COLIN Todd is enjoying being part of an exclusive club of Brits abroad.

Midway through his fourth consecutive season in charge of Danish club Randers FC, the 66-year-old coach is showing no signs of slowing down nearly two decades after he led Wanderers back into the Premier League having ripped up the record books with 98 points and 100 goals.

Todd is one of a rare breed of English managers that has prospered on the continent, and arguably the highest-profile home-grown coach currently plying his trade in mainland Europe.

In his second spell at Randers, a side continually punching above their weight in the Danish Superliga, Todd’s longevity is made all the more impressive when you factor in that he underwent heart bypass surgery early last year.

Fighting fit again, the former England international is loving life in Scandinavia; well, almost.

“It doesn’t matter what country you manage in, the emotions are the same,” he said. “I got a real kick in the backside on Monday night – five minutes into six of injury time and my right back runs out with the ball, loses it and they break into the space to score.

“I’m still sore about it now, to be honest, but all in all I’ve really enjoyed my time in Denmark.

“This is my fourth season over here and we’ve always been competitive.

“We got to three cup finals, it was a little indifferent in my second year but finished fourth and got into Europe on my third.

“This year we were third after 11 games and it’s been steady since.”

The band of British managers plying their trade abroad shrunk further after David Moyes left Real Sociedad earlier this month.

Micky Adams (Sligo), Graham Potter (Ostersunds), Paul Ashworth (Ventspils), Kevin Cooper (Wil), Gregg Ryder (Þróttur), John Allen (FC Jazz) and Terry Fenwick (CS Vise) are among the others striking out abroad in Europe, while ex-Wanderers boss Owen Coyle (Houston Dynamo), Steve Kean (Brunei) and Adrian Heath (Orlando SC) ply their trade further afield.

Across the North Sea he may be – but Todd still takes a great interest in what is going on at his former club Wanderers.

His time with the Whites was spent flitting between the top two divisions in an era before Eddie Davies’s millions changed the landscape entirely. But he sympathises with the situation that Neil Lennon finds himself facing right now – and hopes the lingering takeover situation will be quickly cleared.

“When you drop out of the Premier League like Bolton did the money just evaporates,” he said. “It is a totally different economy.

“When I was there we had some good times, some hard times, it was a yo-yo club.

“The longer you stay out, the harder it gets and the parachute payments are now dried up which makes it even tougher.

“They are looking for new buyers and that isn’t easy. Running a football club costs a lot of money and when people know the financial side isn’t right, the negativity spreads.

“There will always be a little bit of that situation that bleeds into the dressing room and gets discussed by players.

“The sooner that stops the better. Neil will be trying hard to make sure the players and the fans concentrate on the important things, getting results.”

Wanderers sunk to the bottom of the Championship after Saturday’s defeat against Reading and have won just one of their first 17 league games this season.

Todd refuses to believe that a slide towards League One is inevitable, however, and feels one result against Brentford could still trigger a climb towards safety regardless of the ownership issues.

“Football can turn around quickly,” he said. “It can take one win and suddenly everything can look different. Players who are struggling suddenly look like world beaters when they have three points under their belt.

“Neil is an experienced enough manager to know that. He’ll be hoping a goal bounces off someone’s backside and gets things going because once it does, people don’t concentrate on the negatives and it gives you a chance to build.

“The fans will get behind the team and I’m sure they know he’s doing his utmost to get points on the board.”