If there is one thing about football that intrigues me, it is the ‘what if’ moments.
What if we’d appointed Martin O’Neill when he was Grantham manager and came for the Imps job? What if Egil Ostenstad hadn’t dived against Southampton in ’96? What if Yeo’s goal had been allowed in the 2005 play-off final?
What if we hadn’t appointed Steve Tilson?
It’s a fair question, and it appears we may have been a little closer to a different name. In an interview with National League Lowdown, he admitted that he was linked with the Imps job, and he could even have come for free.
However, in a world so short on morals, Coleman wouldn’t leave the League Two outfit and eventually took them to fifth in the table.
“When I was at Accrington and we were doing quite well, I got linked with the Lincoln job, which was a good job at the time,” he said. “I had agreed a contract there, but I never actually signed it. They used to say the contract was in the drawer. I got paid and I paid my taxes, but I had not signed an official contract.
“Lincoln came in and I said, “You are going to have to go through the front door.” I could have walked away from Accrington, but I think that would have been morally wrong. I had agreed, we had shaken hands, and although it was rumoured everywhere that I was going to Lincoln, I was not prepared to leave like that.”
While the snippet will interest City fans, he also confirmed a couple of other jobs he’d been linked with, but he remained loyal to Stanley, with whom he won League Two in 2018.
“There were a couple more clubs I got linked with, Bradford and a few others, Port Vale as well. Loyalty is a rare thing in football now. You can say it however you want, but you have got to be true to yourself. As long as you are true to yourself, you can say, “I have acted the way I should act.”
After a modest playing career, Coleman moved into management with Ashton United in 1997 before taking over at Accrington Stanley in 1999. His first spell brought three promotions and returned the club to the Football League in 2006, making him one of the longest-serving managers in the country.
After time with Rochdale, Southport and Sligo Rovers, he returned to Accrington in 2014 and guided them to the League Two title in 2018. Later roles followed at Gillingham and Waterford.
Recently, the Kirky-born 63-year-old became manager of Aldershot Town, adding another chapter to a career defined by longevity, achievement and commitment to his principles.
You do have to wonder, what if he had slipped out the back door at Stanley?