I’ll never cancel Christmas like Scrooge boss Pep
As you read this column, I will be in the recovery position after Livingston’s staff night out.
Fragile, a bit fuzzy and riding the ghost train as I attempt to rewind and recall exactly what transpired.
Whatever went on, I’ve no doubt I enjoyed myself and the rest of the boys will plead the fifth if asked about it.
All this week I’ve read about Christmas being cancelled across the British game.
Pep Guardiola’s the panto villain at Manchester City after doing an Ebenezer Scrooge and Dundee have even pulled the plug on their bash.
So here’s a tale from a Ghost of Christmas Past that should serve as a caution to any boss who’s considering doing the same.
My manager at Nottingham Forest, Gary Megson, made a huge error in going bah humbug to a few bad results as our festive bash was called off at the last minute.
It caused an instant split in the camp. Now a few years have passed, I will admit that we defied his order and still went out.
We just didn’t call it a Christmas Night Out, we called it the Get Gary Megson Out Night Out. It was about the team bonding.
As a player I had many a great night out. I’ve had a few shoddy ones too.
So many things had been put in place, the club fines, dressing-room fines, training-ground fines, they all went into the pot. Players were getting silly fines and it all went into the kitty.
So for someone to come in and tell us that, boom, the night out is off it’s a huge pin to burst your bubble. Megson didn’t last long after that.
To cancel this and cancel that with a carrot-and-stick approach to motivating players is bad karma.
You can’t put off nights out that have been planned for months on the back of bitterness at not claiming three points.
It’s as traditional at this time of year as getting a pair of socks from your Gran at Christmas and no different to any other work environment.
The players’ festive bash is no different to office parties, boys’ nights out and all the rest of it.
But that doesn’t stop a big fuss being made of it and some managers using it as leverage to get results.
The promise of a night out should never be dependent on results, the threat hung over your head that if you don’t get the right results then you don’t deserve a night out.
If a building site gaffer used that approach with bricklayers, he’d be getting a bunch of fives rather than high ones.
Anyone who has a bad week at work and has a Christmas night out at the end of it isn’t told it’s cancelled.
As far as the start of pre-season training, the players make sure they know when the fixture list comes out so they can start planning the Christmas do.
It’s about finding out who they will be playing at this time of the year and getting everything into place with the arrangements.
It’s meticulous and military in its organisation.
Our boys are heading to Dublin but the where and the when is going to be kept well under wraps as I’ve been sworn to secrecy.
Boys these days are more sensible. And I’m sure the Livi players will be wiser after the event.
You can’t put off nights out which have been planned for months in advance on the back of bitterness at not claiming three points in a game