For all of you Blues fans who may have missed this.....
Rix to become Central FC coach
Thursday, August 16 2012
RECENTLY-FORMED local football club Central FC is set to hire former Arsenal and England midfielder Graham Rix as its first-ever team coach.
According to a media release from the club, Rix was introduced to Central FC’s staff at a training session on Monday morning at the Presentation College Ground, Chaguanas.
The team was formed by ex-national defender and North East Stars’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brent Sancho last month and had been inviting players to train, as the club is seeking a spot in the 2012/2013 Pro League season.
With regards to the team’s participation in the League, the club officials, on Tuesday, met with the Pro League Board, as well as CEO Dexter Skeene.
“We’ve provided all of the required information including a comprehensive marketing plan,” Sancho said. “Obviously, the league has to perform its due diligence, but we are confident that we meet their criteria.”
Sancho continued, “It’s fantastic to have Graham Rix here to assist us. Obviously, until our Pro League membership is confirmed, we can’t offer any contracts. However, we are hopeful that Graham will like what he sees and will agree to join us once we’re a Pro League club.
“I met Graham at Dundee and was really impressed with his coaching style. Graham won all kinds of trophies as a player and a coach and it’s a true testament of his standing in the game that after his six-month prison sentence in 1999, he could resume his career at Chelsea.
“His experience with the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain will really assist this club in identifying talent.”
Rix’s deputies will be former national players Kevin Jeffrey and Anthony Sherwood.
“We are four weeks behind in preparation and for the next few days, the emphasis is on fitness and letting the players get comfortable with each other,” said Jeffrey.
Sherwood added, “we will be reducing the numbers down and Graham will be assisting us in the selection process. We’ve been lucky as most of this group are professionals who have maintained their fitness.
“We just need to get some sharpness into them over the next week so they’ll be ready for the coach to develop his team tactics.”
The team, who will also be known as the Sharks, are hoping to confirm a partnership with Presentation College which will see the club using the school as their training facility.
“The principal has been very supportive and the partnership will bring benefits for both parties,” said Sancho.
Central FC will also be dealing with off-the-field activities, according to Operations Director Kevin Harrison. “Now we have players in training, Brent and I can concentrate on our marketing plan and community projects,” stated Harrison.
The 56-year-old Rix played 17 times for England, between 1980-1984, including five matches at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
At club level, he scored 41 times in 351 appearances for Arsenal from 1975-1988, followed by spells in France with Caen (nine goals in 89 games from 1988-1991) and Le Havre (12 games in 1991-1992), and later Dundee (two goals in 14 matches in 1992-1993) and Chelsea (one game in 1995).
He began his coaching career at the youth level with Chelsea in 1993, and served as assistant to Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli in the late 1990s.
He was a caretaker manager at Chelsea, for one match, in September 2000 followed by stints with Portsmouth (56 games with 16 victories from February 2001 to March 2002) and Oxford United (29 matches with six wins from March-November 2004).
His last coaching job was with Hearts in Scotland, from November 2005-March 2006, before he was sacked by owner Vladimir Romanov after winning nine out of his 19 games.
