The race to become Lincoln City's new manager has seen two names seemingly gain a sizeable gap over the rest of the field. Accrington Stanley's John Coleman and former Southend man Steve Tilson are both confirmed to be high up on City's wanted list, with the latter already holding talks with the club.
Tilson was amongst one of the early favourites for the job as City were, at the time, the only club in the Football League without a manager, things have slightly changed since then with Hereford sacking Simon Davey and Peter Taylor apparantly one bad result away from the sack at Bradford. The club has confirmed that informal talks have taken place through the Lincolnshire Echo, but a stumbling block still appears to be the money that Tilson and Southend are debating over.
Southend released an official statement on their website regarding Tilson, stating "Steve Tilson has received payments due to him and will continue to do so as they fall due. As the chairman advised Steve at the time the club would not stand in his way for any managerial position that he wished to apply for and nothing has changed in this regard.”
On the other hand, the Echo has also revealed that John Coleman is high up on the wanted list and as posted in the local Accrington newspaper last week, Coleman and his assistant are interested in the role, mainly due to their ongoing contract problems with Accrington.
If Coleman did join the Imps, he would join a select group of managers in recent years who have left clubs challenging for promotion to go to teams at the bottom of the same division. Ian Atkins left Oxford United in 2004 to go to Bristol Rovers and Ian Holloway left Plymouth to go to Leicester, both Oxford and Plymouth were relegated in the few years following.
Coleman has been a consistent performer for Accrington over the years, improving year on year and producing sides on a shoe-string budget, including the one that comprehensively beat the Imps in mid-September.
At this early stage, it is still too early to say who the definite favourite is, although it might matter little as Chris Sutton's name wasn't mentioned by anyone until the morning he was appointed last season.
I have every respect for John Coleman but i did have to chuckle with two words in the Echo story,and they are "Budget Brilliance".
If there is anything that would attract the Lincoln City board it would be the ability to control a small budget.
Accrington Stanley Fc are having a good season but remember this they have spent a lot of their present Football League run have been close to the bottom of Division 2.
I am not being disrespectful to the Accrington manager because i admire what he has done there.
pollyimp I have it on very good authority - from a source within the club - Mike Newell is high on the list of potential managers.
Apparently he has been seen in Lincoln and has had a tour of the ground/training facilities etc.
Didn't do a bad job at Grimsby Town so would be a good choice IMO.
Think Newell and Lincoln would be a winning combination
Yep Coleman has agreed to stop at Accy.
Just been on look hull 7 people are in the running for the managers job including 3 in a job!!!
The plot thickens!
Does make you wonder who the 3 are that we'd realistically get, or at least that we think we'd get. I'd imagine Coleman is one of the three, but he's the only one I can think of that we'd want and have a realistic chance of getting.
Coleman was offered an extended contract by Accrington but it didn't say that he had signed it & also it would be in his interest to have an interview at Lincoln just incase we offered him a better deal than Accrington have
Newell will probably have applied like alot of managers out of a job, but the fact he was at Grimsby and didn't do that well isn't so appealing.
I think we could be in for a sort of surprise and the manager will be somebody that hasn't been mentioned.
We couldnt afford his headset or fake tanning bills!
Seriously there are options out there, Jim Magiliton and Andy Richtie two name but two.
All good fun isnt?
Hopefully all be sorted by next week
you can immediately rule out Magilton, no chance of that happening.
Andy Ritchie maybe got a 10% ish sort of chance, he is fairly local after all.
I would give John Coleman maybe 40% chance and Steve Tilson perhaps 45%, would be quite surprised if Tilson is our manager.
Somebody will appear from the shadows and get this job, I have faith in the board that they will appoint a guy with experience like they said they would as that is exactly what we need, that is why I think someone like Steve Thompson wouldn't be so bad as he has been there seen it and done it.
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