SHAKERS Head of Youth Neil Hanks has welcomed the permanent appointment of manager Graham Barrow as being a great boost for the wellbeing of the club.

Since confirmation of Barrow's position until the end of the season, the pair have held a series of meetings aimed at determining a new off-field routine for all players at the club which comes into force from next Monday, and Hanks hopes that the new move will have a positive effect on the whole club.

He said: "It's great because I feel I can work well with Graham which will have a positive effect on the club. I can liase with him far easier than I ever could with Andy Preece, and between us we'll have the final say on all footballing decisions within the club.

"He shows a genuine interest in the youth system at the club, and by sharing our ideas and getting the senior squad closer to the club's younger players we'll be able to help to unify all the players at the club at all levels.

"We'll be holding a meeting every week to discuss our plans on how to improve the club, and it won't be conducted formally around a table but instead in the kitchen over a cup of tea so we can build a relaxed and sociable environment around the place."

Hanks described a new ranking system which is set to be implemented at youth team level in order to make the players more competitive after another disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Tranmere Rovers last weekend.

He continued: "Many of the lads are lacking the necessary desire to succeed, and we currently don't have a winning mentality at the club. Chris Casper (Youth Team Coach) and I have therefore decided to make training more competitive.

"Players will be scoring points for coming out on top in training exercises, and the players will be able to see how well they are getting on by checking the leaderboard which we'll be posting on the wall in the club."

The Head of Youth commented how the current system at youth and Centre of Excellence level can sometimes cause a lack of competitiveness amongst players.

He said: "One of the problems we encounter is that the Centre of Excellence fixtures aren't played on a league basis, so there are no titles to be won, and there are no medals for the players such as a top scorer prize to be chased.

"Obviously we need to be able to let the players' ability develop at this level, but by removing the element of competitiveness that you get in senior football, we are finding that many junior footballers don',t necessarily have the desire to win that other athletes possess."

If the proposed new points system in training helps to give Bury that added edge, then it will certainly be a relief to Hanks who has been frustrated over recent months by the performances his youth team has been producing.

He said: "In virtually every game this season we've been the better team without a doubt, but when it comes to the final third of the field we don't have anyone willing to take responsibility and have a go at goal.

"The players seem to prefer to slip the ball sideways to a team mate and often the chance then goes. Perhaps the players expect they'll get a rollocking from me if they don't score, but I'm certainly not going to have a go at players who shoot from maybe 15, 20, 25 yards because if you don't buy a ticket then you can't win the raffle.

"Sooner or later you'll get one that flies in thanks to a lucky deflection but it will only happen if you take a chance. It's all about taking responsibility yourself, and not leaving it to someone else."

Hanks went on to discuss how a recent trial game for 15 potential stars of Gigg Lane was a highly successful and satisfying event, and that it could lead to some important signing for the club. Fifteen players from under 15 and under 16 level who had written to the club requesting trials were invited down to take part in a trial game at Lower Gigg, with players from the Centre of Excellence and youth team making up the numbers.

He said: "The players that came along were all of a very high standard which was pleasing given that none of them had been scouted by us, and there were at least four of them that we'd like to see again, and hope to be able to invite them back for a six week trial with the Centre of Excellence.

"There was a mixture of players, some of whom had been released by other clubs and some that had never been to a trial in their life before so it was a very rewarding day for everyone involved, and an event we,d like to be able to repeat in the future."

With players clearly keen to play for the club, Hanks is sure that Bury are heading in the right direction.

"We're going forward," he declared, "I feel positive, and there's no way that the job will beat me. Results may not always show it, but I know we've improved and things are better around the club than they were when Chris and I arrived."