Sport

Bury boss Kevin Blackwell wants plan in place to help club grow, as Richie Barker makes Gigg Lane return

By Oliver Rhodes

Bury require a method in the madness to progress in the future, according to manager Kevin Blackwell.

The Shakers are currently under their second transfer embargo after taking another loan from the Professional Footballers’ Association.

And Blackwell said the whole club needs remodelling with a more professional outlook in order to secure a brighter future – using Capital One Cup winners Swansea City as a beacon.

“I think it is about everyone working together – the directors and the management – and coming up with a concerted plan about what we are as a club,” Blackwell told the club website.

“Where do we see ourselves? Who are we? Do we see ourselves going for the Premier League or consolidating as a club in the highest division possible? Do we look on spending big money on players or developing them?

“We have got to work out our club, what we stand for, what our philosophy is and then that is when we start. Last weekend, the biggest advocate of this was Swansea City.”

Bury entertain Crawley Town at Gigg Lane and look to earn their second consecutive win after shocking high-flyers Swindon Town.

And Reds manager Richie Barker is relishing his return to Bury – the club he left in August – even if there may be some negative reaction from the home crowd.

“It is probably inevitable that there will be a few boos but that goes with the territory,” Barker told Crawley Town’s website.

“We got promoted to League One and finished 14th last season. There have been a lot of changes since but they are a smashing club with a lot of good people there who I look forward to catching up with.

“I will always be grateful to Bury for giving me my first chance in management.”

Crawley sit 14th in League One and Blackwell praised the efforts of the weekend opponents, despite their topsy-turvy results in February.

“I think they have done really well, to be fair,” he said. “People do not realise they are a new club up in the Football League and when you step up a division you have to consolidate.

“People think you can keep on winning and winning, because it has been a habit at Crawley.

“But I think there has been a really solid job there and people should not worry about them not winning too many of late.

“It was about staying in the division and if they do that, they have done a good job.”

Image courtesy of ESPN, via YouTube, with thanks
 
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook. 

Related Articles