Nick Daws is already looking forward to the 2018-19 season after agreeing to be the club’s new First Team Manager.
The 48-year-old put pen to paper on Friday, along with new Assistant Manager Andy Dawson, following a spell in interim charge from late March which saw the side undefeated in eight out of nine fixtures.
Speaking to iFollow Iron, Daws explained his pride at taking on the role and how he is looking to the future.
ON BECOMING THE CLUB’S FIRST TEAM MANAGER…
ND: I’m absolutely delighted and really looking forward to it. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time and I’ve waited patiently for the opportunity. Fortunately for me, I can do it at a club that I’ve been at for three-and-a-half years. I know what everything’s about, I know what the expectations are and I’ve got somebody alongside me that I’ve worked with hand-in-hand, on-and-off for the three-and-a-half year period as well. Now’s the time to look forward and to be able to look forward with the title of manager is one that makes me really proud.
ON THE DECISION…
ND: It was absolutely an easy decision. I’ve done all of the processes of developing as a coach and developing towards management. I can’t be any more qualified to do the job. Experience-wise, I’ve been on the touchline for the best part of 600 games as a coach, so I’ve got a wealth of experience.
ON BEING AT A CLUB HE KNOWS…
ND: It allows us to hit the ground running. It allows myself and Andy to use our friendship, our experience and our understanding of each other to be able to move forward. Those are the things that will help and are of an advantage rather than going into a new club without the knowledge of what it’s about. We know exactly what the objective is here for ourselves and we’re going to embrace that, try and drive the club forward and we’ll enjoy the experience. I know that I’ve wanted to manage a football club for a really long time, so from that point of view, it was an easy decision.
ON THE AMBITION FROM HIMSELF AND THE CHAIRMAN…
ND: We’re as ambitious as ever. We know, to a certain extent, a club like Scunthorpe is punching above their weight being in-and-around the play-offs. I’m ambitious and want to be successful in the game and so does the Chairman. To his credit, and his family’s credit, they’ve invested an awful lot of money in this football club. Therefore, hand-in-hand, the club has an ambitious manager and an ambitious Chairman and we want to achieve more than what we’ve achieved in the last few seasons and that’s the objective. The nature of the game is that there will be a few bumps in the road and we’ll need to be patient at times. We’ve got the basis of an outstanding squad, which we will add to throughout the summer and hopefully we’ll be in a stronger position than this time last year.
ON BEING CHALLENGED AND HIS NEW ROLE…
ND: As a First Team Coach and Assistant Manager, what you don’t have is the overall ability to do things exactly your way. When you’ve worked so long and hard and done all the qualifications, you are trained for that. The two spells I’ve had (in interim charge) has given me the practical experience, the pressures - if you call them pressures - of being on the touchline and making decisions over players. I’ve had to consider the other side of the job, such as recruitment, plans and preparations for the new season. But I’ve always been comfortable with those situations. I’ve worked hard under previous managers here, Mark (Robins) and Graham (Alexander), to support them with my experience. Now it’s my time to put my stamp on things really, and that’s not tearing anything up. The supporters have seen how my teams have played over a couple of spells. The best bit about it is I’ll be busier. I’ll be busy every minute of the day and that’s what I like. I want to be busy, I want to be engaged, I want to be challenged and the role will certainly provide that for me.
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