“All Change at York”
If you listen to this week’s NL Full Time podcast you may hear that more than once. Not only did we discuss the arrival of David Webb as the new manager of York City, but Rob Worrall, in true BBC-style, held the discussion whilst standing on the railway platform at York, on his way home from covering Gateshead for Aldershot Town for BBC Radio Surrey.
The arrival of Webb at the LNER Community Stadium, appropriately named after the London North Eastern Railway company who sponsor the ground, was met with many comments, but chiefly:
“Who?”
Much like his namesake from the Jason Bourne movies, Webb being Bourne’s real name, Webb has arrived under the radar after operating abroad. Much like Bourne, Webb’s arrival has been to a backdrop of hostility, but not towards him, but chairman Glen Henderson. It was Henderson who terminated the stewardship of John Askey, who in the space of 12 months had achieved hero status amongst City fans, earning promotion back to the National League after five years.
Askey and Henderson appeared to have personalities which clashed, and differences of opinion on what was needed at the club. Askey’s unceremonious exit, with tales of being made to stand by a printer whilst the letter terminating his employment was printed out and then handed to him, give the story added rancour.
However, that is now history. Football moves on swiftly, even if the feelings of those involved do not, and Webb is the man tasked with building on Askey’s achievements.
His background gives strong clues to the direction York may be taking. As Henderson explained after his appointment:
The key to this appointment was finding someone who aligns with our long-term vision for the club and David was the stand-out candidate from the start.”
“He is talented and experienced across all aspects of managing a football club, from first-team management, player development, scouting, coaching, motivation and with an excellent understanding of how the football business works.
Webb’s CV is more about recruitment than traditional management, having worked for Mauricio Pochettino at both Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, and he holds qualifications in coaching to UEFA A standard and degrees in Sports Science and Sports Psychology.
It feels very much like a shift to a different way of operating for York, of finding players released by Premier League academies and giving them the chance to stay in full-time football, and of building a more technically-adept group of players.
The Vanarama National League is changing and evolving, and whilst it’s far from a simple development league, it is a league where players can develop, and Webb’s task at York is to create the environment for that to happen, lifting the Minstermen in the process.
Much like Jason Bourne, David Webb has a track record that says he can identify targets. Unlike Bourne, his task is to take them up, not take them out…
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