'I will never change my philosophy' - Linnets boss

Ian Culverhouse insists the manager is not for changing.

The King’s Lynn Town boss is under the biggest pressure of his coaching career, with his team in the National League drop zone and without a win in their last six league games - the last of which was a painful 6-2 home defeat to Wrexham a week ago.

Culverhouse led Lynn to successive promotions on the back of an attractive passing game and, despite the current difficulties, says his principles won’t change.

“I will never change, it is my philosophy and my principles,” he said.

“It is the way we do it and the way I have always done it and to go against my principles… I don’t think I could do that.

“There is going to be criticism, there is always criticism about the way we are playing, but we have developed players playing this way, we have got players in the league playing this way, we have won leagues playing this way. All of a sudden we have gone up a league and people are saying, ‘you can’t play this way’.”

Kyle Callan-McFadden - injured in the first half against Wrexham last week when Lynn lost 6-2 (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Tough times, personally

“I personally feel very sad for the players because they are a really good bunch and a pleasure to work with and receptive to any ideas you throw at them and they take it on board. They are very close, they have got together very, very quickly and I feel sorry for them because I know the work they are putting in and I really do hope we can turn it around because they deserve all the breaks they can get.”

Brett McGavin on the ball (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

You’ve got to have faith...

“I have a lot of faith in this team - it might be blind faith, I might be sitting here with rose-tinted glasses on, but I have got faith these players will come good.

“If it is not good enough for some people at the football club I know what will happen, but I am not changing, I really ain’t changing.”

Old heads

When Lynn went full-time in the summer, some experienced old heads – like Michael Gash and Ryan Jarvis – left. Does the manager have any regrets?

“Not really. It has moved on. We decided to go full-time and the work commitments meant they couldn’t commit, that is the situation we found ourselves in and then it was about recruiting what we need at the football club and this is the road we have gone down. It is about the environment they are coming into - we are trying to make it as good as we can because there have been many a signing that has not worked. You can go through the whole pyramid and bundles of money has been paid on certain individuals who have moved to a new club and it hasn’t worked. We are very aware of setting the right environment where they can flourish because this is what we are all about – since I have been here we have sold numerous players back into the system and they have flourished within it. We haven’t got a lot here - all we can offer them is a platform and show off their abilities. It has been hard but I have real good faith.”

Pierce Bird fires his volley over the bar against Wrexham (Image: Ian Burt Photography)

Coming up

Saturday: Bromley (fourth) away

Tuesday Nov 23: Stockport (11th) away

Sat Nov 27: Aldershot (21st) home

Sat Dec 11: Dover Athletic (23rd) home

Lynn have two tough away games coming up, starting at Bromley.

“These are probably two of the hardest ones you could have. Two massive vastly experienced teams, been together a long, long time know how to play the game and know the way to do it as well. They are streetwise in what they do – two really hard games.

“We know the task in front of us but the boys have worked really hard this week - now we have to go out and put on a performance.”