A few years after being at the vanguard of one revolution at Chesterfield, James Rowe is content to start building another at King’s Lynn Town.
In the past three months, the Linnets have replaced their owner and manager and are now moving towards a new era of stability and ambition, with some fan representation.
Their new custodians at Turn Sports Investments moved quickly to identify Rowe as the man to instigate a change of fortunes on the pitch.
In what has been a seismic shift in the club’s direction, Rowe has assembled a brand new squad and brought in 16 new faces as Lynn prepare for their National League North opener at home to AFC Telford on Saturday.
It’s a bold new direction that’s already sparked optimism among many supporters, with the full takeover of the club almost done and dusted.
Rowe said: “I feel like it’s an exciting chapter in the club, and I’m proud to lead it.
“Our average age is like 23.2 today, which is crazy, from 28, so that’s where we’re going that’s not a slight at what happened here before me.
“There’s going to be ups and downs because with young players, their pathways are inconsistent, but I’m proud to lead this process.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Bal (Srai) and Joseph (Phua) at TSI and he’s here next week. We’re looking forward to meeting him.
“We want to give the supporters and the community something to be proud of and something for the long term, not just short term.”
The transformation has not just been in personnel, but in philosophy.
Rowe inherited a squad built on experience, but believes the club’s long-term success depends on developing talent rather than relying on older heads.
“When I came in, the average age of the squad was 28 years of age and 10 or 12 players were on contract,” he said.
“That’s not where we want to be as a club and that’s not where we can be. We can’t afford to be like that.
“If we want to grow the club organically and the playing budget organically, then we have to be able to bring players in, develop them and sell them.
“That’s just football and I haven’t got an asset in my squad now that anyone put a bid in for, other than obviously a 30-year-old who’s just gone.”
Rowe brings with him a reputation for detailed preparation, and that hasn’t changed.
When asked the question if he knew his first line-up, Rowe replied: “I never manage like that.
“If you look at my teams, we set up how we feel that we can best penetrate the opposition and also stop the opposition.
“In general, we’ll be a lot more organised, a lot more detailed in terms of the analysis, and we’ll know the threats that are coming.”
Lynn’s head coach is also under no illusions about the demands of the National League North.
“The start of the season is always an exciting time for everybody,” said Rowe.
“It’s a long season in the National League. Wherever you are, step one, step two, you know what’s coming.
“There are different types of games against different types of opponents at different times.
“Sometimes the games are crammed. I’m looking at the fixtures now, and we’ve got Telford.
“Then you go a week before Hereford, Spennymoor, Darlington and Chorley within 10 days.
“There are four games in 10 days, so you need that squad; it’s very important.”
For all of the change off the field, Rowe has been given the freedom to shape the team as he sees fit, and the clarity in his message is clear.
“In terms of a clear vision, I know exactly what we need to do,” he said.
“I’m in complete control of that in terms of my experience. I know what to do, and players will play.
“In terms of performance, we want to win the league.”
