Kazim-Richards confident of 'destination survival'

New Crawley Town manager Colin Kazim-Richards has said he is confident he can keep them in the English Football League this season.

The Reds are currently 21st in League Two, one point and two places above the relegation zone with seven games to play.

The 39-year-old was appointed on Tuesday to replace the sacked Scott Lindsey after a run of 10 games without a win.

"If I didn't believe we can stay up I wouldn't be here," Kazim-Richards, who brought in Julian Gray as his assistant on Friday, told BBC Radio Sussex.

"I don't like to talk about it too much, because I do believe in the power of word. When you do speak too much on a negative thing, that negative thing becomes a reality.

"It will be my name and Crawley's name that go down, not what's happened before. When you look at it in five years' time, it won't say 'Colin Kazim-Richards took over and he only had seven games', and there's an asterisk.

"It will just say 'relegation'. I know what that is, I know how that feels, and I don't want it. Nobody else wants that."

The Turkey international had a 21-year playing career including spells at Brighton, Sheffield United, Celtic and Derby County, as well as stints abroad in a host of countries including Turkey, Brazil, Greece and the Netherlands.

He has great faith in his squad to be free of relegation danger in May.

"Everybody's on the same train," he added. "If you're not on the train, its ok, the train will leave, and we're going to a destination that is survival.

"Its as simple as that. I'm not trying to say some great philosophical thing. I really like to deal in reality, and that's the reality of it.

"Sometimes players don't really understand the situation they are in, and that only they can change. By not having confidence can really harm you.

"We're not in a great position but you still need to be confident in what you can do. You still need to be able to understand the pressure and have the clarity to deal with it."

Kazim-Richards' appointment at Crawley is his first managerial post. His most recent job was at the Arsenal academy, where he began his career.

He believes his experience of being involved in five relegation battles with four different teams, including Bury, is more important than his lack of experience in official coaching roles.

"It's not about panicking and being emotional, its about understanding how you get out of it," he said.

"That's what I bring. No matter what people say, of course I have some type of football knowledge. I've played 21 years.

"Whether you want to give me the title of being experienced or inexperienced, I am a coach. I have done the process that a lot of coaches that are bigger names than me haven't done and have failed.

"I relate to the players. I've been in this exact position, in my debut season with Bury. I've been here.

"At 18, I rolled my socks up and said 'We ain't going down, this ain't happening'. I just hope everyone can understand I'm in the same situation as everybody else, and I want the same thing - survival. That's it.

"After that, say what you want - but let's get survival, and then you can argue about [my title]. It doesn't really faze me at all."

Crawley's seven remaining matches begin at home to Gillingham on Saturday, followed by a crucial trip to relegation rivals Newport County, who sit one place below them.

Kazim-Richards said he had not made too many changes this week, and has asked the fans to play their part.

"Right now, let's come to the stadium, as the fans have been doing, they've been great," he added.

"I will make sure the players are able to impact the situation because no-one else can.

"We do have good players, but that doesn't mean anything unless I'm able to impact and help them produce.

"I've made a few adjustments, not too much change to what they're used to because that's not going to help at all - massive drastic changes that could be a detriment to what is going on."

Kazim-Richards has revisited his Arsenal links by appointing Gray, 46, as his number two.

The former winger began his career with Arsenal and also played for Crystal Palace and Birmingham City before returning to the Gunners and, later, Blues as a youth team coach.