New Crawley Town head coach Colin Kazim-Richards ready to make instant impact

The former Türkiye international’s appointment was confirmed late on Tuesday just two days after Scott Lindsey’s sacking on Sunday night.

Having coached at Arsenal’s academy, the 39-year-old was full of optimism in his first official interview with the club after taking his first managerial position.

“Very excited,” Kazim-Richards said. “I’m very ready to make an impact. Obviously, the circumstances are the circumstances. I'm a realist in terms of when you understand the circumstance, it's not by chance you're able to find a solution.

“And it's not a nice position but [I’m] still excited. And I know [for] Crawley fans and people watching, it's not nice to hear that you're excited to come into that type of situation.

“But the reason why I'm excited is because I believe that I can make an impact straight away and start turning non-results into results.”

He is a drastically different appointment to Lindsey’s last year given the latter’s lofty achievements at the club, but Kazim-Richards put his lack of managerial experience into perspective.

He said: “Everybody likes to make football quite different to life in general. When is the right time to do anything? When is the right time to have a baby? When is the right time to get married?

“The situation in terms of points is not great, but this is the right time for me personally because I believe that I can get Crawley out of this situation that we're in control of at the moment. We're still in control of it.

“So, why am I the right guy? Because I'm still driven. It's not a hidden question that people are going to say: "Well, you've never been a head coach." I've never been a head coach, and that's why I understand the impact I need to make straight away.”

He added: “I'm not living off the title from before, what I’ve done before. I need to do it now. I need to do it in today's training session. I need to do it tomorrow. Every day is a day I need to make the impact. So, I'm still driven in a current way of coaching - a people-first coach.

“Knowing the realities - it's not just players. There's so many different branches to making a successful team on the pitch - all the backroom staff, yourselves. So, why is it the right time now? Because I know the impact that I can create.”

The Reds are in a real fight to avoid relegation from League Two, but the 39-year-old believes he is up to the task of steering the side to safety.

“I'm very, very, very confident,” Kazim-Richards said. “I wouldn't have taken this job if I wasn't confident - that goes without saying. That's all just words. I'm a person that is - show me, don't tell me. I think this generation as well, they work with that. That's their saying - show me, don't tell me.

“I can sit here and say to you: “I'm going to do this. I'm going to do that." I like to go and do my job. I don't really want to talk too much about it. I'm a show me, don't tell me type of person.”

The former Brighton and Hove Albion forward had an extensive playing career that took him all over the world and earned him experience in similar scenarios.

Kazim-Richards said: “I've been in relegation battles with four different teams five different times. From being 18, my first professional season, to being a seasoned pro at 18 with Bury. Being a seasoned pro at Derby - I know what it takes, and it's not easy.

“But do you know what? In life, nothing's easy, but when you understand what you're in and you know where you're going, it is quite, not easy to execute it, but it's easy to understand the situation you're in. And what I'm bringing is understanding [of] what it takes to get out of this situation, and what the players will need and what support they will need, what the staff will need.

“Every person, especially in Europe, South America - if you speak to them, they’ve got an opinion on football [and] a way to play, etc. But not a lot of people understand what it takes, so, right now, what it takes and for the players to understand what it takes is that there's families and futures and careers on the line and there's peoples’ families and futures and careers that can't actually impact what's going on the pitch. The players have the control.”

And on his man-management style, he added: “I will tell you the truth, but it's because I care. It's not a truth and it's not a conversation that’ll be like: “Maybe right now is not the right time, but it will happen tomorrow.”

“You might not hear what I like to say, but it's something that needs to be said because the benefit is for Crawley to get out of this - where we are right now.”

Kazim-Richards will be in the dugout at the Broadfield Stadium for the first time this Saturday when they face Gillingham.