A few days ago, we at bedfordeagles.net caught up with new boss, Dan Kennoy, and asked him a few questions. That very same evening, Wes Byrne was confirmed as assistant manager, and with such short notice of the appointment, we decided that we would have a Q&A session with Wes at a later date.

We asked Dan, why Bedford?

‘I think Bedford is a big club, and I’ve been out of management a year now, hoping for an opportunity like this to come along. When it did, I sent in my cv, got an interview, and was appointed to the manager’s job. I see it as a big club with lots of potential, and hope we can move the club forward, leaving it in a better position than the 17th position from last season.’

What can the fans expect from you next season in how you’ll play?

‘It’s going to be dependent on the the players we recruit over the next couple of weeks. I’m a manager who tries to get the best out of the players we have, and that sometimes requires using different systems and different formations. I wouldn’t like to commit on the style of play and how we are going to play at this current time, but i am here to win games of football. That is my primary objective. I’ll analyse what we’ve got in the dressing room and the teams we come up against. We might have to play a certain way against some teams, and another way against other sides, so it’s just trying to get that win.’

You were involved with Barton Rovers at this level for a little while, so you know the division. What do you think is a realistic ambition for the 2015-16 season with Bedford?

‘For Bedford, it’s a big building job here, if I am honest. I’m guessing there is not going to be much left of the squad from last season. I only saw Bedford a couple of times last season, and Wes (Byrne) would probably know them a bit better than me. like I said, it’s a big building job, and it’s not going to be done overnight. I would like to think, as the bare minimum, we could get to mid-table. Objectively, we could be in the top 6 and challenging for the playoffs. That, again, would depend on the player recruitment. Most of the teams in the division have got a head start on us already. I would be disappointed if we weren’t in and around the top, but my pedigree is, we’ll build the team and get it challenging towards the top of the league. If it’s not this season, then it will be definitely next year.
Wes and myself have both managed Barton over the last 2 seasons. Last season, Wes took Barton to the playoffs with 78 points, and the season before, Barton finished 6th with an 80 point haul. You add those points together, and you’ve got a great management team at the Eyrie that’s going to push the club forward.’

Football fixes are all too often short term. What is your long term plan / vision for Bedford Town?

‘Like I have said before, it is a long building job, and I have taken the job on to try and build the club over a 3 to 5 year period. looking at the youth structure, we don’t have an U18 or U21 side, or a reserve side. I think this is one element for improvement as we can then bring in good, young local talent through the system into the 1st team, and that would give those players an affiliation to the club. I think you can get 5 to 10% more out of a player if the club actually means something to them, instead of a player coming here because its an extra fiver or tenner.’

Would you bring in players you have previously worked with, players with Southern League experience, good local players, or a sprinkling of all 3?

‘A good sprinkling of all 3, to be honest. Every club at this level has got to work within a budget. I’ve had good discussions with David Howell concerning the budget. I can see us being competitive with the figures he has given me to work with. Ultimately, we need to balance the books. Sometimes you can gamble on the younger, inexperienced players, that you may be able to get cheaper, but then you need that core of experienced players from steps 3 & 4 if you’re going to challenge at the top of the league.
We’ve had good preliminary discussions with players over the last 24/48 hours; some good, experienced players, players that won the league last year and players that have played in the division above. But we’ve also identified some of the good young local players that we’ve already spoken to, and are interested in coming along to pre-season as well.’

For our last question, we asked Dan which Bedford players impressed him last season, without naming names. Although he’d seen a couple of matches, Dan identified a midfielder and an attacker. Dan continues...

‘Bedford weren’t a bad side last season, and had some good results - so there were some good players in the side. Hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to speak to all of last year’s squad, and convince them that over pre-season, they’ll be judged fairly by myself and Wes. If they’re good enough, they’ll play. It’s not a case of bringing in players i’ve worked with before. Obviously we will bring in players we’ve worked with before, but we will be judging everyone fairly, and making sure we get the best possible squad.’