Colchester United head coach says club must prepare for change amid takeover talks
Danny Cowley says uncertainty around the club's ownership means the coaching team is preparing for different scenarios ahead of the new season
Colchester United head coach Danny Cowley has said the club is working hard to prepare for next season despite uncertainty over a possible takeover.
Speaking to Colchester United TV, Cowley confirmed he and his brother Nicky – who is also part of the coaching team – have been meeting with players and staff individually to review the season and plan for the months ahead.
“We always meet the players and staff at the end of the season,” he said. “A lot of clubs finish and everyone disappears, but we think it's important to reflect and learn from what's happened.”
Cowley also addressed recent news from club chairman Robbie Cowling, who announced plans to step away from the club, potentially leading to new ownership.
“You have to thank Robbie,” Cowley said. “From the moment he joined, he’s supported the club with everything – not just money, but time too. He’s been here every day. He’s had tough moments, but always acted with the club’s best interests at heart.”
He added: “I think he felt it was the right time for him and his family, and we respect that. At some point, we will have new owners, but with something as complex as buying a football club, we don’t know when that will happen.”
Cowley said the uncertainty meant decisions on budgets and recruitment are on hold. “We don’t have complete clarity over ownership or where we are financially. That affects things like the budget for staff and recruitment. We’re planning – but we also have to be ready to adapt.”
He said the team’s goal was to keep as many players as possible after a strong second half of the season. “We showed in the second half that we had automatic promotion potential. If we can keep the boys together, we believe there’s still a lot of growth and development in the group.”
Cowley acknowledged that some of the club’s young players may move on. “We’ve got young players that are going to be sought after – Samson Tovide, Owura Edwards, Chay Cooper, Oscar Thorn – just to name a few,” he said. “That’s something to be proud of. But if the time is right to sell, we’ll look to reinvest and keep building.”
He ended by stressing the need to avoid change unless it brings clear improvement. “We only want to make changes if they give us significant gains. We’ve got a good group, good synergy on and off the pitch, and we don’t want to lose that without a good reason.”