Tim Harris admits he is relishing his latest challenge – bringing success to EvoStik South Premier side Redditch United and putting a smile on the faces of supporters.
But he has warned fans that they need to be patient and hinted that it won’t be just the players he’ll be managing at the Trico Stadium.
“It is going to take time of that there is no doubt,” the 58-year-old admitted. “The players have got to get to know me and I need to get to know them. If they don’t show the right application and attitude then we’ll go and get players who will. I only need people here at Redditch United who are committed to the cause.
“To be fair to these lads there’s been a lot going on with the manager leaving. A few have been out on loan and I think the squad as a whole is a little bit at sixes and sevens – they don’t know whether they’re coming or going. That’s a big problem because it will affect the results and it’s my job to pull it together and to give them the confidence to take it forward.”
Harris quit Vanarama National League North side Gloucester City in November after nearly four years at the helm of the Tigers. Prior to that he had helped steer Newport County into the Football League.
And by working closely with chairman Chris Swan he’s hopeful of bringing success to the Reds.
He added: “It is going to be a challenge but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to and hopefully, by working with the owner it will be one that we can fulfil.
“Wherever I have been – Newport County, Gloucester, Forest Green or Merthyr – the relationships with the chairman are vital because ultimately the board and the chairman make the decisions. I need to make sure that everyone is on board with standards of professionalism that I set myself.
“I needed to be sure that I could work with the chairman and that relationship is such an important part of being a manager.
“I invited Chris down to my office where we had a two and a half hour meeting when I asked him a lot of questions about how the club was run. I wasn’t delighted with some of the answers but it is where it is. He is very open to having an experienced manager with the knowledge that I have in the game who can help him drive the club forward.
Task accepted
“I am 58 years old, not 32 coming into my first managerial job. I went back to Newport as Director of Football because we had a vision and a plan to get the club back into the Football League after 25 years. I had played for them as a kid and managed them previously so the money men at Newport asked me to go back in and drive them forward.
“We had two Wembley appearances and the day we won there in front of 16,500 mad Welshmen was a dream come true for those who were at the club when they were in the Football League.”
Harris sees similarities between Newport and Redditch in terms of what the places are all about and what the football clubs mean to the town.
“I wanted a project and I want to be challenged,” he said. “I’ve not come to Redditch just to go through the motions.
“I don’t want people to get carried away because the budget that we have at the moment is where we are – a mid-table side. We need to change that and there are several things we can do. We need to get some good income from pre-season games and we need to bring in extra on the commercial side. If we can embrace those things then anything is possible but at the moment we have to be realistic.
“I’m looking at building a team between now until the end of the season so that we’re ready for the start of next season when hopefully we can put some smiles on the faces of the supporters.”
