New Huddersfield Town manager Lee Clark spoke exclusively to htafc.com this morning, admitting that he 'cannot wait' to get started at the Club.
The 36-year old former Newcastle United, Fulham and Sunderland midfielder left his job as Assistant Manager of Norwich City to take up his new post at the Galpharm Stadium and told the Club's official website that the opportunity was too special to turn down.
"I had a fantastic job at Norwich and a great relationship with Glenn Roeder, so it was going to take something special to take me away from there," Lee explained. "The opportunity arose to come and speak to Huddersfield about becoming the new manager and having listened to the plans of the new owner (Dean Hoyle) and the rest of the Board, I knew I would be lucky to be given the opportunity here and I would have been foolish to turn it down.
"The whole package appealed to me. Usually when a new manager comes into a Club they are struggling near the bottom of the division but that isn't the case here - Gerry (Murphy) and Graham (Mitchell) have done a good job in steadying the ship and have got us within nine points of the Play-Offs. The whole setup is here though and the vision of the new owner appeals to me - getting some stability for the Club and the whole structure moving forward as one on solid foundations.
"I'm looking forward to having an input not just on the first-team, but on every aspect of the Club. I'm excited about having that responsibility and the people I'm looking to bring in over the next couple of weeks will assist me, just as the people who are currently at the Club will.
"I'll be having discussions with the Board with regards to certain positions and I'll be looking to construct the team as quickly and as smoothly as possible. However, I don't want to be rushing and if it takes time to get the right people in, so be it."
Clark's first action as manager was to bring in his own coaching staff and it was soon announced that former England and Manchester City coach Derek Fazackerley will be joining him, along with world-renowned Performance Coach Steve Black. Having worked with the pair during his time as a player with Newcastle, Lee explained that they were vital appointments for the Club.
"I have worked with Derek before and he is a superb coach who has worked at the pinnacle of his profession when he was head coach of the English national side under Kevin Keegan. He has worked with some of the best quality players in the country, but he has also worked in the lower levels of English football. He's covered the full spectrum of football and he's going to be a vital part of my team.
"Steve's main area is in fitness and conditioning, but he adds so much more in terms of the motivating and the psychology of both the players and the staff in the first-team, reserves and the Academy with Gerry and Graham. His role is absolutely vital."
Black's appointment in this innovative role is proof of Clark's openness to new methods and techniques in football coaching.
"I was quite lucky in my playing days; although I experienced some of the 'old school' methods of working, I played for managers who embraced the latest methods and I think it's important that we embrace that here," he continued. "It's important that we don't dismiss anything that has happened in the past because a lot of good things have come out of that, but we must also embrace all the new technologies that can help us; Derek, Steve and I think that is very important."
Given his previous commitments with Norwich City, Lee admitted that he doesn't have a lot of prior knowledge on his playing staff but he stressed that he cannot wait to begin his work with them.
"To be completely honest, I don't know a great deal about the players. I've seen the squad list but I haven't seen Huddersfield play for a long time due to my coaching commitments. I know that the side has relied heavily on the quality coming through the Academy in recent times and now we have a mix of a few experienced players, some of which I came up against during my playing career. I'm coming in with an open mind and it's a clean slate for every individual. I'll be going to Southend and seeing how we perform and then starting on Monday, I'll be looking at the training and how the players prepare for Hereford on December 20th."
Clark was a key member of Kevin Keegan's tremendously entertaining Newcastle United team of the late nineties, so it comes as no surprise that he wants his team to play a quick passing game; however, he was very clear on his main aim:
"I want a winning team - that is the most important thing. I want my team to play in the correct manner but you can't always do that, but we will ensure that they are super fit because they have to be to play the style of football I want - that is why Steve's appointment is so vital. I want my team to entertain, but that would be no use at all without the results because at the end of the day, that's what it's all about."
Clark will watch on this weekend as Caretaker Manager Gerry Murphytakes charge of the squad for a final time at Southend United, but he explained that he cannot wait to get underway at Huddersfield Town.
"I can't wait to get started! Thursday was my first day at the Club and having met all the staff, there is a noticeable buzz around and I'm really looking forward to my first game in charge on the 20th. Before that, I'm looking forward to meeting the players on Monday and working with them in preparation of the game."
