No More Trust in Rusk

It was a troubled nine-month tenure for Simon Rusk. A turbulent time for Stockport County, which saw far more lows than it did highs. The Stopfordian faithful now look forward to a brighter future with a new man at the helm.

It was a deflating 2-1 home defeat, at the hands of a struggling Barnet side, that delivered the final nail in the coffin of the 39-year-old's first venture into professional first team management.

Rusk began his reign at the end of January this year, taking over from sacked club legend Jim Gannon, much to the bemusement of a large section of the Hatters' fanbase. There were fears that the former Brighton U23s manager didn't have the required relevant experience managing at the senior level, even less in the ultra-competitive National League. 

Those fears were justified. Rusk consistently cut a reclusive figure in the dugout, and never managed to make a true connection to the fans, creating a damaging contrast between himself and the charismatic Gannon. To make things worse, this contrast wasn't offset by improvements on the pitch. 

Supporters went from in-depth tactical analysis in post-match interviews with Gannon, to bland clichés and hollow enthusiasm with Rusk. This feeling presented itself visually on the pitch, with an unhealthy reliance on using five at that back and no evidence of a plan B when it evidently wasn't working. 

The lack of another plan was made clearer still through complete refusal to drop underperforming senior players, such as John Rooney and to a lesser extent Liam Hogan. 

Reading between the lines in press releases following the hiring of Rusk, director of football Simon Wilson acknowledged Rusk's lack of senior experience; diplomatically billing him as a 'young talent'. Wilson argued that bringing in the experienced Mark McGhee (ex-Brighton, Motherwell, Aberdeen manager) as assistant manager created "the best of all worlds". Regardless of the impact behind the scenes, McGhee's supposed experience did not translate into success on the pitch. 

The problems on the pitch had been apparent from the stands for a number of weeks. It was accentuated further when Barnet, a team languishing in the bottom half of the table, that would have been relegated last season had the pandemic not prevented relegation, were playing around Rusk's men as though they weren't there. True to recent form, the team looked devoid of answers.

It was a step too far in the wrong direction for owner Mark Stott. The VITA Group CEO has poured funds into every aspect of Stockport County, ensuring it has everything needed to progress further into the football league pyramid. 

As to be expected from a successful business owner, Stott was decisive in putting the brakes on what was becoming a steady decline under Rusk. It was a decision that will score Stott even further goodwill with the fans and an indication of just how in tune he is with the clubs needs.

Stockport mainstay Dave Conlon stepped into the breach to take the game at Dover, whilst a replacement permanent manager was found. Conlon has been an assistant at the club with both Gannon and Rusk, and has remained at the club despite Rusk's sacking.

Dover, in a similar vein to Barnet, find themselves at the bottom of the league and are unlikely to avoid relegation. Although not the toughest challenge, it felt as though an air of positivity had taken over the team. It had presumably been a turbulent few weeks behind the scenes. The players, in particular the attackers, appeared to be playing with a newfound freedom. Hogan and the rest of the defensive unit will likely be dismayed at conceding twice, taking into account the opposition, but five goals at the other end will have surely provided ample comfort.

Following the Dover game, attentions turned back to recruitment. A number of well-known names were floated at the bookmakers, some worrying and some, seemingly, optimistic. 

At the worrying end of the scale were names such as Duncan Ferguson, Joey Barton and Sol Campbell. It is understood that none of these candidates were ever considered or explored by the club, but the mere link is enough to send a shiver down the spine of any County fan.

At the more optimistic end were experienced characters at this level, such as Mike Flynn, who'd also been linked with Cardiff City, Mike Appleton and Dave Challinor of Hartlepool. 

Despite fast becoming the number one target for County, it seemed like a pipe dream to prise Challinor away from his successes at Hartlepool, compounded by their club president Jeff Stelling's confidence on Twitter that his man was going nowhere. 

On October 29th, Stelling tweeted, "Like @StockportCounty as a football club - it is a proper club. But Dave Challinor always wanted to be manager of an EFL club. That’s why he is staying with us and not returning to National League. Sorry Stockport fans. Actually not sorry at all. And btw have you seen our fans !" 

Fast forward four days, Dave Challinor was being announced as the new Stockport County manager. 

It was as much a shock in Stockport as it was in Hartlepool, even provoking protests outside Victoria Park and some harsh abuse on social media.

County reporter Sam Byrne reported, via his County Extra blog, that Challinor had always been the first choice. Stott and the rest of the board act ruthlessly and efficient to land their target, despite the best attempts of the Hartlepool board to disrupt the move.

It was the former Hartlepool boss who defeated County in the play-off semi-final last season, and went on to be promoted with the North East side. After the failed experiment with Rusk, the board have recognised the need to inject some lived experience into this well-funded National League project. 

Preceding a successful two-year spell with Hartlepool, Challinor spent the bulk of his managerial career with Fylde. There, he rose through the non-league pyramid and even managed to clinch some silverware in the FA Trophy final at Wembley. 

In his initial interview with Stockport County media following the announcement, the new boss spoke candidly about the expectations that now lay at his door. He acknowledged the good work done previously by Jim Gannon to get the club to where it currently sits, but was honest about how he saw the current team. 

In a nod to the manager that preceded him, Challinor made clear that he understood the importance of harnessing the advantage of the strong crowd that follow County, and how important it is to keep the fans engaged with attacking, exciting football.

An away day at Bolton in the first round of the FA Cup was Challinor's first glimpse of the immense following he will have behind him in Stockport. The 5,100 strong away end, and coincidentally the largest away crowd of any team in the country that weekend, made sure that he felt welcome in his new role. 

The game itself was resolute performance from the Hatters, buoyed by the new manager and the vocal support behind them. Although Bolton may have dominated the ball, as expected for a team two leagues higher, there was no obvious gulf in talent or output. County's second goal in particular was an expertly worked team goal, passing around the Bolton defence with ease. 

In the end, the result was a 2-2 draw, much to the delight of the Blue and White Army. It meant County were in the hat for the second round, and get the chance of a replay in front of a packed home crowd. 

Despite the party atmosphere around the club after the incredible performance at the University of Bolton Stadium, even Challinor himself admitted the game was somewhat of a free-hit. He felt as though he couldn't take much credit for the result or the performance due to his very recent arrival and limited time with the players. 

The new manager's first real test will arrive at the weekend, a home fixture against an in-form Bromley side in the league, where Challinors success will truly be judged. It has not been the season that was expected at Edgeley Park thus far. The former Hartlepool boss is the man that has been entrusted to turn the tide. 

There won't be any early crisis talks if Saturday doesn't result in a win, due to Challinor still not having substantial time in his role with a new set of players, but fans will want to see the momentum carried through from the Bolton game and an improved performance from what was seen under Rusk at Edgeley Park. 

At the sound of the final whistle on Saturday, attention will immediately turn to Wednesday night, with the FA Cup Replay against Bolton being televised on BBC2. 

At the time of writing, there are very limited tickets left in The Together Stand, with both the Cheadle End and Danny Bergara Stand sold out for the first time in many years. Stockport County have made clear their intentions to attract over 10,000 fans to Edgeley Park, a goal which looks set to be achieved. The game is likely to become a celebration of new hope under a new manager for County fans, regardless of the result. 

Mark Stott has made no secret of his aspirations for Stockport County, going on record to say that he wants to take the club to the Championship within the decade. 

The first rung on that ladder is getting out of the National League, potentially the second most competitive league in English football, behind the Championship.

The foundations for progression have been laid by the owner, with top class training facilities and backroom setup, bringing in players with an abundance of talent and fantastic upgrades for the fans match day experience. 

However, Stott recognises the work doesn't stop there and has shown through this managerial saga that he is willing and able to take decisive, and sometimes difficult, action to ensure Stockport County has everything at it's disposal to begin progressing through the English football pyramid.