Ling: This club is in a false position and we need to change that

MARTIN Ling has revealed he aims to bring winning ways back to the club he has very fond memories about, after being unveiled as the new manager of Swindon Town Football Club.

Speaking to the media following the official announcement, Ling said: “Driving back, I came here ’86 and came back in ’91. I just hope the reign is as good as my ’91 reign and not the 86′ reign, as that only lasted 93 days under Lou Macari.

“It’s a bit surreal because of playing here twice before but I’m excited and really pleased to be back in the game I love doing in a club which is obviously close to my heart – a club where I had my best footballing times, so I am hoping I can follow that through with my best footballing times as a manager.”

Swindon chairman Lee Power has confirmed Ling will fulfill a managerial position which will act in the form of a director of football, with first team coach Luke Williams responsible for all action on the training pitch.

Commenting upon his new role, Ling said: “”I understand it (the role) fully. I think people are getting a bit het up about this. When I managed 550 games before I hardly touched the coaching, and people won’t believe me when I say that.

“Some people coach managers, and some manage coaches, I’m a manager coach. A person who did an awful lot of my coaching at Leyton Orient was Dean Smith, who isn’t doing too bad at Walsall at this moment in time.

“So the remit that the coach is not going to take things on the training ground is something I’ve done all my career. That doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the coaching, we will talk about it. He (Luke Williams) will put on the coaching sessions and we will talk to each other.

“I know Luke from my time at Leyton Orient, I know what his philosophy is about football, it’s the same as mine. I couldn’t come to this football club if Luke Williams’ and Lee Power’s philosophy was different to the way I play the game. It all fits in perfectly how we all want to do it.

“If you go and watch Premier League managers and how much coaching they do, I’ve watched Harry Redknapp very closely and you don’t see him very often. But I will be there and it will be to delegate.”

Assessing the club’s current state of affair with regards to League One position, Ling was adamant the Robins have everything within their resources and capabilities to turn things around.

“Last year you (Swindon) were excellent and when I came here I was always excited about it (the football). If you look at the team this year I see a club in a false position. I see a club who hasn’t won for 11 games and is lacking a little bit of confidence and that’s an obvious factor, but it’s about rebuilding that.

“The remit it to get this club up the football league, but what I see in terms of squad and what this club has as in terms of infrastructure it is in false position for sure.

“Part of managing this football club now is to lift spirits and get them going,” Ling added.

After being out of the managerial hot seat since parting ways with Torquay United in summer 2013, Ling revealed his desire to get stuck straight back into the action.

“The drive for me at the moment is raring to go, I can’t wait to get out on the training pitch and get watching what the coaches are putting on and how they’re doing their stuff, how the players are going to input that into a game on Saturday and get the supporters fully behind the side at Rochdale.

“It’s still surreal though, I was walking through the halls before and saw pictures of myself up and it’s like being at home and looking at your wedding photos.

“But I’ve been away for 19 years so it’s not as if I was in here yesterday, but it’s a place that has very happy and fond memories for me and I want to fetch those happy and fond memories back,” said Ling.

Despite acknowledging it is still very early days, Ling outlined his main ambition of turning around the fortunes of the club and restoring winning ways to SN1.

“The aim now is to get the club out of the false position. At the moment in time we’re in second bottom in League One but there’s 30 games to go and 90 points to play for – 90 points which is an awful lot to play for. The immediate aim though is to get that lads back with a winning culture, back winning football and see where it takes us.

“There’s no promises as to where it’s going to take us and where it’s going to lead but we need to get out of the false position we’re sitting it at this moment in time,” said Ling.