On January 11, 2024, Scott Lindsey will celebrate a year as Crawley Town manager. In this special interview, we talk about the last 12 months, what he is most proud of, who has helped him turn the club's fortunes around and what he thinks of the fans.
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00:00 So Scott, next Thursday I think it is, it's a year since you signed for Crawley, how has
00:07 it been? It's been quite a rollercoaster hasn't it since you joined?
00:10 Yeah it has been really enjoyable, it's a great football club, the fans are brilliant,
00:15 the staff, the people who work behind the scenes are fantastic, the owners have been
00:18 brilliant as well, really supportive. I've really enjoyed my time, when I first came
00:23 in we obviously had a job to do to keep the club up into the Football League, which we
00:27 did, that was hard work, enjoyable in many ways, but hard work and sometimes nervy, but
00:34 I enjoyed it and we got safe and then we had a really good pre-season, we changed a lot
00:42 on the pitch in terms of the style of play, we signed players who were not proven and
00:50 we coached the team to play in a manner that we feel gives us a chance and I've been really
00:56 impressed with how the players have taken on the information and how they've attacked
01:01 each game and I think we've done extremely well.
01:03 Yeah there's a lot of things that have changed, not just off the pitch but on the pitch and
01:07 off the pitch, is there anything in particular that you are particularly proud of, is it
01:12 the on the pitch stuff that you're really proud of?
01:14 I think so yeah, I think because when you go and you play against the likes of Wrexham,
01:19 Gillingham, MK Dons, Notts County and you dominate the ball against these teams, it
01:28 kind of secures in your mind that you're doing the right thing because for me there's only
01:35 one way of playing football and that's to have the ball and the players have been brilliant,
01:42 they've taken on the information so so well and executed the game plan on nearly every
01:47 game perfectly and it's not easy, there's a lot of information that goes into the players
01:52 and they've taken it on brilliantly well and I'm really proud of how we've played
01:56 and it's a nice feeling to sit back and watch these games and look at how well we've
02:01 dominated the ball and how well we've kind of attacked these teams and even against the
02:05 MK Dons game, we don't win the game but we're so so good in that game and I think
02:11 I showed the players on the next day or the day after when they come in and we had the
02:16 recovery session, we always debrief the game, I think I showed them 18 clips from final
02:22 third actions of where we could have scored a goal, 18 clips, we were so good in that
02:29 game yet so not good in front of goal, where we could be better but we're a young side
02:34 and we're learning and we're improving all the time and what's pleasing for me is that
02:39 we come off the back of that game where we felt like we couldn't score and then we go
02:44 and score three against Swindon so the players are working so so hard and I'm really proud
02:48 of them.
02:49 And yeah you brought in a lot of young players, a lot of unproven like you just said, is there
02:54 anyone that you did sign over the summer that you've actually been really surprised, I mean
02:59 obviously you wouldn't have signed them if you didn't think they could perform, but is
03:02 there anyone in particular that you thought bloody hell he's doing really well?
03:06 Yeah I think there's a few that could probably get onto that category if I'm honest with
03:10 you, you know, you look at Liam Kelly, he got relegated out of this division last season
03:14 with Rochdale, he's been unreal, unbelievable, almost to the point where he is the best midfield
03:21 player in this division, like ridiculously good.
03:24 You look at Will Wright, Will Wright is now one of the best midfield players in this division
03:29 but come here as a centre half right?
03:32 So again we develop and we see different strengths in his game and we feel that he can probably
03:37 play that position, we try him and he does it, unbelievable, been outstanding.
03:41 Jay Williams, I played for Bambury United last year, has come in and played like an
03:45 experienced player, he's 22 years of age, been unbelievable.
03:50 You know, Clyde Lola has come from non-league and again, had unbelievable moments in games,
03:56 Addy come from non-league, I could go on, the list goes on, all of them have done unbelievably
03:59 well.
04:00 I saw Joy on Saturday, coming for his first start, I know he's been a bit more patient
04:06 but again, playing for St Albans last season, come in and looked accomplished for me on
04:11 Monday.
04:12 So no, all of them, all of the players that we've signed have done brilliant.
04:16 And when you first came in, I think your first player signing was Ben Gladwin and obviously
04:21 you brought Jamie Day with you and you got Karl Larriman in, how important have those
04:24 three been in the development of this side?
04:27 Massive, like literally, I couldn't do it without them.
04:32 I just couldn't, you know Jamie Day's just different class coach, has a brilliant relationship
04:39 with all the players, his training sessions are very, very good, top, top level and the
04:48 players like him.
04:51 Karl Larriman, again, very experienced coach, you don't spend 26 years in the Premier League
04:56 if you don't know what you're doing, he's 16 years with Arsenal, worked with some top,
05:00 top players and just his detail with individual stuff that he does with the players, he's
05:06 just on a different level to where we're working.
05:11 And of course Ben as the captain, he's just great at managing moments and just little
05:17 things like he'll be walking around the pitch with Raf, with his arm around him, teaching
05:24 him the rights and the wrongs and then he'll be having a meeting with the lads about the
05:30 away form and then he'll be having a meeting with the defensive unit about how can we keep
05:34 clean sheets better and he's very keen Ben and he's doing his A licence, he'll be a very
05:40 good coach, manager one day I'm sure.
05:43 But yeah he's an integral part of what we do moving forward and as is Karl Larriman
05:48 and as is Jamie Day, I couldn't do it.
05:52 And on top of which obviously Steve Hale, the goalkeeping coach, has a big part to play
05:57 in terms of our defensive set pieces, Ricky McFarland, the strength and conditioning coach.
06:03 The team behind me I've got is probably not of this level and they work extremely hard
06:09 every day.
06:10 And I think it was a two and a half year contract you signed, so you're still going to be hopefully
06:14 here in a year.
06:15 I know you're not one for revealing targets and ambitions and that, but how do you see
06:20 Crawley in a year's time?
06:22 Well hopefully an improvement again, that's what we want, we just want to keep stepping
06:27 forward as a club on and off the pitch and I think that's important that we do that.
06:32 I think there's been a clear improvement from last season and hopefully we'll see the same
06:39 again next season.
06:40 And, let's talk, we always finish on the fans when we do previews and that, but how good
06:43 have the fans been since you started?
06:45 Just brilliant.
06:46 They've just been so good and it just makes me enjoy the job so much more than if there
06:57 wasn't because you feel as if you're being appreciated, which is always important for
07:05 everybody.
07:06 As tough as I am and as thick-skinned as I am, it's always nice to be appreciated because
07:14 there's a lot of work that goes in, a lot of work.
07:17 I live this football club, I live it.
07:20 Every day I'm looking at games or I'm watching us back or I'm clipping this or I'm talking
07:25 about the training session, what we're doing, I'm on the phone to Jamie or Larry or the
07:30 owners and I live it, I absolutely live it.
07:33 And when you have an appreciation with hundreds of people, the fans, it's a good feeling and
07:43 I appreciate them, let me tell you that now, I really do appreciate them because they're
07:46 fantastic.
07:47 They've been very, very supportive, even through the times where we've lost games on a bounce,
07:54 they're still buyers and I've really enjoyed walking out and seeing them at every game
08:00 home and away.
08:01 Brilliant, thanks Scott.
08:02 Here's to another year.
08:03 Thank you.