Entertainment is the name of the game. That was one of the key messages delivered by Billy Holland and his first-team coach Charlie Gregory at last Thursday’s Meet The Manager forum at Butler’s Bar.
In a highly refreshing Q and A discussion, Billy not only told the fans what he intended to bring to the club but also asked the audience what they were expecting too.
Asked jokingly whether his surname meant Town could see Total Football being played, he responded: “That’s what me and Charlie try to do. That’s our style. We will see in pre-season how these young men take on the information we provide. That’s what pre-season is for.”
Billy revealed he will likely be bringing in four or five players from former club Waltham Abbey and that he was ideally looking at a first-team squad of 18 players, supplemented by under-23s and academy boys, some of some of whom will train with the seniors. Pre-season will effectively see two different teams of 22-24 players in total.
Billy promised to leave no stone unturned in developing a winning mentality. “No-one works harder than me and Charlie and I’ll expect the same from the players,” he said. “Charlie is very big when it comes to on the ball, I’m very big with off the ball. My assistant manager Spencer is the straight talker. If we get it right we can all look forward to a great season. I’m very confident I can deliver. Every game we walk into there will be slight tweaks. It will depend who we’re up against, what kind of pitch etc.”
Asked what he saw as his main three challenges, Billy responded: “The expectations, the ambitions of the club and to see if I can adapt quick enough to the style I want to play because the end goal is to win football matches.”
He also pledged not to ignore the cup competitions which traditionally bring in extra revenue. “We want to go as far as we can in both the FA Cup and the Trophy,” he said. “We will prioritise them as much as prioritise the league.”
In terms of recruitment, Charlie said he was excited to have the possibility to bring in names he wasn’t able to at Waltham Abbey. “A lot of players who we know and have connections with didn’t want to play at Step 4 regardless of the relationship they have with us,” he said. “We’re pretty excited about who we can get in. Everyone I’ve spoken to knows the standing of this club.”
Billy, who took Waltham Abbey into three straight playoffs but has never managed at Step 3, knows he will be up against better coaches than he has been used to but is unfazed.
“No-one really bothers us to be honest. I know a lot of the coaches and me and Charlie are better than them. I’ve got a bigger budget than I had at Step 4 and therefore can attract better players. There’s nothing wrong with our confidence. Yes it might be a challenge believing we can do things straight away but the doors Enfield Town have opened to us gives us a fighting chance to replicate what we’ve done on a bigger scale.”
AW