Knill set to go back to basics
2:48pm Wednesday 14th May 2008
ALAN Knill is planning to go back to basics this summer in an effort to keep the forward momentum going at Gigg Lane.
Even though his side finished last season on a high, moving from relegation candidates to mid-table safety in little under three months, the Shakers boss has made no secret of the fact that survival was only the first part of his overall plan.
Eight players were released last week with little room for sentiment. Long-serving players such as Dave Challinor and Colin Woodthorpe were joined on the retained list with those who seemed destined for a first-team future, like Andy Parrish or Andrew Mangan.
In the past, such decisions might have been called into question. But such is the manager's standing at Bury these days, supporters' trust Knill wholeheartedly to bring in the right replacements.
Recruitment is next on the cards. Last season's loanees, Darren Randolph and Elliott Bennett, are hoping to return for the start of next season, while Efe Sodje could be in for a permanent stay should he agree an amicable separation with Gillingham.
Knill is keeping his other targets close to his chest for now, refusing to tread down the same risky path as Chris Casper and Keith Alexander did in previous campaigns.
In his own words, convincing players capable of pushing the club forward is "a big sell," after three seasons fighting against the drop.
And it is that perennial struggler' tag that Knill is fighting so hard to discard.
"Some clubs get this label that they are lower league, and that's the end of the road," he said.
"If you are not careful, people tag you as League Two and that's all you become. In the summer, people will tell players you can't join Bury, or Rochdale or Accrington' - it's always a northern club by the way - because they are going nowhere.
"That's changed at places like Rochdale now. Keith Hill has shown it can be done and he has to freshen things up. He has a young, energetic squad and it is the same for Jim Gannon at Stockport. They have done a great job."
Both Dale and Stockport reached the play-offs and are in with a shout of reaching the final this weekend against Darlington and Wycombe respectively.
And though Knill is making no such bold prediction about the Shakers' chances next season, he is sure that the same kind of thing can be done with the finances at his disposal.
"Football has moved on and, with the greatest respect, some clubs haven't," he said.
"Sometimes it doesn't matter who is in charge, the club has got to come with you or it's doomed to failure. It's hard when it is down to finances but I think you can always do little things better. That's what they have done at Rochdale and Stockport, with little funding."
Knill is planning a meticulous review this summer, most notably of the club's training practices.
He brought the matter up at his first board meeting and is adamant that improved training facilities are a must if the club is to move on.
"For us to get better, we haven't have somewhere decent to train," he said.
"It isn't easy and I understand the problems, but not only for the technical work you'd like to do, a decent training set-up gives you a chance to sign better players.
"The players spend more time on the training pitches than they do at the football club, so they want to know what the environment is going to be like.
"It's massive when you want to bring a player to your club. I've mentioned it to the board, and hopefully they can now do something about it."
Knill conceded, however, that on and off the field, things are unlikely to change overnight.
"Money is tight at the moment so we will have to make do with what we can," he said.
"Everybody is doing their best and know we are trying to change it. Hopefully we will soon.
"At the moment, we will have to focus on what we can change. That's the way we go about our jobs and what we do out on the field."