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Short back in calm waters
FORMER Blade Craig Short, newly-installed as Notts County manager, will welcome his old club to Meadow Lane tonight grateful for them opening the door to his managerial career.
It was quite a fiery start one way and another but has proved instrumental in the one-time Sheffield United defender now pitching up at a club where he was once a key figure as captain and central defender.
When Notts County had a managerial vacancy a couple of years ago, Short - his own 19 year playing career having come to an end after a couple of seasons at Bramall Lane - made an inquiry.
He was told to go and get some experience first.
He did so, taking advantage of United's link with Hungarian club Ferencvaros and he assisted another former United player Bobby Davison who was in charge.
However, Davison got the sack amidst fan unrest on a big and rather nasty scale - the pitch was invaded at one game - and Short was left holding this rather hot potato which included organising security to ensure his players' safety.
There were various problems for Short to deal with but it all proved an invaluable learning process.
"I was reluctant to go abroad to gain the required experience and those couple of years out there were the toughest of my life but it has all paid off in as much as it has helped bring me to where I am at now," says Craig.
"I'm a hungry young manager who is getting a chance here at Notts County and I feel I have the desire to succeed."
His career which began at Scarborough back in 1987, saw a successful spell at Meadow Lane (under Neil Warnock), then Derby, took in the Premier League (at Everton and Blackburn) and finished with United, effectively during the promotion season to the Premier League when he played 23 times in all. He stayed on a further year but didn't actually play in the top flight for the Blades and retired at the end of that 2006/07 season.
It was then going to be plain sailing as he retired to open his own sailing school on Lake Windermere and, at one point, was part of a yacht crew involved in a 3,000 mile race across the Atlantic.
The choppy waters of his Ferencvaros experience has now enabled him to be the man at the helm at Notts who, last season, had a flirtation with Sven Goran Eriksson (where have we heard that before) before financial problems kicked in.
Short took over last month from Steve Cotteril,l who came in mid-season and steered County to promotion from League two.
One of the summer signings is one-time Blades left back Jon Harley whilst former Doncaster Rovers midfielder John Spicer is another.
For United it represents an increase in standard for their pre-season preparation following on Mansfield, Burton Albion and Rotherham United (as well as the Malta trip).
On Sunday - combined with the club's Open Day - is the visit from Alex Sabella's Estudiantes of Argentina (4pm).
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Weather for Sheffield
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
