Steve Ball announced as new Colchester United manager

Two weeks after his contract was cancelled, Colchester United announced, on the 28th July, that John McGreal’s replacement for Head Coach is his old assistant, Steve Ball.

It comes as only a half surprise that Ball has been announced as the new Head Coach. In recent years, the U’s have tended to hire from within. But, the name most Col U fans would have thought of would have been former rock at the back and current U18s coach, Wayne Brown.

Neither men would have caused a huge surge of celebration at the Jobserve Community Stadium seeing as neither of them have managed at Football League level. Having said that, John McGreal was not a proven success at managerial level but completed three of the last four seasons with United in the top 8 including the 2019-2020 in the Play-Offs.

So, perhaps Steve Ball’s performance as Head Coach may surprise fans just as John McGreal did. Although Ball takes the helm during a much more trying time.

Who is Steve Ball?

Steve Ball is the only Manager/Head Coach in the history of the club to be from Colchester. That in itself may immediately make him a fan favourite.

Mind you, his playing career wasn’t exactly prolific with only two significant stints as a player. One at his home-town club, notching 64 appearances in Division Three between 1992-1996 for The U’s and then 77 appearances over two years at Sudbury Town between 1996-1998.

From 1998, Ball meandered through a number of non-league coaching and manager roles. Most recently as manager of Maldon & Tiptree in 2016. He left then to become a permanent member of the Colchester United coaching staff.

What are the expectations?

Like every club, particularly in lower divisions, Colchester United will fall on hard times for the near (and possibly far) future. Therefore, player pickings will be slim. Indeed, Chairman Robbie Cowling has said that the first team will have a much more youth team look to it.

In a sense then, with expectations at an all-time low, it couldn’t be a better time to come in as a rookie League Two Head Coach. Surely, ensuring safety and stability will be the main aim for next season.

Whatever the expectations for the coming season, Steve Ball’s appointment as United’s Head Coach would be, presumably, a dream come true for the local boy. And if quotes in the media are anything to go by, Steve Ball is well up for the job and plans to create his own Col U culture. And from a fans’ point of view, it’s just good to finally see some local blood at the top pumping into the veins of the club.

words Piers Palmer, D3D4 Colchester United Correspondent