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Southend appoint Campbell as manager

Writer's picture: Andrew ZarbAndrew Zarb

Former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur defender Sol Campbell is back in management, taking charge of Southend United.

Southend United have appointed Sol Campbell as the club's new manager, following the resignation of predecessor Kevin Bond at the beginning of September. It is fair to say that, Campbell will have an extremely tough job on his hands if he wants to keep the club in the third tier once more, as they lie second bottom in the table and 8 points adrift of safety.

A club statement confirming his appointment read: "Southend United is delighted to announce Sol Campbell as the club’s new manager on a deal until the end of the 2021/22 season.

Campbell will be joined with a wealth of experience including Hermann Hreiðarsson (Assistant Coach), Andy Cole (Forward & Attack Coach) and Anthony Colbert (Head of Technical Football Conditioning).

Sol Campbell’s first game for Southend United will take place against Ipswich Town on Saturday 26th October, taking over from Caretaker Manager Gary Waddock following the conclusion of Blues’ clash against Doncaster Rovers tonight.

Sol will be well known for his towering centre back performances in a superb career spanning over 18 seasons with 600 club appearances under his belt and a selection of winners’ medals including the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield for a host of clubs.

The 45-year-old also represented England 73 times playing in a number of World Cups and European championships.

Sol’s first taste of silverware came at Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup during the 1999 season before a move to Arsenal in 2001 gave the London born defender the most successful period of his career.

A five-year trophy laden spell at the Gunners was Campbell’s most successful, including the notorious ‘Invincible’ season in 2003/2004.

In 2006, a move to the south coast came to fruition with Sol joining Portsmouth; over 100 appearances and another FA Cup trophy medal round his neck, the defender finished his playing career with spells at Notts County, an Arsenal return and Newcastle.

Using his experience and knowledge in the game, Campbell turned his attention to management and took the role of Macclesfield who at the time were sitting in a precarious position of the Sky Bet League Two table.

Seven points adrift and staring down the barrel of the National League, Sol took over the reins and steered the Silkmen to safety by three points after a final day of the season 1-1 draw against Cambridge United.

After departing Macclesfield in August this year, Sol is determined to push on and make his mark at Southend United with the help of his backroom staff.

Hermann Hreiðarsson teams up with Sol once again as assistant coach after a brief spell at Macclesfield and also as a player at Portsmouth with the duo winning the FA Cup together.

The versatile defender was a popular figure wherever he went during his 15-year long career in England, starting at Crystal Palace back in 1997, the Icelandic international played more than 300 games in the Premier League.

The no nonsense defender played for Brentford and Wimbledon, catching the eye of Ipswich Town becoming their record signing in 2000 worth over £4 million.

A fans’ favourite at Portman Road, Hermann was later inducted into the Tractor Boys’ Hall of Fame after his three-year spell in Suffolk.

A four-year stint at Charlton Athletic was followed by a move to Portsmouth, Hreiðarsson became something of a cult hero among Pompey fans, widely admired for his general wholeheartedness and fairly manic aggression.

With over 80 international appearances to his name, Hermann finished his career as player manager of his hometown club IBV, before managing Fylkir and assistant manager of Kerali Blasters.

One of the few players to have swept all possible honours in the English game, Andy Cole begins the next step of his coaching career at Blues alongside Campbell and Hreiðarsson as forward and attacking coach.

He will be most remembered at Manchester United where he spent six years and won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.

As well as the 11 major honours, there were individual accolades along the way too including the Premier League Golden Boot in 1993/94 with a total of 34 goals, which subsequently earned him the PFA Young Player of the Year as he finished the season with a staggering 41 goals in all competitions for Newcastle United.

A former England international, there is little Andy doesn't know about hitting the back of the net. To this, he ranks as the third highest scorer in Premier League history with 187 goals.

Andy went on to play for Blackburn Rovers, where he scored the winning goal in the League Cup Final triumph over Tottenham in 2002, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Sunderland and Burnley, before bringing his career to an end at Nottingham Forest in 2008.

His pathway into coaching quickly followed as he joined MK Dons and then Huddersfield Town, before most recently at Macclesfield Town.

Campbell also brings with him to join the backroom staff at Blues a man he knows well from his playing days at Arsenal.

Former fitness coach at the Gunners, Anthony Colbert, will join with his experience and expertise in the field spanning a number of years at the highest level, working at the London Colney base during Arsenal’s most successful period in their history.

Colbert is one of former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s long-term allies at the north London club, having been at Highbury and the Emirates for almost 20 years under the Frenchman.


Anthony took up a technical role before departing Arsenal, and Campbell sees him as another vital member of his backroom staff."

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