Confidence is key going into a relegation showdown

Hhaving overseen two last-day escapes, Paul Jewell explains that a manager must transmit the belief his team will survive

As a veteran of two Premier League final-day great escapes, Paul Jewell says that those involved are like ducks on a pond trying to look calm while their feet paddle frantically.

It is a feeling that all of those at

Aston Villa, Watford and Bournemouth may know as they prepare for a final round of matches that will decide the future of their clubs.

The pressure is immense, and Jewell’s players at Wigan Athletic recall their manager’s unusual techniques for easing the tension ahead of their all-or-nothing clash with Sheffield United in 2007.

“We walked on broken glass in the canteen,” said goalkeeper Mike Pollitt. “That was interesting. I think it was a thing about facing fear and making you think you can do anything. I remember Leighton Baines not doing it.”

In the final week of the season, the rule book goes out of the window for those with everything at stake. Jewell had overseen Bradford City’s survival in 2000 when they defeated Liverpool on the final day, denying their opponents a Champions League place.

Seven years later with Wigan, his team had to win at Bramall Lane.

“The problem is, the teams in that position at this time of the season are not used to winning,” Jewell said. “It’s a case of forgetting the rest of the season and telling the boys there is one game left – a cup final. It’s bigger than any cup final.

“The shackles came off then because it doesn’t matter what happened the last weekend, they can go and make themselves heroes.”

Jewell, now director of football at Swindon Town and enjoying promotion from League Two without any final-day drama, says it is the period when a manager can make a bigger difference than at any other stage of the season. “Sometimes the manager’s role in football is overstated, but the week building up to that game, everyone is looking at the manager,” he said. “Is he feeling the pressure? Does he believe we can do it? Does he have confidence in me? The manager cannot show weakness even though he is the proverbial duck on the pond, you’ve got to look calm when underneath the water it’s different.

“That is the skill of the manager, to display that belief for one day. Managers will play a key role and it’s whether they can keep their heads.”

Jewell says team selection can change during the week, dependhere,