Scunthorpe fan: the manager has not put a foot wrong…
The editor of iron-bru.co.uk is a huge fan of manager Graham Alexander and thinks the Iron could be in line for a promotion push…
Thanks to REP for posing the questions…
About the fan…
I’m Matt and I’m the editor of the Scunthorpe United website and forum www.iron-bru.co.uk which has been going since 2000!
About the opposition…
How do you expect your team to do this season?
Four games in and we are playing some scintillating football…
With such a good end to the last campaign following the arrival of Graham Alexander everybody was really looking forward to this season.
After the new arrivals and the return of the “budget Bergkamp” Kevin van Veen from a loan spell in Holland, I think it’s safe to say everybody was quietly confident of a play-off push. Four games in and we are playing some scintillating football, finding ourselves scoring for fun even without last season’s top scorer Paddy Madden who is still out through injury.
Come May, if we are not in the play-off shake up it will be a massive failure in my opinion, but so far so good. With the squad at our disposal and a great manager who has not yet put a foot wrong, I can’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be aiming for the automatic spots.
What are your thoughts on the manager and his signings?
I feel assured we have the best possible man in charge of this football club…
He has been a breath of fresh air and every time he speaks after the game, I feel assured we have the best possible man in charge of this football club. He was a bit of a club legend following his playing days, but there were a few question marks when he arrived as the caretaker boss Nick Daws was doing fairly well.
In hindsight, it looks as though it could be the best decision the chairman has made in his fairly short tenure. He has not yet put a foot wrong and he seems to be able to change games when perhaps they are not going our way.
The signings have been good on paper, although we have not seen too much of two of them. Duane Holmes has looked sharp when he has been given a start and Sam Mantom ran the show in the second-half at Fleetwood but has been struggling with an old injury. The stand out so far is Josh Morris. It’s a while since we had a winger with as much class and he currently tops the scoring charts after a flying start to the season. He’s worked with Alexander before and it just seems to work.
The player you should definitely watch out for is Kevin van Veen. He had personal problems following his arrival from Holland and was loaned back out there in January to get himself together. He has returned stronger, fitter, sharper and hungry for goals. He has been a revelation and I’m convinced he could play at a higher level. If he keeps his head down and works hard he could go all the way. He is a class act and if he’s on form, he’s difficult to control.
Your thoughts on the board?
The chairman has put his money in and things are slowly starting to pay off. We’ve had a few yearswhere we’ve spent a lot of money and it hasn’t quite come together, but this season might be the year.
We are still waiting for the start date for our new stadium, which will be great if it finally gets off the ground. It’s been pushed back so many times, but I do not think it is in the clubs hands and that is the most frustrating thing. We were told a month ago that we may be able to purchase the land in the next few weeks and that would be a massive step in the process.
Although we are never likely to fill it, the extra revenue from the hotel and other facilities it will bring and the bigger away capacity if we get up to the Championship will allow our turnover to grow. The aim is to be competitive at Championship standard, despite it seemingly becoming harder every year.
A score prediction and predicted away following?
I think it could be a tough game but I can’t recall ever seeing us lose at Vale Park and don’t want to start this weekend. I’d probably take a draw, but with the form we are in at the moment it would be nice to get another three points on the board. 2-1 with van Veen and Tom Hopper for us! I think we’ll probably bring 400 or so, as we took similar figure to Wimbledon on a Tuesday evening.
About the Vale…
Where do you think Vale will finish?
I thought they looked a fairly decent outfit at the back end of last season, but I understand there have been lots of changes on the playing side. I think it could work one of both ways as it is always a gamble when you bring in lots of players from abroad. I think you’ll be comfortably mid-table.
Any memorable games?
I remember a 2-1 win on a Tuesday night back in 2006. We scored two great goals, but I’m sure Robbie Williams had just put some money in to Vale and his songs were a constant drone out of the PA system before the game. It’s not what you want after a two hour drive!
A guide for Vale fans…
Can you tell us something about your side we may not know?
We have had three England captains play for the club. Kevin Keegan, Ray Clemence and… can your readers guess the other?
Can you recommend any forums, fanzines or blogs?
Iron-bru.co.uk of course!
Answer to the question – it’s a bit of a trick one, but former England cricket captain Ian Botham played for Scunthorpe. “Beefy” made eleven appearances for the side in the 1980’s.