The Imps fell at the final hurdle, failing to beat Portsmouth on the final day of the season, but that was enough for the fans. As Pompey bagged a second, ending the brave fight from the home side, the entire stadium burst into applause, proud of what they’d seen since the turn of the year.
Michael Skubala, the coach, is largely to blame for that. Selected from the Leeds academy, he made his Football League debut in November as a manager. The Imps prospered after a difficult beginning with a diminished team. In particular, March was thrilling, with three victories against Bristol Rovers (5-0), Cambridge (6-0), and Barnsley (5-1) keeping supporters captivated.
They have a lot of work ahead of them to improve on seventh position in the next campaign, but Skubala’s play has undoubtedly caught the attention of rival teams. Every fan has an opinion these days, especially with the internet, and many at Plymouth Arygle, for example, believe Skubala has already spoken to them.
When you take into account these four reasons why we believe Michael Skubala won’t be leaving Lincoln City this summer, it all seems like idle gossip.
His job has just started
While Michael Skubala’s tenure at Lincoln is still relatively new, supporters perceive him as a man who is committed to seeing a project through to completion. Even though he only played in 20 games, he had a fantastic finish to the season. To fully benefit from his improving stock, he will need to finish the 46-game season.
Naturally, things might be different if the Leeds job is on the line and the Imps lead by ten points at Christmas.
The grass is greener on your side of the fence if you water it properly
The list of bright managers that failed after leaving a successful position for a better one includes Steven Schumacher, Danny Cowley, Nathan Jones, Paul Hurst, and many more. But as Eddie Howe and Kieran McKenna demonstrate, there are instances where sticking with a task through to completion is the best course of action.
The wisest course of action is to remain where you are and continue to establish Michael Skubala’s superiority at Lincoln if that is indeed the case. Even if the grass may appear greener, your garden will have enough of water if you correctly irrigate your patch.
Getting better
One of Skubala’s key concepts is to help the players get better every day, since this will help the squad as a whole. That was clear in the case of Jovon Makama, who appeared to be a viable League One striker at the end of the season. Fans of the Imps watched numerous players on the team progress.
Skubala most likely applies that reasoning to himself. He picks things up quickly, grows, and adjusts. At Lincoln, he has a strong coaching staff that includes former Forest player Chris Cohen. Skubala will continue to grow, learn, and improve every day, and it appears that he may wish to do so for some time to come.
The Imps’ trajectory
Lastly, you need to think about Lincoln’s development throughout the previous eight seasons. They have only ever finished lower than the previous season (2021–2022, following Covid), and they are often thought of as a forward-thinking team with the ability to play at a higher level. Ron Fowler, the former owner of the San Diego Padres, and his son Andrew made an investment in the Imps only last month. They have a strong roster, a track record of grooming young players, and nearly constant attendance of above 85%.
They are a steady team—since 2014, they have only fired one manager. There seems to be a genuine synergy between the owners and the supporters, and managers, or head coaches, are given time to work through difficult times. In fact, following the last match of the
