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Sweeping up glass, cooking pasta & managing the team - ex-England striker on his new challenge

Overnight there has been a break-in at Southport’s training ground, and manager Kevin Davies is literally picking up the pieces.

As his players drive into training and grab a slice of toast at Skelmersdale United where the club trains three times a week, the former Bolton Wanderers forward is around the back sweeping up broken glass from the changing room windows.

It’s tempting to wonder how many other former England internationals would be willing to pick up a broom and graft like this in the sixth tier of English football, the National League North.

Southport defender Steve Howson, recently signed from National League North rivals Salford City, has a simple answer: “None”.

The image is symptomatic of Davies, who has also been willing to cook pasta for the team on away trips and wash pots at the training ground as the club aim to become a more professional outfit and reach the English Football League in five years.

“We have a lot of volunteers at the club, some who give up 40 or 50 hours a week and don’t get paid,” Davies tells BBC Sport from his fitness trainer’s office, which is littered with Men’s Health magazines and has the players’ body fat percentages on a whiteboard.

“So you have to muck in and embrace the level we are at. Sweeping the floors is something I did when I was on a youth training scheme at Chesterfield.

“It’s all about having standards.”

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Southport’s long-due turnaround

It’s a Thursday morning at Skelmersdale United and break-ins aside, the place is buzzing.

There is a distinctly non-league feel to the place, with a clubhouse carpet straight out of a working men’s club, but players are busy receiving pre-training massages and warming up on the fitness bikes while others make teas and grab a quick game of table tennis.

“Gaffer, have you got any spanners?” asks fitness coach Neil Skidmore, who is attempting to assemble a weight-training station bought with money from player fines handed out for not washing up or arriving late.

Despite defeats on Saturday and Tuesday, Southport are on a high after winning eight of their last 12 games since the turn of the year, taking them from a relegation-threatened side to one which is challenging for the play-offs.

National League North table[1]

This is a club which has not been in the Football League since 1978 and has bounced between the fifth and sixth tiers ever since, so it took time to turn things around.

Davies failed to win any of his first 12 games and admits “there were some long drives home” after heavy home losses to Bradford Park Avenue and Blyth Spartans.

But he realised that with so much work to do, it was too early to lose hope. Asked what he needed to change at Southport when he took over in October, the 41-year-old says: “Everything.”

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‘Gaffer, I’m not playing on this pitch’

Having spent 16 years as a Premier League player with Southampton, Blackburn and Bolton, the size of Davies’ task was soon illustrated on his first away trip.

After asking what the team did for pre-match meals, he was told they amounted to ready meals in the coach microwave or toast, so he took matters into his own hands by going to a bulk retailer and cooking a batch of pasta.

“To be honest, it could have done with a bit more sauce, it was a bit dry,” he says, admitting they have since hired professional caterers.

But it proved his dedication, a level to which some of his players seemingly failed to match.

His first training sessions were eye-opening. Having first learned they were to take place on two 3G five-a-side pitches, Davies says: “One player came up to me and said ‘Gaffer, I’m not playing on this pitch’.

“I said ‘OK, well you’ve signed for this club, when are you training then?’.

“Another one said, ‘I’ll just run down the side of the pitch on the grass, I can’t train on 3G’.

Are they still at the club? “No.”

Lack of fitness was a big issue, and there has been a huge turnover of players since, including the club’s record signing of former FC United of Manchester striker Jason Gilchrist for a reported £30,000.

It has also led to a change in recruitment policy where Davies has avoided signing those working in manual jobs, such as labourers, because he wants “football to be the focus” rather than a “demanding day job”.

But he stresses that he “gave everyone an opportunity to impress me and prove they wanted to play for the club”.

“You have managers saying don’t try and bring your level of professionalism to non-league, it doesn’t work,” Davies adds. “They said that the lads who are working all day want to come in for an hour, have a bit of fun and go home.

“That didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to put my stamp on it.

“Having access to the players at this facility at Skelmersdale has been a massive turning point. They can come in and have a bit of breakfast, do a bit of pre-hab, get the medical team to assess them or get a massage. None of that existed before.”

Changing Southport’s culture

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After unveiling plans to refurbish its Haig Avenue stadium, it is revealing to listen to chief executive Natalie Atkinson, who previously worked at Curzon Ashton and describes Southport’s budget as “amazing”.

Davies, who calls the budget “competitive”, says he gets some friendly stick off former Blackburn forward Matt Jansen, now manager at Chorley, every time he signs a new player.

But the former England striker, who earned a solitary cap in 2010, is keen to stress that the money “has to be spent right” and says he’s done some good deals.

“We do due diligence on players, check on them as characters. That’s one of the things I learned from [former manager] Sam Allardyce.”

Some of the biggest changes to the club’s culture have cost very little.

In between managing Southport, which is still a part-time outfit, Davies is also studying for a master’s degree in sports directorship at Manchester Metropolitan University.

It is there he learned how Borussia Dortmund painted their players’ tunnel with landmarks from the city to inspire players, so Davies decided to do the same at Haig Avenue.

He has also led the way in trying to get a younger clientele through the door, given that Southport has traditionally attracted a more experienced supporter from the town.

“In one of my first games, the child mascot was on the pitch and I told them to come and meet the players, but they said they weren’t allowed in the changing rooms.

“I was like, ‘What? Get in there now’. The players were taken aback at first, but the mascot had a great time, got to meet the players and they might want to come back with their friends.

“As good as the fans are, we have to look to the future and engage with the community.”

How many would drop down to this level?

Davies’ willingness to drop down the leagues to earn his stripes marks him out as a rarity among former Premier League stars.

Former Arsenal and England defender Sol Campbell, who has been trying to step into management, recently said he didn’t “want to go too low that it’s a struggle”,[2] although after being turned down by League Two Grimsby, he said he was willing to “get his hands dirty”.

Campbell was told he lacked experience for the Grimsby role, something which also applied to Davies, but the Sheffield-born manager did his homework and was selected from more than 100 candidates.

He does, though, recognise that more could be done to help former players aiming to cut their managerial teeth.

“There are some players who get offered under-12 roles at Premier League or Championship clubs and they aspire to be higher than that. Others might feel the National League is too low for them.

“But when I applied for the Chesterfield job, I was told I lacked experience, so how do you get it?

“I love the intimacy of National League football and when I was working for BT Sport covering this level, I was able to go to a lot of new grounds and have a coffee with a chairman or club secretary. I got to pick the brains of managers such as [Lincoln City’s] Danny Cowley.

“Players are finding it difficult to get opportunities, and I think it’s something the Professional Footballers’ Association could help out with by giving them interview training because I think that’s where a lot of them fall down.

“Southport was my first ever interview, but I prepared for it for weeks. I made a big presentation, did my history on the club, watched them play a few times, offered ideas on how they could improve and came up with a recruitment plan which had contacts within a one-and-half-hour drive time from Southport.”

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Can Southport make the step up to league football?

Time is running out on our interview and Davies needs to get out on the training pitch where his diligent assistant Jon McCarthy will tell the players “to set the tone” as they go through their exercises and drills.

So among the pot-washing, the sweeping and compiling video analysis until 1am, is he actually enjoying his first taste of management?

“Everyone asks me that, and I say no,” Davies replies. “It’s a lot better now. After some defeats, I have questioned myself a bit but the good thing is you’re back in the next day, speaking to your staff and players, and we’re all working in the same direction.

“You don’t get time to dwell on the losses. As for the wins, I don’t enjoy them as much as I thought I would.

“It’s not really relief. Immediately, you’re just looking at other results and the table, planning for next week and doing the video analysis.”

For Davies, who is contracted in a part-time role but can do 35 hours “in a few days”, the work never stops.

“I was speaking to Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer the other day and asking him when he finds time to go on holiday. He said ‘even if you do, you’ll be asking to pop to the shops to make a quick call’. It’s full-on.

“I don’t see the family as much as I used to in retirement, but my wife and kids come to the games, and Southport is a good club and being part of it is important.

“It’ll be difficult to get out of this league and the one above, but I’m excited by what’s ahead – we haven’t achieved anything yet but we will keep pushing.”

References

^ National League North table (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ “want to go too low that it’s a struggle”, (www.independent.co.uk)

BBC Sport – Football

Sweeping up glass, cooking pasta & managing the team – ex-England striker on his new challenge was originally published on 365 Football

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Phil Neville: England women head coach sorry after ‘sexist’ tweets criticised

Neville has been appointed on a deal until 2021

New England women’s head coach Phil Neville has apologised for past controversial tweets about women.

The ex-Manchester United defender, 41, was named Lionesses boss on Tuesday but was accused of making sexist comments on the social media site in 2012.

In one tweet, he suggested women would be too “busy making breakfast/getting kids ready” to read his messages.

Neville said his comments were not “a true and genuine reflection of either my character or beliefs”.

Sports minister Tracey Crouch called his past remarks “ill-advised”.

Former England full-back Neville takes over from Mo Marley, who had been in interim charge since Mark Sampson’s sacking.

In a statement released by the Football Association, he added: “I am fully aware of my responsibilities as the England women’s head coach and am immensely proud and honoured to have been given the role.

“I am now looking forward to the future and will work tirelessly to try and help bring success to the team.”

It is understood the FA was aware of Neville’s tweets before his appointment.

FA urged to charge Neville

Campaigners have criticised the appointment of Neville, who has coached at former club Manchester United, Valencia and England Under-21s but has only managed one game – at Salford City, a team he co-owns.

And equality group Kick It Out has asked the FA whether it will level a disciplinary charge against Neville for appearing to make “misogynistic and sexist comments”.

Meanwhile, sports minister Crouch said: “While it is not my job to pick England managers, the FA needs to ensure that it has transparency around the process so that fans and football stakeholders alike are confident in it.

“It is right that Phil Neville has apologised for his ill-advised, historical remarks. Sexism of any kind must not be tolerated.”

Neville deleted Twitter account

Neville’s appointment produced a mixed reaction, and after saying on Twitter how “proud and honoured” he was to take on the role, he quickly added “see you all soon” after past tweets came to light.

In posts dating from 2012, he had said: “Morning men, couple of hours cricket before work sets me up nicely for the day.”

When people responded asking whether he would address women, he clarified in another post: “When I said morning men I thought the women would [have] been busy preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making beds-sorry morning women!”

Other users picked up on comments Neville had made when interacting with his sister and with his wife – and one in which he joked he had “just battered the wife”.

After those posts gained thousands of retweets, Neville then deleted his account, which had 1.6 million followers.

Neville’s contract runs through to the end of the 2021 Uefa Women’s European Championship campaign.

But he will first lead the Lionesses – ranked third in the world – at the 2019 World Cup in France, where they will be among the favourites.

‘Kick in the teeth’ – Appointment criticised

Kick It Out chief Roisin Wood said the organisation had serious concerns over the appointment “of someone with no record of management or experience in women’s football” and would be making representations to the FA.

The Women’s Sport Trust said: “To see a high-profile, former professional footballer virtually parachuted in to such a significant role in football without the level of experience required, undermines the coaching pathway and will be a blow to hundreds of football coaches, both male and female, currently working towards their badges at all levels.”

A statement from the Women In Football group said it felt like “a kick in the teeth to the team” and added that just 17% of professional sport coaches in the UK were female.

But the England men’s manager Gareth Southgate told the BBC there had been “a very thorough process around applications and interviews” for the women’s job.

“I guess, how do you get that experience without an opportunity? I wish him well, first and foremost,” he said.

“Hopefully for them now, as a team, everybody can start focusing on the football and how they progress.”

Neville (left) was part of David Moyes’ backroom staff at Manchester United and stayed when Ryan Giggs was appointed interim manager in April 2014

Neville was also backed by his former United team-mate Ryan Giggs, recently named boss of the Wales men’s team despite limited managerial experience.

“That’s what you’ve got to come to terms with when you get these sorts of jobs – a bit of flak – but all I can say is I’ve known Phil for a number of years, and he’ll do a really good job,” he said.

Analysis

BBC sports editor Dan Roan

Yet again the FA are under fierce scrutiny over a managerial appointment that threatens to become another farce.

In 2016 the governing body faced questions over its due diligence when Sam Allardyce was sacked after just one match in charge of the England men’s team following a newspaper sting.

Last year Mark Sampson was dismissed as England women’s manager for “inappropriate & unacceptable” behaviour with female players in a previous role. That – along with the crisis sparked by Eni Aluko’s racism allegations against him – meant the appointment of his replacement was crucial. The FA simply had to get it right.

Yet here we are, with Neville incredibly forced to apologise for sexist and ill-advised tweets – including one appearing to make light of domestic violence against women – on his first day in the job.

The FA needs to explain why – if they knew about these tweets before hiring him – they failed to foresee the controversy they would inevitably generate. And both they – and Neville himself – might want to front up and explain themselves at a proper press conference before the situation spirals out of control.

‘Lack of suitable female candidates’

The former Manchester United and Everton midfielder played 59 times for England and has won 10 major trophies, including six Premier League titles.

But his first taste of women’s football will involve taking on the top two teams in the world – United States and Germany – plus France, in the She Believes Cup, starting on 1 March.

Predecessor Sampson was sacked from his position following evidence of “inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour” in a previous role.

Under Sampson, England reached the Euro 2017 semi-finals, losing to eventual winners the Netherlands, having come third at the 2015 World Cup – their best finish at the tournament.

Former England women goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis would have preferred to see a woman appointed as his successor, but believes there were no suitable candidates.

“I think they shouldn’t hire someone just because they’re female,” she told BBC Radio 5 live.

“Phil Neville doesn’t have that senior level management experience but what he does bring is pretty unique.

“He trained and played as a top-level player in an era when Manchester United won everything. He has that level of excellence that the players will thrive on.”

Phil Neville met the England team at their training camp at La Manga in Spain this week

Another former England goalkeeper, Pauline Cope-Bonas, was far more critical of Neville’s appointment.

“He got it because of his name,” she said. “No disrespect to him and I’m sure he’ll go on to do a good job purely because he’s got world-class players there. They don’t need to be coached, they just need to be managed.

“A lot of people are disappointed because probably he hasn’t been to a women’s game. He’s never worked within the women’s game and that’s the crux of it.

“It is different. We deal with emotional things, women have women’s problems, monthly problems, relationship problems. “

Former England defender Danny Mills called it a “left-field” appointment.

“What has happened to the FA Player Pathway? St George’s Park was supposed to be promoting coaches from within,” he said.

“Phil has never been a number one anywhere else before. He’s now going into a team that’s third in the world. How can he just jump above everybody else?”

What are Neville’s credentials?

Neville, who has a Uefa Pro Licence and lives in Valencia, was an assistant to England Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce in their disappointing 2013 European Championship campaign.

He joined David Moyes at Old Trafford, where he lasted the 2013-14 season, despite the Scot being sacked.

His next top-level coaching job was at Valencia in Spain’s La Liga, where he was appointed coach in July 2015 and left soon after brother Gary was dismissed as manager following a run of three wins in 16 league games.

Neville’s experience and knowledge of the women’s game is understood to be limited.

Emma Hayes, Nick Cushing, Laura Harvey and John Herdman all dropped out of the running

Who were the other candidates?

The FA was keen for a woman to replace Sampson but was forced to look elsewhere after early potential appointments dropped out of the running.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes pledged her future to the club, and former Arsenal head coach Laura Harvey took up a new role with the Utah Royals in the US.

Englishman John Herdman was also a contender prior to being named head coach of Canada’s national men’s team after more than six years in charge of the country’s women’s team, and Manchester City boss Nick Cushing was interviewed but signed a new contract with his club.

Marley also applied for the role having spoken of her desire to give the England players “stability”, but later withdrew from consideration.

Marley will now return to leading England women’s development teams, including taking a squad to this summer’s U20 World Cup.

During her time in charge, she led England to victories in World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kazakhstan – in which they scored nine goals and conceded none – as well as a friendly defeat by France.

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