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Ambitious Billericay make ‘big statement of intent’ with appointment of their new manager

Ambitious Billericay make what fans have described to be a ‘big statement of intent’ with the appointment of their new manager Danny Scopes.

Danny Scopes expressed excitement about joining an upcoming club he’s long admired and credits former manager Gary McCann for assembling a competitive squad with experience and youth, many of whom he knows or has tried to sign.

Scopes aims for an aggressive, front-foot style: high pressing, exciting attacks in the opposition half, and solid defence.

His staff includes assistant Adam Drew, coach Craig Shipman, and analyst Scott Wagstaff. He faces an immediate challenge against Cheshunt on Tuesday.

Billericay currently sit 12th in the Isthmian League – Premier Division with 8 points from 6 games, 5 points from the playoff places.

CLUB STATEMENT:

Billericay Town Football Club is pleased to confirm the appointment of Danny Scopes as our new First Team Manager

Danny brings considerable non-league experience, including guiding Aveley FC from the Isthmian North Division to the National League South via two promotions, and securing their highest-ever league finish in Step 2 of the National League South

Joining Danny as part of the management team will be Adam Drew, who has recently departed his role as Head of Recruitment at Chelmsford City. Adam has a strong reputation for talent identification in non-league football, and has previously worked alongside Danny, forming a highly effective partnership.

Danny and Adam will take immediate charge of the squad for tomorrow night’s away fixture against Cheshunt, as talks continue this week to confirm the remainder of the management and coaching team. Further announcements will follow once these are finalised.

We look forward to this next chapter under Danny’s leadership, supported by Adam and the team.

Interviewer: Danny Scopes, welcome to the club. How does it feel to take the reins?

Danny: Yeah, brilliant. Yeah, really excited. Yeah, it’s a club that I’ve had admiration for for quite a few years and watched the work from the outside that the owners have done with the football club and the facility and I think within the area it’s one of the most upcoming clubs around. You only got to walk in the building to see how special it can be and I’ve been to a lot of match days here as well as an opposition manager and as a spectator and see the atmosphere the crowd can generate. So it’s a really big football club and I’m really excited to be here.

Interviewer: And your name’s been floated around every time there’s been an opening for the role. Is this a job you’ve been after for quite a while?

Danny: Yeah, all due respect to previous managers and clubs I’ve been at, I think it’s always something that’s been in a pipeline for me to be able to do it and I’m honoured that I’ve got this opportunity and I missed out a few years back, about four years ago on the opportunity, probably turned out right in the end and maybe wasn’t right for me and wasn’t right for the football club at the time but I feel this is the right opportunity and hopefully I can come in and build on the good work that’s happened over the last few years.

Interviewer: Yeah and you’ll be inheriting a squad that can without a doubt compete at the top so credit must be given to Gary McCann for his efforts in building that team. What do you make of the players now at your disposal?

Danny: Yeah I think credit to Gary, credit to the owners again for you know providing the resources and being able to sign these top players. I think we’ve got, it’s a real good experience within the squad. There’s some usefulness in there as well, which is exciting. I looked at the ages of the players and where they’ve been in there, and I know a lot of them already. I’ve probably tried to sign quite a few of them already and maybe been turned down. There’s some that I’ve worked with before as well, some for short periods, some for longer periods and had success with, so I think that’s really important. I’m really excited to get out on the grass now, because once you see the squad and you see the bodies that you’ve got to your disposal, you want to work with them and you want to learn a little bit more about them behind the scenes and can only do that when we get out on the grass. So really looking forward to obviously a game and then Thursday night and then some sessions after that to get to work with that squad.

Interviewer: Fans know you, come up again you at Concord and Aveley. How can we expect the team to play under you?

Danny: Yeah I like the team to play on the front foot, I want to be aggressive in the way we play so that would be aggressive in possession and out of possession. You have to run hard I think that’s something that supporters want, so I think we have to provide that. We have to run hard for the shirt and run hard for the football club and that’s something we have to demand and we want the right characters in the building that will run hard for the football club and compete and try and win games of football. I want it to be exciting, don’t I like to football in the opposition’s half. I like to be able to create opportunities and chances and shots on goal and get a crowd going and get people going as well. Once we get in that opposition half, the idea is to stay in there and make stuff happen. I feel like we’ve got the players that can do that in the attacking third and it’s about making sure that you’re solid behind the ball, it’s making sure that you’ve got a good rest of fence and you’ve got things in place that you don’t concede goals and I’ve always built my teams from the back to the front and I think we’ve got the ammunition within the squad to be able to do that and a little bit of structure and a little bit of support and adding to what we’ve already got and what they’ve already got in their armoury, I think we can be quite exciting times and I look forward to trying to give the fans what they want and what they want to see. We have to remember it’s non-league football, it’s not always rosy, it’s not always the same. There can be different games and different challenges, so you have to accept that as a supporter and as a manager and as players. But ideally, when teams come to New Lodges, want them to be in for a real tough challenge and a real hard battle. And then when we want to go away, we want to be really hard to beat.

Interviewer: Who will be joining you as your coaching staff?

Danny: Yeah, fortunate enough to get Adam Drew into the building as well. He’s just come out of Chelmsford and me and Adam have worked together before at Concord Rangers where we had some really good success in probably what was a low-budget team and a small football club and we did really well together. Really enjoyed ourselves. Our paths went separately but after that we’ve both had good success. Adam’s had good success at Chelmsford where he’s managed to get them into second in the division and played a real big part in their recruitment and lots of other stuff that Adam can offer behind the scenes as well which are really important to a manager to be able to have alongside him. So really pleased having him and we speak every day, probably twice a day at times so to get him back in and working with him is really exciting. Craig Shipman will come in as a first team coach for us as well. I worked with him at Aveley and I’ve known him for quite a long while and good with the players. A lot of the players will know him already and have been coached by him as well so it’ll be really important and Scott Wagstaff as well, who’s someone I’ve known for many years who looks after our analysis side, looks after our opposition. We’ve got quite a big network of people behind us in terms of scout groups and opposition groups that we use and we process all the data and Scott’s very good at bringing all that data together and what we can present to the squad and we present to the players and present to individuals to try and help them because I’m a firm believer it doesn’t matter how old you are as a player or how many games you’ve played or where you’ve been, there’s always time to develop, well as time to learn and improve and that’s what we want to try get into the group as well.

Interviewer: No rest for the wicked, away to Cheshunt tomorrow night. How do you feel about being thrown into that challenge?

Danny: Yeah, it’s been a whirlwind day obviously today. think when the news broke that Gary was moving on and we wish him all the best and credit to Gary for the work he’s done at this football club, was a job that I wanted and once I spoke to the owners and they were quite keen to get me on board, it didn’t take long to have a few chats and get that moving and they asked me if I was willing to take the game and I couldn’t wait and I’ve been out of the game for not a massive long period of time and probably come round quicker coming back in but it’s what I wanted as well. I’ve been bored, I’ve been wanting a new challenge and there’s nothing better than being able to go to a Cheshunt team that’s under Mel, it’s done quite well and had a good start to the season. It’s going to have its challenges tomorrow, we know that because there will be little bit air of disappointment maybe in some, there will be an air of excitement in others and a bit of fear within others but it’s a game of football at the end of the day and I think we have to go there and try put in a performance that can try and get us some points on the board and I really can’t wait to see I do anything better I’d rather be doing tomorrow.

This is how fans reacted as the ambitious Billericay make a ‘big statement of intent’ with the appointment of their new manager Danny Scopes…

@NonLeaguesChat: Such a good appointment. Scopes has performed time and time again with tiny budgets. Going to be scary what he can do with one of the biggest budgets in the league. Perfect appointment imo.

@nonleaguenext: Big statement of intent

@ButtonaBike: The ambitious don’t hang about. 3 points tomorrow? #coyb

@CentreC1rcleRef: HMS Piss The League with @danscopes6 & @Adamdrew1979 at the helm, Christ. Good luck to ‘ricay.

@ThatPinBadgeGuy: Scariest thing you’ll ever see…. Danny Scopes with a budget 😱 Good luck @danscopes6, going to be good to see you back in the dugout later this season 🥳

@WingsFan625: Scopes has done absolute wonders at this level. Good appointment for you lot.

@MR_WFC: Two good appointments – Well done BTFC. Skopes does wonders on tight budgets. What will he be like with an open cheque book?

@BenMapp02: Great appointment and well done to all for moving so swiftly. Welcome Danny & Adam!

@22_Bunks: Congratulations @danscopes6. God to see you back at it.

@slowey_mike: Welcome Danny and Adam here’s to getting back on track and getting that all important promotion.

@Sons_of_Aveley: Fantastic manager. Even better person. But please be on holiday when you play us! All the best @danscopes6

@TimGardnerNo1: All the best @danscopes6 💙 ⚽️

@LPHR_13: Very good appointment, welcome Danny!!

@JohnGuyton82: Good luck @danscopes6 and @Adamdrew1979, great appointment and good to see Danny back in the dugout 👏👏💙⚽️

@Andy1726: Top appointments, best of luck @danscopes6 and @Adamdrew1979

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