Interim Coach Tom Hounsell Considered for Permanent Role at Burton

Tom Hounsell, Burton Albion’s interim head coach, is a candidate for the permanent position at the League One club, as stated by its Scandinavian owners. A recent 1-0 victory over Peterborough provided a significant uplift for the struggling team, moving the Brewers out of last place in League One. This result also strengthened the prospect of Hounsell, who assumed the interim manager role after Mark Robinson’s dismissal in October, securing the permanent coaching position. Tom Davidson, deputy chairman of the Nordic Football Group, which owns Burton, told BBC Radio Derby: “We really like Tom. He is super smart and a really talented coach. “And what Tom has done here and stepped up and what John Brayford [first-team coach] have done in a very difficult situation after losing Mark Robinson, they deserve all credit.” Following Wednesday’s victory, Burton surpassed Shrewsbury Town at the bottom of League One, though they are still seven points adrift of a safe position. Davidson conceded that the beginning of NFG’s ownership has not met expectations, particularly for supporters, whose attendance figures reflect their dissatisfaction. The Brewers’ season opener against Lincoln at the Pirelli Stadium drew over 5,000 spectators, but only one home league win in nine matches has led to attendances falling below 2,000, with fewer than 100 fans making the trip to Wednesday’s away game. Davidson stated: “We knew it was going to tough and we did not want to start like this. We are really sorry for that. The only thing we can do is take responsibility for that, learn and act. “It is up to NFG to change that so that fans feel there might be something about this new era that can be good. We take responsibility and hope that change will come soon.” The Nordic Football Group, established by Tom Davidson, spent four years seeking a club to purchase before finalizing their acquisition of Burton. Davidson indicated that the six-week search for a new head coach is nearing its end, emphasizing NFG’s commitment to making the right choice, especially after their initial appointment lasted only four months. Davidson commented: “If the process could have been quicker we would have been happy, but we also hope that soon Burton Albion will have a new head coach. It has been a long wait but we will be soon over that line. “We hold our hands up for that [delay] but we want to get this right. We want to build a stable Burton Albion that is in another situation to where we are now. That is so important to us.” Hounsell’s objective is to guide his team to achieve consecutive victories for the first time this season when they host Wrexham in a league match on Saturday. He remarked: “It’s a quick turnaround, it always is in this league and we knew this period would be tough. But we need to make sure that we go again at the weekend.” Hounsell added: “Every win is always important and there’s always going to be setbacks. But that’s the way we have to be in every game to be able to start grinding out performances.”