Skysports.com catches up with Johnnie Jackson to reflect on an eventful summer at Notts County.
As part of skysports.com's League Two Spotlight, Chris Burton catches up with Notts County midfielder Johnnie Jackson.
Prior to the events of the summer, Notts County's profile in the eyes of most supporters struggled to stretch past the fact that they are the oldest football league club in the country.
Yes, they enjoyed a brief flirtation with the top flight in the early 90s, and the likes of Neil Warnock and Sam Allardyce have both taken their own unique brand of management to the banks of the River Trent in the not too distant past, but truth be told the Magpies were hardly the name on everyone's lips.
How times change.
Enter a Middle Eastern takeover, one former England manager, a current international defender and a host of other fresh faces, mix them all together and all of sudden you have a media frenzy the likes of which League Two has never seen before.
Suddenly a club which had been going nowhere fast was the talk of English football, at times even managing to eclipse the mega spending spree going on at Premier League giants Manchester City.
The arrival of the Munto Finance consortium passed largely unnoticed when they took charge at Meadow Lane at the start of the summer, but they were soon shouting from the rooftops as they set about luring Sven Goran Eriksson into a role as the club's new director of football.
Established names such as Lee Hughes, Karl Hawley, Luke Rodgers and Johnnie Jackson were then all brought on board as the Magpies set about piecing together a lower league version of the 'Galacticos'.
The final piece in that jigsaw, or so they thought, arrived in the form of former Arsenal and Portsmouth centre-half Sol Campbell, who swapped life in the fast lane for that in the fourth tier when he penned a five-year contract with ambitious County.
The England ace, perhaps unsurprisingly to many, did not last long in his new surroundings - one game to be precise - before he quickly gathered his belongings and set off back in search of a fresh challenge higher up the League ladder.
Much has been said of Campbell's decision to drop down the divisions, and his subsequent hasty retreat, but there can be no doubt that he has helped to raise interest in both County and League Two in a way even a PR guru such as Alistair Campbell would have struggled to achieve.
Interesting
Things do appear to have settled down now, with the Sol saga consigned to the history books, and attentions have returned to the bread and butter of generating results on the field in an effort to take the first tentative steps down a yellow brick road the club's owners hope will ultimately lead to the Premier League.
That goal remains a long way off for now, but following one of the most bizarrely entertaining summers for County fans in a long, long time there is a sense that the good times lie just around the corner.
Skysports.com's Chris Burton recently caught up with pre-season signing Johnnie Jackson to see how the players have coped with all that has gone on of late, and was pleasantly surprised to hear that those at Meadow Lane have taken as much enjoyment out of keeping tabs on events as the rest of us.
"It's been interesting to say the least," said Jackson.
"Obviously I joined a bit after Sven had come in and there was all the talk about their aspirations and where they want to be. About a week or so later Sol signed and there was all the furore about that.
"Basically, every time you picked up the papers there was something new. We are a League Two club but there was something to read about everyday. It's been good though so far."
While still adjusting to life at County following his arrival as a free agent, Jackson admits joining the Magpies has helped him to rediscover his enthusiasm for the game following a disappointing end to his three-year stint at Colchester.
"I think I got a little stale at Colchester," he admitted.
"I wasn't getting a look in under (former Us boss ) Paul Lambert. He didn't take to me too well and I wasn't getting played, having played regularly for the couple of seasons before.
"That's why I became a bit stale and I started looking for something else. Then this opportunity came up and I weighed it up and I thought it would be a really good opportunity for me at a progressive club."
Action plan
Jackson was one of a number of seasoned professionals acquired over the summer, with County of the opinion that experience is integral to any side harbouring promotion ambitions.
"I think that's what they are looking for, in the short-term, players with a lot of League experience, players who are going to be able to get us out of this division to start with." said Jackson.
"You can see the club, if we do get out of this league and move up, trying to get some real big name players, when they get more money. But at the moment it's lads with league experience, who know the game, who can get us out of this league."
Things have gone well for County so far under the careful guidance of Ian McParland, with the wily Scottish coach doing a remarkable job of keeping attentions focused on matters on the field.
"I think he is very aware of it (the media attention), but he just wants to concentrate on the football side of things and he tries to get that over to us so we don't get carried away with it," said former Tottenham trainee Jackson.
"We are just concentrating on playing football. The manager has got his ideas about how he wants us to play and we are just trying to make sure it happens."
The way McParland wants his side to play appears to weigh heavily towards attack, with the club's activity in the transfer market this summer putting most of their eggs in that one basket.
Hughes, Hawley and Rodgers were brought in to complement the likes of Delroy Facey and Craig Westcarr, while the experienced Ade Akinbiyi has also been lured back to England from America in recent weeks.
Jackson said: "That's the way the manager wants us to play, playing attacking football.
"In the home games we have played, we have created so many chances and we are the top scorers in the league (with 27 goals scored in 11 games).
"We have got a lot of firepower up front. Lee Hughes has got a hatful, Luke Rodgers has got a few and Hawley. If nothing else we have got a lot of goals in us, so that's good."
Expectation
With all that has gone on at Meadow Lane, County started the 2009/10 campaign as overwhelming favourites to secure promotion.
That pressure could have worked as a hindrance, but Jackson insists the players place as much expectation on themselves as anyone else has.
"We are expected to get promoted and that does bring a certain amount of pressure," he added.
"We know what is expected of us, but if you look at our squad in League Two it's fair to think that. We have probably got the strongest squad, so while the expectations are there we expect it of ourselves anyway. We have to deal with that pressure and deliver."Securing a safe passage out of League Two will only be the first step in a much grander plan, though, with the club keen to reach the Championship inside five years.
At just 27 years of age, Jackson admits he is hoping to play an integral part in helping County to fulfil those dreams.
"That's the way it was sold to me," he said.
"I was made to believe that I was the type of person they were looking for to help to bring them through the leagues. I have signed a three-year contract and hopefully we can get promoted in the first year and start working towards the Championship.
"If I have done well and I'm part of a few promotions then there is no reason why I shouldn't stay beyond my current deal. I know they will be looking to kick on again if that happens, they have aspirations of being in the Premier League one day, but that's a long-term goal. I'm only 27 though so if the club wants to do that, there is no reason why I can't be part of it."
Ambition
Jackson has prior experience of life in the second tier, having taken in a number of loan spells at the likes of Watford, Coventry and Derby during his days on the books at White Hart Lane.
Having graced that level once, the ambitious midfielder is keen to return there again and admits he would be delighted if were able to make that step up with County.
"Once you have played there you do have aspirations of playing again at that level, having dropped down," he said.
"I think it's a realistic opportunity. I have joined a club with a realistic chance of getting back there. It would be a great feat to be able to go through the leagues."
Keeping hold of the likes of Jackson will be key to County's hopes of achieving their lofty targets, while keeping Eriksson on board in some capacity will also be vital.
The Swede has strong contacts throughout the game and his presence will become increasingly important as the Magpies negotiate their way up the football pyramid.
For now, though, Jackson has revealed that the former England boss is happy to take a back seat, with much of his work at the moment done well away from the glare of the public eye.
"He is more behind the scenes, you don't see him too much," he said.
"He's at training every day and he's at all the matches. He's down there watching every day, but without actually having any input into the sessions.
"He doesn't do any coaching or anything like that, but he's always there. From time to time he will have a chat with the lads, about the game and stuff like that. From that side of things he has an input, but he isn't being hands on."
