George Burley is a notoriously unpopular figure with Colchester United supports but with the vacancy available has made a timely admission about his own future.
The former Scotland, Ipswich Town, Derby County, Southampton and Hearts manager in interview on Friday talked about his desire to return to club management, enough to get those who like dealing in speculation taking things to their possibly improbable conclusions and touting him for what could be a slightly sensational Colchester return.
Burley briefly played for the U`s, at the end of a career guided largely by the late former Town and Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson, before becoming the club`s manager in the 1990s. A successful start lead eventually to an infamously acrimonious ending as Burley resigned to manage The Tractor Boys in December 1994.
Burley`s resignation sits in Colchester folklore alongside the similarly bitter departures in more recent times of Phil Parkinson, to Hull City and much more recently, Paul Lambert at Norwich.
The Scot is only 53, however and told BBC Radio Suffolk he is pleased with his coaching record, which includes leading Town to into Europe akin to his mentor Robson.
“Maybe one or two chairmen look and think ‘he didn’t do particularly well with Scotland’. The media certainly weren’t great and that was a bit of a negative. But in football you don’t know what’s around the corner and something could come at home or abroad,” said Burley, who was not drawn on which job in particular he might like next.
Could it be back at Colchester, then?
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Well if we were a Championship club next year thanks to Burley then I feel most will have forgiven him!
Quite probably!