DEALING WITH BIG EGOS HAS GIVEN ME BELIEF I CAN KEEP SWANSEA UP
I learned by handling Ronaldo, Terry and Ibra
PAUL CLEMENT insists he can keep Swansea City in the Premier League – and would have taken Derby County up if others had kept their nerve.
It’s a self-belief formed from within by forcing himself to stand tall and look the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Zl a tan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo in the eye – even though he never played as a professional himself.
The former assistant to Carlo Ancelotti (below with Clement) at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich reckons his priceless knowhow can stop his new club from going down the Swanny.
“When I was a young coach, I thought the most important thing was knowledge and things l ike planning and communication,” said Clement, 45 today.
“As I’ve got older, I’ve realised just how important experience is. Not only the experience I have been through, but experience that comes from watching others deal with certain situations.
“I have seen Carlo deal with a lot – potential conflict, how he has dealt with tactical changes, how he’s dealt with the board and his staff.
“Over Swansea’s recent games to ship three, four, five goals – I’m confident in my ability as a coach that this won’t happen under my reign.”
Just under a year ago, Clement’s first job in a hot seat, rather than as Ancelotti’s sidekick, ended with the sack at Derby after eight months. They had gone seven matches without a win, but were still fifth in the Championship. The rawness remains.
“I was really disappointed because I really felt – and still feel – that I would’ve had a good chance of getting that team up that year. I really do.
“We were still absolutely in touch. Over a 46- game season in the Championship it was normal to have some bad periods.
“For example, Burnley went through November without winning a game and were eight points adrift.
“They kept going and they turned it around. It was the same with Middlesbrough. There were lots of other teams around us who also went through difficult periods. “That was our bad time, but we would have come out of it. We were confident in what we were doing and we had good players.
“But the decision was made that the team weren’t moving in the direction that the club wanted – and I had to accept that.”
Clement’s conviction that he can save the Swans, who are deep in relegation trouble and on to manager number three this season, stems from those early days at Stamford Bridge.
The dressing room egos were huge, his own achievements were small and he admits: “It was absolutely sink or swim for me back then. When I made that step, it didn’t feel comfortable.
“But, having done that, it has given me the confidence to do things like this job. Why should you feel comfortable? Get uncomfortable if you want to get better and improve.
“It was a big lesson for me. How uncomfortable it felt at the start meant that when I came through it I was stronger for it.”