THE appointment of Colchester United’s next manager is probably the biggest decision Robbie Cowling will have made in his tenure as chairman.

With the U’s having been relegated to League Two, getting the right man in charge is crucial.

If Mr Cowling gets it wrong, there is no saying how long Col U could be in the fourth tier of English football.

Relegation can damage a club in the long-term, as their rivals and neighbours Ipswich Town have discovered.

The Tractor Boys were dumped out of the Premier League in 2002 and have been in the Championship (the second tier) ever since.

Successive managers have tried and failed to revive the club’s fortunes.

It would be a crying shame it the U’s were to suffer the same fate.

As Mr Cowling is at pains to point out, the club’s youth set-up punches way above the U’s standing.

And he is right to build a club that is sustainable for the future.

Too many football clubs have gone into administration or out of existence, often to be reborn, in recent years.

There is no way the U’s will follow suit thanks to its shrewd off-the-field management.

Long-suffering fans want to see some of that business nous and sound planning put into practice on the pitch though.

But they have little reason to think the next appointment will be a success, having seen four managers get on and promptly fall off the managerial merry-go-round in 3 ½ years.