Keith Hill: Scunthorpe United boss says 'terrible' culture at relegated club must change

Keith Hill was unable to halt Scunthorpe's slump

Scunthorpe United manager Keith Hill says he is the right man to get the club back into the Football League but needs to be allowed to change a "terrible" culture at the club.

The Iron were relegated to the National League this season with just 26 points.

Their season ended with a 7-0 hammering at Bristol Rovers, who dramatically clinched promotion.

"I need to be able to change the culture," said Hill, who took over at Glanford Park in November.

"I want to be here, but I will not accept what I've had to deal with for the last six months. I will not accept the standards I've been presented.

"I need to be in total control of my budget, total control of player ins and outs, and then I should be judged."

Speaking to BBC Humberside, Hill accused his players of a lack of professionalism, including turning up late, and suggested he is ready to turn to the club's youngsters.

"We've got to make sure that the club builds a squad of players that represents the supporters' values," he said.

"We need the young players to set the standard. And the standard - not just on the matchday pitch, but the training pitch - has been very, very poor.

"The first P of professionalism is punctuality. Proper practice. Pride. You don't take shortcuts. If you take shortcuts you fail.

"There will be players who'll say it's my fault. It's not my fault - 100% not my fault. I try to manage players with honesty. Sometimes that honesty leaves me vulnerable.

"I'm expecting the better players - players with integrity - to support me. It's the most difficult experience I've ever had as a manager or as a player.

"The dynamics of the club have been terrible. When we got to January, that was an open door for players who thought they had a chance of leaving. I had players asking me on a regular basis up to January, 'can I leave? Can I leave?' And there were players we wanted to leave who refused to leave."

The experienced Hill was sacked by Tranmere last year, having previously managed Bolton and Barnsley and had two spells in charge at Rochdale.

He inherited a desperate situation at Scunthorpe, where Peter Swann announced last month he was standing down as chairman.

Peter Swann took control of the club in 2013

Swann, who installed his son Will as chief scout, has been heavily criticised by fans.

But Hill, who has managed just two wins from his 33 games in charge, losing 22 of them, is adamant the Swanns are not to blame for the club's demise.

"It's the culmination of a lot of things and I can't put it down to one fact," Hill said.

"If you want me to say that it's Peter Swann's fault or Will Swann's fault, I can categorically tell you 100% it isn't.

"There's a lot of people pushing for the finger to be pointed at the Swanns and it's 100% not [their fault]. They're genuine people who are still funding this club."

Hill added: "The club need to show bravery. They can throw me under the bus if they want, like most clubs do - I got thrown under the bus [at Tranmere] last season and I got thrown under the bus at Bolton. You clean a club up and then you get thrown out.

"But it needs cleansing. It needs somebody like me to make sure there's a successful future."