Lawrence relishes new Rovers role

By Charlie Henderson

For managers like me who started when you used to do everything yourself it's easy to evolve into a director of football role Lennie Lawrence Rovers unveil new duo

Lennie Lawrence says Bristol Rovers can show that a director of football is a ticket to success in English football.

Lawrence has come in to work with first-team coach Paul Trollope and help Rovers climb up the League Two table.

"Most clubs on the continent employ a similar system and in this day and age, when there's so much diversification, it makes sense," he told BBC Sport.

"With my age, experience and knowledge and Paul's youthful enthusiasm, we can make a go of it."

Lawrence, fresh from his longest stint on the sidelines since starting out on the managerial merry-go-round with Charlton in 1982, believes the two-tiered approach is the way forward.

Such a management structure has long been derided in British football, but the 56-year-old - an old-school manager - is delighted to adopt new-age thinking.

"People have to embrace it and it takes chemistry," Lawrence explained.

"Name managers are loathe to work in that type of situation because they perceive the director of football as a threat.

"I was just about Paul's age when I took over at Charlton.

"It was different then and while I didn't have someone on a formal basis - a director of football was unheard of in those days - I had people around to help and that was important.

"When I started out I was looking for people to stop me making mistakes before I made them, otherwise you could find yourself out and finished before you'd started.

"Fortunately I've lasted a long time and hopefully we can do the same thing with Paul."

And Lawrence is impressed by what Trollope has achieved at the club since he took over the reins from Ian Atkins.

LAWRENCE THE MANAGER Charlton (1982-91): 393 games M'boro (1991-95): 157 games Bradford (1994-95): 77 games Luton (1995-2000): 248 games Grimsby (2000-01): 77 games Cardiff (2002-05): 174 games

"Management's harder now, much harder and he has done well in his caretaker spell," Lawrence added.

"Bristol Rovers had a lot of applications for a conventional manager's job, and they could have gone down that route.

"But they chose to go down this route, and obviously I'm glad they did from a personal point of view, but also because of the way the club is structured I think a director of football is a necessity.

"Paul's done well in his nine games in charge and it made sense to continue that, while at the same time bringing in some experience to bear on it.

"And for managers like me who started that long ago when you used to do everything yourself it's easy to evolve into a director of football role."

Lawrence found the first couple of months out of the game after parting company with Cardiff a "novelty".

As two months became five he had "itchy feet" for getting back into the game, and now he is he cannot wait to help Trollope get Rovers heading in the right direction.

"My job covers anything outside training, selection and tactics of the first team," he added.

"I'm not discounting doing some of the coaching and helping out, we'll have to work on that one as we go along, but I'm not marching in to take it all over.

"We need to get the club running on as beneficial a football note as we can.

"We've got to be realistic, we're in the results business and we've got to get them.

"Bristol Rovers are a League One club in League Two and we need to make sure we can get there as soon as we can."