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Robbie Savage’s Diary: 100 points and the managers who influenced me most…

Robbie Savage

In association with Planet Sport Bet, Robbie Savage is taking us behind the scenes each week at NPL champions Macclesfield FC.

Robbie has played one of the leading roles in the rebirth of a now-thriving football club, first as director of football, now as first-team manager as the Silkmen climb their way from the ninth tier back to the Football League. 

This week, the gaffer gives us an insight into his management style and the influences that shaped him as a boss… …

 


Another weekend, another win, and another milestone. But it’s not enough yet…

Victory at Guiseley took us to 100 points for the season. Our hosts were unbeaten in their last eight, targeting the NPL runners-up spot with eyes on a home semi-final in the play-offs. But we were just too strong, running out 3-0 winners, leaving us one goal off our target of 100 goals and a win short of the 103 points that would, statistically, make us the NPL Premier Division’s best-ever team in a 42-game season.

I don’t need that validation – I already know this is the best side to play at this level. But a record points total would make it undeniable and kill dead any claims to the contrary from the doubters that remain.

From a personal perspective, every record we break and every new benchmark we set is a satisfying way of silencing the critics who expected me to fail as Macclesfield manager.

Out and about recently, I bumped into the former owner and chairman of one of the very biggest football clubs. Even he referenced the narrative that I was managing from the backseat while I worked as director of football – that’s how far the myth had spread. That’s why I felt I had no choice but to take the role when it was offered to me last summer. If I was being judged on the job, I might as well actually do it!

As I’ve alluded to, I previously had little ambition of being a manager. But, in hindsight, maybe it was inevitable given the experience I’ve had in the game and the influences that have rubbed off on me.

I’ve been lucky to work under some fantastic managers. I started at Manchester United, where Sir Alex Ferguson ruled over everything, but it was Eric Harrison who bossed the Class of ’92’s dressing room. David Beckham, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes… they have all spoken of the influence Eric had on them as footballers and young men. He made me consider for the first time what drove me and the other players around me. He was a hard man to please, firm but fair, and a simple ‘well done’ from him made you feel a million dollars.

From there, I went to Crewe, where I learned more about the tactical side of the game. I didn’t particularly enjoy it at the time, all the standing around working on team shape and strategy. I just wanted to play, have the ball at my feet and thunder into tackles. But it was a valuable grounding that stood me in good stead for organising and captaining four Premier League teams.

Then I went to Leicester to play under Martin O’Neill. I’d say of all the managers I played for, it’s Martin’s style that most resembles my own.

He was a brilliant man-manager and that, I believe, is a biggest attribute for any boss. There are so many facets to management, but what’s the point in being the greatest tactician if you can’t connect with people or motivate individuals and groups?

All the successful managers I played for had that ability to communicate with players, to inspire and empathise with them. I don’t think it is a coincidence that they all had stellar playing careers of their own.

When it comes to motivation, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Some players react positively to a rocket; others need the arm around their shoulder.

I remember playing for Leicester when we got hammered at Southampton. Martin came in, steamrollered a few of us, then started telling Steve Guppy how brilliant he had been. Now, Gups was fantastic for us, but that day he was as rotten as the rest of the team. We hammered him on the coach back to Leicester. But Martin knew he had to tread more carefully with some individuals and he knew what made Steve – and all of us – tick.

It was similar at Birmingham under Steve Bruce. We were just above the relegation zone when we signed Christophe Dugarry mid-season in 2003. It was a major coup, though eyebrows were raised over how this talismanic World Cup winner, ex AC Milan and Barcelona, with 75 France caps might adapt to a relegation battle with Blues. He was brilliant. Not quite good enough to take the Player of the Season Award off me, but what a player!

The following pre-season, it was time to sweat. We were all packed off to the edge of the training ground, with the instruction to run as hard as we could for 5km. Off we went, but Christophe quickly dropped off the pace, not remotely concerned at the prospect of being lapped by a passing snail. Brucey made a token effort to speed him up, but it fell on deaf ears.

‘No. Give me a ball. I play with a ball.’ Was it worth picking a fight? No. Brucey saw how Sir Alex had managed Eric Cantona and took a similar approach. And when you see his pedigree and his performances in matches, how can the other players argue? It was all part of getting the very best out of Christophe when Saturday comes.

Nigel Clough was great too, recognising that players at different stages of their lives and careers need managing in different ways. Playing with, and then for, my hero Mark Hughes helped me navigate the change of role at Macclesfield, where the players were already familiar with me.

There are countless textbooks written on man-management, but the very best have an instinct and a feel for it. In that respect, I’ve learned from some of the best.

For example, I watched Martin O’Neill, like Sir Alex at United, be a brilliant delegator. He surrounded himself with good people, great coaches who collectively covered all the bases. But leading it all, tying it all together, was the gaffer.

That’s the model I have built around me here at Macclesfield. I have John McMahon, a vastly-experienced pro-licence coach who will expertly deliver a session on any topic we feel is necessary. Nigel Keogh is great with some of the more technical detail, while Peter Band looks after other aspects, like set-pieces. I really feel that we dovetail each other wonderfully and my responsibility is to bring it all together, to prompt the kind of performances that have led to a 100-point haul with three games to go.

Like with any great XI, a coaching team wins or loses by the chemistry within it. This is why I see myself as a manager, not a head coach. If, one day in the future, I was to manage elsewhere, I would not want to be dropped into a club to lead a coaching staff I was unfamiliar with. Again, similar to the bond between players and a manager, it takes time to build that trust. Players aren’t daft. They will pick up on any fracture in a relationship between coaches.

When we leave the NPL in a few weeks, I’ll be leaving behind some great contemporaries, managers I really respect. To name a few: Steve Daley (Prescott Cables), Michael Dunwell (Stockton Town), Craig Lynch (Morpeth), Neil Reynolds (Warrington Rylands), and Josh Brehaut (Leek Town) could manage at a higher level. Some of the others… let’s just say I’ve been staggered at how some teams have been set up to take us on.

We have three games to go, two over the Easter weekend. We face Ilkeston Town at home on Saturday and Leek Town away on Easter Monday. We haven’t beaten either side yet this season and though we will have to utilise the whole squad, all the lads are eager to put that right on the way, hopefully, to 109 points.

Robbie Savage is a brand ambassador for Planet Sport Bet

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