Football talk with: Chris Kiwomya, Notts County

As I walk the streets of Jyväskylä on Tuesday evening I come across three men in their club tracksuits. It turns out I have met with Notts County coaching staff. They introduce themselves as Mick Jones, Assistant Manager (not the Clash guitarist), Andy Watson, coach, and finally, Chris Kiwomya, manager.

Asking them for an impromptu interview I get a polite no as they intend to discuss the next day's friendly against host team JJK Jyväskylä at the local Jazz bar. Instead we agree on a short interview the next day with Chris.

Early Wednesday afternoon at the local hotel. Chris Kiwomya walks into the lobby, smiling and relaxed. We sit down on the couches and get on with it.

Chris Kiwomya, Notts County manager

After being a prolific striker and goalscorer at Ipswich (over 200 appearances and more than 50 goals between 1987-1995), he then moved over to Arsenal, where he failed to capture a place in the regular starting eleven. After a number of loans to foreign clubs, he joined Queen's Park Rangers, where he scored another 25 goals in almost 100 games, before calling time on his career in 2002. After retiring from playing and scoring, Kiwomya then went into coaching.

From player to manager

So Chris, about your background as a player, you were also at Arsenal after Ipswich?
"I was at Arsenal, yes, for 3,5 years. Very great experience."

Bad timing, I noticed, being at Arsenal same time as Bergkamp, Ian Wright and all the others...
"Yes, George Graham signed me, then there was the change of manager, Bruce Rioch, and then Arsene Wenger came in. It was very good, I played alongside some of the best players in the world, with Bergkamp, Overmars, Anelka, you know. Very good players, and I learned an awful lot from being around those players."

You played for England in U21?
"I was in U21s on three occasions, I was on the bench. Did not manage to get on, a bit disappointing, but Alan Shearer was in the squad at the time, so it was a bit difficult to push those guys out but like I say, you know, mighty proud of being called up for the country. And actually, I've been involved with and around good players."

Good experience, you would say?
"Great experience, especially with the managers as well. My biggest and best manager I really enjoyed was John Lyall, he had been at West Ham before coming to Ipswich. I had many managers on my way, Bobby Moore, Alan Devonshire and (Trevor) Brooking, top players."

Was it your ambition at that time already to become a football manager?
"No, no, not really, you know. Only John used to mention, because John and I worked hard on my game, that's how great he was, you know he used to talk to me about how I was playing and about the tactics and he used to show different things and he used to say you'd make a good manager if you took all the things on board that I was giving you. That's what he used to say."

You were a thinking player at that time? Being a striker, you are not too tall, less than 6 feet…
"I just thought as a player, I was not thinking about management then. Yeah, you have to, you know obviously, your weakness has got to be to your strength, so if you're not tall, you have to be mobile and quick."

So you started as a coach at Ipswich?
"I was at Arsenal for 7 or 8 months, coaching the Arsenal U14s, while Liam Brady was the academy manager. And then I moved on to Ipswich."

And then you switched over to Notts County last winter?
"I got doing with the development squad there, and then obviously, then I got the caretaker manager's job in February, and then I got the manager's job in March."

Getting ready for a new season

Now you have got a new coaching staff altogether?
"Yeah, yeah, quite a good group, I've put together. I've got Mick Jones, lots of experience and a good person, and there's Andy Watson, mighty to have a lot of experience, they've been around. And they're very helpful towards me."

Andy Watson and Mick Jones

I noticed Mick has quite an experience, he's been working with Neil Warnock on many occasions. So, I wonder, you're probabaly a bit different from Warnock as a manager?
"Yeah, I'm a young manager. and I'm a bit different, you know, Neil Warnock has been a good manager. Being close to him (Jones), I am very proud. He's a good manager, a lot of experience and as you said, quite a career."

How about the team? You are now preparing, the pre-season has just started, I believe.
"Yes, this is the beginning, we are into our third week, really."

How far ready are you now for the new season? The season's going to start early August. How does playing in Finland serve this purpose?
"We've got some hard games coming up when we get back. We've got Galatasaray coming up next week. So, you know, those games will put us in good stead, and give us good fitness. So we've still got a little bit of work to do."

"I've been here before. I came in like twenty…two years  ago. I've been to Kemi and Tampere also. So maybe I've got a little something in me for Finland", Kimoya laughs. "I came here to play with Ipswich Town, many years ago, so that was good then."

Kiwomya and his new coaching staff

Did you play here in Jyväskylä - Ipswich came here in the 90s?
"No, that was with George Burley, that was in 1996 I think it might have been, I left 1995, so it was just after that they came here."

I've noticed the club had big financial issues (*) a few years ago, is that already, kind of behind? (* see bottom of this post for more on this)
"It is sorted, it's all been cleared now."

No major worries there?
"No, it's a good club, we've got a good board, they're obliged, and we're bringing through some youth players into the squad."

That's mainly where you get your new players now, or are you going to buy more?
"There are some I'd like to try, you've got to mix, you can't have all young players, you need a bit experience out there down the pitch."

Will there be new players coming in before the season?
"Yeah, there will still be one or two, one or two coming in."

You've signed, I've noticed, you've extended the contract of …
"Yes, there was a new contract for Alan Sheehan."

And then there is the guy from Sierra Leone?
"Yeah, Mustapha Dumbuya, he's a very good right back, you know, very exciting."

Mustapha Dumbuya (player number 2)

The Jyväskylä friendly

They're going to play today, and be the guys to watch?
"Yeah, they are, and the right back is very good."

So, what are you expecting from tonight's match?
"Hopefully, they will play their first team and it is a tough game."

Kiwomya's eyes on the team

They will be giving young players a bit of time, because it's a heavy season, playing 33 games in six months.
"It will still be good fitness for us, and that's what we're here to do, see the fitness levels are right and we, you know, we'll enjoy the game no matter what, and hopefully give a good performance."

The local team are bottom of the Finnish league now, and they're giving time for the young players who've been sitting on the bench. Many of those are U19 Finnish champions from last year, as JJK won the title, so they want to show, and they've got players playing for Finland U19 and U18, and a couple of players who have got experience from U21.
"Exactly, so sometimes it's even more difficult for us, when they're hungry and fighting for it. I'm sure it will be a good game."

There was news yesterday that they're a bit short in the financial side and trying to reach to the local community to collect money. They are missing a considerable share of their budget, which is 1,2 million Euros. That is low figures, and shows football is in Finland, it is the number two sport here after ice hockey. What's your budget or club turnover?
"I'm not talking about my budget, I'm not talking about club financials."

Kiwomya calmly brushes the topic aside. (Apparently, Notts County is operating at a relatively lowly budget for League One and has had to cut its budget remarkably, with club turnover estimated at around 3 million pounds, according to different internet sources.)

The attendances here, Jyväskylä's got second highest average this season, which less than 3000.
"What crowd will they get tonight?"

I would say 1500-2000, hopefully. If the weather stays like this, and when it's an open stadium with only one covered stand. (the actual turnout was just over 1800)
"What happened with the weather, it is like in England ? (It is drizzling outside.) If the weather was better, right. Yeah, we were training at the stadium this morning. The pitch looked quite nice."

On club targets

What are actually your targets for this coming season?
"I'm going to try just to be as competitive as we can in the league, you know, we will try to be in the top half of the table pushing on from there. We've got some good players in the team, and we just have to try and gel them all together. And being in the top half of the table."

No promotion ambitions?
"Well promotion as well, there are good teams in the league. I'm ambitious, and I want the team to do well. So, I think if we're in the top half of the table, we can see where we go from there. If we are in the top half, I'll see if there is a chance to sneak in the top six, but promotion is not on my list at the moment. You know, we've let a lot of players go, and we're restructuring so it might take time. We just want to try and get our team foundation and do well."

League One has always been very even, let's say first ten clubs within 10 points or so?
"We've got good teams, we've got Wolverhampton Wanderers coming down with a budget from the Premiership, I don't think we can compete with them."

What are your ambitions with Notts County in the long run? You're going through restructuring period now.
"I'm just trying to get club back into making a profit, turn it over, making good money, you know, I'm trying to get some young players in the team, that are worth some value, and try to get a bit of stability."

"The owner has put a lot of his money in, we've got a good board, really good board, we're just going to try and get something back to them."

Post-match analysis

Looking at the list of players, you've only got one player over 30, Kevin Pilkington. Then there are guys born in the second half of 80s, early 90s, pretty good mix.
"He's the goalkeeping coach, he plays when he's asked to. Yeah, we've got a young team, we'll need to get some experienced players as well."

Mustapha Dumbuya is one of the guys to watch today, who else?
"You know, we've got some good players in the team tonight. I'm just picking him out because he's new to the club. Our left back is good, our center backs are good, I've got good midfielders, we've got good wingers. Now listen, you'll have to choose them when you see them play."

We'll have to see. Thank you for the interview.
"I've enjoyed it in Finland. We've enjoyed being in Kemi, and now coming to a bigger city it's very good. I'm looking forward to the game tonight, the stadium looks good, the pitch looked nice this morning. So I hope we will come up with a good show, and like I say, coming to Finland again after some twenty - twenty-two years later, it is amazing, maybe I'll come again next year or some time."

As we part, Chris Kimoya drops a question I cannot answer right away: "By the way, do you know what Antti Heinola is doing nowadays? We were at QPR at the same time."
Later, it turns out his former teammate Heinola has successfully moved on from football into business management.

- - - -

*  Notts County has been going through turbulent times financially, this eventually leading in the early 2000s to a takeover by a supposedly Middle Eastern linked investment group. In the course of events, Sven-Göran Eriksson was announced as new Director of Football, and former international Sol Campbell joined the team for a brief spell.  This episode, however, was very brief, but it did increase the clubs financial burden.

See BBC Panorama document "Trillion Dollar Con Man" about the search for the men behind the episode: