Iron One Bury Knill
So it’s official, ex Iron centre-half Alan Knill will take the reins at Glanford Park. The comparatively young gaffer has left Bury’s Gigg Lane after clearing his desk en route back to Scunthorpe, some 14 years after leaving.
I think anybody other than me (and fellow Iron fans of course) would probably see Knill’s move as a sideways step leaving Bury for Scunthorpe. I can’t argue that Bury in terms of the size of their club are on par with my Scunthorpe. He’s left a club on the rise for a club on the slump, and with a strong possibility of the two clubs meeting next year it remains to be seen whether the decision proves to be the right one.
Knill had a two year stint learning the management trade while in charge of Iron’s close neighbours, Rotherham. He left the club bottom of League 2 but in his defence the Millers were financially stricken and in need of a change. In his second job, Knill missed out on automatic promotion by just one goal at Bury last year. The Shakers have maintained their good form through this campaign and currently sit in fourth place, pushing once again.
So is Knill’s appointment a good one for Scunny? Well I’m happier than when we appointed Baraclough. The guy needs time and is unlikely to keep us up in the Championship this term, but it’s new, it’s fresh and it’s ambitious from the man himself. What worries me is his name (no not ‘Alan Knill’, I can deal with that). Will he attract players or are we still in the same boat as we always have been, chasing players and convincing them that Scunthorpe is a good place to live and play football.
I am more than happy to give it time though. Knill is young, clearly ready for a step up and let’s face it, there have been many other managers out there to step up so why can’t he?
Up the Iron!
Simon Bourne
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