COLCHESTER United chairman Robbie Cowling insists that the appointment of John Ward as the club’s new manager is far more than just a ‘safe option’.

COLCHESTER United chairman Robbie Cowling insists that the appointment of John Ward as the club’s new manager is far more than just a ‘safe option’.

Following Aidy Boothroyd’s departure to Championship club Coventry City, Cowling claimed he would take three weeks to sift through applications and undertake interviews before appointing the club’s new boss.

However, after just 10 phone interviews with other candidates, Cowling quickly decided that Ward was the man for the job and he was appointed just 11 days after Boothroyd’s departure.

The rapid nature of the internal appointment has left some fans underwhelmed and questioning whether the choice of Ward was more about bringing stability to the club following the short reigns of Paul Lambert and Boothroyd respectively.

Cowling insists that he went into the process open-minded though and that ultimately he felt Ward was simply the best man for the job.

“John and Joe (Dunne) set a line and there was nobody that exceeded it,” said the U’s chairman.

“Yes, John can hit the ground running and bring some continuity having been here for the last nine months, but he’ll also bring his own ideas and comes with a brilliant pedigree at this level.

“I never purposely went out to appoint Paul Lambert or Aidy Boothroyd as marquee managers, I just thought at the time they were the stand out candidates. This time I think John ticks all the boxes.

“Maybe some fans will be disappointed and think I’ve taken some sort of cheap or safe option but that is certainly not the case.

“Aidy Boothroyd would have probably liked him as his assistant at Coventry and in many ways that would have been a safer option for John, especially as his family are based near there.

“However, he’s proven to me he is still hungry to be a manager.”