny's qualities as a manager, how has he achieved so much?
Dan is relentless. He's so professional and pays attention to the smallest of details. He would always try and get that 1% advantage over anyone we came up against, so if for example we had a huge snowfall and no one could possibly train on a Thursday night, we would be running on the snow, looking to get everything we could not of the session to allow us to win the game on the Saturday.
That's dedication! How about you personally, how did he improve your game?
For me personally he has helped me develop over the years by giving me confidence in ability, but mostly he has helped me grow as a person into becoming a leader both on and off the pitch, and for that I owe him hugely.
Was Dan integral to the spirit of the club?
I wouldn't say any one person is integral to the spirit of the club. No one person is bigger than this club and that includes Dan. Don't get me wrong he is a massive character and he and Nicky will both be sorely missed, but it's his job to select the right characters to put in the changing room and those characters collectively combined with those of the many volunteers around us are what create a special atmosphere, and that by bringing in the right manager and consequently more players with the right character, will continue for years to come.
Obviously the fans are gutted by Dan's departure, do you have any words for them?
All I can say is that there are positives on everything, and there will be positives to take from this. Danny Cowley is, in my opinion, a fantastic manager who will go on to manage at the very top level I'm sure, but he has put the club in a great position and leaves it on a crest of a wave, and I know the chairman and the committee will make the correct decision when it comes to a new manager and who knows where that can take us. The club has come on leaps and bounds over the last 8 years and it will continue to do so with the development of the ground this summer and importantly the pitch getting a huge makeover so I'm certain the club won't regress or become stagnant, it will strive to continually improve and to do that we need the fantastic support we receive from those around us to continue.
Finally....You going to throw your CV into the hat?
Haha! I'm not putting my CV in for a manager's job. At 30 it's not something I've considered and certainly not something I would want to think about for a long time. The work involved in being a manager of a Non-League club is unreal, and over the years working closely with Dan I have seen the dedication and commitment you have to show to achieve in the role and with a young family I'm not ready to show said commitments. I would love to be involved in some way shape or form in the selection process and when a manager is appointed I will definitely be applying to become their heading coach, as I feel I have a great deal to offer in this field!
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