summer 2009 the magazine of the league managers ... · suite, 1 pegasus house, tachbrook park,...
TRANSCRIPT
it’s all in the training: hugh robertson mpgraham thorpe – switching sidesteam talks: turning words into actiondavid platt on life after managementthe art of successful mentoring
The magazine of the League Managers Association Issue 2 £5.00
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c o m m e n t e d i t o r
Published for the LMA by Caspian Publishing Ltd. Opinions expressed by contributors are their own. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Publishing enquiries: 020 7368 7177 Fax: 020 7368 7178 www.caspianpublishing.co.uk Editor: Alice Hoey Group editor: Keith Ryan Account manager: Tina Franz Creative director: Nick Dixon Art editor: David Twardawa/Clare Meredith Production manager: Karen Gardner Advertisement manager: Matthew Blore Business development director: Frances Hughes Commercial director: Andy Rice Founder and communications director: Matthew Rock Founder and editorial director: Stuart Rock Picture credits: Action Images/Getty Images/Alamy/Rex Features/istockphoto The League Managers Association The Camkin Suite, 1 Pegasus House, Tachbrook Park, Warwick CV34 6LW Tel: 01926 831 556 Email: [email protected] www.leaguemanagers.com For annual subscription (£20 for four issues): 020 7368 7200 Fax: 020 7368 7201 or subscribe online at www.themanagermagazine.com
How did your team do? Did they rise to the challenge and prove
their mettle or struggle against tough competition and low morale?
Depending on their level of ability, fitness and motivation, your
people can be your most valuable asset or your biggest cost.
Few managers have the luxury of a blank cheque with which
to re-stock the organisation with fresh blood and new ideas.
Recognising the talent within and getting the very best from
existing resources is, therefore, an essential skill. Those starting next
season at the helm of a new ship will have to identify and exploit their
strongest assets quickly if they are to get results in those crucial early
months. These days, new managers are afforded precious little time to prove
themselves, despite often having to work with a legacy
of club politics, finances and players.
In this edition, we ask how the right words, said in
the right way, can make people up their game. Does
the carrot or the stick work best in spurring on a losing
team? According to business leader John Timpson,
instigating change is less about the words and more
the groundwork you have already laid: “However
inspirational the speech, if people don’t respect you
and believe in your message, it won’t work.”
Mick McCarthy agrees that getting team buy-in
requires mutual respect, and that this has its
foundations in honesty. Speaking exclusively with
The Manager, he says, “[The players] are welcome to
ask me a question, but they must be prepared for the
answer. I’m brutally honest and say it like it is.”
Getting dedication and performance from a group
of individuals takes a particularly skilled leader,
especially in the face of adversity. And, according to MP
and ex-military man Hugh Robertson, simply shouting at people when conditions
are tough gets you nowhere. In our interview, he echoes the need for trust, but
adds that it also comes down to preparation: “In the army, we used to say ‘train
hard, fight easy’, and I believe that’s a great lesson for life.”
This summer will mean hard training and tough decisions for many clubs and
businesses. But get it right and the pay-off could be well worth the effort. I for one
look forward to finding out.
ALiCE HoEy EDITOR
those starting next season at the helm of a new ship will need to identify and exploit their strongest assets quickly
04 kicking off News and views from the past
quarter-season.
08 mick mccarthy The Wolves boss speaks exclusively
about his open, honest and direct
approach to leadership, and why
you have to trust in your team.
12 crossing the line The transition from player to
manager isn’t always easy, writes
Sue Bridgewater. Tony Adams,
Graham Thorpe and actress-turned
-playwright Manjinder Virk speak
from experience.
18 word play Say the right thing and you can
motivate and inspire. How do John
Timpson, Peter Taylor and Roberto
Forzoni approach the team talk?
22 watch and learn Everybody wins from a successful
mentoring relationship, so why
aren’t we all at it?
26 train hard, fight easy MP Hugh
Robertson on the
importance of broad
experience and why
sport is undervalued.
30 big boots In football and business, family ties
can be strong and productive. We
look at the highs and lows of
following in the family footsteps.
34 timeline to greatness Profile of the longest-
serving manager
of all time,
Fred Everiss.
36 world’s apart Working abroad
might be daunting,
but the effort can
really pay off. Stephen
Constantine reports back
from Sudan.
38 on a mission Where do you begin when trying
to turn around an ailing business?
According to our experts,
re-igniting success starts
with your people.
42 what next? Making a radical
career change
takes guts.
What happened
when ex-player
and manager David Platt turned his
hand to business.
46 one careful owner The manager-owner dynamic can
make or break a club, says
Professor Stuart Timperley.
But how do you make
it work? With
Dave Whelan.
50 culture club An organisation
is much more
than the sum of
its parts. We ask
Dave Bassett why
corporate identity
matters and where the
manager fits in?
54 don’t lose any sleep over it! Stress and poor sleep can be a
vicious circle. Here’s why, with
Dr Dorian Dugmore.
56 equal measures Every aspiring manager, black or
white, should get the support and
opportunities they deserve, says
Kick It Out’s Piara Powar.
60 lma events Highlights from a season of events.
s u m m e r i s s u e t h e l i n e - u p
0820 1222 12
54
34
54
� The Manager �The Manager �The Manager �The Manager
As always in football’s summer season, the
headlines are dominated by news of transfers,
club sales, discussion about debt and finance, and
hopes and expectations for the coming season.
In the run up to this edition going to press, we saw the
record-breaking transfer of Ronaldo from Manchester United
to Real Madrid. This has sparked a debate about the growing
emphasis on money in football – is it a case of “how much?”
over “how good?”, with some asking whether it is sustainable?
I believe the past season is proof that talent still has a major
role to play in success. And a manager’s ability to get the most
from his team and the resources available to him is vital to
achieving that.
Take David Moyes, who steered Everton close to the top
four, into Europe and to the FA Cup final. He also collected
the LMA Manager of the Year award, sponsored by Barclays,
for a record third time. Further down the league, pre-season
favourites for relegation Hull City and Stoke City – both smaller
clubs with limited funding – defied the odds and maintained
their positions in the game’s richest league. The performance
of Phil Brown and Tony Pulis, respectively, must not be
underestimated in those achievements.
Looking ahead to next season, the Barclays Premier League
welcomes Owen Coyle’s Burnley back to the top flight for the
first time since 1976. Nobody knows whether they’ll manage to
stay up, but relegation is certainly not a given.
In his ground-breaking bestseller, Moneyball, Michael Lewis
explored the success of one of baseball’s smallest teams, the
Oakland As, and its general manager, Billy Beane. The sport
may have been different, but the message is transferable: there
are always different ways to do things, to challenge convention
and get more from a team than the sum of its parts. Beane
was one of baseball’s brightest young talents as a player, but it
was in management that he really made a name for himself. He
created the vision, built the strategy and shaped a team, with
staggering results.
Pushing to find new, better ways to manage is a challenge
we all face daily, and never more so than in times of adversity.
On 24 September, the LMA will host its inaugural management
conference (www.touchlinetoboardroom.com) at the Emirates.
In the company of the likes of David Moyes, Stuart Pearce and
British Airways’ Martin Broughton, we will unite the worlds of
business and sport, and explore and debate what makes great
managers tick. I look forward to seeing you there.
RichaRd Bevan THE LEAgUE MANAgERS ASSOCIATION
R i c h a R d B e v a n
can you do BetteR?
� The Manager
tips fRom the top flightIt’s not every day you get to quiz a
leading football manager about the
highs and lows of the job. At the
inaugural LMA Business Club event,
in association with Real Business,
Fulham’s Roy Hodgson fielded
questions from host John Inverdale
and a captivated audience of some 70
invited business leaders. The theme
of the evening, “winning
against the odds” was
timely, Fulham having
triumphed 2-0 over
Manchester United shortly
before, and struck a chord
with businesses facing the
challenges of a recession.
BuRnley’s Bogof
For many companies, slashing budgets and
restructuring won’t be enough to see them
through the summer of discontent. As
customers are increasingly open to offers,
companies need to raise the bar to ensure
their client base stays loyal and spending.
While its local top-tier rivals can
reduce their ticket prices, for Burnley,
which gets a larger proportion of its revenue
from attendance, smarter thinking was in order.
At the start of the 2008/09 season, the
club pledged that everyone buying a season
ticket would get their money back the next
season should they make it into the Barclays
Premier League.
While it meant that the club would lose
out on around £2m, chairman Barry Kilby
was confident that, in the context of a £60m
promotion payout, it would be worth it. The
unique incentive proved to be a fantastic way
to boost attendance and share the club’s
success with its supporters.
KicKingoffNEWS AND vIEWS fRom the dugout
enteR the dRagonEx-Millwall chairman and now Rymans chief executive
Theo Paphitis spoke recently about the challenges of
doing business in the football industry. “You need an
asbestos suit, because at some point or other you will
get burned,” he said. “It’s an incredible industry,” he
added, “but the money it generates isn’t enough to
sustain it, so it needs benefactors. Any business that is
reliant on benefactors is a difficult one.” Now probably
best known for his role in Tv show Dragon’s Den,
Paphitis spent eight years as chairman of Millwall, taking
it out of administration into the Championship and an
FA Cup final. “The biggest challenge when you’re trying
to turn around a business is getting everyone to believe
in and follow you,” he said. “If you can achieve that then
you’ll make it a success.” Paphitis is a director of the
Football League and an FA counsellor.
23% rise in wage costs in the Barclays PL
26% growth in revenue for top 20 clubs
16% compound annual growth rate between 1992 and 2008 vs 5.4% for the UK economy
£187m investment by top 92 UK clubs in facilities
the coca-cola championship is the 3rd-best attended league in the world
Highlights from Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance 2007/08
£3.1bn net debt of Barclays PL clubs, up from £2.7bn last season
� The Manager �The Manager �The Manager
Roy Keane is getting tough with his Ipswich
Town side as they prepare to battle for
promotion next season. The manager
plans to send players on a gruelling pre-
season training course with the Parachute
Regiment, where they will be put through
their paces, military style.
At the Merville Barracks training centre in
Colchester, a potential venue for the pre-
season training, courses are designed to
promote team cohesion, develop leadership
skills and improve physical fitness. The centre
is currently used in the recruitment of young
soldiers. Keane will be hoping its motto,
“Ready for anything” proves to be justified.
Fighting talK
Having each managed 1,000 games, Steve Coppell and Graham Turner have entered the LMA’s elite Hall of Fame, the 1,000 Club. Coppell took on his first managerial role aged 28, becoming the youngest to ever manage in the Football League. During his career, he achieved three promotions and one FA Cup final and has twice been named LMA Manager of the Year. Graham Turner received the LMA Service Award, sponsored by Coca-Cola, recently. His achievements have included two promotions and three league titles.
1,000
�The Manager
On the mOney
BOx cleveR“One more round” wrote James J Corbett, World Heavyweight boxing
Champion from 1892 to 1897. His poem of the same name now sits in the
office of QPR performance manager John harbin, for whom those three
words have provided a constant source of inspiration and motivation.
“I’ve used the saying for the past 20 years,” says Harbin, a former
rugby league coach who has also worked at Oldham Athletic, Crystal
Palace and Coventry City. “It means that no matter what your situation
– be it in sport or life – there’s always one more round to fight.”
calling time SPOtlightJoe Royle, who recently turned 60, returned to Oldham
Athletic as caretaker manager in March. During his
previous 12-year spell at Boundary Park, Royle guided
the club to the Premier League, two FA Cup semi-finals
and a Littlewoods Cup final.
Royle moved to Manchester City in February 1998,
and in his first full season in charge the club achieved
promotion. A year later, they went up into the Premier
League. Having taken charge of Ipswich Town in
November 2002, Royle led the club to the play-offs in
2004 and 2005.
tony Pulis (left) ran this year’s London
Marathon on behalf of the Donna Louise
Children’s Hospice. Management, staff and
players at Stoke City have been supporting
the charity for several seasons.
alan curbishley recently unveiled a £2.5 million
sports facility in the London Borough of Bexley.
It is hoped that the new outdoor sports changing
pavilion and education and leisure facility at Hall
Place will give a considerable boost to sport in the
local community.
Watford FC’s Brendan Rodgers (right)
has been delivering some motivational
words to aspiring footballers.
Speaking to students on the football
excellence programme at West
Herts College, he emphasised the
opportunities that coaching can
offer as a career, should they not
make the grade on the field.
As part of the LMA’s Community
Fund, Spurs manager harry Redknapp recently
attended the first leg of the Special Olympics
Great Britain (SOGB) Unified Football Roadshow
alongside striker Robbie Keane.
The event was hosted by the Tottenham
Hotspur Foundation at the club’s training ground.
The LMA Community Fund works in partnership
with several charity and community partners,
including the Special Olympics.
This summer, les Reed will be hoping to steer
the GB team to victory in one of the world’s largest
sporting events by participation – the Maccabiah
Games. Although primarily for Jewish athletes,
Arab Israelis can participate in the games, which
like the Olympics are held every four years and
are sanctioned by the International Olympic
Committee and World Federation of Sports.
extRa time
� The Manager
After 14 years in charge, Graham Turner leaves his post as manager of Hereford United at the end of this season. Turner, who will remain chairman and director of football at the club, is currently the second longest-serving manager in England behind Sir Alex Ferguson, CBE. He has managed clubs in each of the top five tiers of English football, resulting in 30 years of managerial experience.
In its first year, the cancer charity
founded by Sir Bobby Robson has
raised more than double its goal
of £500,000. According to a Press
Association report, the Sir Bobby
Robson Foundation achieved the initial
target in the first seven weeks, topping
£1.2 million within a year.
The charity was set up to
provide early cancer detection and
treatments, and to trial new drugs at the Northern Centre
for Cancer Care in the Freeman Hospital.
“As long as the commitment and belief is there, I’ll
continue to help for as long as I can,” said Sir Bobby.
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