34 minutes ago
Image source, Rex Features
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Troy Deeney is experiencing his first transfer window as a manager having taken over at Forest Green last month
New Forest Green Rovers boss Troy Deeney admits he was not expecting to be appointed as a manager so soon.
The ex-Watford and Birmingham striker was put in charge of the League Two club on 20 December following the exit of David Horseman.
He originally joined Rovers as a player-coach in the summer.
“In my head it was 18 months down the line this was going to be happening, it wasn’t a random Wednesday in December,” Deeney told Radio Gloucestershire.
“I didn’t have any expectation. There’s a quote a friend of mine read me the other day – ‘you’re never ready but be ready’ is what he says and that’s kind of what it is.”
Forest Green remain bottom of the fourth tier and face a battle to save themselves from a second successive relegation that would see them return to non-league football.
Under Deeney they have lost two and drawn two games and are six points from safety. They travel on Saturday to struggling Salford City, who are three places ahead of them.
Deeney believes there is now a “desire” to win within the team, which was missing under Horseman.
“When we get our win – which I think will come Saturday – we go and we kick on and I think we get two, three, four wins in a row and that’s when you’ll see the real definition of a team,” he said.
‘People want to send me players’
Deeney expects “movement” to bring in more players during the current transfer window.
Although director of football Alan Steele is leading the recruitment team at the club, Deeney has been drawing on his friends and contacts in the game and making recommendations.
“I’ve got a lot of respect in the game, a lot of friends, all my age group are directors of football somewhere, so when I start texting Shola Ameobi at Newcastle and he’s like ‘ahh, I’ve been waiting for this call’, it’s quite funny,” he said.
“You start just asking all your names you know, all your mates, going through your contact list and you start realising there’s a lot of people you haven’t spoken to in a while so just touching base with a lot of people.”
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Troy Deeney joined Forest Green as a player-coach in the summer and has played 18 games this season
Deeney is Forest Green’s fourth manager since May 2022 and said his aim is to change the perception of the team.
“They understand that I’m going to make mistakes but we’ve stripped it down to a real basic level of understanding and my job now is to create an identity of this team,” he added.
“I think from the outside looking in – and I know this from people I’ve asked – is that we’re considered a nice club, soft at times and we’re taking away from that as quickly as possible.
“Anyone who’s watched the games can see it’s been a drastic change in how we deliver and our approach to every game.”
2024-01-05 08:30:05
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