Published on Tuesday 10 May 2011 16:29 Standard
PILGRIMS striker Lawrie Dudfield has told Boston United chairman David Newton to give Lee Canoville and Jason Lee the managerial jobs on a permanent basis.
Newton is keeping his options open as he searches to find the perfect replacement for Paul Hurst and Rob Scott - with interviews taking place this week.
However, Dudfield says Newton already has the right men right under his nose.
He said: “They’d be the right choices in my opinion.
“You can see the players have total respect for them, the players would love to see them get the job.”
Few know Lee and Canoville as well as Dudfield, who has played alongside the pair at both Boston United and Notts County.
And such was the lure of working with the pair again that Dudfield even came out of retirement following a two-year absence from football to work under the joint coaches.
Having done that, the Pilgrims striker reckons his old mate Lee is taking to the dug-out with remarkable skill.
“You may think Jason is a ranter and a raver because of the way he played the game, but he’s not,” Dudfield added.
“Jason knows how to work players, how to work their confidence.
“He knows who needs an arm round their shoulder and who needs a kick up the bum.
“He’s got the best out of the lads.”
The improvements shown on the pitch by the likes of wingers Jamie Yates and Ryan Semple are examples of how a little support can go a long way in breeding confidence.
Lee and Canoville took over the joint coaches roles in March after Hurst and Scott resigned to join Blue Square Bet Premier side Grimsby Town.
They even used their contacts books to overcome a goalkeeping crisis by bringing veteran Paul Bastock back to York Street.
“Jason’s a winner in life and he’ll be no different as a manager,” Bastock said after signing for United.
However, Newton prefers to keep his options open.
He said: “We are following the course that was set out when Rob and Paul left the club.
“The position was advertised in The Non-League Paper and we have already had a number of applicants.
“These are in addition to those applications that arrived back in March.
“We are determined to find the right management team to take Boston United forward, building on the firm foundation that has already been laid.”
But Newton says Lee and Canoville remain firmly on his radar, adding: “Jason and Lee stepped in at very short notice and have done a magnificent job securing the club’s position in the play-offs.
“The transition has been seamless, which is what we had hoped their appointment would achieve.” Lee told The Standard: “We’re here and that says it all.
“If I wasn’t interested in the job then I wouldn’t be here now.
“The chairman knows what we’re all about and hopefully he’ll consider us for the job.
“Good luck to whoever’s applying, it’s a good job at a good club.”
Lee, who played in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest, says he believes that he’s got what it takes to do the job full time and hopes to be treated as a serious candidate.
He added: “This has got my enthusiasm going.
“I always believed I could manage.
“The other applicants may have experience at this level, but do they have the experience that I do? Even by playing at this level.”
