Stan Collymore has declared that he is the man to breathe new life into Southend United, the club where his career took off.
The Shrimpers striking legend is excited about a possible return to Roots Hall, where he has been in talks on the managerial vacancy.
"I have one purpose and one alone - to get Southend moving in the right direction as quickly as possible," said Collymore.
"I want to give something back to the club that gave me my biggest push along the road and that would be as big an achievement as I have had in the game."
The former Liverpool and Aston Villa front-runner believes that despite his inexperience he is more than capable of transforming the struggling Blues.
"As a player I have appeared at most levels of the game with differing styles, managers and chairmen," he added.
"I have learnt a lot along the way - especially from Martin O'Neill (at Leicester City) and his excellent backroom staff."
England international Collymore, who netted 18 times in 33 starts for the Seasiders, also revealed his intended backroom team could help bolster his bid to get the Blues back on track.
Collymore's agent confirmed the 33-year-old had been holding talks with the Roots Hall hierarchy.
"Stan has met with Ron Martin, they've been discussing things for a few days now and I think they've both been impressed by one another," he said.
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Published Tuesday November 18, 2003
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