James Collins is hoping that his new Herne Bay side will show their new manager a much-improved performance as they travel to Sheppey United for a game that both sides will be anxious to win for different reasons. 

Whilst the home side need the three points to maintain a play-off challenge, the new Bay boss will be hoping from a major improvement from his players on the display he saw at Winches Field last weekend. 

After seeing his new charges crash at the hands of bottom of the table Phoenix Sports, Collins admitted to KSN this week, “I didn’t come out of the dressing room for a while as I was embarrassed by what I had seen!

“I was embarrassed to go into the club house after we served that up. In some respects, I will learn a lot about the players in such a display; not sure if I’d have thought that Saturday as it was very emotional, but logically I probably will, and hopefully we will have seen them at their very worst.

“I had hoped that we would have the chance to see a better display on Tuesday, but the game at Beckenham was called off, so we have to wait until Saturday.” 

“That said if I see a few more displays like we saw last weekend, we will be bringing in new players!” 

“I came back here a couple of years ago with Bowers (in the Isthmian Premier) when they had just laid the surface, but it has always been an impressive ground – you can see what has been done here and what the Chairman and they have done off the pitch is great.

“They are very proactive and deserve a good team that give one hundred percent to replicate what they do. I don’t think that it makes my job more difficult as I think it makes it possibly a bit easier as its far better than being at a club and you are the one having to force the standards for other people.

“I would never ever change how I do things whether I was managing Lordswood, Sutton, Maidstone or whoever, I will always want to win and I will put the pressure on myself.

“It’s not just me saying that as having someone like Matt (Barman – the Bay Chairman) as I have someone behind me pushing me to keep standards and keeping me on my toes as we are all trying to push things on and off the pitch.” 

“If the manager is pushing to raise standards off the pitch, from personal experience, it doesn’t end well for the manager!” 

“I’ve always thought that the South East division is a stronger division than the North. Wasn’t involved in that division this year, but the North is much more physical. I do think that there is more football played in the South East – the players are more technical I believe, the managers are more technical, as in the North you have really got to be at it all the time.

“Funnily enough the two goals that we conceded at the weekend are “North goals” – well worked but if you switch off like we did you’re punished. The step up to the Premier Division of the Isthmian League is, I believe, the biggest step in the various levels that I have been involved in as a manager, but this is a very good level of football and I’m now at a good club and it is down to me to get a team to produce that good football for an amazing fan base.” 

Image courtesy of Herne Bay