Former Swindon Town manager Scott Lindsey has spoken out about the reception he received in a short stint as Robins boss, ahead of his Crawley side facing off against the now managerless team, in comments given to Sussex World.
Scott Lindsey’s time in charge at Swindon was short-lived. Replacing the outgoing Ben Garner in 2022, the 50-year-old was bumped up from his assistant manager role to become the first team manager.
He would take charge of 30 matches in total for the Robins, only managing 10 wins in the process. Overall, he would leave the County Ground with a disappointing 33.3% win record. He did still have his Swindon Town team in and around the playoff picture despite some poor performances.
Axing managers after an underwhelming and fleeting time in the job has become a trend this campaign at Swindon Town, Lindsey’s replacement in Jody Morris suffering a similar fate. The ex Chelsea academy coach was sacked only a few days ago, lasting a total of 18 matches in the Robins hot-seat.
How Has Scott Lindsey Got On Since This Dismissal?
Crawley Town would be Scott Lindsey’s next destination as manager after his acrimonious exit from the County Ground, joining the Red Devils when they were submerged deep in a relegation battle.
Lindsey has proven to be a hit with the Red Devils fanbase, steering Crawley away from the League Two drop-zone with a 2-0 win over a now relegated Hartlepool United the standout fixture to look back on.
Everyone associated with Crawley – with the backdrop of turbulent owners in WAGMI United – will hope Scott Lindsey can be one stable component of the club for the time being.
This Weekend’s Fixture
The final round of fixtures in League Two has thrown up a reunion for Lindsey at the County Ground, his Crawley side travelling to Swindon unbeaten in their last four matches in the division and eager to prove a point.
The atmosphere at the County Ground on Bank Holiday Monday will be an intriguing one to gauge, Steve Mildenhall and Gavin Gunning taking temporary charge of the Robins for this final League Two match of the season.
However, there could be some bite in the match after comments made by Scott Lindsey at his former club and their fanbase.
What Has Scott Lindsey Said?
Speaking to Sussex World, Scott Lindsey opened up about his exit from Swindon and commented on the Robins fanbase never warming to him when he was in charge.
He said: “I was the assistant manager the year before and I probably wasn’t the name they wanted. They probably wanted Alex Ferguson or someone like that, which I am not and they found me a boring appointment.
“I was in the play offs all season, I had a young squad, nothing like the squad the season before and we played some decent football but for whatever reason, they just didn’t see me as an attractive appointment I suppose.”
Still, the Crawley Town boss is content now at the Red Devils in spite of his Swindon experience.
He said: “I was in the play offs all the time I was with Swindon and then made the change to Crawley, a lot of eyebrows were raised and a lot of people in the game and outside of the game were like ‘why’s he done that?“
“But I have done it for the reasons I thought were best for me and it has proven to be the best decision I have ever made.”
Writer’s View
When managers leave clubs on bad terms, they’ll always want to get one over on their former employers when they return with their new team.
Scott Lindsey’s return to the County Ground this coming Monday should provide some edge to a contest that is otherwise a dead rubber, both Swindon and Crawley go into this one with nothing to play for.
It’ll be intriguing to see which way this match-up goes and whether Lindsey will have the ultimate final laugh come full-time.
Very unproffessional indeed from Scott Lindsey. Whilst he didn’t set the pitch alight during his tenure, he has greatly exaggerated fan negativity and nor did he keep Swindon in the play off spots all season as he asserts.
As for Jody Morris, what a disastrous appointment. Clueless from the start and totally out of his depth. He totally demotivated the players and did no preparation on analysing the opposition before matches. With his dreadful personal history with the law, he should never have been appointed in the first place.
As for the coming match, I can only see Crawley getting a total drubbing. 6 – 0 is my prediction.