Tranmere Rovers Chairman Mark Palios discussed the appointment of new first team manager, Mike Jackson.
Question: Mark, today we have announced the appointment of Mike Jackson, you must be delighted to get the deal over the line?
Answer: “Yes. It’s been two weeks of solid work as it is one of the most important decisions that you will make. Last time I spoke to the fans we said that we’d go quiet until we were ready to make an announcement because it would be unfair to people who have applied to reveal things publicly.”
“There has been quite some in depth thought gone into this and long chats with Mike and even though we know him, we have spent hours talking to him, going through what we want to do going forward.
“We are delighted to get it over the line. Whilst I said that we weren’t pushed for time, there is always the question of getting some uncertainty in a very uncertain situation generally and therefore it is a major positive.”
Question: Michael is a proven winner with multiple promotions as a player and as a coach, so he has a great CV to come along with him as our new manager?
Answer: “The personal qualities of Jacko are not in doubt. He has been a big part of the success that we’ve had and that is important. He is a winner, he wants to win, and he instils that in the people around him, but he also drives standards and that that been the feedback from a lot of people around the place.
“That is important because as a Club we need to continually set standards. A phrase I like is ‘Better never sleeps’ and that is certainly a phrase that I think he goes by.
Question: He understands the Club, as a former player, and he knows what is expected from the fans and from yourself.
Answer: “I think everyone knows that that is one of my big things in terms of where we are with the Club. One of the things that has been involved in the major success of the Club and the change of the attitude around the place has been that everyone from top to bottom understands what Tranmere means.
“Jacko has played and coached here, he understands that the fans will forgive you for misplacing a pass but they won’t forgive you for not tracking back and putting the hard yards in.
“He understands the extent to which the Club is rooted to the community and how important a feature that has been in the last few years, so I don’t have to explain that to him.
Question: Having worked with him for the last few years, we know how thorough he is and how exciting some of his ideas are going to be.
Answer: “It’s always got to be a balance, it’s about moving forward but also about the continuity. I think one of the major flaws in English football is the managerial merry go round that can sometimes happen. We want the culture of the Club to be always wanting to improve and Jacko understands that.
“Importantly, there is a good foundation of a squad here with no need for a wrecking ball with already talented players in the squad added to his own recruitment plans.
“That’s one of the key things. I go back to the team that started to turn a corner last season and the guts of that team are still here which includes some very good players who can develop further. We’ve got a good basis for a squad but there is also scope to improve and bring other players in.
“That’s one of the things Jacko will be straight onto and he has already spoken to one of our intended signings and he will tell you more about that. One of the risks of bringing a new manager is that they aren’t his players and that can be used as a ‘get out of jail free’ card whereas Jacko knows these players already and has been through good times and bad time with them.
“Continuity is important. Where we have had success is where we’ve had continuity in the dressing room over numerous seasons. The promotion to League One was so quick and you can see the difficulties once the changing room dynamic changes, moving from a Non-League side to a League One side but I believe we got it right by the time we came out of the January transfer window.
“Where we are now is once again, continuity around the place, which is want we want as long as that continuity is one of progression and not stagnation.”