Man-management is an essential part of any coach`s armoury. Some are better at it than others, and much of that is to do with the person`s background.
Somebody who has had a leadership role before they become a manager is usually much better at handling players than someone who has not.Listening again to the recent Blue Noise podcast with Garry Monk, I noticed him talking about what he feels has held him in good stead when making the transition into management.
At Swansea, our manager was captain for many years, and according to him, it provided invaluable experience for how to deal with changing rooms.
In a relegation dogfight, the battle is just as much about the mental side of things as it is the battle on the pitch, and it really does sound like we have landed on our feet by recruiting Garry into the role. He seems very set on creating a positive atmosphere at the club, but crucially, he is doing it in his own way.
Anyone can go into a club and say positive things to lift confidence. Those words can ring hollow if there is a sense they are not genuine, or there is lack substance to back them up. The manager has to believe in what he`s doing in order to succeed.
That is exactly what the gaffer is bringing to the party. Even though he is learned from many of the most experienced managers in the game like Glenn Hoddle, Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan, Robert Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup, he says he won`t copy anyone else`s style.
He knows that by doing so he will come off as fake, and therefore he has always been determined to do things his way, whilst still cherry picking the best things from the people he has worked under as a player.
Combining his experiences as a captain, with the best training methods from the coaches he is worked with, Monk is following his own path with the Blues. Whether that will be enough to keep us up, we will have to wait and see. What do you think? Let me know in the poll.
