NICKY Cowley has revealed he and Danny Cowley made sure they spent time reflecting on their managerial careers so far prior to their arrival at Colchester United.
The U’s management team had a year out of the game prior to their appointment at the JobServe Community Stadium, earlier this month.
The Cowleys’ last job prior to Colchester was at League One side Portsmouth where they spent nearly two years, while prior to that they had stints in charge of Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City, Braintree Town and Concord Rangers.
READ MORE: What Alistair Smith will be looking to prove to himself after U's move
The brothers have enjoyed a successful managerial career to date, one that has seen them manage at Championship level and preside over more than 500 games.
They are now preparing for their third game in charge of the U’s this weekend when they travel up to Morecambe and Nicky says they are aiming to make a difference, as they attempt to lift Colchester away from the League Two relegation zone.
Nicky said: “We love our football and when we weren’t actually at a club, we were still watching a hell of a lot of games.
“Most importantly, we spent that time trying to reflect on what’s happened before in our careers – you never want to stand still, you always want to move forward and improve, so that we knew exactly what we would have to do when the opportunity presented itself.
“We feel like we’re in a really good place and a really hungry place to come in and really try and make a difference.”
The Cowleys are aiming to secure their first win in charge at Colchester this weekend when they face Morecambe.
The U’s have claimed two draws so far under their new management team and Nicky says they are enjoying working with the squad.
“They’re a great group of people who want to do well,” added Cowley.
READ MORE: League Two strugglers appoint former Portsmouth boss
“Sometimes for us as coaches, you just get the right balance in terms of sending the right messages.
“I think not too many messages is very important, particularly when you go in during the season.
“First and foremost, we really want to be a more compact team and we definitely want to be a team that defends with real intensity and that are aggressive in the way that we win the ball back because once we do get it back, then we can do the things with the football that the supporters love to see and that the players enjoy doing.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here