What makes a good manager?
Roy Keane's departure from Sunderland has again raised the question of whether great players make great managers.
I think it is safe to say that there is no guarantee of anyone who has played the game to the highest standards being successful as managers and, indeed, there have been plenty of examples of such figures being overshadowed in the job by men whose own professional playing careers were more modest, if not virtually non-existent.
For someone like me, who has certainly not been a great player, that is quite a comforting thought!
Having said that, I am uncertain about whether I would like to pursue a career in management. Even though I am taking my coaching badges and genuinely enjoy coaching, I am not convinced that I have the personality needed to be a manager.
As someone who has gone through the experiences of being dropped (on a regular basis), told he is no longer part of the manager's plans and been in a crowded changing room with other players waiting anxiously to see if they are going to get offered a new contract or not, I appreciate the extent to which a manager is in control of people's livelihoods and needs to make decisions that are going to make him unpopular. I am not saying that you have to be heartless because as many managers have told me, these types of decisions are the hardest part of the job, but you do need to have a ruthless streak.
I think it is important to make the distinction between a good coach and a good manager. Much in the same way that being a great player is no guarantee of being a great manager, the same can be said of being a great coach. There have been many examples over the years of very good assistant managers stepping into the role of manager and not quite making the grade.
The personality needed to be a coach or assistant manager is a lot different to that of a manager. For example in my experiences, coaches and assistant managers can be a lot more approachable and friendly towards the players - they don't have to distance themselves from the players, as a manager tends to do. They join in with a lot of the "banter" that takes place in the dressing room. The big advantage for them is that although they have some input into the footballing decisions, they are not the ones who have to make them .Leaving them free to involve themselves in all the enjoyable aspects of team management.
At the moment, the coaching aspect is the side of the game that I feel my personality is most suited to but never say never!
If one day I do take the plunge into management, I would have no shortage of managers who have given me some guidelines. Of the 13 I have played for, I suppose the one who surprised me the most has to be Darren Ferguson. Now there is somebody with a hard act to follow!
When he first arrived at Peterborough United it was a bit of a shock to all of the players and I am quite certain, the fans as well. Darren was still playing at Wrexham. In fact I had played against him just a few months previously.
Like most players in this situation, my initial reaction was: How was this going to affect me? It could be argued that it was particularly pertinent for me to ask myself that question, given the perceived difficult periods in the relationship between our dads when they worked together at Aberdeen and Manchester United. I say perceived because I honestly don't know if there was a problem because it is not something me and my old man have ever spoken about.
The fact is that Darren was great for me, not to mention the other players.
He instantly lifted the players with his professional manner. He has a very attacking philosophy and encouraged the players to express themselves. The intensity and quality of the training sessions instantly improved. It was hard work (as it should be) but we rapidly became a lot fitter and, as a consequence, a lot more confident.
It sounds obvious but when you know you are fitter than the opposing team, it gives you great confidence. If I ever do manage a team, my players would do well to prepare themselves for being pushed to the limit in training. I will be the one with the stopwatch telling them that if they don't do the run in a certain time, they will be doing it again! I have had that said to me enough times!
The main aspect of Darren Ferguson's personality that I respected and one that will serve him well in the future is his honesty. By that I mean the honesty towards his players. The one thing that every player will tell you that they want from the manager (apart from playing every week) is honesty.
For example, lots of managers will tell a player what they think he wants to hear or in some cases not speak to a player at all. When I was out of the team at Peterborough, Darren always had the decency to explain the reasons to me and did not try to pull any wool over my eyes. Even if I did not agree, I respected him for taking the time to talk to me and encourage me to keep going.
I suppose it says much for Darren that I can speak so highly of him even though he got rid of me after a year! I genuinely hope Peterborough can achieve their ambitions with Darren at the helm, but they will do well to hang on to his services as he is destined for the top.
Finally, I cannot sign off this week without a comment about Notts County having returned to winning ways thanks to a 1-0 victory against Morecambe. We have been far from our best in recent weeks and have gone back to the basics in terms of what is needed to win football matches. By basics, I mean aspects of the game such as turning the opposition back four, winning tackles and working harder than the other team. We know we can still pass the ball better but it was imperative that we stopped the rot and got some points on the board.
Hello, I'm Gavin Strachan. I describe myself as a "journeyman" player after 13 years in the game as a professional. I'm currently between clubs, having been released by Notts County. I'm also studying journalism and the aim of my blog is to provide an insight into the life of a footballer.
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It never ceases to amaze me to hear or read "footballspeak"
You say that having not been at your best you went "back to basics" which meant "working harder than the other team".
Why were you not working harder before then?
As a paying spectator I assume that you are working as hard as humanly possible every single second of the match. It's just a "basic" pre-requisite, absolute minimum requirement.
If you are not, you are shirking your job and cheating on me and my money.
You'll be telling me soon " we'll have to stick together as a team" or " we'll have to dig in " or "we'll have to get our heads down" - next time:
again, as if you haven't been doing these simple basic requirements up to now.
If you become a manager make sure your players understand this. It might help you.
Best regards
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another brilliant article! Hope u realise your dreams though.........
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It was definetely nice to see us win again, however I can identify one thing that you could do a little more Gavin... shoot! When you get the ball in prime long range oppertunities you never seem to hit one but pass to someone with much less chance of scoring.
Admittedly the single occasion on Saturday that occured you played a good ball and as Weston was destroying their full backs all game, fair enough. But it might be something to take on in the future?
Great blogs by the way mate. Regards
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Awesome awesome blog Gav - keep it up!
You make some excellent points about managers and it interests me that the biggest compliment that you pay to Darren Ferguson is about the way he interacts with people and manages them. For me, this is the most important attribute to coaching / managing in elite sport as it is essentially about getting the most out of people!
Are there any other managers that you have played for that have excelled in this area? Do you agree with my comments?!
KB
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DortmundOwl,
if Gavin says that they can pass the ball better the most teams, yet keep losing, one of the ways to get the team back to winning IS to get back to basics, ie, not relying on the collective skill but on collective spirit.
This doesn't mean they didn't try before, just means they are trying harder and in different ways... Did you not learn football speak when you were playing??
Also, a whole article and all that criticism only for the last paragraph...that's bit harsh.
Nice one Gavin, another good article and congrats on getting back to winning ways.
I don't think you will have to look to hard for work after footy, this blog's getting along just nicely!
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It must be hard for managers to watch any coaches or assistant managers joining in the shenanigans. These positions must be the best in football as they seem to follow the managers on when they are successful and also quite often retain their jobs when the manager fails.
I dont know if Gavin agrees with this but I just think if Roy Keane had done 2 things it would have been better
1, Treated the players like adults.. most are grown men and Keane's well known temperament must be hard to take.
2, Buy a 'core' of a team... spending 50m in your first season on 11 players is madness.. spend 50m on; Goalie, Center Half, Couple of good Midfielders and a quality Striker and you will have a team to be reckoned with...d
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Another good blog, although I have to say that the first comment has rankled me and it does seem pretty disingenous and smacks of someone attempting to find fault.
I'd argue that anyone in any walk of life would struggle to keep up maximum effort in whatever they do, just because Gavin is a footballer doesn't make him superhuman!
Anyway, back on topic - I enjoyed this blog more than others because I never really considered the scope of work a lower league manager has to cover - from the coaching aspect right through to the hiring and firing.
Insightful, looking forward to the next one.
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Another great blog Gavin. I fully understand your 'back to basics' explanation - even though dortmundowl seems to taking it as a personal offense!
It's not that you and the wider team aren't giving 100% all of the time but its the compartmentalisation of the game - individually and the team - which can make all the difference. When things are going against you and pressure builds up for results certain things can be ignored as the manager, coaching staff and players strive to turn the tide.
'back to basics' is something that works whatever job you're in. I know it myself that sometimes I get lost in my work and some products that I produce miss the fundamentals (can be as simple as use of language which makes understanding my point harder than it should be) when I'm focusing on certain areas and the whole thing fails to click as it should. It's not that I havene't given 100% - it's just small things that you tend to ignore to focus on others.
You could see this in my own beloved club rotherham a few seasons ago. when alan knill took over during our relegation year from the championship we were dire in every respect. In the close season you could definatly see we went back to basics as in the first home game of the season we were tight and compact, marked well with good energy and passed the ball neatly. Set plays were a disaster though and you could see the focus in the build up to the game was all about open play which was where we got killed in the relegation.
keep up the good work Gav - the blog is a pleasure to read.
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Hi Gavin,
Yes, another very interesting blog, and I agree that the first comment was rather silly. I think this was your best blog so far, and I now look forward to it every week.
As a long suffering Leeds United fan, I fully understand what it's like to support a team that wins 5 nil one week, and loses 2 nil the next week to so called lowly opposition. It's not that the players aren't trying, it can be for lots of reasons including luck, confidence and sometimes decisions that go against you.
Without doubt, the best period in recent history for LUFC was when your Dad played for us. What an inspiration he was! I'll never forget his reaction when we played the second leg agains Stuttgart in a European game at Elland Road. We fought back to overcome a big deficit from the first leg, only to lose on away goals. (As it happens we replayed, and won the game due to Stuttgart fielding too many foreign players). At the end of the Elland Road game your Dad collapsed on his back in disbelief that we could get knocked out after such a magnificent display. His reaction mirrored that of 40,000 LUFC fans, and showed how much he cared and was in touch with the fans feelings. Do you remember that match? I'd love to hear how the "old man" reacted when he got home that night.
I think you show a great insight into the game, and also seem in tune with the fans.
Good luck to you!
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A very good, insightful and honest blog once again Gavin.
I feel comment 1 is slightly harsh and would have to agree with No. 7's comments regarding effort, however, having read the comments posted over the past few months it seems obvious that there is a level of tolerance and support for Gavin that a leading Premiership player would not be afforded whilst writing his blog, (nice to see a real players perspective, rather than another overpaid, spoiled prima donna etc)
It would be interesting to see if the same response as comment 7 would have been posted, had it been a Premiership player who came in for the criticism levelled in Comment 1 with regards to "Working Harder"
Gavin, Do you feel that Premiership stars come under (sometimes) unfair criticism due to the vast wages they are paid? I believe that ticket prices would have went up regardless of wage demands and I have always maintained that i would rather my money went to the men who i paid to go and watch, rather than the board members and shareholders.
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By the sounds of things, your money wouldn't be missed DortmundOwl, you must sit there and either boo or offer "advice" for 90 minutes
Managers make mistakes
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Great Managers who make Great Managers?
Your old man has done a pretty good job at it.
Hail Hail
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I meant to write Great Players who make Great Managers above. Doh!
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Definitely the best blog yet, interesting to hear the difference in being a manager and assistant from an insider's point of view. The best example of a great coach who didn't have the personality to manage has to be Steve McClaren, calling his players (Stevie G / J.T. etc).
I have a couple of questions regarding what it was like when your manager was also your father. How did you find having your dad as a manager - were you treated like any other player, i.e. was he as ruthless with you as he was other players in terms of selling you, dropping you etc? Were you able to change back into 'father-son' mode outside of work? My Dad was my boss once and I must admit that I made sure I worked a bit harder so he couldn't criticise me!
Great blog by the way - the longest one yet I think, and definitely the best.
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Fascinating as ever.
Good Coach or Good Manager?
It asks the question what is actually more important in football? Surely the role of a youth coach is highly important and perhaps equally important to that of the manager of the 1st team.
It seems to me that too many fine youth coaches "get promoted" to reserve and 1st team coaches.When in reality if we attached the correct level of importance to youth football then the youth job would be regarded as essential to the club and rewarded accordingly.
IMO we are too short sighted in this country and think about short term success rather than long term success.Top clubs should be able to have a two pronged attack by attaching almost equal importance to top team and youth development.
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Hi Gav. . Great to read your side of a footballers life. Enjoying it as the weeks move on.
I would think that after working with more than you fair share of good coaches and assistant managers, you would more than "Fit In" to that roll. One thing for sure is that if you show the same attitude that you did at Hartlepool when you played on after cutting your head badly in one game, and in another playing on with a broken leg ...
All the very best Gav.... Frank.
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An example of a fantastic Assistant but not-so-good Manager is Sammy Lee.
Just not cut-out to manage, but was so highly regarded that Liverpool were more than happy to have him back.
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Manager + Beard = No success
Manager + shaver = Success
Fairly simple formula. Surprised other's haven't caught on! 5Live chaps had the other night! Haha.
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Hi Gavin
Enjoyed the blog as usual, just a couple of points to make. In terms of the argument that maybe managers get less involved in the banter with the players etc than the coaches do, do you think team spirit would be improved if maybe they were more involved? Or would this lose them some of the respect of the players...?
Also on a completely different point does anyone on here have an opinion on the Eboue situation at Arsenal? I have read that he was treated appallingly by Arsenal fans at the weekend but didnt see any of the game myself so not sure how much is media hype!
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Completely agree with the differences between coaching and managing. Part of my style of coaching is building a rapport with the individuals i am coaching.
When i worked in america i coached a girls U17s team...being a young lad with an english accent helped my rapport without too much effort to be honest, but i had a really great relationship with every player. I got asked to manage them for one game as the manager was away. It was horrible...we won the game, but i was only supposed to have 11 players..when the 12th turned up and the assistant manager insisted she had to play my arse dropped out. I got advised if i was going to drop anyone it had to be this certain girl as her commitment to training wasnt what it should be...she cried her eyes out! Ive never felt so bad in my life, it was horrible going back the next week and having to coach her again when i felt like i had betrayed her, i dont think i can ever go into management.
The only way i could go into management would be with perhaps a team any age under U10s, and where i have an agreement with parents that if the child doesnt train they dont play, and also that all the children playing no matter what there ability is the most important thing until they get to an age where winning becomes more important! Having seen the ruthlessness of youth football, and even brawls on pitches between referees, coaches, parents and even players getting involved in the last year, i dont see too much hope for that!
Ben Parkins
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Gavin - great blog mate... quality
post #1. i think i see where you are coming from...and of course your point does stand - but i assume that you are just making "a clever" point based on a phrase rather than seriously having a pop at Gavin... after all it is this level of honesty that we all call for... there are very few people in any job in the world that operate with maximum focus and effort at all times - and even if they are trying hard they may be misguided....in all jobs someone is paying wages... the good professionals in any walk of life are the quickest to realise when they are not at 100% and correct it.... if you want a pop at someone go start on a couple of road workers standing around chatting whilst your taxes are paying their wages....
post #10 - great point... a very good question... could you imagine if say Eboue came out and said "to be honest i haven't been trying as hard as i could so maybe i should start trying a bit harder"... he would be absolutely slated!... and your comment about ticket prices is spot on - i have tried to get stats to back up my point - but can't find much... but i am confident to say that ticket prices a) have not gone up as a % in line with players wages and b) the revenue clubs get from ticket sales (and inparticularly the increase in ticket sales) is not that significant compared to say TV and other revenue..... so ticket prices are not necessarily directly linked to player wages
Also Gavin - great attitude and honesty from you regarding Darren Ferguson mate - more people should have your outlook on lifew!... fair play!
Gavin - do us a favour and ask your Dad about some juicy specific things between him and Fergie and blog it on here mate - that would be gold-dust!.... or if there is anyone on here that knows any Strachan -Fergie rumours then get it on here!
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I enjoy this blog, it is refreshing and honest, exactly what blogs are about! thx
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I think I can safely say that it is a universally accepted fact that sportsmen are generally not over-endowed with intellectual ability. Attention towards sport rather than academics. I have no problem.
So two decades later this talented athlete becomes a manager of a business with a turnover in excess of a hundred million pounds, and assets again of a hundred million pounds. Then his board give him 50 million pounds to spend every year.
CEO material certainly. Yet a CEO in industry has probably worked through university, completed an MBA, and spent several years working his way up the corporate ladder.
A football manager takes his coaching badges at some stage and is considered ready and able to manage at the top level. If he is not an instant success, he is sacked. Paul Ince for example has had some lower league experience before Blackburn but is being hounded from his position after just a few months. Zola has had no experience, and is again under pressure. It is ridiculous.
That is like a local counciller becoming Prime Minister overnight and being pilloried for not doing a good job. What would you realistically expect?
Whilst potential CEO's (and managers of people at every level) were learning about communication our future football manager was learning his own form of communication. A good yell, and manly changing room banter.
It never ceases to amaze me that the basic management tool recognised in every industry and indeed in every relationship is missing in football. How many times do you read of a manager not talking to his players except at the game. Half time hairdryers. No wonder you hear a manager has lost the dressing room.
Where is the open door policy, where the casual enquiry of family matters, where the open discussion over policy, direction, responsibilities, duties. Communication builds respect, leads to new ideas, and bonds people together. So why does it appear that in football, players and managers needing to make a point have to resort to using the press.
Why when Sir Alex Ferguson flies out to speak to Ronaldo over his future does it seem a ground breaking management strategy? It is basic stuff. Actually it is plain common sense. It sounds as if Darren has picked up a few pointers from his father too. However, all too often I read about a manager who has totally failed to gel with his players. Ramos springs to mind, but there are many others including icons such as Arsene Wenger who appear guilty. I do wonder if managers are not allowed to talk of outside matters with their squad because it impinges on the relationship between player and agent, and club director and agent. If so, then that situation is ridiculous.
When I joined Royal Mail a decade ago, I had spent 3 decades working in the insurance and banking sectors, and running my own business. I was shocked at the division between management and employee. It was an industry stuck in the 1970's, complete with 1970's style management techniques. Awful. I wonder if football suffers the same disease. I think of the derision when Sam Allardyce talks of bringing modern technology and science into use as just one example.
My apologies for labouring the point, but I do find it annoying. Especially considering the sums of money involved. How many millions have Pardew, Dowie, Ramos and Keegan raked in?
On a positive note, I do enjoy Gavin Strachans blog. It does give a different view of a footballers life. Fair play. And best wishes... I guess it is ok to say Merry Christmas....
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Martin Scott - I imagine he is a prime example of a good coach not being as sucessful as a manager. Can you please give an insight Gavin?
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"You say that having not been at your best you went "back to basics" which meant "working harder than the other team".
Why were you not working harder before then?
As a paying spectator I assume that you are working as hard as humanly possible every single second of the match. It's just a "basic" pre-requisite, absolute minimum requirement."
Dortmund Owl, you're telling me everyday at work you give 100%? Every football match you attend, you give 100% support?
I can understand that some games players get complacent and take their eye off the ball Gavin. It's human nature but Dortmund Owl seems like a robot
An example about player motivation is:
Aberdeen FC last season were struggling to beat the likes of St.Mirren and Caley Thistle (no disrespect to these sides) however were beating FC Copenhagen 4-0 and leading Bayern Munich twice before drawing 2-2. Players motivate themselves more for certain games and the fans are the same. The atmosphere was rocking for those two European games but dead against St.Mirren and Caley Thistle. I understand there on brilliant wages and should be professional but they are humans after all.
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#23 - DaveHaskins....
Wah - I must say that your comments must be the most constructive and intelligent that I've either heard or read for many a year.... When you come to think about it, too - It also gives insight into Clive Woodward's perception of Sport - I'd never bought into that before, but your comments made me broaden out (so to speak). I'm not a Sarf'ampton fan (I am AaaarghLestah), but I was also, of course, an Egg follower and amateur player, coming from Tiger country.
Still I digress... Well done Dave, for a thought provoking comment!!
Well done Gavin, for an interesting (as always), Blog!!
HunKs
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Excellent blog Gavin, still really enjoying reading these.
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David how many MBA CEO's have you had the pleasure of meeting? Seen as George Bush jnr has an MBA from Havard, pretty much the most prestigious MBA school, I hardly think it relevant especially from a man in your generation when entry into these very expensive schools was more down to ability to pay then any clear genius.
I've had the pleasure to meet and be aware of many MBA students from the average school to the most expensive ones. Nowadays with them having to pass pretty taxing exams to get in the top schools they are pretty clever people. Having said that if you met them like most future managers you wouldn't be startled by their intelligence more their arrogance and self-belief. Does that sound similar to most managers in most walks of life?
The best managers I've ever worked with have never been near an MBA class. They have an intuitive knowledge of people's skillsets where focus is needed and which issues to deal with or may require passivity. Any fool can manage a crisis, indeed most of the time that fool created the crisis with his inability to strategically manage the micro moments into a simple picture. Hello mr Dennis Wise. As much as I like Roy Keane he probably falls into that character at the moment. Unlike Wise he has the brains to reflect and re-mould himself, whether he can do that to his emotional responses under pressure I'm not so sure.
Ferguson makes a decision and sticks with it. Rightly or wrongly in the case of Stam and Forlan. I really don't think the management of anything is down to going to the best school or not. It is intelligence, character and timing outside your control. Look at those great CEO's in charge of our banks. Matthewson and Burt believe themselves to be great and untainted by the credit crunch. Yet if their tenure was 2003-2008 they'd be fools and idiots. They believed the government should bail out their future bank, with the government taking a higher risk on it's investment. Sound similar to a football manager demanding from an indebted club; 'I need two more players to keep us safe. Then you're bigger debt risk is safe with me as I'll keep you in the prem'.
It's up to chairman to place the remit on the manager. Sure give him a free rein to an extent but be aware that every club a Harry Redknapp leaves, go bankrupt or need serious bailing out. If Rebrov is your top scorer tell Hoddle when he comes, this is a 12 million asset you must use not make worthless in the reserves. CEO's/Directors can set the tone of the company, rarely do they have the personality or brains to go against the zeitgeist. Free and easy credit? Let's buy and spend as everyone wants it, whether or not the investment had strategic sense. Where did the best schools get our businesses?
I wouldn't touch a manager who wasted resources. I would touch a difficult man like Brian Clough or Mike Newell who turned profit in the transfer market year after year. Yes maybe they destroyed some investments but many turned a super profit. Hoddle and Redknapp just want to spend and spend, moving players on rarely for a profit but when they do demanding all of it to be spent again. Anyone remember to the money spent after Frank Lampard? Rigobert Song and Titi Camara among many others that went for free? I wonder who got paid by the agent whatever happened to the player?
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Post 3 . I will take the advice on board . The only reason i did not shoot on Saturday was that I had been sat on the bench so long , freezing I did not think I could reach the goa!l but fair point.
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post 4 . I do agree with you . Man management is what can set apart a lot of managers.
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Another good arguament Tatruth,
I must say that I'm extremely pleased with the degree of controversy the Blog has sparked - although I wouldn't have had Bush anywhere near the equation.... He "achieved" whatever because of who his father is/was (probably wouldn't have graduated Kindergarten (if he did) without him), and, where his brother was at the time of the first election!!! Certainly after the Legal debacle that followed - I lost all faith in the "Land of the Free"!!
Sorry.
Now - I don't think that you can bring politicians into this anyway - I don't think that any one of them knows or understands "real life" - I do, however, totally agree with the cases (and sentiments) that you've cited (see? I'm NOT alone!!).
I assume that you're a WH man, from the cases that you've mentioned in the last paragraph, you don't think that 'ari can pick 'em then? (Even if he does spend!!!).
HunKs
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Post 10 . it would be very easy for me to be bitter about the wages that some of the top players are paid but they are simply being paid what the clubs are prepared to pay . So I dont resent the players.
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Post 24 . martin Scott was a great assistant manager but as you said it did not work out for him as a manager . He is now working at the Middlesbrough academy and I am sure doing well because he is a great coach with a great sense of humour.
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Post 14 . My old man was pretty harsh on me when he was my manager but i preffered it that way because the other players could see that I was not getting special treatment . In fact they felt sorry for me!.
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Thanks for the response Gavin, sorry to hear that mate! Because of that, was it difficult for you and your dad to switch between being manager and player and, say, enjoy a Sunday lunch together without falling out about football? Or were you sick of the sight of eachother outside work?
Cheers.
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Tatruth, I accept your points. I admit to not being overly impressed with modern MBA standards. Education now isn't about educating, it is about making money. Hence the dumbing down of standards. I digress.
Harry Redknapp is a motivator. A good eye for a transfer bargain, a good negotiator for a loan player, yet the newspapers write about him being a wheeler dealer, the Arthur Daly figure of football. He has been in the job now for many years and has learnt his trade. I like the man. I imagine the players find him likeable as well, hence Tottenhams revival.
Glen Hoddle was pilloried for trying new techniques (maybe a little avant garde, true) and I feel the England job came too early in his career. Will we see him in management again?
I agree with you that resources are wasted, and millions spent needlessly. Roy Keane admits to buying too many players and spending too much. I have done the same playing Football Manager, but that's just a game. Keane spent real money. Significant amounts. So where was the business brain behind him that should have cautioned him? The wise head on young shoulders?
It is scary that such a big industry is run by people who seem to have a cavalier attitude to business sense.
As for bankers and the credit crunch? Don't start me off. Many of the bank managers I worked with and learnt from must be rolling in their graves...
finally, thanks for the kind comments HunKs.
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post 23 Dave Haskins
I think your whole argument is flawed on many levels - most notably because a "football manager" rarely does any more than manages the football side of the business... they don't set ticket prices, build new stands/grounds, make money available, etc.. they are recruited to "run" the football side of the business - and this is the area that they have HUGE experience in... even those without any previous management experience would have often been involved in football for maybe 30 years (assuming start playing at c8 and take mgt job at c38)... this is a very, very intensive environment where they learn and see alot of how professional sport works... this is there apprentiship... they have lived their lives doing it!... we celebrate it when the "doctors run the hospital" or "teachers run the school" or other similar examples - so it follows convention that someone with 30+ years expereicne in a given area is in a good place to know about it.... the role of the manager is very complex but it demands respect and belief from the players - and a stellar footballing background will be more respected than an MBA from whatever former polytechnic is churning it out....
I don't think you can underestimate the career of a player and the massively relevant lessons learnt during it, when it comes to being a manager...
following that - your assumption that "universally accepted fact that sportsmen are generally not over-endowed with intellectual ability" this is largely irrelevant given the nature of football management and a bit stereotypical - and certainly is in no way true of everyone - as whilst there are some very thick footballers there will be some very intelligent ones - just because someone is good at football doesn't mean they have to be stupid - it just means they are good at football amongst other qualities.
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Very intresting blog, i was just wondering how long your badges take to get? and how you go about getting them, but i must admit i always appreciate your blogs keep up the good work (Y)
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Post 38
contact your local fa the first course level 1
is about 27 hours takes a couple evenings
the two sundays, it costs about £95 i start mine in january,
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Another great blog. Very interesting to read your thoughts on Ferguson jnr. I haven't read much about him but he's certainly achieving with Peterborough. Barry Fry made a very shrewd appointment I guess.
On the subject of hard work, I have read many comments over the years about so called "luxury" players. The players who don't appear to run about, working hard, but with some exceptional creative skill can win a game for a team. Players like Glen Hoddle, Trevor Brooking, Stan Bowles and Rodney Marsh were often categorised as luxury players.
So, Gavin, please tell us, surely teams do not need 11 hardworking players all the time, do they? If hypothetically you are a goal up, would you bring on a luxury player to try and entertain and create more goals? Or would you stick with the 11 hard workers? I guess that's a head coach kind of decision but I and others would be keen to learn your opinion. Thanks.
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Mr Dortmund owl
Maybe Notts have been a bit misguided over the last few weeks and have been focusing on the wrong things like clever formations or killer passes, arguing with the ref, blaming each other etc who knows but getting 'back to basics' is not really football speak it's 'sports speak' any professional sportsman usually plays the basic elements of a game very well and just a little quicker than most people. Telling the team to get back to basics is good advice.
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Dortmundowl,
Never had a bad day on the job then? Never given less than 100% in your workplace? Were you honest enough to admit you were wasting your bosses/customers/clients' money on those occassions?
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There are enough posts here, including from Gavin, showing that it's a lot about man-management. Getting to know your players individually, what motivates them, etc.
Coaching is all about just that, coaching - but against the boss's views on what's important for each individual.
But then there are the game-plans: assessing the opposition and getting the coach to try out different team formations and different player combinations. All with the boss watching from the sidelines and taking notes. (NB every great general spent more time thinking about the enemy than his own troops).
Oh, and the you need someone you can talf to, in confidence, to share your worries and your ideas with.
That, briefly, sums up football management for me.
This (and more) isn't new: Fergie's been doing it for years. Trouble is, not many people watch him closely enough to learn.
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Mate,
If you don't have a career as a football manager then you are in trouble because your journalistic talents are clearly really poor.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
The most important coaches for any footballer are those who coach them in their formative years (ie age 4-6) which is when the real basics should be instilled.
It is important for any footballer to be comfortable with the ball on either foot, control it with left or right with the first touch and be able to pass the ball accurately.
There is too much focus in the modern professional game on athleticism and power.
I believe that club's are now looking at kids who are strong and athletic, believing they can graft on skill at a later stage. This is totally wrong.
I think I can count on the fingers of one hand how many two-footed English players their are in the Premiership.
How frequently do you see a chance go begging because the ball has arrived on a players 'wrong' foot?
As someone once said, he can trap it further than I can kick it. I was brought up to play with two feet. Even after I wrecked my left knee, I was able to play very effectively, not at the same level, but to a good local standard.
As for manager's what most of them really know about football could be written on the back of a postage stamp.
Having gotten that off my chest, not a bad blog Gavin but don't give up the day job just yet...lol
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In reply to point 46..... "I was a good player until I hurt my leg" Yes, course you were. If I had a quid for every time I've heard that I could buy Chelsea AND Man United. When could no longer play did you just turn off your Playstation???
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Agreed, most good players dont make good managers. I think their ego's get in the way , when they are managers. The good players who go on to manage. Usually played for very successful teams. So when they manage a less successful team, they tend to stumble cause they are not used to losing on a regular basis.
I did a similar post on the state of english football managers in general. Check it out if you like :
http://idoitforfootball.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/the-death-of-the-english-manager/
or http://idoitforfootball.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/how-did-roy-keane-lose-the-plot/
By TC (idoitforfootball)
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44 - Mate, that's a really top analysis. What don't you like about the blog? It's well written (better than the average article in, say, the Nottingham Evening Post), thoughtful, and above all interesting. There are clearly a lot of people enjoying it regularly. So why do you feel the need to disparage Gavin's journalistic prospects?
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Thanks for that article. I find it a fascinating subject in general, not just in football, but in general. To lead or command others is a very tough job and as you say you need a ruthless streak or you just wont be successfull and ultimatley hurt others by your own failure. It is really between a rock and a hard place.
You spoke of Darrens honesty and i find your honesty very refreshing. It looks like you have overcome your "directional" difficulties" and found your place. At least i hope you stay in journalism as i enjoy your stuf. It is the honesty angle that i like. Usually it is guys who have reached the very top who write for the bbc and i enjoy reading the viewpoint of a player who didnt reach the very top. Thanks
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Gavin, great blog...again.
There are two things that i'd really like to know from you.
Firstly, as a lower level footballer I play at center back, there are two other cb's in my team, one is good in the air, strong and a good leader. The other is good on the ball but often overplays. Obviously I prefer to play with the other.
Did you as a player ever hear a line up and think 'oh ****, im playing alongside him!'
Secondly, could you give us an insight into life as the family of a pro footballer, both from your perspective growing up with your dad and with your family now.
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I'd be interested to know whether you've got a tenner or so on your dad getting the Sunderland job.........??!!!
;-)
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Not only is your blog an interesting read, Gavin, but it attracts plenty of informed, articulate and thought-provoking comment from its readership, which makes it doubly worthwhile reading.
Sadly its comments are not completely free of the pathetic axe-grinding that is the staple of the responses to the blogs of Phil McNulty, Chick Young and Mihir Bose (see #1 and #44), but at least they are in a small minority on your blog, and for that we, the majority, can be thankful.
Keep 'em coming :-)
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Once again Gavin, fantastic blog.
I wont say ignore what critics say (Post 1 & 44) because they can help. But what i will say is you have deffinately come into your own.
Your blogs have improved a lot, they are becoming more articulate, more informative and i think it also helps a lot that you come across as a realy nice guy.
Keep up the good work Gavin
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Gavin,
like most I love the blog, keep up the good work.
Your Dad was one of my heros when I was gowing up watching him play at Elland Road, if rumours are to be beleived he has been linked with the Sunderland job, please tell him not to go.
I couldn't cope with one of my heros been involved with 'them'
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Are you "taking the fifth" re. post 52???
The silence is deafening!!
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Cheers for the response David it wasn't quite what I meant about MBA's. My take on it is actually the top schools now have a much more intelligent intake and actually a better more rigorous course. Whereas in the past often access was purely family and money based. However I see neither as being a definite pre-cursor to success. In fact I see it as a great pity that unlike the baby boomers era people don't rise from the back office at 16 to be CEO at 50. I am not against MBA's per se but against the sole belief that genius isn't allowed to rise from so many different angles like it was fifty years ago. As you say most CEO's now are fully MBA'ed up.
I agree with your financial points. I was trying to say that the quality of a manager is not determined by his coaching certificates. That the European way that has developed Benitez and Mourinho is another excellent source which British football is too often too stupid to harness; unless nicking him off Valencia or Porto. I agree with Gavin and many others that man management is key, but ultimately choice of a blend of personnel more so. On your first job this is quite often down to luck.
Re Redknapp I actually like watching his teams. I'm not a West Ham fan but one who goes now and then and comes from a family who've lived in that area for generations. I wouldn't want Redknapp at my club. Exciting teams he can have, but they are not well balanced and he wishes to spend spend spend. If a director places constraints on him he is not happy. This fallacy he is a very good manager is ludicrous. He left West Ham with the fifth biggest wage bill, whilst the senior pros were dross. He never got near fifth in the table during that expenditure period. Winning one FA Cup with the resources he's had is ludicrous. Even Mclaren's done better.
Hoddle's England team were the best coached team post Venables; maybe Capello will take that mantle. But let's face it man management and his use of resources at Tottenham and Wolves was awful. Whereas Eriksonn's man management is good his use of resources at Sampdoria and Lazio was terrible; the wasted millions at Lazio make Leeds look like a corner shop bankruptcy.
Both Clough and Newell are prickly characters with questionable morals. Both worked within a budget. Clough made profit year after year whilst still challenging. Clough had rumors of bungs but his teams performed way above their financial position. Newell's club did go bankrupt but his transfer profit for Luton was just phenomenal. Not only that but his Luton teams in the champ were great to watch before Vine left. He virtually created three squads at Luton and two of them were brilliant.
Man management is key but I'd always choose a prickly mangager with results who turns a profit in the transfer market and who increases asset prices. Most managers just want to buy for buyings sake. Unfotunately Keane seemed to fall into that category.
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At comment 47...I was on schoolboys forms at a first division club for two years, my size was why I wasn't offered a contract, not my ability, played semi professionally for four years before an injury similar to the one Gasgoine suffered a number of years after I did mine. Unfortunately, as I wasn't flown off to a specialist surgeon in the US to get everything repaired.
As for Playstation's, I leave that to the current generation who think one-footed players like Michael Owen are brilliant. George Best would be turning in his grave. Now he was a footballer!!
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Hey Gavin,
Do you ever think about coming back to ply your trade in Scotland?
You could probably get yourself an SPL club if you wanted and then you would get to take on your da's team.
Maybe you could even score an og in the game.
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Hi Gavin,
Great Blog and a good insight into "real" football as I look at it.
I am sorry to lower the tone, but is it true that when Manchester United sold Dion Dublin to Coventry that during the negotiations, it was mentioned to the Coventry chairman that Dublin "Has the biggest **manhood** in British football"
Also, I would love you to do a "team mates" from Soccer AM about they players you have played with in your career;
1. Quickest
2. Most skillful
3. Best trainer
4. Worst trainer
5. Biggest moaner
6. Hardman
7. Worst dress sense
8. Best dancer
9. Joker
10. Longest in the shower (must be Big Dion!)
Cheers,
ODJ,
Preston North End fan
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Dear Gavin,
I think it is safe to say that the current set of players at Notts County HAVE NOT GOT A CLUE.
We are so lucky that the teams below us have points deducted...
I hate to sound harsh but I cannot wait until the summer to have a clear out of the current squad. Too many players are not putting in effort or are not having enough quality.
How on earth can we get outplayed by Kettering twice is beyond me...
Perhaps it is the manager... Last year Havant, this year Kettering.
I am embarrassed to be a Notts fan tonight.
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Sorry I'm a wee bit late to your blog Gavin - but if you seriously consider taking the step up to coach/manager then seriously consider Australia! Football is taking off here (slight dip in attendances currently but given the credit crunch they are holding up very well). The great thing about coaching here is that players adopt an incredibly professional approach to the game on and off the field and are desperate for knowledgeable guidance in the arts of the game. Same language, drive on the same side of the road and revere anyone who's ever kicked a ball in Britain, they'd look up to you from the moment you got here. And did I mention the weather? :)
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Brilliant blog Gavin.
I must admit, i do think you were underused in your time here at the posh.
Having said that, we are all so proud of Darren Ferguson and everyone involved at the club.
He is without doubt destined for the top,and dont be suprised to see him at the helm at Old Trafford!!
Its such an honour to say i have met the man !
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