FORMER England striker Kevin Phillips says he is glad to see Wayne Brown given the chance to turn Colchester United's fortunes around.

Brown was placed in interim charge of the U's on Wednesday, following Steve Ball's departure as head coach.

The former Colchester defender has been tasked with the challenge of getting the team back on track, following a run of 13 games without a win in League Two.

The U's now lie fourth from bottom in the table and seven points above the relegation zone, following their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Exeter City, on Tuesday night.

Colchester head to play high-flying Forest Green Rovers tomorrow, looking for a much-needed win.

And former Sunderland and Aston Villa striker Phillips, who played against Brown during his playing days, says Brown now has the chance to transform the fortunes of a club he knows well.

Speaking on Quest TV, he said: "He was tough to play against.

"He was proper old school, talking to you all the time and if he had a chance, he'd snap you!

"But it's great to see him put in charge and given the opportunity to try and turn that club around, a club that he knows very, very well."

Gazette:

Brown’s first game in in interim charge will be Colchester’s trip to play second-placed Forest Green Rovers at the New Lawn tomorrow.

That is followed up with back-to-back home games against play-off chasing Carlisle United and Newport County, before a run of three successive away matches.

Colchester are embarking on a gruelling run of games, at present.

They are currently in a sequence of playing 11 matches in the space of just 35 days.