Relentless. That’s the word I’d use to describe my introduction to management. Relentless… and remarkable.
I am absolutely loving being immersed in this job and I can only say it’s been brilliant so far, in terms of things going to the plan that we set in place when I was announced as the new manager of Brisbane Roar back in April.
I’m saying that, of course, before a ball has been kicked. But, when I took over, I knew that 14 players were out of contract and we decided early on that those 14 would leave. That was the path we wanted to go down, because it allows us to get more quickly towards the style of play I want to introduce, without any hangovers from previous systems.
That means a lot of scouting, a lot of talking to players, a huge amount of work identifying talent to try to build a team that plays in the way we want them to.
Such huge turnover can be a problem in football, of course, but, in many ways, it could help, because I’m starting afresh. With so many leaving, it is a clean slate and we believe we have identified players who will buy into the type of game we will impose.
I arrived early in Brisbane before the players start next week to hit the ground running and prepare the way for the new signings to be integrated – as there are a lot of them.
So far, we have brought in nine new players and there are more to come. It’s not ideal having so many new faces, of course, but then most managers are appointed because the situation is far from ideal – usually the team hasn’t been performing.
I say “we” because my coach Tony Grant has done a lot of the work too. And we are a team here at Brisbane.
One thing I’ve always said from all my experience in football is nobody knows everything. You have to rely on others, regardless of your experience.
I have stated that in my columns from last season and some managers lost their jobs in the Premier League because they too often thought only they knew best.
I also remember offering Steven Gerrard that advice when he was appointed as Rangers manager. He is a brilliant pro with so much knowledge at the highest level, but he’ll be the first to concede he needed support as a rookie manager.
I’m the same, and we have drawn a team together here behind the scenes with a lot of meetings, setting out the direction we want to go. That includes a style and system, but also analysts, physios, the sports-science department and coaches.
I want us all to buy into modern methods of coaching and thinking.
You look around world football and the top clubs now have formidable levels of analytics, so much emphasis on data, analysis, science. We can’t compete with the resources that the likes of Liverpool invest in that area – it’s a different world – but it’s part of what we do. The rest we have to make up with our work, desire and coaching.
A lot of top managers have a feel for the things that analytics can now highlight, even before they got those departments. Jurgen Klopp mixes both and we have to do the same.
That’s where the entire backroom team comes into play. We’ve scoured the leagues, looking for players who can take us up a level, and also finding top Aussie talent to meet the regulations we have in the A League.
So it has been non-stop, occasionally difficult, but I’ve loved it – speaking to players, giving them a vision of what we are trying to do, and persuading them to buy into it.
I don’t want anyone who thinks “one last pay day”. It’s about the project – and progressing. I believe even the more senior players can still progress. And, in that respect, the league doesn’t start until October, so we have time to get the players integrated and up to speed on what we want.
The only downside so far has been the weather – I seem to have brought the rain from England with me. I’ll settle for that, though, if we get off to a winning start.
