AFTER overseeing three wins over promotion rivals in his four games in caretaker charge, Chris Todd would have been more scared by his daughters’ school Halloween party on Friday night than his appointment as Eastleigh‘s permanent manager.
The 34-year-old player-assistant beat off competition from the likes of former Northern Ireland bosses Lawrie Sanchez and Nigel Worthington, Gary Waddock, Micky Adams, Macclesfield chief John Askey and Steve Burr – for whom Chester rejected an Eastleigh approach for permission to talk – to land his first managerial job.
Wins at Wrexham – who until that point had a 100 per cent home record – and Tranmere, who were nine unbeaten, had virtually guaranteed him the job.
Last Tuesday’s 3-2 home victory over the centre-half’s old club Forest Green, the National League leaders, confirmed it.
After a run of four defeats in five games persuaded previous manager Richard Hill to quit last month, the Spitfires are now well and truly back in the hunt for a place in the Football League.
“I know it’s a cliche but it’s been a real rollercoaster last few days,” said Todd as The NLP caught up with him en route to his pre-match night out at Amylia and Alanya’s school.
“I might be a manager now but I’ve still got to do my fatherly duties. They’re dressed as witches but I’ve resisted the temptation to dress up!
“It all helps keep you sane because it’s an unbelievable difference to being a player, just worrying about myself. I’ve not played regularly for a while now and I only will in future if we’re desperate. It’s such a big job I need to concentrate on it fully.”
Belief
After starting his career at Swansea City, Todd became known for his seemingly constant presence in the Conference promotion picture with Exeter City and Torquay United, who he helped win a Wembley play-off final at the end of a 2008-09 season in which he’d been diagnosed with leukemia.
He says he’ll try to take bits from several of his old managers; the “character and charm” of John Hollins, the “leadership” of Jan Molby, the “firm hand” of Colin Addison and Gary Peters, the “charisma” of Alex Inglethorpe and the “coolness and calm” of Paul Tisdale.
And he believes Eastleigh have what it takes to make him a Football League manager before he racks up a year in the job.
“Every manager wants to be successful and if you’re asking me what my target is, of course I want to get promotion,” says Todd, who has appointed ex-Torquay No.2 Shaun North as his assistant.
“It’s a tough task, but we are capable of doing it.
“We’ve all got our hunger back and if we show what we have in the last two or three weeks, we will be there or thereabouts.”
