It’s now ten years since John left Victoria Road to try his luck in the Football League and he returns
today a better and more experienced manager than he left in 1994. Since he left he has worked as a manager, as an assistant
manager and as a Director at Football League Clubs and this knowledge can only help Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club
reach their aim of a Football League place.
Leaving Victoria Road and arriving at Peterborough in June 1994, he took
on the huge task of having to rebuild the Posh. The London Road side had just been relegated from the first division and he
did so by making the most of his non-league contacts. In his first season the Posh finished 15th but after an opening day
victory in 1995/6, Posh struggled to find form in the league and John left London Road in November 1995.
Almost immediately
he took up the position of assistant manager to John Beck at Lincoln City for around a year then succeeded Terry Bullivant
as Barnet manager in 1998.
He twice steered the Bees to a play-off slot in three years. In November 2000 John Still Became a director of
Barnet Football Club but returned to the managers position to help the Club after the disaster of dropping out of the Football
League. Still was building a club capable of regaining their league status when he was offered the chance of becoming Ray
Graydon's assistant at Bristol Rovers which he accepted.
During these ten years John became very friendly with a military person called Alex Armstrong and he has taught
him new skills in fitness and diet which John feels has helped him in his ability as a manager. John explains, “everyone
knows what food they can eat and what food they shouldn’t but it’s about getting balance and fitness right. Every
player is different and if a player works as a builder during the day he goes up and down ladders all the time it’s
not necessarily fitness he needs working on. In the same way an office worker needs a different type of coaching than a builder.
Its all about helping players reach and maintain their potential.”
“The skills I’ve learned from Alex I used on Marlon King. He was talented but wasn’t strong
in terms of bodyweight. So we worked on getting him stronger using weights and now he’s a far better player.”
Hopefuly John can use these new skills along with his EUFA Coaching badge he obtained in Summer 2000 to ensure
it won’t be long before success returns to the Glyn Hopkin Stadium.
Welcome back John. |