By Andrew McKenzie

The club were in administration and couldn't even use a paperclip Steve Thompson

If Steve McClaren thinks the England manager's job is an uncertain one he should try taking the reins at Notts County.

When Steve Thompson accepted the County post last summer it is unlikely that he was attracted by the job security on offer.

Not since Neil Warnock took the club into the top flight in 1991 has anyone stayed in charge for two full seasons.

Since then the club have dropped down the divisions and 12 managers have been through the revolving door of the manager's office at Meadow Lane.

Thompson is lucky number 13, but despite the club's penchant for change, he has set about a long-term plan to turn their faltering fortunes around.

He told BBC Sport: "Three years ago Notts County were in administration and last season they were one game from the Conference.

"They have finished 18th and 22nd in consecutive years and some stability was needed. They have had something like seven managers in six years and the answer is to stabilise and then to build on it."

Former Lincoln, Southend and Cambridge boss Thompson is in his second spell with the club, having spent 18 months on the County coaching staff in the mid-1990s under Colin Murphy.

He took charge last June after Gudjon Thordarson left by mutual consent following a disappointing campaign which saw them only avoid relegation from the Football League on the last day of the season, having earlier led the table.

THE MAGPIES' DOZEN The men who have come and gone since Neil Warnock: Mick Walker (Jan 93-Sep 94) Russell Slade (Sep 94-Jan 95) Howard Kendall (Jan 95-Apr 95) Colin Murphy (June 95-Dec 96) Sam Allardyce (Jan 97-Oct 99) Gary Brazil (Oct 99-May 00) Jocky Scott (Jul 00-Oct 01) Gary Brazil (Oct 01-Nov 01) Billy Dearden (Jan 02-Jan 04) Gary Mills (Jan 04-Nov 04) Ian Richardson (Nov 04-May 05) Gudjon Thordarson (May 05-May 06)

Thompson got off to a fine start, losing just one of his first 15 games and enjoying a Carling Cup run that saw wins over Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Southampton.

However, since then their play-off hopes have fizzled out and a recent run of seven games without a win looks to have ended any chance of a place in the League Two post-season party.

But Thompson added: "Myself and [assistant] John Gannon have come on three-year contracts.

"Our brief was to do as well as we can for the first year, see how the players do and see what we need for the second season.

"The main thing was to stop the club haemorrhaging money and try to get the right blend of youth and experience, which doesn't happen overnight.

"When I was here in 1995-96 we had a benefactor called Derek Pavis. We had a youth policy, there was no Bosman rule so you could generate your own money, so there really is no comparison to the club now.

"We are in the throws of trying to resurrect the youth system. Obviously we have Howard Wilkinson as a director and he is working hard on that.

"But the club were in administration and couldn't even use a paperclip.

"When I arrived last summer I only had three players and had to bring 14 in.

"We started off really well. We had a great Carling Cup run and we probably suffered for our early success.

Going back to the 1960s only Neil Warnock and the legendary Notts County manager Jimmy Sirrel have managed two full seasons at the helm

"We've got a small squad and limited resources. If we could have gone out and bought big-name players like Julian Joachim at Darlington then we would have done but we have to watch the pennies.

"A lot of the players have had to play a lot of games and are a little bit jaded. In the summer we will be looking to build on what we have achieved.

"But supporters have to be patient, I can't build the thing overnight.

"We didn't have a training ground for three months. We had to train on the pitch, which is not ideal for the groundsman or ourselves - and we had Nottingham rugby club on it as well.

"Next year that won't happen, we will have a training ground and the groundsman can have the pitch to himself.

"The aim now is to finish on a high and win as many games as possible. Hopefully next year we will have a bit more money but it has been a tough year."