'Reality check' - Former Leyton Orient, Brighton and Hove Albion and Crawley Town star has his say on what WAGMI United have to do to turn fortunes around

Crawley Town has been getting national coverage of the events of a week that has seen star player Tom Nichols sold to relegation rivals Gillingham, Matty Etherington and assistnat Simon Davies leave after just 34 days in charge and co-owner and co-chairman Preston Johnson sit in the dugout away at Stevenage.

Fellow owner and chairman Eben Smith also said in a tweeted statement, which has now been deleted, ‘Some veterans on the team are no longer a part of Crawley Town's future’.

And former Crawley Town, Leyton Orient and Brighton and Hove Albion has now had his say on what is going on.

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Talking the BBC Radio, Cox, who has just taking his first managerial role with Lancing in the Isthmian South East Division, has said the owners need ‘a bit of education’.

"It’s a bit of a shambles at the moment, seeing an owner on the bench at Stevenage away is not heard of,” he said. “Sad to see. They are a great club, the owners and people there need a bit of education on how to run a club in the football league.

They are letting players go, they haven’t got a manager in at the moment.

“It looks bleak at the moment but hopefully they can turn that round. Hopefully they can get someone in and some players in in the January transfer window and turn their fortunes around.”

It game as a shock when Etherington left the club last week after just three games in charge. Cox said: “It doesn’t look good but we don’t know the ins and outs. Having been in professional football, I am sure there were a few bits they weren’t happy with and it’s ended quite abruptly. The answers are probably with the owners so you can ask them. For me they need to get a manager in and some transfer targets in and they need to stay ion the division.”

Cox believes the club can turn it around and climb the table in the second half of the season, but he believes there needs to be changes. He told the BBC: “Only if the chairman changes his ways. He has made mistakes, only if he is honest enough to admit them, get a proper manager in, and I mean proper, as in a football league manager who has been there and been in a relegation fight and get Crawley people, the likes of Lewis Young that was there before and get people who care about the club and they certainly have to make a few signings, then I believe they can turn it around.

“Whether or not the owner has that in his thoughts I don’t know but hopefully he does. Obviously he has money to spend, he needs to spend it.

“The struggle is what football league manager is going to want to go there if he is going to be dictated to. He [owner] needs a reality check, needs to hold his hands up and say sorry and move on and I hope he does that.”