Michael Flynn spoke about the issues he faced during his time at Swindon Town as he prepares to face his former club this weekend.

Swindon take on their former manager and his new club Cheltenham Town in a West Country clash towards the bottom of League Two.

Speaking to club media, Flynn reviewed his stint as Swindon boss and the factors that led to his departure last January.

 

 

He said: “Again it was a situation where we were lacking depth with what we had as a squad, I wouldn’t have minded having the budget they have got this season with the money they have spent.

“But then it takes time, it doesn’t matter how much you spend if you are bringing in that many players, Mark [Kennedy] needs time.

“That is all I really want to say, in terms of touching on Swindon, other than the supporters are fantastic, they were brilliant there with me and I wish them a very successful season apart from against us.

“There is one or two good people at Swindon, it can be a fantastic football club.

“The supporters were fantastic with me because there was a lot of frustration. I was frustrated, they were frustrated, players were frustrated, office staff, everyone was frustrated because it is almost a very good club.”

Flynn went on to say that he believed that the club could only realise their ambitions if they took a longer-term view of things.

He added: “You can have short-term gains but there are no quick fixes, over time they become unstuck.

“You have got to have a plan to go through the process, execute it, back it, and have the courage of your convictions to stick with it.

“There is always a turnover and that is the tough thing, you need that consistency.

“If you look at teams like Wrexham, Stockport, or Mansfield, yes they have big budgets, but they have had time to build and have a togetherness.”

The Welshman added that he knew Kennedy well and believed that he would end up being a big success at Swindon because of the type of person he is.

He said: “I think that Mark will do a good job, I think that he is a good manager, he is an educated lad, he has played at the top, he has played at the international level, and he has got a lot to offer the players there and the staff around him.

“He is a good friend of mine and there is a little bit of abuse he is getting, which seems to come with the territory these days.

“Mark is very driven, hard-working, and intelligent, I did my [coaching] badges with him and came across him as a player.

“He had a cushty job as a first-team coach at Ipswich and to develop himself he quit and went to work for Manchester City academy to enable him to improve. That goes to show what kind of man he is.

“He had a successful time at Lincoln and I am sure he will get Swindon firing.”