Phil Brown says Kidderminster ‘needs to be horrible’ in his first interview since appointment

New boss Phil Brown says Kidderminster Harriers ‘needs to be horrible’ when speaking in his first interview since his appointment.

His first game will be at home to Altrincham in the FA Trophy on Saturday afternoon, and then will welcome Aldershot in the league next week.

Kiddy really need to start picking up points if they want to turn their season around and avoid immediate relegation back to the National League North.

They currently sit 24th in the National League table, with 20 points from 28 games played, and are 7 points from safety, with 22nd place AFC Fylde and 20th place Woking having a game in hand.

Interviewer: Well Phil welcome to Kidderminster what are your initial thoughts now you’ve been in the building and had a look around

PB: My initial thoughts were born out the fact that I came here on Tuesday to meet the chairman and and Dean Holdsworth and I had sometimes in football you know I’ve been involved with many many different clubs at different levels but sometimes in football you get a good feel um just walking into a ground walking into a boardroom walking into a change room and I got a really good feel on on Tuesday I felt as if I can’t say it feels like home by any stretch of the imagination but it’s that same feeling that same vibe and good people met a lot of good people and it’s a challenge there no doubt about it and it’s something I’m looking forward to tell you the truth you know there’s a lot of times you go into a new football club and it’s full of fear or intrepidation and you may look at the league table and think well you should be in fear or intrepidation but um it’s not the case uh I recognise what the challenge is if I didn’t have that feeling about Kidderminster is I wouldn’t have took the challenge up but I think it’s a a challenge that hopefully we can start doing the right thing on the on the field of play get a little bit more respect from the opposition and once you’ve got them two in place then all of a sudden your football start playing football and hopefully we’ll play the kind of football that is going to get the Kidderminster Harriers supporters interested and more proud of were again and get us in the right direction where the league’s concerned

Interviewer: You’ve obviously had to do your homework from a distance as opposed to kind of up close but what initial assessments have you been able to make in the things that you’ve heard and things you’ve seen

PB: Well if you look at the league table and you think how far um you know after 28 games you’ve got 20 points on board and I’m saying you it’s we now um I’ve accepted the challenge and now it’s my issue my problem my challenge um you look at four wins from 28 it suggests that there’s something wrong at the football club but if you look at um the defeats and analyse them more in depth I think there maybe only on two occasions that the club’s been beaten by two goals or more uh so it looks like we’ve got a group of players here that are basically involved in the game of football and I always say to a player stay in the game make sure you stay in the game for as long as you possibly can Kidderminster Harriers have been involved in every game and they’ve stayed in the game, but they’ve come the wrong side of a draw by losing or they’ve come the wrong side of a win by drawing and that’s where the points tally is the reason why it’s only 20 instead of hopefully where it should be come the end of the season, but it looks like the group of players it looks like they care from the outside looking in and if you’ve got a group of players that care you’ve got a chance you’ve got a chance of hopefully turning a corner um confidence confidence is going to be key confidence of change of management and I’d like to go on record to say that the previous management team of Russ and Jimmy done a fantastic job and but unfortunately you know when you’ve only got 20 points from 28 games something’s got to give uh and invariably in my record in my um experience it’s the manager that gives not the players I’ll meet the players today uh for the first time I’ll watch them tomorrow in the game against Altrincham and then I’ll be uh in the Dugout shall we say on Monday with a great challenge coming a home game against Aldershot and then an away game against the team that I started my whole career at Hartlepool United so the challenges are are there I want to see what the team’s capable of doing against Altrincham, see what um the mentality of the group is and then work with them for a full week to try and get something a tune out with them as it were in the game next Saturday but it starts now you know it starts the whole process of trying to get people’s mentality positive trying to keep get people’s mentality into believing that they’re still good players that they are good players and if we can do that collectively then I’m looking forward to it

🎙️New @khfcofficial boss Phil Brown says he’s aware of just how important the football club is to the town, and the challenge he faces in the relegation battle to try and keep them in the National League. @freeradionews @GHRWestMids pic.twitter.com/2qeTGfJvk8

— Elliot Burrow (@elliot_burrow) January 12, 2024

Interviewer: And with the amount of league games we have left is there a degree of obviously you look to tweak things maybe possibly bring one or two in down the line but is there a degree of continuity as well that you need to establish

PB: I think I’ve got to look at that for sure I think the inconsistency of performance and the inconsistency of results uh has been the alarming key factor probably the reason why the previous incumbent has moved on um I’ve got to look at that we always talk about consistency levels and and what standards we can achieve and what standards we can get to if we start getting to a standard because as a new manager in town if we reach a certain standard I’m happy with then you know I can’t complain about result results but I’ve got to maintain that standard I’ve got to make sure that we go into games of football believing or the knowledge that we can beat the opposition and if we can go and get to that stage then we’ll have half a chance I think it’s important that um you know the weeks work on the training ground that the players have got to understand that my methods will be totally different from the previous management team um there might be a lot of similarities there may be a lot of things that I’m saying that probably Russ and and Jimmy said at the same time but I’m coming here with a challenge that I want to get my career back on track I’ve been involved in football for 40 odd years now and I think I can say to a certain extent I do know what it takes to win a game of football and that’s what we’ve got to try and achieve together

Interviewer: In terms of you and your career because of the levels you have managed at and the clubs you’ve managed at it could be a lazy assumption from the outside maybe that it’s difficult to have the hunger for a job say with respect to us at the bottom of the National League in Kidderminster but it’s clear from listening to you that that hunger’s very much there isn’t it

PB: The hunger has always been there uh when it goes um I think somebody will be putting me in a grave to tell you the truth I’ll be six foot under I think the passion for football from the very first day I kicked the ball to now it hasn’t changed I don’t know where it is about me I love the game absolutely um adore watching a game of football I adore being involved in a game of football there’s nothing better in my opinion people say playing I always say management I love standing on the touch line and being trying to analyse the opposition and trying to find out strengths and weaknesses of the opposition before the game and then trying to exploit them during the course of the game all of them things are something that I’m passionate about I think the the whole scenario of being involved in a game for 40 odd years and trying to educate yourself and trying to move forward with the game because the game has moved on so much in the last one 5/10 years it’s it’s quite frightening people are playing some great football we don’t need to play great football we just need to play winning football we need to be horrible at this moment in time and when we start playing winning football then the confidence grows and then the belief to play the beautiful game comes back and uh I’m not saying for one minute we’ve got a a group of bad players we’ve just got a group of players who are unfortunately used to losing I’ve got to try and change that mentality as quickly as I possibly can

Interviewer: I was going to mention style of players it less in this situation having a defined style of play that you might have as a manager and more just being adaptable to the situation we’re in I think it’s adaptability

PB: For sure, Charles Darwin wasn’t it, it’s not the survival of the fit is survival of the adaptable and to get to the to the National League and come and play pretty football in a situation that we’re in if we can play good football don’t get me wrong that means the opposition are not turning up um but if we have a style of football that wins games of football then that’s all I’m interested in, I think the Kidderminster Harriers fans to a man to a woman to a child will understand that its needs most at this moment in time forget about what’s going on off the field of play what’s on the field of play is that we’ve got to have winners we got to have people that are going to roll the sleeves up and maybe fade for a little bit more than what they have been fighting for

Interviewer: And you’ve mentioned the Aldershot game here next weekend as your first one obviously there’s an important FA Trophy game tomorrow but that as a whole how important will the support from the home fans be because the crowds have held up ever so well this season and that’s another key ingredient isn’t it

PB: It’s very important that we put our best foot forward regardless of whether I’m watching the game or not, that’s what you have to do as a footballer every time you cross the white line, I think it’s important that Jimmy O’Connor has taken the game it’s important for the respect of him as a coach and as a person and and I think the players will show up tomorrow, there’s no doubt about it. Do I want to win the game, I’m involved now, it’s Kidderminster Harriers, do I want to win the game absolutely 100% how important in terms of priority if I’m prioritising survival as the campaign and a FA Trophy cup run actually enhances that opportunity then I’m going to embrace it of course I am, I’m here to watch I’m here to find out what people are all about I’m here to see not so much entertaining football I want to see winning football I want to see what people can do and then when I start on Monday what they’ve showed me on Saturday will obviously play a part in next next Saturday’s 11 starters, if they give a good account to themselves they’ll be playing against Aldershot it won’t be anything to do with me or Jimmy O’Connor it’ll be themselves they brought themselves to the party they brought their best foot forward and then possibly they’ll be in the team for next Saturday

This is how fans reacted as Phil Brown says Kidderminster ‘needs to be horrible’ in his first interview since his appointment…

@fraserbrown1970: One thing is for sure, we as the watching fans, are instrumental in pushing the team forward. We need to play our part tomorrow, be loud, be proud and most importantly show that we are behind the team & management 💪🦅

@alexkirkham1: Good luck Phil!

@SystemUprisin: One thing he says in that interview is absolutely true. “Confidence wins you game, but these players absolutely have enough quality to stay in this League” Speaks Volumes! 🔴⚪️

@OwenKHFC: Good interview, very personable man. COYRRR

@murpho78: On point and says it how it is. Its about results no matter how you get them. Hopefully he will hit the ground running. #COYR

@kiddyguest: Good luck Phil, do your best to get us out of the mire. That is all we ask. 👍

@Allsport241: Let’s fooking go lads, big effort needed now 💪

@JmozzaKHFC: Things I never thought I’d see ✅

Geoff Tillson: Very interesting interview. Came across very well and obviously shows his passion and experience. A huge challenge. All the best Phil. COYR

Jacqueline Oldham: Really good interview. I’m sure he’ll start instilling belief into the players. As someone said, the fans must play their part too – we all want to avoid relegation. Massive team effort loading. 🦅

Gavla Russell: Just keep us up! 👊

Carl Garbett: Feels an honest, good interview. Ugly points to survive is fine with me as things stand. Good luck Phil and also to Jimmy tomorrow. COYR

Steve Coussens: Like him! Great interview, no nonsense approach. All the best Phil, COYR

Colin Matthew: Great honest interview focused on survival hopefully keep JOC as no 2 who can learn from him. If survive deserves to manage next season.

Chris Rutherford: Well spoken. Let’s go Phil. 💪

Hayley Perry: Welcome to the Harriers Phil. Great interview, let’s get Kiddy feeling massive again!!! 🔴⚪️⚽️

Steve Beddoes: Top interview, says it exactly how it is

Bev Giles: Good luck Phil – we’re with you all the way. All got one common goal – escape relegation.