Lincoln City new boys will not be prepared to wait for better times.

That’s not to say that has been the position till now but we’re what, five years a non league club? That, I think is long enough without any real sign of salvation.

I’m going to say something that may upset you. I’m glad Grimsby Town got promoted. Why? Because that’s one less club for us to worry about, also they got relegated the year before us so it’s our turn which really is clutching at straws.

Just before you hit the delete button there are very real grounds for optimism in my view. The first is Clive Nates who I’ve mentioned rather a lot in this blog. I was looking at twitter on Saturday I think it was and I noticed Clive was on it so I followed him. I don’t know about you but I’ll follow anyone who mentions Lincoln, Lincolnshire and definitely Lincoln City. A funny thing happened, he followed me back. Nothing unusual in that I hear you say, well I beg to differ. I follow the Lincoln City hierarchy when I discover them but none of them follow me back although the club do funnily enough. So here’s a man who wants to know what makes the fans tick. It hints at a meticulous mind.

We heard that too in the publicity surrounding the managerial appointment, they were amazed at how much Clive Nates had found out about them.
Then there’s the appointment itself. When was the last time City approached a currently employed manager and persuaded him to jump ship and join us? I’ve been a supporter since the late 50’s and I can’t remember that happening.

When was the last time City appointed a manager who came complete with an assistant? I don’t remember that either, not right from the start. The management team are meticulous themselves. Despite the disappointment of losing in the playoffs, we know all about that don’t we? The manager and his brother wasted no time in finding out as much as they could about us. They still wanted to come. Praise the Lord!

Furthermore I think I caught Danny Cowley referring to seeing if their method could be successful at a full time club. Their method. When did you last hear an expression like that? John Beck. What happened to his team? They got promoted. Just saying!

Uncharted territory for the Imps.

Surely it’s no coincidence that Lincoln City have called an impromptu fans forum for this evening when the talk all week has been of City’s managerial appointment. The Echo is convinced its Danny Cowley formerly of Braintree. I say formerly as Cowley and his assistant manager brother stepped down from Braintree last night.

My only worry is that Cowley has been telling anyone who cares to listen he’s had other offers and Notts County in particular are without a manager. I wouldn’t put anything past them.

However, let’s assume the Echo is right and Cowley is our new manager this is a complete departure for us. This is not a slight against the present board of directors, City have appointed managers from either the unemployed, in house or frankly taking a punt on a known name with no experience but within months of our substantial investor Clive Nates coming on board City have swooped for a young, up and coming manager with a proven track record in getting promotions, although as we know he is presently licking his wounds having lost out at the semi final stage this season to the Mariners. No matter, he’s enjoyed plenty of success and, if the conjecture is true, we’ve got him.

Braintree’s chairman questioned whether City were much of a hitch up stating Braintree are as big a club. Well he would say that wouldn’t he? Look at the gates, look at the stadium, look at the history. (No, on second thoughts don’t look at the history.) Presumably Danny Cowley has done just that.

I await confirmation but in the meantime bask in the enjoyable knowledge that, at long last City are behaving like a big fish in a small pond.

Don’t leave me this way.

The Echo is convinced Danny Cowley is going to be the new man at the helm at Sincil Bank and have been scouring Essex for positive news.

Many years ago, at college, we had to study the ways of the Houses of Parliament. When a new speaker of the House of Commons is chosen, out of convention he is dragged kicking and screaming to the speakers chair. There’s a reason for this. The speakers position was a perilous one and he was just as likely to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the chair too, to meet a sticky end.

So it is with Cowley, he doesn’t want to be seen to be too keen where the Imps are concerned and has been telling anyone prepared to listen it will be a real wrench to leave Braintree. So the analogy with the speaker may not be too far out. Managers of Lincoln City usually meet a sticky end too.

The fact that Chris Moyses didn’t face ejection from the hotseat is one of the reasons City are able to be so ambitious with the calibre of candidate for the managers job. Many fans thought he should have gone of course but he didn’t and any new manager is going to start off half way up the slope as it were. That coupled with the improvement in the Imps finances and a good squad to work with, could there be better times on the horizon at long last?

Preece calls it a day.

Whether it means we are now close to an announcement, or whether he's been told he's not getting the managers job and doesn't want to stick around David Preece has announced on twitter he is leaving the club. Nothing on the club website you will not be surprised to learn.

I'd like to place on record my appreciation of the work he has done. The improvement in Paul Farman is there for all to see.

Although he did apply for the managers job I do think he sees his future as a wordsmith and his articles on the Sunderland Echo are well worth reading. I'm going to miss his insightful interviews on the club website and the radio.

All the best David.