Where did it all go wrong for Colin Kazim-Richards at Crawley Town?

One win from ten league matches has seen Kazim-Richards dismissed from his role as Head Coach. He was axed after the Reds suffered their seventh defeat of the league campaign losing to Shrewsbury Town.

That brought an end to the 40-year-old’s short tenure at the Broadfield Stadium after a wretched start to the season - in fact the worst start since The Reds joined the EFL in 2011.

Director of football Erdem Konyar has also gone, along with Kazim’Richards’ No2 Julian Gray, while the Reds have appointed former Leeds and Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell as interim manager while they conclude their search for a permanent appointment.

So what went wrong for the former Derby County and Sheffield United man?

When Kazim-Richards was appointed as the Reds new permanent Head Coach, having saved the club from relegation and expulsion from the Football League at the end of last season, the decision split the fan base.

Those who were sceptical remained doubtful, and soon those who felt he had justifiably been given the role joined a rapidly growing contingent of the fanbase that were not convinced he was not the right man for the job after all, and pressure started to mount on him.

The defeat to Grimsby Town on September 19 seemed to be a real turning point, with supporters adamant that Kazim-Richards had to go, especially as at the time Crawley did not have a league game for another three weeks because of the international break.

Chants for Kazim-Richards to be sacked came at home to Chesterfield on October 10 when Crawley were 2-0 down. They did however fight back from two goals down to rescue a point – but this was a result which to many fans effectively felt like paper over the cracks.

The following Saturday the Red Devils were defeated by league leaders Salford City and the pressure was mounting.

It soon became a ‘when not if’ situation, so when the news arrived that he had gone, with the traditional corner flag picture part of the club’s announcement, fans were left rather unsurprised.

When the former Turkey international arrived at the club in late March, he subtly criticised what had gone on before him, explaining that one of the downfalls of Crawley’s season to date had been that players had been played in the wrong positions.

Fans were intrigued when they first saw Ade Adeyemo moved to a full-back role by Kazim-Richards in the latter stages of last season and this season brought some even more puzzling shifts in positions for personnel.

Charlie Barker was moved into a defensive midfield role from centre-back, Jonny Russell popped up at centre-back from his more usual left-back role and Dylan Morgan operated as a lone striker.

Some would argue that the boss was somewhat hypocritical in his initial comment about players being used in the wrong positions – especially when there were players on the bench whose natural positions were the ones that others were filling.

It is of course all down to personal opinion, but a lot of fans will say, particularly with regards to Adeyemo, who they had seen the most of playing at full-back as opposed to as a winger, that when he was moved to more of an attacking role in the later stages of games, he looked far more comfortable – and ultimately Crawley were able to get the most out of him.

What Kazim-Richards did particularly well when he first came in was stripping it back down to basics, but when things got tough this season it could be said he was guilty of over-complicating it.

There were a lot of concerns surrounding a lack of experience in the squad but also around the coaching staff, which lacked bodies, with just Julian Gray and player-coach Vito Mannone alongside the main man. Some extra managerial nous and a level head in the dugout to help guide Kazim-Richards would have been very beneficial.

In his final interview before his dismissal Kazim-Richards said “I think we need a little bit more experience, a little bit in terms of game management.”

It was something which he hadn’t referenced very much previously as he normally defended any questions surrounding a lack of experience within the side.

This is potentially quite revealing in terms of what Kazim-Richards felt he was lacking from the summer transfer window that he had desired and was not provided with, mentioning that he had given “nine league debuts” – rather accentuating the fact that those players needed more help around them on the pitch.

Kazim-Richards had an even more candid approach than usual to the post-match interview after the loss to Shrewsbury, one by which he all but knew his time was up.

It was very suggestive of the fact that he maybe didn’t have as much control over recruitment as he would have hoped – and so with the departing of Erdem Konyar, does this mean that he can also be seen as a culprit in the Reds’ woeful start?

Konyar returned to the club in November last year and oversaw what can be concluded as two disastrous transfer windows under two different managers with a total of nigh on 30 players – but one cannot deny he definitely had the best interests of the club at heart.

There are certain aspects on the pitch that are completely out of a manager’s control such as unforced defensive errors, which have certainly cost Crawley points this season – as well as not punishing teams when they have had the chance to, and also failing to produce any kind of consistency from a performance perspective and in both boxes.

It is always a culmination of different variants as to why it doesn’t work out for a manager at a club but ultimately it is a results business and so the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the boss.

On a personal note, Colin was a respectful human being and would always shake your hand before and after interviews. He was an honest person and in everyday life – and as a journalist – that is a quality that I find commendable, particularly when you are in a pressurised environment like he was.

The press conferences with him were always interesting and it was a great experience for me when he used to fire questions back at me.

As the first Crawley Town manager that I have ever had the pleasure of interviewing, it was very much a memorable experience and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Now the search begins again for the club’s ninth manager in four seasons and it is so desperately important that they get this appointment right, making sure they bring in someone quickly but not so much that they rush the process and fail to carry out a thorough search for a new Head Coach.